Forum > Tuber's secrets > thread

When an elevator moves up quickly and suddenly, no matter how smoothly, some people would describe the odd sensation as "I left my stomach back on the first floor." Basically, you feel like your innards are attached to the last point of departure, and they take their sweet time in returning. When Vivian's smoke and mist lost its composure and... exploded, for lack of a more fitting word, traveling as a shock wave at an astonishing speed, it blew Jason's metaphorical insides far, far away. He himself was otherwise unaffected, aside from slightly dehydrated eyeballs. He did feel slightly nauseated, but Jason had more important things to worry about. Vivian had vanished, along with everyone with her. Jason glanced at the other two who were left behind. Logan's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. Zack blinked twice, then frowned as though he didn't understand. Jason could tell that he would have to drag them along until they came to their senses. "Zack, Logan. It's time to go. Now." Logan was not as shocked as he looked. Either that, or he realized the need for presence of mind at the moment, like Jason. "Really? Where, pray tell, do you think we should go, besides the obvious way?" he asked. Zack was not understanding clearly. Jason guessed that that was what happened when you're strangled for who-knows-how-long. "What're you talking about." he rasped though his bruised windpipe. Logan must have been near the end of his rope, because he continued talking with a mocking ring to his voice. "Why my dear Zack, surely you don't want to miss out on socializing with the nice people waving torches and pitchforks. Why don't we go have a nice chat- perhaps they'll stay for a nice cup of tea. What direction did you think I was talking about?" he snapped. "Well, Logan, if you know where to go, why haven't you gone and left us poor simpletons in the dust?" Jason retorted. Logan looked startled. He pinched the bridge of his nose, collecting himself. "I'm sorry. That was childish of me." "Yes, it was. You can apologize to Zack later, but let's get out of here first."

The light and color was so intense, it had blinded Vivian for a full minute after it faded. Not trusting her watery legs to support her much longer, she slowly sank to her knees in the grass. The other girl fainted from exhaustion, caught by a hunter before she hit the ground. Ninja swayed on his feet, but kept his composure. Vivian took a shaky breath, then looked around. It looked like everyone was still here. Here. Was this where they were before? And had it been twilight? She had a definite impression of sunset, yet now, it was almost too dark to see. Vivian was about 85 percent sure they had been transported from there to... here. Vivian was willing to bet that the unconscious girl had somehow started it so she could escape the mob, and didn't have enough energy to do it alone. And was Ninja swept along, like Vivian, or had he helped transport them on purpose? Ninja's steadfast refusal to answer questions was leaving her... without answers. It irked her greatly. She heard a sharp gasp and quickly turned her head to see who and why, and discovered a pounding headache had been lurking in her dizzy and stupid state of mind. It viciously punched through her mental fog, like a leprechaun had traded his dull sledgehammer for a pickaxe. It hurt. She heard a strangled yell, or so she assumed, but it was choked down so much she really couldn't tell. She forced her eyes open. The kid she had seen in the blue smoke, who had been running down a dark street, had just tried to muffle his startled cry. He looked pretty freaked out, so he spun on his heel and started to run again. A good effort, but he was so tired that he slipped and fell about a dozen times on the grass that was slick with dew before he gave up, and turned to face his fate with the attitude of a condemned man. Evan allowed himself to hit the ground, resting his head on his arm like he was going to fall asleep. Everyone seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Vivian knew that she had a right to be exhausted, but come on. She had been the one doing most of the work, or at least supplying most of her energy. What was their excuse? Answer: they didn't. Or did they? Maybe the mist sucked their energy into the transporting vortex. Perhaps. Vivian massaged her throbbing temples, trying to make sense of it all. Then she realized that Jason was missing, and so was Logan. And they began to disappear, one by one... she thought sarcastically, even mockingly, but she couldn't ignore a trace of foreboding, even in her isolated thoughts. You're being paranoid, she scolded herself. But her instincts were not often wrong, and it was unsettling to be lying to herself. She shook her head, commanding her thoughts to get themselves in an orderly state. One thing at a time.

