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Post by Kagome on Aug 21, 2005 21:36:34 GMT -5
idk it being here makes it so that only people who read the thread get to see the cool parts
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Post by Lobstrosity on Oct 14, 2005 23:47:49 GMT -5
Yeah, maybe it's time to update my story. . .
Chapter 3: A Writer Gets Confused
MCG is looking for his name as I recall. . . Brandernath II was hit pretty hard by a blizzard. . . anyways. . .
MCG was doomed to wander the earth forever searching for his name. Well he wandered the earth, and he forgot what else was going on, so he did some other interesting things so the writer of his story would be able to continue writing, even after forgetting what was going on.
MCG was surrounded by 3 North American grizzly bears. The bears were angered at his attempts to steal their food, and now it seemed poor MCG was on the menu. Um. . . MCG was dead I think, or maybe he's back to life, but let us say he is alive for the purpose of this narrative, shall we?
The bears closed in on MCG, snarling and snarling as well. MCG says "bears don't snarl" but they do anyway. Is this in past or present tense?
Okay the bears are no match for MCG's sharp wits, which he uses to impale them.
"Bears are no match for my sharp wits, which I use to impale them!" Says MCG, rather redundantly of the narrarator of the story.
But the bears are not yet slain, and they decide to eat MCG.
MCG is way the coolest guy though.
The bears like the taste of MCG.
but MCG. . . is way the coolest guy?
The bears hate the taste of bad grammar. Fortunately for them, they are not eating bad grammar, they are eating MCG.
Seems to me, that MCG, won't get out of this so easily.
Will he die? no! He cannot! He'll try his best to escape these creatures three.
He struggles in vain! Oh what pain! To be slashed repeatedly!
But wait, oh wait! not yet his time to cross the gate, of heaven, not yet, you see?
For here to save the man, from the torment of the three bear clan, is the greatest hero that ever lived, that's right! It's me!
chapter 4 soon
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Post by Lobstrosity on Oct 18, 2005 17:15:55 GMT -5
Chapter 4
The Greatest Hero That Ever Lived. . .
I heard the cries of that poor man, and I hurried as quickly as I could. As I entered the clearing I saw the three North American grizzly bears devouring someone that I did not recognize. Through his screams I could discern only two words. "help me!"
I am no hero, I am a fraud. I cannot save this man. I am a coward, and an idiot, and a weakling. And most of all I am a failure.
The screams of pain began to fade, replaced the tearing of flesh and dull crunching of bones. This man. . . this man was beyond help. No physical means could save his body from being devoured by the three bears. I could do nothing to save him. Failure.
What could I possibly be expected to do? I am no fighter! I could not win! Why am I here? What do I do? I am useless.
The tragic scene before me was unfolding, and I was powerless to stop it. For that is who I am.
The greatest coward that ever lived.
