That's not a typo.
Bugs have mandibles that extend when they're about to attack or mate (which happens a lot), which impairs their ability to talk.
Bugs
Moderator: Moderators
Re: Bugs
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so!
Playin too much Bioshock.
Writing about bugs and drippy, oozy, endless corridors.
Also, why am I double posting? No responses? Huh? Huh!
###
Indiana broke another lightstick, standing in an intersection of dripping and oozing corridors. Quant held the intern box and tried to not drop it in the ooze.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is so weird,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana muttered, tapping his com-bracelet against the wall. Quant, who's mouth was muffled by the intern box, tried to respond.
├óÔé¼┼ôMmmph?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana started walking down the hall, Quant hurying to keep up. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe Comlink is sent through three different projectors. For all of them to fail at once is just impossible. Either we turned on a jamming device or, something very odd has happened.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMmvrry.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not worrying,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana grinned, looking at Quant. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm just mildly perturbed-├óÔé¼┬Ø he held up com-bracelet and whacked it with his palm.
Quant shrugged.
Indiana fiddled with his com-link, bringing up a small holo-map. The map was fuzzed with static, but he managed to get a clear signal through.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, the navigation is working. Come on, lets go.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana started to lead Quant through the halls, their boots squelching through the ooze. Quant's arms started to turn to rubber again, sweat beading on her brow.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...keep telling me more about the Amerikans.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant managed to gasp around the intern box. Indiana grinned.
├óÔé¼┼ôAll righty. Well, after their first civil war, the Amerikans entered into about two centuries of advancement. There was a single slight hiccup called the Minor Depression, and they fought in two finger quotes, World Wars against various other nations"
├óÔé¼┼ôThey fought the whole world by themselves?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant asked around the Intern Box.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, they had allies. The Brittian Empire, the Russiahs, some other countries. Both times they fought against the Germanics. First time, it was a war between Empires and Monarchies. Second time, it was more of a war between a vastly superior technical and military force, against a lot of basically armed but fanatical forces.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôLike...the Amerikans are the technological ones-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, sorta.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana sighed, pausing at an intersection as his map fizzed out again. ├óÔé¼┼ôPut that down, lets take a break.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant sighed in relief, sitting down on the box she had carried so far. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, sorta?├óÔé¼┬Ø She grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy don't you elaborate on that well sorta.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana leaned against the walls. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe Germanics had come under the power of a very very evil force, known as the Noses.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe Noses?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant giggled. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell names their political party the Noses?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Indiana scowled. Quant stifled another giggle. He rolled his eyes, ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, the Noses managed to knock pretty much all of the Eastern Subcontinent over in a year or two. They then attacked the main portion of the Eastern Continent. The big frozen part.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd the millions on millions of Russiahs didn't take kindly to that. They fought back, and fought back hard. Their numbers bogged down the Germanics till the Amerikans managed to get toe holds on the Eastern Subcontinent. Then it was simply a matter of time till the Germanics surrendered. But the worst part was yet to come!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant knew, in the back of her mind, that all this took place about two hundred years before when her final project was supposed to cover. But she didn't speak up...smiling slightly as she watched Indiana talk.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe Amerikans and the Russiahs found that the Germanics had started a systemic slaughter of portions of their own population based off...Religion.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWeird.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant puffed her cheeks up and blew them out. Her antennas sparked.
├óÔé¼┼ôVery. Over six million died in a mere five year period.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana sighed. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis was one of the many foundations of our later Codes of Civilization.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh-huh.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant said, looking into Indiana's eyes. He paused.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not boring you am I?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, no, no,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant shook her head. "No."
├óÔé¼┼ôYou sure? Cause, I do like to ramble on.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana smiled. Quant sighed, almost melting on the spot.
A sudden, inhuman, eerie scream sounded, echoing down the hallways. Indiana jumped and Quant slipped off the intern box, splashing into the ooze.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that!├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant hissed. Indiana shushed her frantically, looking down the corridor from which the scream had come from. He put his hand over his light stick, plunging them into darkness.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant whispered, trying to squeak closer to Indiana. She found his back with her hands and he shivered.
├óÔé¼┼ôHiding. Now sssssh!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant nodded. Time passed. Indiana and she listened hard. The dribbling of ooze and sloshing of liquids were all they could hear. No more eerie screams or...footsteps!
├óÔé¼┼ôHear that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant whispered, her voice barely more than a hiss.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes...get ready...one...two...three!├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana removed his hand from the top of the lightstick. Light shone into the hallway and...
Lisa, who had been running down the corridor, flung herself backwards. Her feet slipped on the ooze and she fell backwards. Ooze splashed and Quant ran forward. She and Indiana helped Liss sit up and...they gasped at the same time.
Lisa looked, to borrow a phrase, like the tubes. A long gash ran down her face. It was shallow, but still bled sluggishly. Her right arm looked as if it had been chewed on, and she was...Quant gulped, turning a bit green. Lisa was missing two fingers.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh, by the codes, Lisa!├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana jerked his jacket off and ripped the sleeve off, easily. He wrapped the sleeve around the worst part of her arm. Quant pulled out her handkerchief and started to wipe up the wound on Lisa's face.
├óÔé¼┼ôLisa, what happened?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat's going on? What was that noise?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lisa shook her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got to run. Now.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôLisa-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, Indiana,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa gulped, forcing Quant away from her with her good arm. She struggled to her feet, helped by Indiana. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got to run. NOW!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Another inhuman shrike echoed down the hall, and then a very human scream.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm thinking she's right,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant hissed. Then. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat was Marion!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is she-├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana started. ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's dead-├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa said at the same time. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got to-├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant added the last layer to the verbal jumble.
Quant, Indiana and Lisa looked at each other. Quant said, cutting both of them off, ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm going to help Marion.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôQuant, don't be stupid.├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa started, but Quant grabbed the laser pistol out of Lisa's holster. It was at one third batteries, but Quant fiddled with it, pulling out her own lightstick.
