~ chapter two ~ part one ~
Narrator - "Previously, on 'Middleton Hospital'."
Mab lies in the motel bed smoking a cigarette next to a wide eyed young soldier staring at the ceiling, the sounds of battle and honks raging outside, shaking debris from the already shot up (x-day) walls.
Mab - "Do you know what I really like ?" She flicks the cigarette before turning to cuddle and whispers in his ear, "... mmmm ... punching dolphins ..." She draws a finger claw over his freshly shaved scalp, "Don't you agree ?"
His eyes go sideways to her ...
____
A medic slams his fist on the map table, surrounded by generals, "Damn it I'm a doctor ! Not a valentine !"
They all snap up a stare at him.
The Special Not a Valentine
Chapter Two
In
a night time alley the Nautilus moves over in bombardment of the
streets against the beasts crawling. On the ground a man in the lead of
a line of marketplace cars works a flame thrower, nazi clowns burning
on the run.
Marketplace warriors follow shooting the last and checking the houses for civilians, coming out clear.
A flare in the near distance pops through the smoke, the priest stops burning and flips his welder's mask up, pulls a blunt and lights it with the ignition flame.
Priest - "Hold up !"
The man next to him pulls a comm, cars entering the alley. A soldier runs to from the smoke.
Soldier - "National Guard. We're here to assist with the evac. Coast Guard coming to the shore, beach head clear. Civilians ?"
Priest inhales and offers, the camera turns away inconspicuously around to the arriving vehicles, marketplace soldiers exiting armed.
Past and over the city (sea to the south, they're on the west side, urban residential).
Priest - Blunt back in his mouth, "Haven't seen any of those yet, just a lot of these." He pulls a pistol and shoots a nazi clown running to from the smoke.
As it flops back with a honk, the view turns to the Nautilus overhead clearing the last of the beasts around.
________________
The general taps and pockets his phone, sitting on the edge of the bed. With a sigh he looks at the desk console, drone controller before it.
Remembered ~
He and Aedera walking down the hotel hallway to the room, occasional groups and passers-by, occasionally drunk celebrants.
Aedera - "We do not use the internet in the same way as you, you will see. A world. Gijo will be available to assist you in navigation."
__
He sits on the edge of the bed staring at the small glowing dome on the table ...
General - "Gijo ?"
Gijo - Voice statics on with battle in background, "... Yeah ?"
General - "... Aedera said ..."
Gijo - "Ah. You. Hang on."
The sounds of screaming beasts followed by Gijo's cackle.
Gijo - "Okay. First. Is the computer plugged in ?"
General - "What ?"
Gijo - "Joke. Whatchu need ?"
General - "How ... do I use the internet ?"
Gijo - "It puts the controller in it's hand."
General - "What ?"
________
Nocturne and Doe (normal view, Doe still female) smoke cigarettes on the hill under a blanket, surrounded by a circle of Nocturnes watching taking notes.
Doe - "That was weird."
Nocturne smiles.
________________
In a cleared out kitchen, a center counter, soldiers and warriors standing around, pulling maps.
Priest - Pulls out a phone and taps, "House clear."
The sound of deck commands from outside, descending lights through the window.
Priest watches while the soldiers look to see, nothing.
Priest - Looks at the sergeant, "I'm the interpreter."
Behind through the unopened door and walls, Naamah enters in a market cloak and pulls the hood with her crew doing the same, a white eye with a scar down the face, mechanical arm on the same side, the right, greyed hair.
The soldiers shiver a bit, see nothing.
Naamah - "Priest." She looks at the sergeant, then soldiers, "Nothing ?"
Priest - Exhales looking at the sergeant still, "They don't see a thing."
Naamah - Circling the table, examining them, "Are they good for it ?"
Priest - Still staring, then smiles, "They're good."
Sergeant - "So she's here." A wisp of cold breath exhales.
________________
Gijo - "We don't have a server, so we start in one of theirs. Yours. Starting location ?"
The view on the general's console shows the maps triangulating location between real world, the wires throughout, and server locations.
World view, a theme park, booth computers, central server, hotels and vendors, parking lot cars with GPS active, coalescing to a map.
Gijo - From the console. "This is un-generated territory. Nice choice. Theme park's the theme ?"
General - "Sure ! I want to see your interactive of our world. Like if it was you."
Gijo - "Same as everyone else. Move through the wires to jump zones, walk like an idiot to stroll. And ... back to their RL map meaning yours ... and ... compiling ! Just remember, it's not a cup holder."
General - "What ?"
The CD drive opens from the floor tower.
Gijo - "Or is it ... ? Have fun !"
The view turns real world, then faded in with profane wars covering it while the people walk through blindly.
Gijo - "Looks like a hotzone."