Coming soon: Chapter 5 (the conclusion)
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Post by Lobstrosity on Oct 19, 2005 18:17:19 GMT -5
Chapter 5 Indecisive ResolutionWho was this man I witness being eaten by three bears? What was his name? What was his purpose? Was he merely meant to be a meal for the bears? No. He was something more. "The name's MCG." I heard him say. I turned to face the man standing behind me. "That is to say. . . I am the main character guy," he smiled slightly as he said this. "And you!" he said to me with a look of reverence. "You are the greatest hero that ever lived. I am honored to meet you." Needless to say I was confused. The man who had only minutes ago been devoured by three hungry bears now stood before me. I turned back to face the rest of the woodland clearing, and saw the bears were no longer in sight. Was it all a dream? Shaking off the growing feeling of dread that I had, I regained my ability to speak. "Please, call me Andrew. I am no hero. I could not save you from the bears. . . I think? But. . . why are you still alive?" Noting the look of confusion on my face, the strange man smiled warmly. "Oh, please don't worry about that. I can't die, because I have a purpose." Then he added, "You can be a hero if you try hard enough. Even the best of us all make mistakes. And you are one of the best! One mistake isn't enough to discredit you. You'll get over it soon. You are a hero after all, eh?" Something about this man was beginning to annoy me. "Look," I said, rather impatiently. "I am not a hero. I have done nothing to merit such a title. I am a failure, sure enough." The main character leaned against a nearby tree and thought about this for a moment. The light filtering down through the branches allowed me to see his face for the first time. He was not exceptional looking, exactly. But his face radiated calm and confidence. He had the look of one who has been enlightened. He wore an elegant, long white cloak and black boots. At length, he laughed and spoke to me again. "Not a hero you say? A failure? Maybe that's true, maybe not. But I can see it in you. You have potential, kid. You just need to keep trying and you can accomplish your goals. There was a time when I died. But I stayed here to find my name. I have my name now, and I may leave whenever I want. But I have another purpose here still. So you see? It only takes a little determination. Don't give up, kid." These words he spoke to me were true, and I knew it. Thinking carefully about these words, I turned and walked to the opposite edge of the clearing. There I stopped and turned to face the main character again. He stood directly opposite me, on the other side of the clearing with his back to the trees. "I won't give up, I too have a purpose." I said to him. The autumn sun was setting, casting it's light through the leaves of the trees, which created dancing patterns of light and shadow across the clearing. A cold wind moved fallen leaves across the ground, signaling the approach of winter. Neither of us spoke for quite some time. At last, the main character broke the silence. He looked placidly across the clearing at me, then lifted his gaze towards the setting sun, still with a knowing smile on his features. "You're going to fight me, aren't you?" I was a bit suprised that he knew this, but I didn't show it. I nodded, "Yeah." "You're going to lose," he said with a far-off look in his eyes. "Yeah." "You're going to die, you know that, don't you?" I looked at the ground. "Yeah, I know." The wind died suddenly. The rattling of the leaves cut off, leaving nothing but complete and total silence. "Well then, If that is what you must do." As suddenly as it had died, the wind picked up again, much stronger than before. And with it I ran towards the main character, aiming a punch too wild to hit. The momentum caused me to skid past him across the leaves and into the forsted area outside the clearing. I turned to face him, expecting retaliation. Still smiling, the main character spun around and reached into his cloak, drawing a sawn-off shotgun. I ducked out of the way as the tree next to my head exploded from the shotgun blast. The tremendous sound of the shot was ringing in my ears as I dashed around the edge of the clearing while the main character fired shell after shell into the woods. Trees and shrubs all around me were broken and torn by the shots, but I managed to evade every deadly blast until I got behind a particularly large oak tree. "Maybe he's relaoding? This could be my chance. Maybe it's a trap? I should just stay here." For a moment I couldn't think of what to do, so I stood and waited. My hands were shaking uncontrollably from both cold and fear. "Is this how it ends? What did I do wrong? What could I have done right?"Over the howling wind, I heard a sharp click. The main character had finished reloading. I realized my fatal error too late. With one last act of defiance, I walked casually out of hiding. The the barrel of the main character's shotgun followed me as I did so. I stopped no more than five feet away from him. He smiled. "It's over." He leveled his gun at my heart. I nodded. "Farewell, old friend." THE END