├óÔé¼┼ôIndiana,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa snarled. ├óÔé¼┼ôStop her.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Another scream came down the hall. Before Indiana could say anything, Quant started to run down the hall.
Indiana looked at Lisa, then at Quant. He bit his lip, then swore loudly. He grabbed Lisa by the arm and helped her to her feet. She groaned.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou've got to stop her.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôQuant's not going to stop...├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana muttered, pulling out a marker piton from his utility belt. He thrust it into the wall, and it started to glow a soft blue. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome on.├óÔé¼┬Ø
###
Quant's heroics dried up when Indiana's lightstick faded from view. She started to kick herself for being an idiot. Because, as her father said, a heroic idiot is still an idiot. She paused, looking over the laser pistol. It was pretty much exactly like the laser pistols she had played with as a kid, but with a power pack large enough to do serious damage.
She gulped. Something, down the corridor had moved.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is stupid, Quant...you should run, like, now.├óÔé¼┬Ø She whispered to herself. Something fluttered in the darkness, insect like wings rustling against one another. Quant yelped and pulled the trigger. The smell of ozone filled the air and a blindly bright flash illuminated the whole corridor for a half second.
In that half second, Quant saw what she was shooting at. She screamed, even as the Bug fell over in two halves.
She stood there, and almost ran. But then something stopped her. It was the soft sound of Marion moaning. Quant lifted up her lightstick, showing the gory details of the bug she had cut in half. She ignored that, focusing on Marion, who had fallen over in the puddle of ooze. She...
Quant gulped. Marion was missing a foot.
├óÔé¼┼ôMarion,├óÔé¼┬Ø she breathed, sticking the laser pistol in her belt and grabbing Marion's shoulder. She levered the other woman up. ├óÔé¼┼ôAre you okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asks, feeling stupid.
├óÔé¼┼ôN-n-n-n-n-n,├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion stutters.
Quant sighs. ├óÔé¼┼ôJust come on...don't talk.├óÔé¼┬Ø She helped Marion to her feet- foot, Quant reminded herself, and they started to hobble down the hallway.
A sudden skittering noise brought Quant up short. The lightstick flickered and she saw several Bugs down the hallway. Them dead was bad enough: Them moving was a nightmare.
Quant whimpered, her hand going to her laser pistol. The bugs paused.
And then a feeling like a thousand whispering voics crammed into her head struck Quant. She dropped her pistol, grunting as the voices got louder, and louder, until they start shouting. She almost dropped Marion, but then the voice stopped and...
She opened her mouth and a stream of complete gibberish flooded from her.
The Bugs paused, then chittered.
Quant tried to keep her jaw shut, but more gibberish came out of her.
The Bugs stood straight up and raised their claws. Quant whimpered, sure she was about to get ripped into a thousand tiny bits. And then the Bugs kept raising their claws, bringing the flats of them to their foreheads. They all chittered one word at each other, then turned and stalked away, vanishing into the darkness.
├óÔé¼┼ôW-w-what did you do?├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion moaned, her face gaunt.
├óÔé¼┼ôI...don't...know.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôWh...what did they call you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion looked at Quant. Quant shrugged, starting to walk down the corridor. Marion put most of her weight on the E.L.F's shoulder.
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't know.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant shrugged. ├óÔé¼┼ôSounded a bit like...Pre-say-dant?├óÔé¼┬Ø
###
Indiana yelped when Quant caught up with him. He was standing in front of a sealed door, letting Lisa rest on the Intern Box, when she walked up behind him.
├óÔé¼┼ôQuant...├óÔé¼┬Ø He gaped. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're alive.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant gently set Marion down on the intern box. Marion groaned, her foot stump dangling just a bit over the ooze.
├óÔé¼┼ôL-L-Lisa,├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion stuttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôW-w-what a-are th-those things?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBugs.├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa said through clenched teeth. ├óÔé¼┼ôReally...big bugs.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôB-bugs.├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion gulped.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is so weird,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said, his face still gray. He looked ghoulish under the lightsticks, gray and under lit. ├óÔé¼┼ôSee, this door...we had it propped open.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm willing to bet,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant whispered, glancing at the two wounded women. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat the Bugs don't really want us to leave.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat...would...follow!├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana kicked the door with every word. ├óÔé¼┼ôSON OF A BITCH!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant blinked, stepping back. He turned on her, face livid. Then all color drained out of his face, faster than Quant could have imagined.
She spun around and pulled her laser pistol out. She fired. Light flashed in the corridor. A Bug went flying, ichore and steam spurting from their shoulder. The Bugs behind that one, however, chittered loudly and charged forward. Two more shots felled another bug.
├óÔé¼┼ôOPEN THE DOOR!├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant shouted, pulling the trigger again as the Bugs swarmed up against their defense line. Marion was screaming too and Lisa...
Lisa had her hands in the intern box. Stuff started flying from her uninjured arm. A systemic scanner clocked a wounded Bug in the eye. That Bug fell over, clawing at its ruptured eye with its arms. A burner torch almost went after it, but Indiana grabbed it out of her hands.
The bugs drew back after another tense moment. They left two corpses and a lot of junk from the Intern box.
Indiana had almost gotten the door cut open when a chittering call came down the corridor.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis isn't what I signed up for!├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion snapped, grabbing her ankle and squeezing it.
├óÔé¼┼ôShut up Marion!├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana snapped as Quant pulled the trigger and found the gun buzzing softly in her hands. She tossed it to Lisa, who caught it in her good hand and...the door sprung open. Indiana grabbed Lisa, Quant grabbed Marion, and they rushed in.
Indiana grabbed the edges of the door, slammed them together, and started welding them back together. Bugs started to pound on the door when he was half way done. The door started to dent when he was done.
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, we bought ourselves ten minuets, I think.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said, quickly stepping away from the door.
Quant broke a new lightstick and stuck it to the wall. The hallway they stood in was a bit cleaner than the old one, but otherwise much the same. Marion and Lisa had to lean against the wall rather than sit down on the Intern Box, which was probebly getting pawed through by some bugs.
