@Mutank95 No problem!
Andromeda Member
Writing from the Stars
STATUS: And so the countdown begins...waiting is always the worst part 9 yrs ago
- Last Seen: 5 yrs ago
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- Andromeda 9 yrs ago
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9 yrs ago
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And so the countdown begins...waiting is always the worst part
9 yrs ago
Be the person your dog thinks you are!
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Sorry for long post...may have gotten carried away...
@tancuras
Yep...it's a little random, but...well, you can't deny that it's original(ish)...
@tancuras
Yep...it's a little random, but...well, you can't deny that it's original(ish)...
"I, uh, changed a lightbulb last weekend...that's science, right?" Val laughed; at least someone else was managing to maintain a sense of humour in the face of this madness and she glanced up at tall figure she was walking alongside, as he continued "I dunno. I'm not big into school. I'm already twenty and I'm still finishing twelfth grade. They say I don't apply myself, but I don't see the point. I just want to get my diploma and go." Twenty? She tried to mask her surprise under nonchalance, but suddenly, she became painfully aware of how out of her depth she was, with this guy she barely knew, in this shadowed hallway where she couldn't even see ten paces ahead of herself. She knew they were approaching the cafeteria by the change in corridor deco and the whoops emanating from the wide doorway ahead. When Cecil mentioned about liking PE, she opened her mouth to supply that she, herself, liked jogging in her spare time. However, as they were about to reach the source of the sound, she decided against it and shut up swiftly.
Instead of the confused, tentative group of kids she'd expected to stumble across, she found herself caught in the glare of an intense, white light of half a dozen phone screens combined. The sickly stench of smoke hung thick in the air and she resisted the urge to sneeze, slowly edging closer to Cecil. The stark glow ploughed towards them, accompanied by low, rough voices and barks of laughter, and Val felt the icy grip of fear seize her limbs. Given that the voices were not entirely unfamiliar - though she couldn't identify any one of them by name - she guessed that this particular event wasn't a direct product of the freak eclipse. No - she recognized the smell, that hung in the shadier parts of school, where people like her steered clear.
"Oh, it's just CC! What's up, Cec? Wanna smoke up with us?"
The advancing party seemed to relax, at this announcement but Val felt as though she'd been kicked square in the gut. Cecil was part of this group - of course; why else hadn't she seen him around her part of school? It had been Cecil's suggestion that they come to the cafeteria - what if he had planned this all along? And now she was trapped, caught in the thick of it. Her heart rate rocketed, as the sickening shock begun to override the paralysis the initial panic had induced in her body. She'd thought...well, she didn't know what she'd quite thought of him, but for some reason, it wasn't this. Stupid, naïve kid, Val admonished herself.
The only glimmer of reassurance that Val received was the detachment in both Cecil's tone and posture. When he refused the loud-mouthed one's offer of - well, Val wasn't exactly well versed in street culture, but she guessed that whatever it was, wasn't of the medicinal variety - Cecil seemed unfazed at the guy's annoyance. As they spoke, Val edged back silently until her back hit the wall next to the doorway. She considered making a dash for exit but Cecil hadn't yet given her reason to doubt him, and so she found herself glued in place.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice sneered to her left and jumped, as a hand clamped around her upper arm. She shook it off violently and scurried back into Cecil's shadow. Running seemed out of the question. Her only hope was that Cecil wasn't too deep in - and by the way he turned to search for an answer in her, she grimaced. If Cecil didn't know how to convince these guys - his friends - to back down, what hope did she have?...But her three elder brothers hadn't taught her to give up. She pushed up the sleeves of Cecil's jacket, in a bid to look a little less ridiculous and stepped forward, before the doubts took over. She hoped she looked significantly more confident than she felt.
"Look, guys," she said, with as much volume as she could muster "We'd really like to stay, really...but actually, we just dropped by to warn you. You know how everyone's gathering in the auditorium to figure this freaky shit out? Well - news just in - some nerds have just about calculated the origin of this weird blackout and they've worked out what those creatures are, and trust me; it isn't pretty. I'm guessing you heard...the screams."
She paused for dramatic effect, high of her own adrenaline - never mind the joint - and when they didn't outright shoot her down or laugh in her face, she continued. After seeing the effect those wails had had on various students (which seemed as much mental torture, as physical), she was counting on the fact that these people seemed like they had more mental demons than most. In all honesty, she was lying through her teeth and surprised by how easily the untruths wove their way into her speech.