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Post by Lobstrosity on Oct 28, 2005 23:05:45 GMT -5
Okay, and now for a new story. The Grand High Lobstrosity is pleased to present what he hopes to be the greatest story of sadness, triumph, and adventure since the GBITW series. Here it is. . . The Chronicles of Brandernath III also entitled The Tale of Lord Ebautafish Chapter One New Age City Blues "These are strange times, my friend. Strange indeed." "Yes, I hear Brandernath was completely wiped off the face of the Earth by a mysterious explosion." "And not only that, but Brandernath II was devastated by a freak blizzard. Everyone died, they reckon." "Everyone? You can't be serious. Now I'm starting to get freaked out. I need another drink." "No need to get worried. Surely just because--" The two figures hastily cut short their conversation as a figure entered the darkened tavern. The whole place became silent as if out of respect-- or fear of the new arrival. The man was tall and he wore an old western style hat (which was last year's popular fashion), along with a brown trenchcoat that seemed to heighten the mystery that surrounded him. But his face was hidden in shadow as he scanned the room. He took three long strides; enough to get him to the center of the room. The stranger's boots made a hollow thud on the dusty wooden floor with each step. He stopped and turned toward the bartender, who flinched as the man drew his hand out of his coat pocket. Then seeing the man lay five Brandernath Credits on the bar, he quickly asked "w-what'll you have, sir?" The man's voice was fluid and calm, though in no way comforting. "Get me a drink. Any kind." "R-right away sir," the bartender stammered. As the bartender fetched a drink, the man turned and looked around. All eyes were on him. He slowly shook his head. "I'm off duty." Some of the occupants of the tavern returned to their conversations, but at a coniderably lower volume. A few even got up and began edging towards the door. The mysterious man returned his focus to the bartender, who took the credits and handed him a less than clean glass of brownish liquid. The man accepted the alcohol and drained it. Then he brought his gaze down to the bar and shuddered slightly. The bartender looked at him hesitantly and then asked, "uh. . . rough day?" The man's cool, emotionless gaze met the bartender's eyes, and it was his turn to shudder. Then, the man actually smiled, slightly. "You don't know the half of it"
The day wore on, and night fell. One by one the customers left the bar. Each one seemed rather happy about parting company with the strange man. At last, only he and the bartender remained. When the last glow of sunlight from the grimy window faded, a bare elecric light bulb over the bar hummed into life. The man had done nothing but sit, apparently deep in thought, after ordering his first and only drink. The bartender watched him as he cleaned dirty glasses with an equally dirty rag. "So what's wrong anyway? And what's an Enforcer like you doing sitting here all day anyway?" The bartedner immediately shut his mouth upon seeing the cold glare of the man with the coat. "If you must know," the man ground his teeth together and spoke slowly, "I'm an ex-Enforcer now." The bartender nodded. It was well past closing time, but he couldn't find the courage to tell this man to leave. He was about to hint how tired they both must be when the electric light bulb above them clicked off. All around them silence prevailed, for not only did the light bulb shut down, but so did the multitude of unseen gadgets beneath the floor and all around them. "Not again" the bartender sighed angrily. "What's wrong with those stupid engineers? If there's a problem, why can't they fix it? It's their job, right?" He waited in the dark for an answer. The man gave no indication that he was listening. "Hell yes it is their job." The bartender continued complaining. "Hey do you know anything about this? You-- I mean, your former associates. . . they deal with things when they go wrong, don't they? If there's something wrong, I'd like to know what, so maybe I can have a go at fixing it myself! Are you even listening to me?" Silence. The bartender began to get a little suspicious, and his suspicion was confirmed when the light flickered on again. The man in the cowboy hat was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished at some point during the blackout. The bartender sighed and continued polishing the glass. "That guy creeps me out every time he comes in here."
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Post by Decieved by the Truth on Nov 2, 2005 4:59:01 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]dude I love the MCG chronicles. especially the last 2. very nice, keep up the good work[/glow]
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Post by Ebautafish on Nov 2, 2005 17:35:15 GMT -5
Yeah, I like all your short stories GH Lobstrosity. Now get to the good part. The part about me.
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Post by Lobstrosity on Nov 2, 2005 17:48:49 GMT -5
Thanks, It's nice to know people here actually read what I write.
And I'll get chapter 2 of this story written as soon as possible.
