|| -------- -- -----  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 44--"IT'S MILLICENT!" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Goodbye Popcorn  ||  -------> (Cup SRgp044, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Come over here." Coabler said to Daptin, who hesitated. Coabler narrowed his eyes. "I have an ability to feel the true Cup. If you have its Coffee in you, I should be able to feel it and verify your story." "I--I guess that should be okay." Daptin said, approaching Coabler. "Just hold out your hand." Coabler said. Daptin complied, and the Sawman took hold of the hand with his own. After a few moments of concentration, he released Daptin. "That's an affirmative. Let's get going." "How do we know that we'll all be brought along?" Bith asked. Everyone looked at him. "I don't know." Daptin said. "It seems that if people are travelling together, they're all pulled along." "Quite right." Caobler said. "That's how my power works. But we have to be moving, walking. So let's get up and get a move on right now--we can't risk being left behind." "Fine by me." Daptin said, getting up. "But what about Jerald?" "No problem for me to carry him." Kesh said quietly. Soon, the whole group had gathered everything together, and began walking in an arbitrary direction under that disturbingly brilliant green sky. They soon found the way hard going--it seemed the slay balloon's intensity was so great near the epicenter, that it left only smooth ground--but beyond a few miles, tangles of broken trees made travel difficult. "This sucks." Fake said. "It would suck even worse if you were trapped on this shithole forever, which is what'll happen if I slip away while we're standing still." Daptin said. "Yeah great, but do we have to travel so fast?" Fake said. "Let's err on the side of caution, little one." Kesh said, floating easily over a fallen tree. Fake climbed over the tree with some difficulty, saying "Yeah, but Daptin, didn't you say it would be like eight hours or something before it happens? I can't keep up this pace." Daptin looked over at her, her cinder block hovering close nearby. Then he looked ahead at the unconscious form of Jerald Hapal Hatch, floating along, shot through with vectors from Kesh. "Yeah," Daptin said, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "This is pretty rough going. But it's not like we're on an innocent hike. We're in pretty deep shit here, Fake. We're talking like never ever getting home if we're not careful." "Ha! You'll get back no matter what! You've got the Coffee inside you." Fake said. "Not necessarily." Coabler said, bounding over a tree trunk. "If Daptin isn't moving at the moment of return, he too may be left behind." Daptin looked ahead at Coabler, not too thrilled to hear that. "But uh, Coabler," Daptin said, "couldn't you just use your power then?" "That's what I have been doing, green. It took us eighty years to find it. You fancy trekking another eighty?" "Good point." Daptin said. "But you know what I was thinking--like Kesh, could you maybe, I dunno, float a log and let some people ride on it or something?" Kesh paused in midair, turning to face Daptin. "That's not a bad idea. I thought of it myself, not too long ago, but there are a few problems with it. First off, I have my limits--I certainly couldn't carry everyone. Also--since we're being so purist in terms of travel, could riding a log animated with vectors be the wrong sort of travel?" "So what about Jerald?" Fake asked. "I'm carrying him, not a log. If he were conscious, I don't think he'd like the feeling." "Not much." Fake said, smiling, recalling the creepy feeling of Kesh's vectors. "Let's keep it as an option." Daptin said. "But for now, we'll make due." "The end of the quest." Classic of Logic said distantly. "Who cares about the Cup anymore?" Demolish All said. "I wanna have fun in the 'regular' world, whatever that is." "Hey you with the crowbar." Fake said. Demolish All stopped and turned. "Me?" "Yeah. I saw you blast that tree before. Why can't you blast a clear path for us?" "The junk we're climbing through now is a result of YOUR destructive wave. What makes you think mine will be any cleaner?" "Well, just an idea. I guess I'm lazy. Always looking for ways to make this trip easier." "No big deal, there, chick." Demolish All said, continuing on. "I wanna destroy more! Blast 'em!" Pantry Lurkin said, riding on Mallie's shoulders. A few members of the party chuckled, but a moment later, a booming voice, deep and resonant, announced "It's Millicent!" "Who said that?" Pattern Integrity said, looking around in confusion. Ahead of them, the whole group saw a young woman standing on top of a fallen tree trunk, smiling and looking around. She wore a black overcoat, had a round face with neat blond hair, worn long. "I actually did it--I'm inside the movie!" she said, nodding in satisfaction. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----