The young woman (also one of those who had appeared in the mist) moaned softly. The young man did the same. "Oh, my aching head..." He glanced up. "Who the hell are you?" Vivian didn't know who was supposed to be on the receiving end of his quiet outrage, nor did she care. He was being quiet because of his headache, or he was confused and shocked, thus his unfocused anger. Perhaps he felt wronged, offended, or insulted. For one thing, he had been facing someone intimidating when he was transported, and in what Vivian assumed was his home. Or someplace that was just as important to him. For another, a splitting headache could turn the nicest person into a grouch. And Vivian would have been pretty upset to find herself yanked from one place to another by complete and total strangers to who-knows-where. Her mouth curved slightly in quiet amusement. That had just happened to her. She swore inwardly at the fact that she was getting used to all these freakish events. She used to be surprised if a butterfly landed on her arm. Now, it wouldn't surprise her one bit if she saw a flying unicorn wearing blue mirrored sunglasses, with rainbows for a mane and tail, asked her if she wanted some cotton-candy-cloud, and maybe some sparkling star-wine straight from the Milky Way to wash it down. Not one bit.

Jason tried to hurry, but Zack was not a fast runner. He just wasn't built for it. "How about this," Zack panted. "You guys go ahead without me, and I'll go in another direction, at my own speed." Jason didn't answer, nor did he stop moving at Zack's pace. No, we're not leaving you! We go together, or not at all. We'll make it work. There just wasn't any way to say it without sounding lame. "Did you guys even hear me?" "Save your breath, Zack." Logan sighed, shouldering his quiver. "You'll just get caught and we'll have to save you if we split up now." Okay, so maybe there was a way to say it without sounding cliché. Not that it mattered. "So we've got an army of peasants hell-bent on finding that girl." Jason thought aloud. "I wonder why." "Would you like to ask them, or try to find the girl and ask her?" Logan asked. Zack was breathing hard, but still managed to keep talking. "Well why don't you? They're not looking for you." Jason raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you've met these people before." "In a way, I guess." Zack replied. "Once your powers are out, people from all walks of life start to fear you. Heaven help you if your powers are destructive. I read about this one guy... he accidentally destroyed a school. With the kids inside." After a heavy minute of silence, Zack spoke again. "It's wasn't his fault, you know. It's like our powers are just sitting there, waiting for us to use them, and we never know they exist until they are too powerful to stay still any longer. But can you imagine the parents of those children? SOMEBODY had hell to pay. Guess who was left holding the bill? ...I was lucky. My powers are more like water than anything else. I'm pretty sure I've never heard of Vivian's type before... Anyway, my point is that you two don't have much to worry about." Jason very seriously doubted that. Somebody had to have made the connection by now. Jason and the hunters had been present for most of the colored explosions, and had been traveling with Vivian for what seemed like months. Zack did have a point, though. All this talk of powers, aliens, angry mobs and destruction... If Jason was going to walk away from what was fast becoming a very sticky business, now was the best time to do so. Then he remembered a certain rooftop. "Now that you're here, we each have responsibility for anything that happens, including opening this bag. Are you ready?" Oh, perfect. Jason thought. Now I'm stuck with this. Why didn't I leave when I had the chance? I shouldn't have let my curiosity affect my judgment. I knew better. I KNEW it. "Curse you, Justin." Jason muttered darkly. "What did you say?" Jason didn't bother to answer.
"Zack, what would you say a glowing statue of an alien means?"