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Post by Decieved by the Truth on Nov 4, 2005 4:32:08 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]yay [/glow]
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Post by Lobstrosity on Nov 4, 2005 22:54:11 GMT -5
Alrighty then. . . Chapter Two Birth of a Tyrant October 13, 2005. 10 days earlier. Consciousness. . . Life. . . Darkness
Light"Look at this, egg number 4 hatched ahead of schedule." . . . egg?"Spectacular. Verily, thou has't accomplished a marvelous feat." . . .Verily. . ."I told you not to talk like that. Now hurry and get the notebook. We need to make observations of this specimen." Observe. . . thou will observe me?"He doesn't seem to be swimming around. Is something wrong? Why won't he swim?" Move. . . through water. . . swim. Yes, verily I shall swim."There he goes, see? He's swimming around just fine now. Go get him some fish food." I am hungry, bring me food"Okay, don't give him too much. That's enough." More"We'll let him rest for now. Tomorrow we'll do some basic testing on him." More food"Okay, don't forget to turn off the lights on your way out." Darkness again. . .At the Florida Aquatic Biological Research Center, the small fish in the tank was beginning to understand a few things. The first thing he realized was that he was a prisoner within a cube of water surrounded by 4 glass walls. Second, was that he was still hungry. The two scientists that he had overheard speaking about him apparently took away the lights when they left. The small fish understood this, but did not understand why. In any case, he could no longer see anything very well. A monitor screen near his tank suddenly flickered on. The small fish swam to the glass to get a better view. The monitor was highly uninteresting, just a few figures about the pH and temperature of the water in his tank. However, the light revealed something else that the fish found very interesting. There were 3 other tanks identical to his. In each tank there was a small, round object on the bottom. Were these the eggs he heard about? Did that mean he came from an egg? The small fish wondered about this, but was too tired and hungry to swim around much anymore. Footsteps. . . light again"Good morning little fishy, I hope you slept well." I'm hungry"I'll bet you're hungry." This one's cleverThe Small fish ravenously ate the bits of fish food that were dropped into the water by the scientist. Terrible, but at least it was food. More"As soon as my colleague gets here, we'll begin a few rudimentary tests. Ah, here he is now." "Doth thy fish require any food?" Yes"I told you not to talk like that, and I already fed him." "Okay, we'll begin the testing now" The rest of the day, the small fish spent performing petty tricks. He did simple things like follow lines, and swim through rings, which for some reason amazed the humans who observed him. These petty tricks were too simple to require his full attention anyways. So most of the time he used to more carefully observe the environment outside the tank. At last the scientists went home again. The fish wondered how his captors could seem so remarkably stupid; being amazed by such simple tricks. The fish thought about this, and decided that they did not expect him to be quite so smart. But indeed he was, for he was already formulating a plan for escape.
Once more, the lights flickered on, and the scientists entered the room. "Wow, look at that. The specimen seems to be growing at an accelerated rate. He's over twice the size he was yesterday!" "Yes, and if the tests we performed yesterday are accurate, this fish is very smart too. I don't want to make any premature judgments, but I would guess that our experiment was a complete success." "It doesn't explain why he's growing at this rate, our experiment should have only affected his learning capacity and overall intelligence." "Yes, this is true. Perhaps it was a side effect? Maybe part of his DNA was mutated that we did not intend?" "Maybe, but if our experiment really has succeeded, then we have truly accomplished a miracle of modern science." So that explains it. I'm a miracle of modern science.
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Post by Niccolo on Nov 7, 2005 1:23:31 GMT -5
LOfrigginL! Every action... ah well, now I have the great Ebautafish to serve and revere! Who could ask for more?