The view pulls out in wire frame to Lucretia watching the battle in her tree, zooming in to the general's avatar lit red flashing.
Lucretia - "Figures."
Doe - Voice on comm, "Lucretia ... ?"
Lucretia - Stares annoyed at nothing, "What."
Nocturne - Comm, "Can we keep it ? Please ?"
____
The many Nocturnes charge down the hill roaring toward the other gamers.
Lucretia - On comm "Why ... ?"
Doe looks at Nocturne, she smiles wide back.
Doe - "I promise we will put it to good use."
Lucretia - A moment ... a sigh ... "I'm trying really hard to think of a reason to care and cannot. Have fun !"
The world jerks into a solidity, dust passes in a breeze like pixelated glitter.
Lucretia - "Annexed. Your problem. Don't ask."
Nocturne - "Heee ..." She looks at Doe. "Hey you're a boy again !"
____
Lucretia winces ...
Doe - On comm, "My grenades !"
________________
Sergeant - "We're assuming since this is considered a second invasion scenario, nazi clowns already having done so, they have the civilians held in one or many central locations."
Naamah circles behind peeing over at the maps, looks at priest and nods.
Priest - "Sounds right. I don't think they're going to threaten execution since they can't actually talk, so I'd say they're holding them for a shield."
Sergeant - "That would mean many in one place."
Priest - "And that place is the base."
Naamah turns away and speaks into the wrist mechanisms, "One."
One - Squelching on comm, "What !?"
Naamah - "Sleeping."
One - "So !?"
Naamah - Glances back at the planning crews and smiles, "See you soon."
________
The house is packed with soldiers in sleeping bags, a few awake doing this and that, outside the cars with sleeping warriors, lights on in a few.
Above the view goes to the Nautilus hovering over, profane battles in the distance.
____
The General peers into his monitor, room dark. He leans in examining deeply while walking through the battles there, himself unseen, among civilians walking obliviously through the park.
________________
(Evil horn music - ! Bum, Bum, Bummmm ... )
Nocturne - Twitching eyes, "Yes ... Doe. Soon we shall have all the Nocturnes we need. To make the gamers. Very. Very. Happy."
The digital sky crackles over with mad laughter, the Nocturnes marching in the distance.
Doe - Still under the blanket, "You're so fucking sexy when you're evil. I have issues."
Nocturne smiles ...
________________
In the dawn the soldiers wake to revving engines, the distant roar of the crowd.
_____
Amid the roar the general sits next to Aedera in their observation booth.
Aedera - Looks at him and smiles, "Coffee ?"
General - "Yeah. Please." A laugh, "I was up all night playing your video games."
Aedera - Pouring from the carafe, "So I heard. It must be much."
General - Adding sugar, "Yes ... but it still fills in more blanks than it leaves. Makes it easier. Disconcerting, a little powerless, but with footing."
Aedera - Pouring hers, "I understand. This is to give you more than that, but understood the steps to trust are many."
General - After a sip, enjoyment ... "So what's your endgame here ? Not in the arena, in the world. What do you want when it's done ? It was a clean victory I saw. You're gonna win this but ... then what ?"
Aedera - "I do understand your reason for asking. Our resource is infinite. We don't want, or need, anything. We're mostly from your world. We would survive it's destruction, but still want to avoid it."
General - "Religious ?"
Aedera - "Of a faith."
General - "Is this Heaven ?"
Aedera - "No. In such ideology, it's the second heaven once set under Razil. As a seed of Eden, it now acts as a sanctuary to all."
General - "So you've always been here."
Aedera - "Yes. Different now is the conquests of the nameless. It expanded this place through the lost channels, connecting worlds which seemed designed to be connected, cut off for unknown reasons."
General - "In 2006. That's when it started."
Aedera - "Yes. The beginning of our war, when nameless took back his land, these pieces began connecting again. The beasts were always there, but we didn't have the means to fight them in any lasting way."
General - "Nameless."
Aedera - "He brought together many minds as the world grew, we fought many battles, and learned. All you see today is new for this day, testing. It all started with a sword."
~ The forge, Lazarus pounds ~
"Now it evolves as any army with many minds, method here, advantage there, but the key is in our steel, a way of folding it."
General - "Why did this war have the effect on our world it did ? How does it ?"
Aedera - "They control many through impulsive influence, cut off many lands while creating false channels. Their networks among you were ancient and extensive, and not always so wild as these you see here. Minds behind them, as often theirs are behind you."
~ Middleton streets, the roaring crowds around ~
"These beings disrupt electromagnetism in their bridge here, among other things. They clog the sink. Stagnate gravitational flow as well. Removing them in mass caused a rapid flux."