The alien mumbled to itself as it rocked back and forth on the floor. Then it slapped the ground angrily. All of it's arguments to abandon Earth came straight from fear of the Council. The Council had no right to decide whether a planet was worthy of their help. There were precious few like this one. The only other with half of Earth's imagination was a barbaric race, whose minds were bent in only one direction. To kill in new, horrific ways. To hunt. To fight. But most importantly, to kill. Survival of the fittest or none. Earth was not like that. The other planets were still in the Stone Age, or were bland and flavorless, nothing more than machines. One planet actually forced the inhabitants to take a drug to repress all emotion. If they missed a dose, they were killed by agents with absolutely no remorse. The alien's own kind simply collected data to study, and for what? All they ever did was restore planets. Galaxy after galaxy, they fixed planets and left. Nothing ever changed except the increasing amounts of stored data. The alien suddenly had a revelation. What had it been thinking? It had been staring at the answer to the question it hadn't even know it was asking! All this time, staring at the history of Earth, staring it in the face! Each time there had been great shifts in the course of history, it was because one individual (good or bad) had had an idea, and did something about it. Attila the Hun. Galileo. Sir Isaac Newton. Archimedes. Hitler. Stephen Hawking. Michelangelo. Plato, Aristotle, Socrates. Benjamin Franklin. Alexander the Great and countless others. The alien rose from the floor, a flash of fire in it's eyes. It knew exactly what to do.

Zack looked at Jason like he had snakes instead of hair. "A what means what?" "A little statue." Jason went on to explain what he and Justin had seen. "So I repeat, what does it mean?" Zack frowned. "A glowing figurine. A beam of light. A dark creature. A death..." He trudged along, his face dark, wrapped in his thoughts- or memories. Logan tossed a questioning glance at Jason. He shrugged. How was he supposed to know? The sounds of the mob were drifting away to their right, splitting off to search another part of the forest where there were caverns in the mountain. Jason had picked up a tourist brochure that sang the praises of YearRound Celebration. "Go spelunking in the mysterious and shadowy Caverns of Mount Crystia. Perhaps you will be the first to set eyes on is mystical secrets, the Sun and Moon stones. Legend tells of the mythical gems, hidden inside the treacherous, twisting, turning corridors that wind their way throughout the mountain. Somewhere, deep underneath the labyrinth you must navigate, are two stones, priceless jewels of superb value. The Sun Stone is said to keep you young in your prime, lending you the health and strength of youth for as long as you live. The second fabulous gem is the Moon Stone, said to give long life and beauty to whoever holds it. Together, the mystical Stones could give you life for a hundred years in the peak of youth; beautiful, strong, and in perfect health. All you have to do is be the first to find them." What usually happened was that people got lost unbelievably quickly, and had to transport themselves out with special belts that disassembled the molecules of the wearer and itself. The molecules of person and belt (which had been washed through with low-level radiation before they entered the cave) were attracted to the re-assembly chamber, like metal fillings to a magnet. Of course, the assembly was the tricky part. It usually worked just fine. Usually being the key word. Thrill seekers were attracted like moths to a flame. Some were paid to search by elderly people who felt their last years on earth slipping away, and were desperate to cling to life, fearing death and what might (or might not) be beyond that. Jason shook his head. The advertisers had most likely invented the myth of Stones themselves. However, if someone wanted to hide, the Caverns were probably the best place to go. "I think we're safe. For now." he said, slowing to a stop. "After all, we are not the ones they are looking for." Logan and Zack kept going. "Guys?" No reply. "Did either of you hear me?" Zack stopped. "Yeah. Kind of. I heard your voice, but it took a second to register." Logan kept marching. "What's his problem?" Zack mumbled. Again, Jason shrugged. "What's my problem?" Logan repeated. It was a tone that clearly implied that he was giving Zack a chance to alter his remark. Zack was beginning to tire of Logan's abrupt temper and ignored his unsaid warning. "Yeah. You." Logan turned slightly, looking at Zack with his peripheral vision as he ground the words out from between clenched teeth. "My problem is none of your business. I have issues, Jason, with having the man I trusted put us all in danger. I don't like it when other people do not report my leader's failure to allow us to choose whether or not we want to 'go with the flow'. I have a family that finds a good use for every blue mushroom I send them. I don't have time to go gallivanting over hill and dale. I wasn't planning to go running around after some.... witch who doesn't even appreciate the fact that several people almost died. The media has probably associated us with her already, and I'll be lucky if I can escape from this fiasco without having my name and face flashed on every screen from here to the Arctic circles!" Logan raged without shouting, which was somehow scarier than if he had been screaming in anger. Every quiet syllable trembled with passionate fury. "And you dare to ask me what my problem is?" In retrospect, Logan had obviously been trying to control himself, be polite, and keep his anger to himself. Zack had unknowingly provoked him enough that he allowed his feelings to surface just enough to make Zack back off. If Logan's family depended on him, and he died, what would they do? Jason didn't know anything about their situation, but apparently Logan's income was important. He had a duty to his family, and Justin hadn't given him a choice: stay with us, or go home. Logan would've gone home, but Justin hadn't let him choose. Thus, Logan was now full of righteous wrath. And he couldn't do anything about it.