"It's not an eclipse, like they've been saying. The military-" the slightly more believable of the wacky theories she'd just been recounting to Cecil was the first thing that came into her mind "- have been using this area for nuclear weapons testing. You remember the eye tests they made us all do last week?" A routine check, as part of 'Love your Retinas' week, as Val recalled correctly "Well, it was to check that no eye damage had been recorded in the local population, due to the radioactive testing they'd been conducting at night. You know, in that abandoned warehouse a block down from this school? It's a top secret trial that they've been running - I mean, war's more important than us civilians, of course. But there's been an explosion - a leak. They've locked this area down and they're sending SWAT teams in, as soon as they can. It's messed up local wildlife pretty bad and it's causing hallucinations in some people, which will only get worse. But the main concern is that radioactive waste has been found in another cafeteria's food supply, and that it's all contaminated. So if you want to stick around, be my guest. But don't blame us when the government descend and lock all three of your glowing, green, skeleton arms into specialised handcuffs. We're out of here."
She let what she had said sink in, her heart still pounding like a moth trapped in a jar, hoping that the mix of scientific jargon and blunt words would be enough to make them pay attention and listen. Her second eldest, sports-star brother regularly brought his teammates home, where they drowned themselves in alcohol until the early hours of morning. If she wanted any sleep whatsoever, she had learned that the best way to convince them shut up was to not hesitate, not even for a second, look them straight in the eye and shout. Of course, she'd interjected a slight bit more subtly into the current situation but stuck to the basics. If it worked though, it was a freaking miracle. And she said so.
"If this works," she hissed to Cecil, once again seeking comfort in his shadow and tugging him away slightly as the gang exchanged glances among themselves "I'm dropping out of school and pursuing a career in Hollywood. But if not...I've no idea what I just said but I'm sorry if I just destroyed your street cred, there..."
Instead of the confused, tentative group of kids she'd expected to stumble across, she found herself caught in the glare of an intense, white light of half a dozen phone screens combined. The sickly stench of smoke hung thick in the air and she resisted the urge to sneeze, slowly edging closer to Cecil. The stark glow ploughed towards them, accompanied by low, rough voices and barks of laughter, and Val felt the icy grip of fear seize her limbs. Given that the voices were not entirely unfamiliar - though she couldn't identify any one of them by name - she guessed that this particular event wasn't a direct product of the freak eclipse. No - she recognized the smell, that hung in the shadier parts of school, where people like her steered clear.
"Oh, it's just CC! What's up, Cec? Wanna smoke up with us?"
The advancing party seemed to relax, at this announcement but Val felt as though she'd been kicked square in the gut. Cecil was part of this group - of course; why else hadn't she seen him around her part of school? It had been Cecil's suggestion that they come to the cafeteria - what if he had planned this all along? And now she was trapped, caught in the thick of it. Her heart rate rocketed, as the sickening shock begun to override the paralysis the initial panic had induced in her body. She'd thought...well, she didn't know what she'd quite thought of him, but for some reason, it wasn't this. Stupid, naïve kid, Val admonished herself.
The only glimmer of reassurance that Val received was the detachment in both Cecil's tone and posture. When he refused the loud-mouthed one's offer of - well, Val wasn't exactly well versed in street culture, but she guessed that whatever it was, wasn't of the medicinal variety - Cecil seemed unfazed at the guy's annoyance. As they spoke, Val edged back silently until her back hit the wall next to the doorway. She considered making a dash for exit but Cecil hadn't yet given her reason to doubt him, and so she found herself glued in place.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice sneered to her left and jumped, as a hand clamped around her upper arm. She shook it off violently and scurried back into Cecil's shadow. Running seemed out of the question. Her only hope was that Cecil wasn't too deep in - and by the way he turned to search for an answer in her, she grimaced. If Cecil didn't know how to convince these guys - his friends - to back down, what hope did she have?...But her three elder brothers hadn't taught her to give up. She pushed up the sleeves of Cecil's jacket, in a bid to look a little less ridiculous and stepped forward, before the doubts took over. She hoped she looked significantly more confident than she felt.
"Look, guys," she said, with as much volume as she could muster "We'd really like to stay, really...but actually, we just dropped by to warn you. You know how everyone's gathering in the auditorium to figure this freaky shit out? Well - news just in - some nerds have just about calculated the origin of this weird blackout and they've worked out what those creatures are, and trust me; it isn't pretty. I'm guessing you heard...the screams."