Quant wondered if she should think pawed through or clawed through?
├óÔé¼┼ôFirst thing,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana leaned against the door. Another dent appeared on it. He stopped leaning. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the tubes is going on!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lisa sighed. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe ruins opened up...bugs came out. They killed Jason, and I ran into the ruins to get away. Lots of running, found you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Marion spoke up. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was...w-with the Queen. It turned red and I heard chittering. A bug came out of the ceiling and bit my foot off. I kicked it, broke it's skull, and scrambled into...├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion blinked, seeming confused. ├óÔé¼┼ôThere...was a hole. I don't know where it came from.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant sighed. Indiana looked around. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhere's Kurt? Kevin?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lisa closed her eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôKurt jumped off the Ruins into the Mississippi.├óÔé¼┬Ø She shook her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôHe might be dead. The Mississippi has only had a thousand years to clear up the thousand five hundred years of industrial dumping. There are still radioactive, toxins...├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI thought we ate fish out of that,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant said, feeling a bit queasy.
Marion coughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was joking. T-those were rations.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant felt incredibly stupid. The door dented again. She shook her head, scowling. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right, fine. Lets just catalog what we do have. We've got...empty laser pistol, a wounded Lisa, footless Marion...how is your internal tourniquet doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Marion shrugged. ├óÔé¼┼ôStopped the bleeding...just okay.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou have internal tourniquets?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa whispered to Marion. She nodded. Lisa scowled, looking away.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd we've got Indiana and I, perfectly healthy.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant was broken off by another loud clang from the door. Another dent. ├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, I suggest running.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana grabbed Marion on one side, while Quant took her other. They started to wobble down the corridor. The clanking door started to get father behind them.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant panted. ├óÔé¼┼ôHow do we get out of here?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo idea.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana checked his com-bracelet. ├óÔé¼┼ôAh...ah, found it. Now I have an idea. We go forward five intersections, then take a right, two more intersections, then a left and we go up...or out.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIndiana, I'm sure you've explained this to me before,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa nursed her arm, her eyes sparking. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut why all the long, endless, pointless corridors!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôStorage space.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe doors are mostly sealed up by the ooze, and we sound out the empty rooms with scanners and this really isn't the time, Lisa!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, if you talk about something, I might be able to ignore the broken arm!├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa clutched her arm to her side, trying to keep it straight.
├óÔé¼┼ôListen, adults!├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant snapped, glaring over her shoulder at them. ├óÔé¼┼ôShut up or I'll have to separate you!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Playin too much Bioshock.
Writing about bugs and drippy, oozy, endless corridors.
Also, why am I double posting? No responses? Huh? Huh!
###
Indiana broke another lightstick, standing in an intersection of dripping and oozing corridors. Quant held the intern box and tried to not drop it in the ooze.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is so weird,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana muttered, tapping his com-bracelet against the wall. Quant, who's mouth was muffled by the intern box, tried to respond.
├óÔé¼┼ôMmmph?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana started walking down the hall, Quant hurying to keep up. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe Comlink is sent through three different projectors. For all of them to fail at once is just impossible. Either we turned on a jamming device or, something very odd has happened.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMmvrry.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not worrying,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana grinned, looking at Quant. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm just mildly perturbed-├óÔé¼┬Ø he held up com-bracelet and whacked it with his palm.
Quant shrugged.
Indiana fiddled with his com-link, bringing up a small holo-map. The map was fuzzed with static, but he managed to get a clear signal through.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, the navigation is working. Come on, lets go.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana started to lead Quant through the halls, their boots squelching through the ooze. Quant's arms started to turn to rubber again, sweat beading on her brow.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...keep telling me more about the Amerikans.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant managed to gasp around the intern box. Indiana grinned.
├óÔé¼┼ôAll righty. Well, after their first civil war, the Amerikans entered into about two centuries of advancement. There was a single slight hiccup called the Minor Depression, and they fought in two finger quotes, World Wars against various other nations"
├óÔé¼┼ôThey fought the whole world by themselves?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant asked around the Intern Box.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, they had allies. The Brittian Empire, the Russiahs, some other countries. Both times they fought against the Germanics. First time, it was a war between Empires and Monarchies. Second time, it was more of a war between a vastly superior technical and military force, against a lot of basically armed but fanatical forces.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôLike...the Amerikans are the technological ones-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, sorta.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana sighed, pausing at an intersection as his map fizzed out again. ├óÔé¼┼ôPut that down, lets take a break.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant sighed in relief, sitting down on the box she had carried so far. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, sorta?├óÔé¼┬Ø She grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy don't you elaborate on that well sorta.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana leaned against the walls. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe Germanics had come under the power of a very very evil force, known as the Noses.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe Noses?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant giggled. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell names their political party the Noses?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Indiana scowled. Quant stifled another giggle. He rolled his eyes, ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, the Noses managed to knock pretty much all of the Eastern Subcontinent over in a year or two. They then attacked the main portion of the Eastern Continent. The big frozen part.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd the millions on millions of Russiahs didn't take kindly to that. They fought back, and fought back hard. Their numbers bogged down the Germanics till the Amerikans managed to get toe holds on the Eastern Subcontinent. Then it was simply a matter of time till the Germanics surrendered. But the worst part was yet to come!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant knew, in the back of her mind, that all this took place about two hundred years before when her final project was supposed to cover. But she didn't speak up...smiling slightly as she watched Indiana talk.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe Amerikans and the Russiahs found that the Germanics had started a systemic slaughter of portions of their own population based off...Religion.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWeird.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant puffed her cheeks up and blew them out. Her antennas sparked.
├óÔé¼┼ôVery. Over six million died in a mere five year period.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana sighed. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis was one of the many foundations of our later Codes of Civilization.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh-huh.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant said, looking into Indiana's eyes. He paused.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not boring you am I?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, no, no,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant shook her head. "No."
├óÔé¼┼ôYou sure? Cause, I do like to ramble on.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana smiled. Quant sighed, almost melting on the spot.