"Timothy, what are you doing?" Justin asked. Tim was, in fact, walking in tight circles. "I'm pacing. Thinking." "You look drunk." Vivian announced. "I do not." he blurted. "Yeah, you do. Pacing is one thing, spinning around in circles is another." "I was not spinning." he grumbled. Vivian forced herself to sound energetic, but all she wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep. "Keep telling yourself that." she said, a little too flippantly. He rubbed his eyes, as if he also had a headache. "I never know if you're serious, joking, or just annoying." "The word is 'mocking', not just 'annoying'. I'd say that time it was 30% joking, 70% mock. The annoyance was just a bonus." She quipped with a faint smile. Unfortunately, her sunny (sunny for her, that is) attitude was lost among the throbbing headaches. She stood, testing her legs again. Steady. "Okay, people; up, up, up. Come on, we're not done yet. Evan, don't you dare go to sleep! All right people, let's move!" Several of them looked at her incredulously. "I know, I know. What am I doing? Why am I not letting you-" she leaned towards Evan and raised her voice a little, "Go to sleep?" He tried to cover his ears and roll away. She grabbed his sleeve and yanked him upright. She pinched his cheek and released him. He sat down hard, partially in defiance. "I am just as tired as you are, and my voice is hurting my head more than it is hurting yours. I am saying that something is going to happen soon, and we have to be awake to deal with it. Remember what happened last time the mist appeared? When Zack came on the scene?
The big, black cloud that was about to EAT us?"

Everyone stared at her. Even the newcomers, who probably thought she was crazy, but the fact that everyone else was taking her somewhat seriously worried them. "So, you're saying... it's gonna come back?" Dylan asked in disbelief. "Yes. No. Maybe. Look, I don't know for sure, but if it does come back-" she stopped. What were they going to do? "Listen. If anyone sees a little glowing statue, do not touch it. Then you will all run as fast and far as you can while I investigate." Justin slowly drew himself up, towering over her. "A statue?" She stood as tall as she could without stretching or standing on her toes, but she still had to look up to look him in the eyes. "Yes. Why do you people keep asking me?" They stared at each other for a moment before she realized, "You found one. Where?" "At the archery field." "I remember now... So why the delay? If you found it then, why-" she interrupted/answered herself, "I bet it was waiting for nightfall. It's almost night now so- Justin, when did you find it?" "Right after your..." she interrupted impatiently, knowing that he would just waste time looking for an adjective that would fit. She knew what he was trying to say, and that was what mattered. "So what did you do with it?" He sighed, then began to explain. "Your purse had light shining out of it. Avery tossed it to me while you were unconscious, and I didn't get a chance to look at it until later. When I did, it reacted to my touch and..." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. So nobody touch it, or do so at your own peril. Capisci?" "Who are you?" the unidentified woman asked. "I am the person you usually try to avoid. Call me Natasha." She blinked. The boy just gaped. The man asked her to lower her voice. She didn't. "You know what? You're going to have to get used to it, because I treat everyone regardless of name, age, or rank exactly the same way." "What?" And we are walking this way. Slow and steady progress wins the race. Get up, Evan. Move it, Dylan. Shift it, Tim. That way, Matt," she ordered, shaking shoulders, pulling shirts as she practically shoved them all down the small hill. "Miss Bossy." "Rude much?" "Quit messing with my hair!" "Justin, make her stop." The woman followed her as she pestered everyone, making them move just to get her to stop. "What do you mean? I have never seen you before, so how could I avoid you?" "I can't believe I have to explain almost every sentence that comes out of my mouth!" "I don't understand-" "I KNOW. Nobody does! That's why I always have to explain. I had to explain why I kneed the Elder, I had to explain why I left my city, I had to explain what a frustrated