She paused for dramatic effect, high of her own adrenaline - never mind the joint - and when they didn't outright shoot her down or laugh in her face, she continued. After seeing the effect those wails had had on various students (which seemed as much mental torture, as physical), she was counting on the fact that these people seemed like they had more mental demons than most. In all honesty, she was lying through her teeth and surprised by how easily the untruths wove their way into her speech.
"It's not an eclipse, like they've been saying. The military-" the slightly more believable of the wacky theories she'd just been recounting to Cecil was the first thing that came into her mind "- have been using this area for nuclear weapons testing. You remember the eye tests they made us all do last week?" A routine check, as part of 'Love your Retinas' week, as Val recalled correctly "Well, it was to check that no eye damage had been recorded in the local population, due to the radioactive testing they'd been conducting at night. You know, in that abandoned warehouse a block down from this school? It's a top secret trial that they've been running - I mean, war's more important than us civilians, of course. But there's been an explosion - a leak. They've locked this area down and they're sending SWAT teams in, as soon as they can. It's messed up local wildlife pretty bad and it's causing hallucinations in some people, which will only get worse. But the main concern is that radioactive waste has been found in another cafeteria's food supply, and that it's all contaminated. So if you want to stick around, be my guest. But don't blame us when the government descend and lock all three of your glowing, green, skeleton arms into specialised handcuffs. We're out of here."
She let what she had said sink in, her heart still pounding like a moth trapped in a jar, hoping that the mix of scientific jargon and blunt words would be enough to make them pay attention and listen. Her second eldest, sports-star brother regularly brought his teammates home, where they drowned themselves in alcohol until the early hours of morning. If she wanted any sleep whatsoever, she had learned that the best way to convince them shut up was to not hesitate, not even for a second, look them straight in the eye and shout. Of course, she'd interjected a slight bit more subtly into the current situation but stuck to the basics. If it worked though, it was a freaking miracle. And she said so.
"If this works," she hissed to Cecil, once again seeking comfort in his shadow and tugging him away slightly as the gang exchanged glances among themselves "I'm dropping out of school and pursuing a career in Hollywood. But if not...I've no idea what I just said but I'm sorry if I just destroyed your street cred, there..."
@The Scotsman
Just to TRIPLE check, how many posts do you want us to leave between posting again?!
Just to TRIPLE check, how many posts do you want us to leave between posting again?!
Christy nodded, at Jeffrey's plan to continue listening to the three men. She studied them - the one that appeared to be talking the most, was tall with a shock of ginger hair and icy blue eyes. He was talking loudly to his companion across the conference table, who was shorter with dark, tousled hair and dark brown eyes nodding obediently along with the first man. The final man of the trio had long, blonde hair that was slicked back and his attention seemed more distracted from the conversation.
"Unleash? But they're only the prototypes! We've already lost that one subject, which is now wandering freely across London!" the ginger-haired one exclaimed in surprise and the dark-haired one shrank back even further, as though the words were physically beating him back.
"Yes, but how long can we wait? Soon, it will be too late!" the dark haired one attempted to reply.
"This is the one joker we have left to play" the ginger haired man said with a finality "Play it too soon, and we could lose everything!"
"Unleash? But they're only the prototypes! We've already lost that one subject, which is now wandering freely across London!" the ginger-haired one exclaimed in surprise and the dark-haired one shrank back even further, as though the words were physically beating him back.
"Yes, but how long can we wait? Soon, it will be too late!" the dark haired one attempted to reply.
"This is the one joker we have left to play" the ginger haired man said with a finality "Play it too soon, and we could lose everything!"
@Mutank95
I've introduced a couple of NPCs....hope you don't mind!...
I've introduced a couple of NPCs....hope you don't mind!...
"That's the biggest damn bee I've ever seen," she remarked, as she pushed herself upright as she studied another flower, turning to respond to Jeffrey's original question "But I would suspect that genetic engineering may be this world's only option. I mean look outside - the devastation - and I'm guessing that's not merely limited to London. Nationally, it could be hard to cultivate even the simplest crop now that the ground is contaminated with a thick coating of rubble that hardly look as fertile. If I had to guess, I would say that these are all by-products of experiments to reintroduce flora and fauna into this broken world."
She shook her head sadly, as she stroked the petal of one of the flowers. It felt like caressing rich silk and the colour was a loud shade of orange, vibrant against the bleak, white lab walls.
