|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- BILLION'S DRIFTING--CUP 10--"A MILLION MILES OUT ON TWICVION LANE" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Billion's Drifting  ||  -------> (Cup SRbd010, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = We met, and I got a better look at the robot bodies. They were rather simple--one circular, camera-lens-like opening--a raised band that went around the sphere from bottom to top--and the efficient arms and legs, ending in little stumps. "It's amazing that we found you." Daptin said. I could find nothing to say. "Now we have to attempt the return." said Agatha. "Attempt?" I wondered. "Yes Mr. Billion." she said. "getting here was hard enough, but getting back might be more difficult. The only way I can figure it is to go back to the Road." "Why am I not surprised by this?" Ferrajalt said sarcastically. Huh. Amazing how the sarcasm came through in the beeps and clicks. "Uh, Daptin--is there anything you want to do before I make the try? I can't guarantee anything." Agatha said. Ferrajalt made an exclamation, but it carried no specific meaning. "Yes." Daptin said. "Bellicose--in case we're separated, please tell me how you came into this situation. What is happening in my Land?" "Daptin--I jumped off your Bridge--Booze and Drassy--they instituted orgy--I endured for a day but no more. Drassy intends to pierce Gnoboslast as soon as she tires of the orgy." "Just as I expected." Daptin said. There was silence for a few moments. "Look, why don't we just get this over with?" Ferrajalt said. "If this is the end of the road for me--for us--" "Oh don't worry Prince," Agatha said, "you won't lose existence, it's just I don't know where any of us will end up." "That's reassuring." Ferrajalt said. The sarcasm again. "Well, if you're all agreed, I'll set it off now." Agatha said. We all agreed, and in the next instant, we were standing in the middle of a rocky wasteland--on a road that looked newly paved--and we were human again. There was an odd smell in the air, quite pleasing, like citrus or something. There they were--Daptin and Ferrajalt as I remembered them--and a very strange looking young woman--one arm was furry with a clawed and, and her face--big eyes, almost no nose--quite a fascinating female! "Looks like we made it." Ferrajalt said, looking around. I joined him in looking around, and saw a tower of some sort in the distance, very slim, but topped with projections that made it look a little like a second-stage dandelion--the one with those little airy parachutes all over it. As soon as Agatha set eyes on it, she swore. "Oh no." she said. "What is it?" I asked. "On no. No, no, no. I know where we are." "Well that's a good thing--isn't it?" "No, no, no. Oh no." "What is it?" Daptin asked testily. "That tower," she said, "is Lincinspire." "So you know where we are." said Ferrajalt. "Yes." she said. "I know where we are. We're on Twicvion Lane." "Is that bad?" Daptin asked. "Not that we're no Twicvion Lane, but..." "What?" Ferrajalt asked. "That tower... Lincinspire... it marks... it marks a million miles from the nearest civilization." "WHAT?" Ferrajalt exclaimed. "A million miles. It was erected by a Winter Stadium Them team, many centuries ago. They explored many of the offshoots of Rillekon's road--and once they reached a million miles--they left a marker post--each of them two or three miles tall..." "Can you transport us from here?" Daptin asked. "What?" she said, distracted, "No. From here? I have no leverage at all. There's nowhere to go." Daptin nodded, as in quickly thinking. "So... so what does this mean?" he asked. "I don't know!" she said. "It means that it's a million miles to the nearest people or supplies." "So we're fucked, basically." Ferrajalt said. "Hold on! Let me think!" she said. I frowned, wanting to say something, but unable to think of anything good. Finally rescued... delivered from limitless drifting to a dying-of-thirst-or-starvation predicament. "I can't believe it!" Ferrajalt said. "After all that's happened to me--Lunatether--the Tock Hounds--I can't believe I'm gonna die out here--a million miles from nowhere! You know that? We're a million miles from nowhere!" "Calm down, dammit!" Agatha said. "I am perceiving a way out of here..." She approached Ferrajalt, a clawed finger pointed toward him. He backed away a little. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna bite, Prince!" she said. "It's just... that... I see the solution to our problems... here." She pointed at one of the little metal buttons on Ferrajalt's cop shirt. "Huh?" the Prince asked. "These buttons." she said. "These buttons are our way home." "Buttons?" Ferrajalt said incredulously. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----