philosopher was when I identified myself as one, I had to explain this and that and the other thing-" "You are not making any sense." "Only because you don't know what I am referring to. To you, I sound like a blockhead. Once you sit down to actually talk to me, I turn out to be REALLY SMART. I'm not just talking about myself here, I'm speaking for many people who are not articulate enough to communicate effectively on the fly, but are absolute GENIUSES within their comfort zones, on paper or in math or cyberspace. Nobody understands really beyond the boring mathematics that children learn, and so both parties, not knowing what language these other peoples speak in, suffer. If you took the time to really listen, you'd appreciate what I mean, but since you want if fast, you want it now, I'm giving it to you fast- so fast you still have no idea what I'm saying, do you?" "I, I don't-" "Didn't think so." Vivian/Natasha picked up speed, talking faster and faster, getting more frustrated as her thoughts flew, spewing from her mouth so fast she set everyone's heads spinning. "So even when I open my mouth to try to explain my answer to a question and how I got there- which is just as important as the answer itself, otherwise it makes no sense anyway- the fact that people these days have the attention span of a flea on steroids causes them to lose interest and begin a different conversation altogether while I'm still talking, yes I can see those looks you're tossing to each other like 'is she always like this?' 'I think she's crazy' 'does she ever stop shooting her mouth off?' 'how is she talking so fast?' Well I'm talking fast because your brains are slowing down because they don't get enough stimulation to take the slightest interest in anything I'm saying even though you're the one who started questioning me and if you don't want the full answer don't talk to me in the first place because I am sick and tired of listening to myself try to reason with people who might as well be a brick wall!"
And there was absolute silence as she huffed and marched out in front. "So, just to recap for those of you who missed it, stop asking me questions and let's move." Tim and Matt glanced at each other. Justin shook his head and gestured after her. Only then did people begin to move. Another cause of frustration for Natasha.

"Hey, what's that?" Evan asked. Natasha glanced briefly to the left. "A light." she stated, still walking. "Captain Obvious strikes again." Matt commented absentmindedly, slowing down to further study the source. "From a window. You don't say." Natasha added/finished, just to show him that she was being sarcastic. "So what do we do?" Tim asked. "Well, we're not crashing there." Natasha declared, still moving forward. "Why not?" another hunter asked. The man was huge, and likely had a matching appetite. "Because it's a tiny cottage, that's why. We'd never fit, and you'd eat everything they might have." "I resent that remark." "Do you deny it?" "No, I just resent it." "Witty comeback." "Likewise." "Oh, shut up, the lot of you." someone else growled, tired and irritable. Unlike everyone else, they had not gotten their second wind. "Why?" Avery asked, eager for some conversation. "Do you have to ask?" Justin mused. "Why not? I usually do." Natasha said. It was true. She had never been able to keep her mouth shut unless she had a good reason to be quiet. "Then you're ridiculous." the man who had transported with them stated. "Am I?" "Without a doubt." "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion." "It's not an opinion, it's a fact." Evan said, loud and clear. "And that is your opinion." she calmly retorted, flipping his statement upside-down. "Ho, snap. She gotcha there," Dylan chuckled. "So, because you lack the wit to contribute to the banter, you compliment us. Wow, that's sad." Natasha said with a smirk. "I'm insulted!" He was obviously trying not to smile. "As you should be." "Why would you do that?" "Because I can get away with it because, unlike you, I have a pretty face." she said in a lightly mocking tone. Tim came to Dylan's defence. "I am now making a nasty remark about your mother, who is in reality a wonderful person." "I now destroy your attempt to insult the legitimacy of my parent's marriage, and while simultaneously implying that