|| -------- -- -----  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 28--"SPLATTERLORD" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Goodbye Popcorn  ||  -------> (Cup SRgp028, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Hey, who's this sneakin' around here?" said Granticaine Chug Perion, spotting Daptin Gone lurking near the entrance to the Overwhelm Associates administrative offices. Daptin turned to face Granticaine. At least six-foot-six, Granticaine sported long brown hair which fell halfway down his back, and a blue and brown variation on the uniform he had worn in war. The guy was smiling, but all Daptin could think of was the videotape Granticaine had shown him once. It showed him slaughtering enemy troops with an enormous chainsaw, and then, after his chainsaw had run out of gas, how he faced President Emmerdine and took 30 rounds in the chest from the President's semiautomatic pistol. After that, he grabbed the President and with horrific grace spun him around and ripped the leader's left arm off, then wielded the arm like a baseball bat and bashed the President in the head. The fury went on for several minutes, and all that was left after that was a room full of blood and body parts. Breathing heavily, Granticaine slowly turned around and faced the camera. "Next." was his only utterance. The camera hit the ground as the camera crew turned and ran. This was shown live across the world, and though condemned by some, Granticaine's rage against this dictator was the rage of the world, and his actions were a hearty catharsis to the long war. At that moment, his prior nickname, "Good Ole 494" was superseded by "Splatterlord". "Huh?" Daptin said. "Speak of the Devil!" Grant said. "We were just talking about you the other day. We wondered whatever became of our favorite Quality Scout, Daptin Gone." "I uh, I've been around, y'know." Daptin said. "I gather you have." Grant replied. "So how're things around here, Grant?" Granticaine clasped his hands together in front of himself and looked around. "Oh, good. Good. Fife's still not a very skilled strategist, but that's forgivable. You missed another recruitment round, a few weeks back. And there were a few babes you really missed, eh? Nice ones. Maybe you'll encounter 'em in your next round." Daptin leaned against a wall and sighed. "I uh, I don't, I'm not sure if there'll be any more rounds. At least not for the time being. I mean, I'm not really here for, y'know, like to come back into full service or anything, I mean--I have some stuff to sort out back..." Granticaine took a few steps toward Daptin. "You quittin'?" "Huh? No. I'm just in the middle of like a vacation, but I'm back here just for a little while. I mean..." "So you're still on our side, then." "Yes, Definitely. My current, uh, concerns have nothing at all to do with Aconck." "Oh no? What have they to do with?" "Nothing." Granticaine turned away from Daptin. "I don't want to intrude in your affairs, Daptin, but you've always seemed a decent fellow. If you need some assistance, you need but ask." "I, uh, appreciate that, Grant." Granticaine turned back to face Daptin, and unclasped his hands. "In truth, it's gotten very tedious and boring here at Greatwall. Fife's got his head up his ass and he's stalling, while Thewsike gobbles up Earths all on the outer. I want some action, man." "Heh. I know what you mean. That's part of the reason I took my leave of absence, I mean, I--I mean, there are things in this universe to do besides worry about Aconck, you know? I mean like, y'know, like friends and family and things. Good friends." "Friends, yes, surely. But family, Daptin? In family, I can't say I've had much experience. Personal experience that is. My fellow freedom fighters, my fellow Drampticans, all fine folks, but not real, true family. One thinks of such matters cooped up here on this alien world." "Yeah." Daptin said, distracted in thought. "I guess I've been lucky to have such a sort of stable family." "Indeed ye have, man." Daptin looked down. "I like, I mean, like you offered to help me if I needed it. And y'know, this being Overwhelm and all, I mean, if anyone else had said it to me, I think I'd've thought they were, like, having something devious in mind. But, I don't know why, but I think I can trust you. You strike me as someone I can trust." Daptin looked up and tried to read Granticaine's expression, but it was the same strong bemused glare as usual. "You can trust me, man. I've about had it with these flounders around here, and you know my word is my law. Also, if you have something challenging in mind, I'm more than game!" Daptin took a deep breath and held both his hands up. "This is like, so fucking intense. I mean, I have this thing I have to do, but I don't know where to begin, like, explaining it. I mean, it's like extremely dense. I mean, like it's so--" "--Daptin, I feel you have a worthy challenge in your mind, but let us retreat to a more secure area to discuss it, eh? To whit, someplace far from Aconck tech, if you get my drift." Daptin sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah." -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----