A sudden, inhuman, eerie scream sounded, echoing down the hallways. Indiana jumped and Quant slipped off the intern box, splashing into the ooze.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that!├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant hissed. Indiana shushed her frantically, looking down the corridor from which the scream had come from. He put his hand over his light stick, plunging them into darkness.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant whispered, trying to squeak closer to Indiana. She found his back with her hands and he shivered.
├óÔé¼┼ôHiding. Now sssssh!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant nodded. Time passed. Indiana and she listened hard. The dribbling of ooze and sloshing of liquids were all they could hear. No more eerie screams or...footsteps!
├óÔé¼┼ôHear that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant whispered, her voice barely more than a hiss.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes...get ready...one...two...three!├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana removed his hand from the top of the lightstick. Light shone into the hallway and...
Lisa, who had been running down the corridor, flung herself backwards. Her feet slipped on the ooze and she fell backwards. Ooze splashed and Quant ran forward. She and Indiana helped Liss sit up and...they gasped at the same time.
Lisa looked, to borrow a phrase, like the tubes. A long gash ran down her face. It was shallow, but still bled sluggishly. Her right arm looked as if it had been chewed on, and she was...Quant gulped, turning a bit green. Lisa was missing two fingers.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh, by the codes, Lisa!├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana jerked his jacket off and ripped the sleeve off, easily. He wrapped the sleeve around the worst part of her arm. Quant pulled out her handkerchief and started to wipe up the wound on Lisa's face.
├óÔé¼┼ôLisa, what happened?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat's going on? What was that noise?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lisa shook her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got to run. Now.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôLisa-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, Indiana,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa gulped, forcing Quant away from her with her good arm. She struggled to her feet, helped by Indiana. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got to run. NOW!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Another inhuman shrike echoed down the hall, and then a very human scream.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm thinking she's right,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant hissed. Then. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat was Marion!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is she-├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana started. ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's dead-├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa said at the same time. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got to-├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant added the last layer to the verbal jumble.
Quant, Indiana and Lisa looked at each other. Quant said, cutting both of them off, ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm going to help Marion.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôQuant, don't be stupid.├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa started, but Quant grabbed the laser pistol out of Lisa's holster. It was at one third batteries, but Quant fiddled with it, pulling out her own lightstick.
├óÔé¼┼ôIndiana,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa snarled. ├óÔé¼┼ôStop her.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Another scream came down the hall. Before Indiana could say anything, Quant started to run down the hall.
Indiana looked at Lisa, then at Quant. He bit his lip, then swore loudly. He grabbed Lisa by the arm and helped her to her feet. She groaned.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou've got to stop her.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôQuant's not going to stop...├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana muttered, pulling out a marker piton from his utility belt. He thrust it into the wall, and it started to glow a soft blue. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome on.├óÔé¼┬Ø
###
Quant's heroics dried up when Indiana's lightstick faded from view. She started to kick herself for being an idiot. Because, as her father said, a heroic idiot is still an idiot. She paused, looking over the laser pistol. It was pretty much exactly like the laser pistols she had played with as a kid, but with a power pack large enough to do serious damage.
She gulped. Something, down the corridor had moved.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is stupid, Quant...you should run, like, now.├óÔé¼┬Ø She whispered to herself. Something fluttered in the darkness, insect like wings rustling against one another. Quant yelped and pulled the trigger. The smell of ozone filled the air and a blindly bright flash illuminated the whole corridor for a half second.
In that half second, Quant saw what she was shooting at. She screamed, even as the Bug fell over in two halves.
She stood there, and almost ran. But then something stopped her. It was the soft sound of Marion moaning. Quant lifted up her lightstick, showing the gory details of the bug she had cut in half. She ignored that, focusing on Marion, who had fallen over in the puddle of ooze. She...
Quant gulped. Marion was missing a foot.
├óÔé¼┼ôMarion,├óÔé¼┬Ø she breathed, sticking the laser pistol in her belt and grabbing Marion's shoulder. She levered the other woman up. ├óÔé¼┼ôAre you okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asks, feeling stupid.
├óÔé¼┼ôN-n-n-n-n-n,├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion stutters.
Quant sighs. ├óÔé¼┼ôJust come on...don't talk.├óÔé¼┬Ø She helped Marion to her feet- foot, Quant reminded herself, and they started to hobble down the hallway.
A sudden skittering noise brought Quant up short. The lightstick flickered and she saw several Bugs down the hallway. Them dead was bad enough: Them moving was a nightmare.
Quant whimpered, her hand going to her laser pistol. The bugs paused.
And then a feeling like a thousand whispering voics crammed into her head struck Quant. She dropped her pistol, grunting as the voices got louder, and louder, until they start shouting. She almost dropped Marion, but then the voice stopped and...
She opened her mouth and a stream of complete gibberish flooded from her.
The Bugs paused, then chittered.
Quant tried to keep her jaw shut, but more gibberish came out of her.
The Bugs stood straight up and raised their claws. Quant whimpered, sure she was about to get ripped into a thousand tiny bits. And then the Bugs kept raising their claws, bringing the flats of them to their foreheads. They all chittered one word at each other, then turned and stalked away, vanishing into the darkness.
├óÔé¼┼ôW-w-what did you do?├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion moaned, her face gaunt.
├óÔé¼┼ôI...don't...know.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôWh...what did they call you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion looked at Quant. Quant shrugged, starting to walk down the corridor. Marion put most of her weight on the E.L.F's shoulder.
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't know.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant shrugged. ├óÔé¼┼ôSounded a bit like...Pre-say-dant?├óÔé¼┬Ø
###
Indiana yelped when Quant caught up with him. He was standing in front of a sealed door, letting Lisa rest on the Intern Box, when she walked up behind him.
├óÔé¼┼ôQuant...├óÔé¼┬Ø He gaped. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're alive.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant gently set Marion down on the intern box. Marion groaned, her foot stump dangling just a bit over the ooze.