you were dropped on your head as an infant, utilizing fancy resplendent important sounding words to make myself sound even more intelligent. This makes me psychologically superior." Natasha smirked as he tried to compose a counter insult. She had never been above showing off occasionally. Matt saved his brother with what he thought was an ace up his sleeve. "I see that my friends and I have lost the match, and so pull out my gun and shoot you in the face." He pulled out a gun- or more accurately, his fingers in the shape of a gun. "Or you would, but I have had secret ninja training since I was old enough to walk," she said as she knocked his hand to the side and twisted it in slow motion, bending the elbow. "I use my lightning reflexes to counter-attack, causing you to shoot yourself." she continued, then mimed the gun's imaginary 'kick' and released his arm. "You are now dead." "That's low." he grumbled, annoyed that his ace in the hole had failed. "Oh, like you would really take a gun and shoot me. You don't even have a gun, because they're illegal." "I'd be tempted, believe me." "Maybe a water gun." she suggested. "In. Your. Smug. Face." He stared at her icily, but was highly amused in spite of himself. She looked at his serious expression for a moment. His eyes twinkled and betrayed him. She laughed. Really laughed, genuinely for the first time in a long time, so hard her face turned red and she had to sit down, laughing uncontrollably. "You killed her, Matt." Tim said in wonder. "The world biggest loudmouth, killed by someone else's words." "I didn't mean to!" Matt cried. "I didn't think she'd take it so hard!" Ninja graced the world with two words. "The irony." These and other remarks made her laugh even harder until tears of mirth spilled from her eyes. "She's turning purple. Should we be worried about this?" "Ah... no, I don't think so. Not for another minute or so." "Avery, the fact that you actually had to think about that worries me." With great effort, Natasha recovered from her fit of laughter, wiping her eyes. "You guys nearly slayed me." "Nearly? We must be losing our touch." Tim smiled and lightly punched his chagrined brother's shoulder. Somebody cleared their throat behind the group. "Ahem. Excuse me, but I believe you're trespassing on my property. If this gun I built is illegal, I'll plead ignorant." A shotgun clicked. "Now turn around slowly with your hands in the air, where I can see them. And no funny moves, or I shoot at the lot of you. I'm bound to hit someone, so if I hit you, I hit you. Nothing personal."

The alien began to transfer all data banks to hand-held storage devices. Flat, yet chunky because of the sheer amount of terabytes. Chunky by alien standards, anyway. Most electronics were flatter than a quarter of an inch, or some other cubic shape. Round if necessary. Adjust screen to suit. These were about a 1/2 inch thick with a screen of 7 by 5 inches. The alien began stacking them on the floor as they filled to the brim with information. It was amused to think how horrified its peers would have been to see such a mess, how out of place it was in the perfectly clean, bare, symmetrical room. Humans would have been astonished at how perfect the stacks were. The alien shook its head. It would have laughed if it had known how. Such different worlds, so shocked by such stark contrasts. Was the alien crazy to want the best of both? Mathematics, science, and logic. Emotions, color, instincts. Curiosity, interest, and experimentation vs. awe, wonder, and exploration. To reverse-engineer an entire planet for the sake of new data, to know what secrets lie inside. To boldly go where no man has gone before for the sake of a new challenge, a fresh adventure, to touch the stars. Yes. Both planets had shortcomings, but there was so much to discover. The alien had learned well all that its people had to offer. Now, it was time to step forward and reach for mastery at that which was unknown. Someday, these little life-forms' minds could evolve to the point where they could ring the aliens' doorbell, so to speak. The alien was going to understand them, everything they did and why they did it, if it was the last service it ever preformed for its kind.
It had no idea how complicated, unpredictable and generally inexplicable humans are.