~ Theme park cleared, Sanctuary soldiers and airships departing while the people wander, a sudden rain but pleasant, a raising gust and thunder ~
"They enjoy your world, your sensations. The worst are addicted to them. Some cannot feel your sensations easily through the host and so it can lead quickly to extremism, and then horror."
General - "And this steel. Can it be shared ?"
Aedera - "Unknown, we test. We make it here. As it stands it would simply mean a soldier shoots wildly at what he assumes is there."
General - "Hm."
Aedera - "Yes. We test. It began with a sword."
Marketplace warriors follow shooting the last and checking the houses for civilians, coming out clear.
A flare in the near distance pops through the smoke, the priest stops burning and flips his welder's mask up, pulls a blunt and lights it with the ignition flame.
Priest - "Hold up !"
The man next to him pulls a comm, cars entering the alley. A soldier runs to from the smoke.
Soldier - "National Guard. We're here to assist with the evac. Coast Guard coming to the shore, beach head clear. Civilians ?"
Priest inhales and offers, the camera turns away inconspicuously around to the arriving vehicles, marketplace soldiers exiting armed.
Past and over the city (sea to the south, they're on the west side, urban residential).
Priest - Blunt back in his mouth, "Haven't seen any of those yet, just a lot of these." He pulls a pistol and shoots a nazi clown running to from the smoke.
As it flops back with a honk, the view turns to the Nautilus overhead clearing the last of the beasts around.
________________
The general taps and pockets his phone, sitting on the edge of the bed. With a sigh he looks at the desk console, drone controller before it.
Remembered ~
He and Aedera walking down the hotel hallway to the room, occasional groups and passers-by, occasionally drunk celebrants.
Aedera - "We do not use the internet in the same way as you, you will see. A world. Gijo will be available to assist you in navigation."
__
He sits on the edge of the bed staring at the small glowing dome on the table ...
General - "Gijo ?"
Gijo - Voice statics on with battle in background, "... Yeah ?"
General - "... Aedera said ..."
Gijo - "Ah. You. Hang on."
The sounds of screaming beasts followed by Gijo's cackle.
Gijo - "Okay. First. Is the computer plugged in ?"
General - "What ?"
Gijo - "Joke. Whatchu need ?"
General - "How ... do I use the internet ?"
Gijo - "It puts the controller in it's hand."
General - "What ?"
________
Nocturne and Doe (normal view, Doe still female) smoke cigarettes on the hill under a blanket, surrounded by a circle of Nocturnes watching taking notes.
Doe - "That was weird."
Nocturne smiles.
________________
In a cleared out kitchen, a center counter, soldiers and warriors standing around, pulling maps.
Priest - Pulls out a phone and taps, "House clear."
The sound of deck commands from outside, descending lights through the window.
Priest watches while the soldiers look to see, nothing.
Priest - Looks at the sergeant, "I'm the interpreter."
Behind through the unopened door and walls, Naamah enters in a market cloak and pulls the hood with her crew doing the same, a white eye with a scar down the face, mechanical arm on the same side, the right, greyed hair.
The soldiers shiver a bit, see nothing.
Naamah - "Priest." She looks at the sergeant, then soldiers, "Nothing ?"
Priest - Exhales looking at the sergeant still, "They don't see a thing."
Naamah - Circling the table, examining them, "Are they good for it ?"
Priest - Still staring, then smiles, "They're good."
Sergeant - "So she's here." A wisp of cold breath exhales.
________________
Gijo - "We don't have a server, so we start in one of theirs. Yours. Starting location ?"
The view on the general's console shows the maps triangulating location between real world, the wires throughout, and server locations.
World view, a theme park, booth computers, central server, hotels and vendors, parking lot cars with GPS active, coalescing to a map.
Gijo - From the console. "This is un-generated territory. Nice choice. Theme park's the theme ?"
General - "Sure ! I want to see your interactive of our world. Like if it was you."
Gijo - "Same as everyone else. Move through the wires to jump zones, walk like an idiot to stroll. And ... back to their RL map meaning yours ... and ... compiling ! Just remember, it's not a cup holder."
General - "What ?"
The CD drive opens from the floor tower.
Gijo - "Or is it ... ? Have fun !"
The view turns real world, then faded in with profane wars covering it while the people walk through blindly.
Gijo - "Looks like a hotzone."
The view pulls out in wire frame to Lucretia watching the battle in her tree, zooming in to the general's avatar lit red flashing.
Lucretia - "Figures."
Doe - Voice on comm, "Lucretia ... ?"
Lucretia - Stares annoyed at nothing, "What."
Nocturne - Comm, "Can we keep it ? Please ?"
____
The many Nocturnes charge down the hill roaring toward the other gamers.
Lucretia - On comm "Why ... ?"
Doe looks at Nocturne, she smiles wide back.