├óÔé¼┼ôL-L-Lisa,├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion stuttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôW-w-what a-are th-those things?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBugs.├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa said through clenched teeth. ├óÔé¼┼ôReally...big bugs.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôB-bugs.├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion gulped.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is so weird,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said, his face still gray. He looked ghoulish under the lightsticks, gray and under lit. ├óÔé¼┼ôSee, this door...we had it propped open.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm willing to bet,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant whispered, glancing at the two wounded women. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat the Bugs don't really want us to leave.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat...would...follow!├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana kicked the door with every word. ├óÔé¼┼ôSON OF A BITCH!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant blinked, stepping back. He turned on her, face livid. Then all color drained out of his face, faster than Quant could have imagined.
She spun around and pulled her laser pistol out. She fired. Light flashed in the corridor. A Bug went flying, ichore and steam spurting from their shoulder. The Bugs behind that one, however, chittered loudly and charged forward. Two more shots felled another bug.
├óÔé¼┼ôOPEN THE DOOR!├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant shouted, pulling the trigger again as the Bugs swarmed up against their defense line. Marion was screaming too and Lisa...
Lisa had her hands in the intern box. Stuff started flying from her uninjured arm. A systemic scanner clocked a wounded Bug in the eye. That Bug fell over, clawing at its ruptured eye with its arms. A burner torch almost went after it, but Indiana grabbed it out of her hands.
The bugs drew back after another tense moment. They left two corpses and a lot of junk from the Intern box.
Indiana had almost gotten the door cut open when a chittering call came down the corridor.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis isn't what I signed up for!├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion snapped, grabbing her ankle and squeezing it.
├óÔé¼┼ôShut up Marion!├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana snapped as Quant pulled the trigger and found the gun buzzing softly in her hands. She tossed it to Lisa, who caught it in her good hand and...the door sprung open. Indiana grabbed Lisa, Quant grabbed Marion, and they rushed in.
Indiana grabbed the edges of the door, slammed them together, and started welding them back together. Bugs started to pound on the door when he was half way done. The door started to dent when he was done.
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, we bought ourselves ten minuets, I think.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said, quickly stepping away from the door.
Quant broke a new lightstick and stuck it to the wall. The hallway they stood in was a bit cleaner than the old one, but otherwise much the same. Marion and Lisa had to lean against the wall rather than sit down on the Intern Box, which was probebly getting pawed through by some bugs.
Quant wondered if she should think pawed through or clawed through?
├óÔé¼┼ôFirst thing,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana leaned against the door. Another dent appeared on it. He stopped leaning. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the tubes is going on!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lisa sighed. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe ruins opened up...bugs came out. They killed Jason, and I ran into the ruins to get away. Lots of running, found you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Marion spoke up. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was...w-with the Queen. It turned red and I heard chittering. A bug came out of the ceiling and bit my foot off. I kicked it, broke it's skull, and scrambled into...├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion blinked, seeming confused. ├óÔé¼┼ôThere...was a hole. I don't know where it came from.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant sighed. Indiana looked around. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhere's Kurt? Kevin?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Lisa closed her eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôKurt jumped off the Ruins into the Mississippi.├óÔé¼┬Ø She shook her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôHe might be dead. The Mississippi has only had a thousand years to clear up the thousand five hundred years of industrial dumping. There are still radioactive, toxins...├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI thought we ate fish out of that,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant said, feeling a bit queasy.
Marion coughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was joking. T-those were rations.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant felt incredibly stupid. The door dented again. She shook her head, scowling. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right, fine. Lets just catalog what we do have. We've got...empty laser pistol, a wounded Lisa, footless Marion...how is your internal tourniquet doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Marion shrugged. ├óÔé¼┼ôStopped the bleeding...just okay.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou have internal tourniquets?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa whispered to Marion. She nodded. Lisa scowled, looking away.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd we've got Indiana and I, perfectly healthy.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant was broken off by another loud clang from the door. Another dent. ├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, I suggest running.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana grabbed Marion on one side, while Quant took her other. They started to wobble down the corridor. The clanking door started to get father behind them.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant panted. ├óÔé¼┼ôHow do we get out of here?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo idea.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana checked his com-bracelet. ├óÔé¼┼ôAh...ah, found it. Now I have an idea. We go forward five intersections, then take a right, two more intersections, then a left and we go up...or out.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIndiana, I'm sure you've explained this to me before,├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa nursed her arm, her eyes sparking. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut why all the long, endless, pointless corridors!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôStorage space.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe doors are mostly sealed up by the ooze, and we sound out the empty rooms with scanners and this really isn't the time, Lisa!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, if you talk about something, I might be able to ignore the broken arm!├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa clutched her arm to her side, trying to keep it straight.
├óÔé¼┼ôListen, adults!├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant snapped, glaring over her shoulder at them. ├óÔé¼┼ôShut up or I'll have to separate you!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Re: Bugs
Air ducts, auto-pulleys, plasma torches, and BUGS!
All this and more in the next episode of...Bugs!
####
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, okay...we've solved one problem.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe're not about to be eaten by bugs. We've stopped Lisa and Marion's bleeding...├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd we have to go about a hundred feet straight up.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana finished for her, shining his lightstick up the elevator shaft. What the light showed wasn't pretty: The cables had been bitten in half by something, leaving the tattered ends about six feet too high for any of the party to reach. The elevator car was just plain gone, and even if the cable had been closer, Lisa couldn't have climbed it anyway.
Quant was in the middle of pointing all that out when Lisa snapped at her. ├óÔé¼┼ôShut up!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant and Indiana looked at her. She glared at both of them. ├óÔé¼┼ôStop listing what we're missing and start listing what we DO have.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant sighs. ├óÔé¼┼ôIndiana?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôA half discharged plasma burner, some analytic equipment, an auto-pulley, a 200 foot long micro strand and a half eaten candy bar.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana scowled. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd a emptied laser pistol.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight. Can we cut through the wall?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôNot a chance.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana shook his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's five feet thick synthoplastic, and even if we could cut, it's got the entire Mississippi behind it.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGuys.├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion said, softly.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe could start cutting through doors, see if we can find anything else?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant suggested.
