|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- GOODBYE POPCORN--CUP 21--"CUP'S CLUB" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Goodbye Popcorn  ||  -------> (Cup SRgp021, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Was I dreaming?" Fake asked, rising. "I'm scared." Jerald said. "Oh, you're back." Tavmatey said from the cup, sounding almost as if she were right next to them. "Tav--Tavmatey--how long were we out?" Daptin asked. "Not long. Maybe five minutes." "What happened?" Fake asked. "Beats me." Daptin said. "Any ideas, Tav?" Tavmatey didn't respond. "I guess not." Daptin said. "No I guess--" Tavmatey said. "I guess I might as well tell you that Elaine had to mislead you a little. The actual plan was different than what she told you. Sorry I didn't--" "--YES!" a booming voice was heard to say nearby. "What the--" Daptin starting, looking around. "Uh oh." Fake said, looking down the hill. "After eighty years it has come to pass." one of the individuals coming up the hill said. "You led us into a trap!" Daptin yelled. "No!" Tavmatey said. "No! There shouldn't be anyone else there! It's impossible!" Daptin looked down at the group approaching him and his fellows. He didn't recognize any of the approachers. "Stop!" said the man leading the group. He held a huge saw in his right hand, and a smaller saw in his left hand. "Look!" said a tall, thin, cloaked figure with no discernible face. "Can it be? Truly?" "The Cup! The Cup of Coffee!" said a young woman in a red and black checkered outfit. "Let's do 'em before they get smart and run." said a woman in a black T-shirt. A large furry monster stared at the cup and whooped with pleasure. "Can it be over?" asked a large, stocky, oddly-built fellow with a colorful uniform. A girl in a blue and brown outfit flew above the others, holding a massive, bizarre rifle. "Hello." the guy with the saws said. "We are--here seeking that Cup of Coffee. May we, uh, may we just have it?" Jerald raised his submachinegun. "Back off." Jerald said loudly. "Cool it." Daptin said, with his hand raised. Then he turned toward Fake and said, "Blow up a balloon." Fake nodded, took out a green balloon, and started stretching it. Her cinder block, which had been motionless, jumped up and floated in front of Fake in a protective stance. "What say thee?" the sawman asked. "There's no need to fight. We can settle this." Daptin said. "Who are you guys, anyway?" "I would ask the same of you." the sawman said. "I asked first." Daptin said. "Fine." the sawman said. "Some call us Cup's Club, but that is unimportant. What matters is that we've been looking for that Cup of Coffee you have there for almost eighty years. Can you grasp such an effort? We want this to be over." "Okay." Daptin said. "Here's the deal. I can see you're a fighting force, but so are we. Let me clue you in--we're mortals from Agoopish. I don't think you want to risk fighting us." "Never heard of Agoopish." the sawman said. "But the force is yet to be found that Coabler the Sawman cannot soundly defeat. What say thee then?" "Okay, okay. Tavmatey, what do you know about this?" Daptin asked. "Nothing!" she responded. Fake turned around and began blowing up the slay balloon. "Let's talk this over." Daptin said. "If we find you to be a clearly superior force, as you claim to be, then we'll hand the Cup over without a fight." "We are superior." Coabler the Sawman said. "And we will take the Cup. We have nothing to prove to you." "If you're so sure, why don't you attack us right now?" Jerald blurted out. Coabler shrugged. "I want to try a civilized solution before bashing your foolish heads in." "That is... certainly admirable." Daptin said, looking over at Fake. Fake finished inflating the slay balloon. She then pulled a pin from her sleeve and held it inches away from the balloon. "What's that, then?" the flying girl asked, pointing her gun at Fake. "Hit it." Daptin said. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----