|| -------- -- -----  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 34--"SUPERWAY" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Goodbye Popcorn  ||  -------> (Cup SRgp034, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "So what exactly are we doing?" Daptin asked Granticaine, as the two walked along the promenade of Greatwall at Ostandon. "Well Daptin, I have decided on a course of action, and before we begin, I want you to agree on it. I propose we go back to Overwhelm, where you can make the preparations you need to make, and I can round up the team. When we're ready, you can drink the Coffee and we'll take the superway up to Goal. I know it's a long trip, but believe me, we have to keep Overwhelm out of this, and Goal is a good place to bridge in and out of because of all the activity there. Then, if indeed we begin to travel in this 'cupward' direction you referred to, we'll deal with things as they come, with our objective being the rescue of your friend Fake, and the safe return of us all to Greatwall. Any additional matters, such as visits to Avert, will be dealt with at a later date. Agreed?" "Yeah. I still don't know why we can't just go out into the woods of Cagapin and do it, but if this is the way you want to do it, I accept your judgment." "So it's agreed then?" "Yeah. Agreed." "You sure you don't need some rest before we go, Daptin?" "No, I feel fine. I guess technically I haven't slept for billions of years, but as far as my circadians go, it's, y'know, like midday." "Good. And Daptin, know that I have given you my trust. This is not something I do lightly. So please keep in mind that in a mission such as this, a time may come when you will need to give me your trust in a split second. I hope you'll keep this in mind." "Hey man, no problem." A few hours later, Daptin and Granticaine were on the superway (comething like a monorail) heading up to Goal, along with the other three members of Provocation Team D--Wreckage Mallie, Pantry Lurkin, and Iterator of Rail Avenue. Granticaine had rounded his fellows up but didn't tell them very much, except that there was an emergency mission which was not under the authority of Overwhelm Associates, but also did not deal with OA's sphere of activity. Daptin geared up with his mortal supplies which he had left behind for his meeting with Granticaine. He also performed the daunting task of drinking from the Cup of Coffee, which he decided to do quickly without freaking himself out too much about it. He found that the lid came off quite easily, and that the coffee was about the best he ever tasted. In short, it seemed like a freshly poured cup of excellent black coffee, no sugar. He had drunk about four or five mouthfuls of the stuff before he felt he had enough in his system. Afterward, however, he felt very weird, and he couldn't tell if it was just a psychosomatic response to having done such a bizarre thing, or a real effect of having 40,000-year-old coffee in one's stomach and bloodstream. "It's a nice area up here." Wreckage Mallie said, looking out the window at the sun setting over the hills which run parallel to the northern section of Greatwall. Mallie was an athletic sort with very short black hair which bristled. He wore a gray sweatshirt with tan rough pants, and carried a duffel bag with a gun and a pipe inside. "Hee hee nice indeed. Big nice land, I agree!" said Pantry Lurkin, an odd little faeryish fellow, not even three feet tall, trying his best to pass as a midget, but attracting scores of stares nonetheless. He wore a diminutive red plaid shirt and a pair of tiny blue jeans, which looked ridiculous on his spidery frame. On his sharp face was a black mustache, and though he tried to hide them, his pointy ears always managed to see the light of day. Also, he insisted upon wearing his blue cap with its two long and droopy black feathers. "What's that thing over there? A water tower? I saw it before." said Iterator of Rail Avenue, a woman of average build with short, very light brown hair, who wore a suit of tan and brown with a lot of complex layers, cords, buttons, connections, etc. She was a quiet sort, never asserting herself very much, and seeming sad all the time. "Um, I don't know, Iterator." Daptin said. "I've seen it a couple of times too. Is it something from the Essex maybe? I dunno." -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----