├óÔé¼┼ôGuys?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThis area has been cleared already. Each door scanned, tagged and bagged. Anything we found here would be upstairs, at the camp.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGuys!├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion shouted.
The others looked at her. She pointed at the wall above one of the doors.
Quant, Lisa and Indiana all looked at the area she pointed at. Almost completely hidden under a layer of ooze and filth was a square grill, leading to...to a ventilation shaft.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm too big to fit in that,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I can't crawl with a broken arm.├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa looked at Marion.
├óÔé¼┼ôDon't look at me! I'm missing a foot!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The three adults looked at one another, then at Quant. Quant looked back at them, then said the only thing she could think of.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh pike.├óÔé¼┬Ø
###
Quant crawled face first through the airduct, holding a lightstick in one hand and the plasma torch in the other. She inched forward, crawling on her elbows and toes, wriggling through a vent so small her antenna scraped against the grime encrusted roof.
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, Quant, take human history instead of galactic history.├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôHuman history is sooooo much easier.├óÔé¼┬Ø
She paused and wrestled Indiana's com bracelet in font of her. She tapped the screen and it turned on, flooding her face with light. She winced, her mostly dark adjusted eyes watering. She called up the map of the air duct systems she was crawling through.
Her mind flashed back to Indiana: ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, the map isn't all that accurate...it's based off scanning images.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy are they so big, anyway?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant had muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's not like anyone needs to crawl through them.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôActually, maintenance workers would have had to go through them a lot. There are probably ladders and such to help them get from level to level.├óÔé¼┬Ø
'Probably?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant had asked.
Quant shook her head. According to the admittedly vague map, she was close to a ladder that would go up a level. She shifted around and slid the com-bracelet back into her pocket. She started crawling forward again, her breathing loud in the cramped air duct.
Quant came into a slightly larger small room, with exactly four walls and a floor and...she scrambled to her feet and looked up. She couldn't see the ceiling, though she could see the ladder that would take her up. Quant sighed, stuck her lightstick between her teeth, and grabbed the first rail of the ladder. She tested it with her weight. It held. She started to climb, slowly.
The ladder was encrusted, like everything else in this horrible place, with ooze and grime, and every once and a while, Quant felt her fingers almost slip from her rung. She would stop and thrust her back against the wall, which loomed close behind her, and wait, her arms locked through the ladder's rungs, waiting for her heart to slow, her breathing to calm.
She wouldn't wait for long. The image of the others, waiting for Bugs to show up and rip them to pieces was enough to spur her on.
The ladder seemed to go on forever. And then...Quant saw the light from her lightstick reflected in the ceiling above her. She grunted something unintelligible through the lightstick and climbed faster. She stopped at the top of the ladder and stepped to the side. She stood for a moment, panting and teetering on her feet. It was when she almost fell down the ladder shaft that Quant kicked herself into moving again.
She used the plasma torch to cut open the air ventilation grate and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she slipped out of the air vent and stood straight up.
Quant cricked her neck, stretched her back and sighed in relife again. ├óÔé¼┼ôI need a shower,├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered, running her hand through her purple hair and trying to get some of the ooze and gunk out of it. She started to walk down the corridor, holding the lightstick and plasma torch at the ready.
This level was a marked improvement over the last one. There was significantly less ooze. The ceiling actually shone in some places, and the light shone farther into the darkness. Quant moved, following the map Indiana's com bracelet painted her.
Her heart thudded every step of the way. Every corner could hide more bugs, every intersection could be another ambush...she started at the smallest sounds. The entire walk couldn't have been more than ten minuets...but to Quant it felt like an eternity, an endless time with one, long, contentiously chocked back scream.
And then she arrived at the elevator shaft. Another quick application of the torch and the door opened to reveal the open elevator shaft. Quant sighed, slowly, pushing out her fear.
├óÔé¼┼ôRemember Marion, Remember Indiana, Remember Lisa,├óÔé¼┬Ø she muttered, closing her eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd don't...be...scared.├óÔé¼┬Ø
It didn't work. Tears pricked at her eyes...but she forced her hands to tie one end of the auto-pulley to the elevator cable. Then tie one end of the mico-rope tot he auto-pulley...then let it drop.
Quant breathed in, then breathed out. ├óÔé¼┼ôOkay...okay, you can do this Quant.├óÔé¼┬Ø She took hold of the wire. She stepped off the floor and hung there, suspended by the auto-pulley. She jerked on the wire once, bobbling up and down on the wire.
The auto-pulley whirred and clicked and Quant dropped straight down.She screamed, her courage failing her as she plummeted.
And then the auto-pulley jerked again and the micro-wire cut into Quant's palms. She let go of it and fell, lurching down...to hit the ground after little more than a half second.
She opened her eyes. She stood at the bottom of the elevator shaft,facing Indiana, Lisa and Marion.
Quant's knees sagged as she was hugged by Indiana, then by Marion. Lisa settled for a shoulder pat, a broken arm being ill suited to hugging.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou are amazing. If your history teacher doesn't give you an A, I'll beat the snot out of him.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said, smiling at Quant.
'Well, I-├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant started. A chittering sound cut her off. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe should go right nowish.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Indiana nodded, grabbing the micro-wire. He jerked the wire twice. The auto-pulley jerked him up. Quant waited, looking around nervously. Lisa had the plasma torch and was turning it on and off and on and off, her eyes looking into the darkness.
The wire came back down. Lisa handed the torch to Quant, grabbed the wire with her good hand, and jerked it twice.
Marion bit her lip. ├óÔé¼┼ôQuant...this is all my fault.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant blinked. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo, no, it's-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI got the Queen working.├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion said, holding herself up by putting her hands on either side of the wall. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was...so excited, I had managed to hook it up to one of our computers it...I...├óÔé¼┬Ø she closes her eyes.
The wire dropped back down.