"And as for the giant creatures, I presume they may be by-product results of introducing new chemicals into soil or the water source above. Either that, or this scientist is interested in more than regeneration...maybe these people are interested in revenge," she said, shuddering at the thought, "And if so, let's hope they don't see us as threats."
She walked forward through the greenhouse and at the far end, a doorway led into another section. Gesturing to Jeffrey to follow her, she approached but froze a few paces from the exit. Was that a noise? She edged forward slower and realised that what she could here was voices, quick and impatient. Tensed, she scooted forward even more until she could peer around the frame. Inside, was a simple conference room with a large table in the middle. Three men in lab coats were sat around it, chattering animatedly - they looked fairly young and around the same age as Jeffrey and Christy. They were talking with a familiar language (English) but every now and then, a phrase was interjected into the conversation that she had never heard before; some that had presumably evolved after Christy's old era. Eyes wide, she glanced back at Jeffrey.
"People!" she whispered breathlessly to him as they hovered out of the strangers' view "Real people, from the future! Do we approach them? Wait - will they think we're trespassing?"
She shook her head sadly, as she stroked the petal of one of the flowers. It felt like caressing rich silk and the colour was a loud shade of orange, vibrant against the bleak, white lab walls.
"And as for the giant creatures, I presume they may be by-product results of introducing new chemicals into soil or the water source above. Either that, or this scientist is interested in more than regeneration...maybe these people are interested in revenge," she said, shuddering at the thought, "And if so, let's hope they don't see us as threats."
She walked forward through the greenhouse and at the far end, a doorway led into another section. Gesturing to Jeffrey to follow her, she approached but froze a few paces from the exit. Was that a noise? She edged forward slower and realised that what she could here was voices, quick and impatient. Tensed, she scooted forward even more until she could peer around the frame. Inside, was a simple conference room with a large table in the middle. Three men in lab coats were sat around it, chattering animatedly - they looked fairly young and around the same age as Jeffrey and Christy. They were talking with a familiar language (English) but every now and then, a phrase was interjected into the conversation that she had never heard before; some that had presumably evolved after Christy's old era. Eyes wide, she glanced back at Jeffrey.
"People!" she whispered breathlessly to him as they hovered out of the strangers' view "Real people, from the future! Do we approach them? Wait - will they think we're trespassing?"
"The main caf is nearby. We can check it out. It's probably some preteens hoping for a snack."
"Probably," she replied with a quick, amused shrug "Sounds a good plan to me - I think we should" but she trailed off, frowning in confusion when she saw him slide out of his jacket. What was he doing? It was freezing in here - evidenced by the gooseflesh breaking out over her bare arms - so maybe the weird goings on had messed with his body temperature. She slipped off the desk, worriedly, her own pale hand an icy white as she held up her phone, to survey the situation
"Here. I, uh...I just thought...I'm fine, guys generate more heat...might be a bit big, though..."
When she realised he was offering it out to her - and not about to break into insanity - she blushed at misinterpreting his intentions and accepted it, shyly, trying to conceal her own apprehension. She considered insisting he keep it as his own shirt didn't look particularly substantial but, for some reason, the protest died on her lips and she merely swung it around her shoulders and slid her arms into. The sleeves were way too long, dangling past her fingertips and it wasn't the warmest of garments, but it did help and the shivering subsided. She glanced down at herself; it looked comically out of place and she grinned at it.
"Um, thanks," she said, with a genuine smile and when silence broke out, she walked forward and slapped his arm playfully with one of the jacket's sleeve ends in a bid to bring humour to the situation "Well, I guess - I'm glad - you aren't as intimidating as you appear to be."
She walked past him, hoping he hadn't seen her face redden slightly as let her hair swing over her face. She wasn't accustomed to kindness - her five elder siblings were all determined, driven people and whereas it had resulted in dazzling, big-money jobs, she would certainly not describe any of them as generous. As the youngest, she tended to be the most easy going of the six of them but that often meant getting last choice. To have someone else put her health first - even in such a humble action as offering her a jacket - warmed her, as much as the actual material. She sauntered to doorway, where the door lay in splintered, wooden fragments on the floor and glanced back at Cecil, phone still held high to light the way, still beaming.
"The cafeteria it is, then - no time like the present" she announced as brightly as she could muster, her voice echoing in the gloom and her footsteps distorted by the crunching of glass beneath her shoes from the shattered cabinet "It's probably already been ransacked but we might as well do a quick inventory whilst we're in the area. This office gives me the creeps..."
