|| -------- -- -----  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 42--"GUN" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Goodbye Popcorn  ||  -------> (Cup SRgp042, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Okay, okay." Daptin said, holding his hands up, walking toward Cup's Club. "Everything's cool. We talked to your friend there. Let's just sort this all out." The members of Cup's Club were standing at the ready. Coabler the Sawman pointed one of his saws at Daptin and asked, "So where's the Coffee?" Daptin looked over at Granticaine, who shrugged, then back at Coabler. "Okay. I'm gonna be totally honest. Some of it is in me. That is, I drank some of it." Coabler looked angry and puzzled. Daptin continued. "I mean, it's okay. The thing is, it's a pattern integrity, just like her. It'll go back together. In a while." Kesh the Vector moved a little closer to Daptin and his friends and spoke. "Let's assume you're telling the truth." the phantom said. "Why exactly have you drunk it?" "Um," Daptin began, "the idea is that, like, when the time comes for it to like, you know, go back, together, it will draw us all back into the regular world. Get us out of this place." "I see." Kesh said, sounding satisfied. "And you guys can have the goddamn thing when we get back." Daptin said. "The people who hired us used us as pawns. We have no interest in the Cup." "So why did you guys go on the mission in the first place?" Demolish All asked lazily, looking at her long black fingernails, leaning on a log. "We didn't know!" Fake said, sitting on the other end of the log. Kesh looked toward her. They had let her out of her cage on the condition she behaved herself. "So what are you saying?" Coabler asked, looking from Fake to Daptin. "You were sent on a mission, but you subsequently discovered that you were being deceived?" "Yes!" Fake yelled. "Cool it." Classic of Logic said, standing nearby with her arms crossed, glaring at Fake. "How?" Coabler said. Just then, Daptin felt the vibration throughout his body of Tavmatey trying to talk to him. He couldn't understand it, however. He cringed and answered Coabler, getting a little upset. "Look buddy. Not that it's any of your business, but we could hear a girl's voice from inside the cup. We were supposed to rescue her, but it all went wrong. Or right I suppose, for them. But you guys came along and messed everything up. After the balloon, she told us everything." "Okay." Coabler said, looking over at Kesh, who nodded. "Just give me your word that you speak the truth, and we can get on to the business of figuring all this out." Daptin looked around. "Me? You mean me? Yeah. I give you my word. I give you my word that everything I told you is true, that we will give you the Cup if we can, and that we won't attack you, only defend ourselves." "That satisfies me." Coabler said. "Come hither and let us discuss many matters." With this, Daptin, Granticaine, Wreckage Mallie, Iterator of Rail Avenue, and Pantry Lurkin approached Cup's Club, who had arranged a number of logs into a rough circle. As Pantry Lurkin walked past Kesh the Vector and Bith the Silly Train, he looked up and said "I like weirdoes!" As Daptin found a log to sit on, he spied Jerald Hapal Hatch stirring a little, sprawled out on the other side of the circle. "Whatever happened to him?" Daptin asked Fake. "Whatever happened to YOU?" she shot back. "They just knocked him out. He's still alive though, unfortunately. But what the fuck man? Where did all these psychos come from? Did you get back to Agoopish?" "Let me explain it all to you later. These 'psychos' as you call them are my good friends. Just trust me on this." "Fine." Fake said, looking away. All twelve individuals were seated around the circle of logs, and Coabler took charge of the affair. "I have been seeking the Cup of Coffee for an extremely long time. I have the ability to walk toward the Cup. There have been several false Cups, but I believe the one you folks had was the true one. We just have to--" All of a sudden, a musical beeping noise could be heard. Instantly, Mallie looked down at his duffel bag. "What is that noise?" Kesh asked, a tone of alarm and threat in his voice. "Uh--it's, uh--it's my gun--" Mallie stuttered, nervous. "Gun?" Coabler bellowed, standing up. "Relax!" Granticaine roared in a tone of supreme authority. Pattern Integrity smiled at him intensely. "It's nothing more than a communication device built into his gun." "Probably just his girlfriend calling." Iterator of Rail Avenue said. "But I don't think--" Daptin began. "Okay, take it out." Coabler said, still standing, but somewhat calmer. "Okay." Mallie said, as he unzipped his bag, shaking in nervousness, and carefully picking up the gun in an unthreatening manner. Kesh looked at Coabler, saying "I would thoon safe." Coabler nodded. "Should I answer it?" Mallie asked, trembling. "I don't think--" Daptin said, but was cut off by Coabler raising his hand. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----