Quant took Marion's hand. ├óÔé¼┼ôMarion...we're not sure how this happened. Don't blame yourself till...├óÔé¼┬Ø
Marion looked at Quant and saw how the other E.L.F's eyes were wide, her face drained of blood.
├óÔé¼┼ôQuant,├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion moaned, tears running down her cheeks. ├óÔé¼┼ôI...don't want to die.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant willed the voices to come back, to do the same thing they had done before. To do something! Anything.
Marion's antenna sparked and she glanced down at Quant's hand, which held the plasma torch. Quant nodded ever so slightly.
The Bug standing behind Marion put it's claw on her shoulder and chittered something. Marion ducked down, dropping to her knees at the same instant Quant stabbed forward with the plasma torch. The Bug's face vanished in a puff of smoke, boiling ichore spraying Quant's hand. Quant yelped and dropped the plasma torch, which guttered out.
├óÔé¼┼ôRUN!├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant yelled, grabbing Marion by the shirt and hauling her towards the wire.
Marion grabbed the wire, jerked it twice. She shouted to Quant as she shot up. ├óÔé¼┼ôBehind you!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant turned around in time for a claw to come down on her head. She fell over groaning. She rubbed her head, which was sporting a bump that could have knocked a human out. Then she felt claws on her legs and the horrific sensation of being dragged through ankle deep ooze and slime.
She groaned and decided to play unconscious for now. She groaned again as her stomach clenched like a fist, fear stabbing into her mind.
The Bugs that surrounded her chittered, pleased with themselves. They dragged her into the darkness, Quant's lightstick sliding from her finger and floating in the ooze.
It floated there...then sank, plunging the corridor into darkness.
All this and more in the next episode of...Bugs!
####
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, okay...we've solved one problem.├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe're not about to be eaten by bugs. We've stopped Lisa and Marion's bleeding...├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd we have to go about a hundred feet straight up.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana finished for her, shining his lightstick up the elevator shaft. What the light showed wasn't pretty: The cables had been bitten in half by something, leaving the tattered ends about six feet too high for any of the party to reach. The elevator car was just plain gone, and even if the cable had been closer, Lisa couldn't have climbed it anyway.
Quant was in the middle of pointing all that out when Lisa snapped at her. ├óÔé¼┼ôShut up!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant and Indiana looked at her. She glared at both of them. ├óÔé¼┼ôStop listing what we're missing and start listing what we DO have.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay,├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant sighs. ├óÔé¼┼ôIndiana?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôA half discharged plasma burner, some analytic equipment, an auto-pulley, a 200 foot long micro strand and a half eaten candy bar.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana scowled. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd a emptied laser pistol.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight. Can we cut through the wall?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôNot a chance.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana shook his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's five feet thick synthoplastic, and even if we could cut, it's got the entire Mississippi behind it.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGuys.├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion said, softly.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe could start cutting through doors, see if we can find anything else?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant suggested.
├óÔé¼┼ôGuys?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThis area has been cleared already. Each door scanned, tagged and bagged. Anything we found here would be upstairs, at the camp.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGuys!├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion shouted.
The others looked at her. She pointed at the wall above one of the doors.
Quant, Lisa and Indiana all looked at the area she pointed at. Almost completely hidden under a layer of ooze and filth was a square grill, leading to...to a ventilation shaft.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm too big to fit in that,├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I can't crawl with a broken arm.├óÔé¼┬Ø Lisa looked at Marion.
├óÔé¼┼ôDon't look at me! I'm missing a foot!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The three adults looked at one another, then at Quant. Quant looked back at them, then said the only thing she could think of.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh pike.├óÔé¼┬Ø
###
Quant crawled face first through the airduct, holding a lightstick in one hand and the plasma torch in the other. She inched forward, crawling on her elbows and toes, wriggling through a vent so small her antenna scraped against the grime encrusted roof.
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, Quant, take human history instead of galactic history.├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôHuman history is sooooo much easier.├óÔé¼┬Ø
She paused and wrestled Indiana's com bracelet in font of her. She tapped the screen and it turned on, flooding her face with light. She winced, her mostly dark adjusted eyes watering. She called up the map of the air duct systems she was crawling through.
Her mind flashed back to Indiana: ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, the map isn't all that accurate...it's based off scanning images.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy are they so big, anyway?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant had muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's not like anyone needs to crawl through them.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôActually, maintenance workers would have had to go through them a lot. There are probably ladders and such to help them get from level to level.├óÔé¼┬Ø
'Probably?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant had asked.
Quant shook her head. According to the admittedly vague map, she was close to a ladder that would go up a level. She shifted around and slid the com-bracelet back into her pocket. She started crawling forward again, her breathing loud in the cramped air duct.
Quant came into a slightly larger small room, with exactly four walls and a floor and...she scrambled to her feet and looked up. She couldn't see the ceiling, though she could see the ladder that would take her up. Quant sighed, stuck her lightstick between her teeth, and grabbed the first rail of the ladder. She tested it with her weight. It held. She started to climb, slowly.
The ladder was encrusted, like everything else in this horrible place, with ooze and grime, and every once and a while, Quant felt her fingers almost slip from her rung. She would stop and thrust her back against the wall, which loomed close behind her, and wait, her arms locked through the ladder's rungs, waiting for her heart to slow, her breathing to calm.
She wouldn't wait for long. The image of the others, waiting for Bugs to show up and rip them to pieces was enough to spur her on.
The ladder seemed to go on forever. And then...Quant saw the light from her lightstick reflected in the ceiling above her. She grunted something unintelligible through the lightstick and climbed faster. She stopped at the top of the ladder and stepped to the side. She stood for a moment, panting and teetering on her feet. It was when she almost fell down the ladder shaft that Quant kicked herself into moving again.
She used the plasma torch to cut open the air ventilation grate and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she slipped out of the air vent and stood straight up.
Quant cricked her neck, stretched her back and sighed in relife again. ├óÔé¼┼ôI need a shower,├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered, running her hand through her purple hair and trying to get some of the ooze and gunk out of it. She started to walk down the corridor, holding the lightstick and plasma torch at the ready.