Doe - "I promise we will put it to good use."
Lucretia - A moment ... a sigh ... "I'm trying really hard to think of a reason to care and cannot. Have fun !"
The world jerks into a solidity, dust passes in a breeze like pixelated glitter.
Lucretia - "Annexed. Your problem. Don't ask."
Nocturne - "Heee ..." She looks at Doe. "Hey you're a boy again !"
____
Lucretia winces ...
Doe - On comm, "My grenades !"
________________
Sergeant - "We're assuming since this is considered a second invasion scenario, nazi clowns already having done so, they have the civilians held in one or many central locations."
Naamah circles behind peeing over at the maps, looks at priest and nods.
Priest - "Sounds right. I don't think they're going to threaten execution since they can't actually talk, so I'd say they're holding them for a shield."
Sergeant - "That would mean many in one place."
Priest - "And that place is the base."
Naamah turns away and speaks into the wrist mechanisms, "One."
One - Squelching on comm, "What !?"
Naamah - "Sleeping."
One - "So !?"
Naamah - Glances back at the planning crews and smiles, "See you soon."
________
The house is packed with soldiers in sleeping bags, a few awake doing this and that, outside the cars with sleeping warriors, lights on in a few.
Above the view goes to the Nautilus hovering over, profane battles in the distance.
____
The General peers into his monitor, room dark. He leans in examining deeply while walking through the battles there, himself unseen, among civilians walking obliviously through the park.
________________
(Evil horn music - ! Bum, Bum, Bummmm ... )
Nocturne - Twitching eyes, "Yes ... Doe. Soon we shall have all the Nocturnes we need. To make the gamers. Very. Very. Happy."
The digital sky crackles over with mad laughter, the Nocturnes marching in the distance.
Doe - Still under the blanket, "You're so fucking sexy when you're evil. I have issues."
Nocturne smiles ...
________________
In the dawn the soldiers wake to revving engines, the distant roar of the crowd.
_____
Amid the roar the general sits next to Aedera in their observation booth.
Aedera - Looks at him and smiles, "Coffee ?"
General - "Yeah. Please." A laugh, "I was up all night playing your video games."
Aedera - Pouring from the carafe, "So I heard. It must be much."
General - Adding sugar, "Yes ... but it still fills in more blanks than it leaves. Makes it easier. Disconcerting, a little powerless, but with footing."
Aedera - Pouring hers, "I understand. This is to give you more than that, but understood the steps to trust are many."
General - After a sip, enjoyment ... "So what's your endgame here ? Not in the arena, in the world. What do you want when it's done ? It was a clean victory I saw. You're gonna win this but ... then what ?"
Aedera - "I do understand your reason for asking. Our resource is infinite. We don't want, or need, anything. We're mostly from your world. We would survive it's destruction, but still want to avoid it."
General - "Religious ?"
Aedera - "Of a faith."
General - "Is this Heaven ?"
Aedera - "No. In such ideology, it's the second heaven once set under Razil. As a seed of Eden, it now acts as a sanctuary to all."
General - "So you've always been here."
Aedera - "Yes. Different now is the conquests of the nameless. It expanded this place through the lost channels, connecting worlds which seemed designed to be connected, cut off for unknown reasons."
General - "In 2006. That's when it started."
Aedera - "Yes. The beginning of our war, when nameless took back his land, these pieces began connecting again. The beasts were always there, but we didn't have the means to fight them in any lasting way."
General - "Nameless."
Aedera - "He brought together many minds as the world grew, we fought many battles, and learned. All you see today is new for this day, testing. It all started with a sword."
~ The forge, Lazarus pounds ~
"Now it evolves as any army with many minds, method here, advantage there, but the key is in our steel, a way of folding it."
General - "Why did this war have the effect on our world it did ? How does it ?"
Aedera - "They control many through impulsive influence, cut off many lands while creating false channels. Their networks among you were ancient and extensive, and not always so wild as these you see here. Minds behind them, as often theirs are behind you."
~ Middleton streets, the roaring crowds around ~
"These beings disrupt electromagnetism in their bridge here, among other things. They clog the sink. Stagnate gravitational flow as well. Removing them in mass caused a rapid flux."
~ Theme park cleared, Sanctuary soldiers and airships departing while the people wander, a sudden rain but pleasant, a raising gust and thunder ~
"They enjoy your world, your sensations. The worst are addicted to them. Some cannot feel your sensations easily through the host and so it can lead quickly to extremism, and then horror."
General - "And this steel. Can it be shared ?"
Aedera - "Unknown, we test. We make it here. As it stands it would simply mean a soldier shoots wildly at what he assumes is there."
General - "Hm."
Aedera - "Yes. We test. It began with a sword."