She gave it one last, searching look and headed out in the direction of the cafeteria, beckoning for Cecil to follow. As soon as she stepped out of the safety of the room - as if such a word could be applied to anything, in this current scenario - she felt her ease drain, as though she'd stepped into no-man's land from the security of a trench. She found herself instantly glancing back for the reassurance she'd found in Cecil's outwardly imperturbable demeanour, to make sure he was following. It was a ridiculous fear - of course, he was following; Jack had ordered them to stick together and besides, she had his jacket - but irrational fears can't always be dispelled by logic.
"I hate this not knowing," she burbled to Cecil, quite aware she was rambling but past caring, at this current point in time "This freak eclipse - or whatever they're guessing it is - I mean, why here? Why now? It's so bizarre. It makes me wonder whether any of this was planned by some government or some divine force, or aliens, or...or maybe I'm just reading too deeply into this. I guess the dark just makes me philosophical."
She laughed, aware of how ludicrous she sounded.
"Sorry, sorry; ignore me," she rushed to tag the words onto the end of her speech "I have a tendancy to overthink things. Perks of being into maths, I guess. What's your subject speciality? Somehow, you don't strike me as a science geek..."
"Probably," she replied with a quick, amused shrug "Sounds a good plan to me - I think we should" but she trailed off, frowning in confusion when she saw him slide out of his jacket. What was he doing? It was freezing in here - evidenced by the gooseflesh breaking out over her bare arms - so maybe the weird goings on had messed with his body temperature. She slipped off the desk, worriedly, her own pale hand an icy white as she held up her phone, to survey the situation
"Here. I, uh...I just thought...I'm fine, guys generate more heat...might be a bit big, though..."
When she realised he was offering it out to her - and not about to break into insanity - she blushed at misinterpreting his intentions and accepted it, shyly, trying to conceal her own apprehension. She considered insisting he keep it as his own shirt didn't look particularly substantial but, for some reason, the protest died on her lips and she merely swung it around her shoulders and slid her arms into. The sleeves were way too long, dangling past her fingertips and it wasn't the warmest of garments, but it did help and the shivering subsided. She glanced down at herself; it looked comically out of place and she grinned at it.
"Um, thanks," she said, with a genuine smile and when silence broke out, she walked forward and slapped his arm playfully with one of the jacket's sleeve ends in a bid to bring humour to the situation "Well, I guess - I'm glad - you aren't as intimidating as you appear to be."
She walked past him, hoping he hadn't seen her face redden slightly as let her hair swing over her face. She wasn't accustomed to kindness - her five elder siblings were all determined, driven people and whereas it had resulted in dazzling, big-money jobs, she would certainly not describe any of them as generous. As the youngest, she tended to be the most easy going of the six of them but that often meant getting last choice. To have someone else put her health first - even in such a humble action as offering her a jacket - warmed her, as much as the actual material. She sauntered to doorway, where the door lay in splintered, wooden fragments on the floor and glanced back at Cecil, phone still held high to light the way, still beaming.
"The cafeteria it is, then - no time like the present" she announced as brightly as she could muster, her voice echoing in the gloom and her footsteps distorted by the crunching of glass beneath her shoes from the shattered cabinet "It's probably already been ransacked but we might as well do a quick inventory whilst we're in the area. This office gives me the creeps..."
She gave it one last, searching look and headed out in the direction of the cafeteria, beckoning for Cecil to follow. As soon as she stepped out of the safety of the room - as if such a word could be applied to anything, in this current scenario - she felt her ease drain, as though she'd stepped into no-man's land from the security of a trench. She found herself instantly glancing back for the reassurance she'd found in Cecil's outwardly imperturbable demeanour, to make sure he was following. It was a ridiculous fear - of course, he was following; Jack had ordered them to stick together and besides, she had his jacket - but irrational fears can't always be dispelled by logic.
"I hate this not knowing," she burbled to Cecil, quite aware she was rambling but past caring, at this current point in time "This freak eclipse - or whatever they're guessing it is - I mean, why here? Why now? It's so bizarre. It makes me wonder whether any of this was planned by some government or some divine force, or aliens, or...or maybe I'm just reading too deeply into this. I guess the dark just makes me philosophical."
She laughed, aware of how ludicrous she sounded.
"Sorry, sorry; ignore me," she rushed to tag the words onto the end of her speech "I have a tendancy to overthink things. Perks of being into maths, I guess. What's your subject speciality? Somehow, you don't strike me as a science geek..."
posting now....!
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