This level was a marked improvement over the last one. There was significantly less ooze. The ceiling actually shone in some places, and the light shone farther into the darkness. Quant moved, following the map Indiana's com bracelet painted her.
Her heart thudded every step of the way. Every corner could hide more bugs, every intersection could be another ambush...she started at the smallest sounds. The entire walk couldn't have been more than ten minuets...but to Quant it felt like an eternity, an endless time with one, long, contentiously chocked back scream.
And then she arrived at the elevator shaft. Another quick application of the torch and the door opened to reveal the open elevator shaft. Quant sighed, slowly, pushing out her fear.
├óÔé¼┼ôRemember Marion, Remember Indiana, Remember Lisa,├óÔé¼┬Ø she muttered, closing her eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd don't...be...scared.├óÔé¼┬Ø
It didn't work. Tears pricked at her eyes...but she forced her hands to tie one end of the auto-pulley to the elevator cable. Then tie one end of the mico-rope tot he auto-pulley...then let it drop.
Quant breathed in, then breathed out. ├óÔé¼┼ôOkay...okay, you can do this Quant.├óÔé¼┬Ø She took hold of the wire. She stepped off the floor and hung there, suspended by the auto-pulley. She jerked on the wire once, bobbling up and down on the wire.
The auto-pulley whirred and clicked and Quant dropped straight down.She screamed, her courage failing her as she plummeted.
And then the auto-pulley jerked again and the micro-wire cut into Quant's palms. She let go of it and fell, lurching down...to hit the ground after little more than a half second.
She opened her eyes. She stood at the bottom of the elevator shaft,facing Indiana, Lisa and Marion.
Quant's knees sagged as she was hugged by Indiana, then by Marion. Lisa settled for a shoulder pat, a broken arm being ill suited to hugging.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou are amazing. If your history teacher doesn't give you an A, I'll beat the snot out of him.├óÔé¼┬Ø Indiana said, smiling at Quant.
'Well, I-├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant started. A chittering sound cut her off. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe should go right nowish.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Indiana nodded, grabbing the micro-wire. He jerked the wire twice. The auto-pulley jerked him up. Quant waited, looking around nervously. Lisa had the plasma torch and was turning it on and off and on and off, her eyes looking into the darkness.
The wire came back down. Lisa handed the torch to Quant, grabbed the wire with her good hand, and jerked it twice.
Marion bit her lip. ├óÔé¼┼ôQuant...this is all my fault.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant blinked. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo, no, it's-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI got the Queen working.├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion said, holding herself up by putting her hands on either side of the wall. ├óÔé¼┼ôI was...so excited, I had managed to hook it up to one of our computers it...I...├óÔé¼┬Ø she closes her eyes.
The wire dropped back down.
Quant took Marion's hand. ├óÔé¼┼ôMarion...we're not sure how this happened. Don't blame yourself till...├óÔé¼┬Ø
Marion looked at Quant and saw how the other E.L.F's eyes were wide, her face drained of blood.
├óÔé¼┼ôQuant,├óÔé¼┬Ø Marion moaned, tears running down her cheeks. ├óÔé¼┼ôI...don't want to die.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant willed the voices to come back, to do the same thing they had done before. To do something! Anything.
Marion's antenna sparked and she glanced down at Quant's hand, which held the plasma torch. Quant nodded ever so slightly.
The Bug standing behind Marion put it's claw on her shoulder and chittered something. Marion ducked down, dropping to her knees at the same instant Quant stabbed forward with the plasma torch. The Bug's face vanished in a puff of smoke, boiling ichore spraying Quant's hand. Quant yelped and dropped the plasma torch, which guttered out.
├óÔé¼┼ôRUN!├óÔé¼┬Ø Quant yelled, grabbing Marion by the shirt and hauling her towards the wire.
Marion grabbed the wire, jerked it twice. She shouted to Quant as she shot up. ├óÔé¼┼ôBehind you!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Quant turned around in time for a claw to come down on her head. She fell over groaning. She rubbed her head, which was sporting a bump that could have knocked a human out. Then she felt claws on her legs and the horrific sensation of being dragged through ankle deep ooze and slime.
She groaned and decided to play unconscious for now. She groaned again as her stomach clenched like a fist, fear stabbing into her mind.
The Bugs that surrounded her chittered, pleased with themselves. They dragged her into the darkness, Quant's lightstick sliding from her finger and floating in the ooze.
It floated there...then sank, plunging the corridor into darkness.
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Guessmyname
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 28 Apr 2005, 21:07
Re: Bugs
*wonders how he missed this*
Zombie, next time you post up another story, please PM me, I always seem to miss them
And you'd have to pump out much more to overwork me (I wondered what was causing the Gunpowder Knight delays...).
And comments / reviews / stuff will have to wait 'till I've finished reading, but where I am at the moment (I'm not very far in at all) it looks a bit like a heavily modified version of That Story With Pix In whose name I forget.
Zombie, next time you post up another story, please PM me, I always seem to miss them
And you'd have to pump out much more to overwork me (I wondered what was causing the Gunpowder Knight delays...).
And comments / reviews / stuff will have to wait 'till I've finished reading, but where I am at the moment (I'm not very far in at all) it looks a bit like a heavily modified version of That Story With Pix In whose name I forget.
Re: Bugs
It's a sequel, Guess. A Se-Qual. As in, Pix and Jimmy have grown up and been married for a while and have three kids.And comments / reviews / stuff will have to wait 'till I've finished reading, but where I am at the moment (I'm not very far in at all) it looks a bit like a heavily modified version of That Story With Pix In whose name I forget.
And then one of the kids saves the world.
Re: Bugs
No one has. But, she's the daughter of Pixel A-3 and James Leonite.
How could she NOT save the world?
Also, my third re-write on E.L.F is going well. You wanna know why! I'm UNCOMFORTABLY ENERGETIC!
How could she NOT save the world?
Also, my third re-write on E.L.F is going well. You wanna know why! I'm UNCOMFORTABLY ENERGETIC!