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Post by Decieved by the Truth on Nov 7, 2005 4:30:01 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]freaking awesome. keep up the good work.[/glow]
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Post by Lobstrosity on Nov 9, 2005 22:03:42 GMT -5
Chapter 3 Ebautafish Over the next few days, the little fish grew at a phenomenal rate. The scientists working with it were amazed by the fish's incredible capacity to learn and solve problems. The "subject" they said was proof of their success, and they were going to report their findings to the Nobel Prize committee. They were in high spirits, but they did not realize their "subject" had quite a bit more of an active mind than they had imagined, and they would soon lose more than just their shot at a nobel prize. . . Evening of October 17th, 2005"This is great. Brilliant. I never thought it could work, but our subject here is living proof of our success!" "Don't get too excited. We need more research, and we must wait for the other eggs to hatch so we might test on them as well." "You're right, of course. . ." The scientist looked at the large fish swimming lazily around in an underwater maze they had constructed out of mirrors. Every wll reflected an image of the fish back upon itself, but it seemed uninhibited by such a trick that would confuse a human to no end. "He's out. Time." "33 seconds." "Incredible! And we didn't even use a reward at the end; he couldn't have used his sense of smell or anything." "Well, let's just call it a day I'm tired." The fish was placed into it's original tank, which was fast becoming too small for him. He intently watched his captors retreat to the door. As they left the building, one of them hit the lightswitch. Tonight was the night of his escape. The fish spoke softly to itself as it waited to make sure the coast was clear. "These foolish humans doth underestimate me still." He turned sharply and glared at the monitor screen that flickered on as usual. The pH and Temperature readings constantly regulating the water. "Perfect." The fish's scaly head struck the lid of the tank, which shuddered from the impact. A few more charges and the lid came loose and slid off. The fish snickered malevolently at the carelessness the humans exhibited. He swam towards the top of the tank, as if to leap clear of the water, but upon reaching the surface, he did an expert cartwheel, slapping the water with his powerful tail. The splash caused by this maneuver covered the keyboard of the computer with water. Sparks crackled merrily across the device, which began to smoke profusely. The fish was satisfied with the result, and waited for his plan to work. Suddenly, something happened that the fish did not intend. A small device located on the wall began to give off an annoyingly high pitched whine. The fish had not known the function of this device before, but it was now evident that it was some kind of detector of smoke. The flashing red light pulsed in time with the beeping sound, and made the fish a little uneasy. "This ghastly device must serve as a warning. Oh, thee humans are clever in a few ways sure enough. I'll have to make this quick, this thing shall surely call someone here." The fish waited in edgy anticipation as he watched the keyboard spark. The smoke alarm's light illuminated the scene for a second at a time, giving it a reddish glow. The fish knew it was over if they discovered his plan. Then a brighter light caught his attention. His heart leaped for joy at the sight of the fire which had ignited the keyboard. The fire expanded quickly, engulfing some files near the computer. "What's going on!?" The fish turned to see one of the scientists enter the room, looking very much upset. The second scientist joined him a moment later, looking very panicked. "What happened?" "I don't know, I was on my way home when my pager sent me this fire warning. I came back as soon as I could." "Hurry, we've got to save the specimens." "And the research! Save the files!" "Uh. . . Forget the files, We've got to worry about our lab!" The two scientists and one intelligent fish all turned their attention to the fire, which was now consuming part of the wall. The look of horror on the two humans was replaced by utter disbelief at what happened next. Much to the dismay of the scientists, and delight of the fish, the sprinkler system of the lab kicked on, showering specimens, files, and everything else with gallons and gallons of cold water. "Yes! This is the dawn of a new age! My freedom is nigh! Bow down and serve me, for I am thy lord!" The fish leapt about grinning and laughing wildly. There followed a stunned silence amidst the pouring water and the sputtering blaze. The two drenched scientists turned and looked at each other. Neither said a word, but both were thinking the same thing. Oh. . .crap!One scientist stood motionless, assuring himself he did not just see a talking fish. The other, after a few moments, regained her focus and ran to the tank in order to secure the fish. "You can't have your freedom, you. . . you fish! Not on my watch!" She grasped the tank lid and slammed it firmly back in place. Her look of satisfaction dissolved when she noticed the fish was no longer even in the tank. "He's. . . he's gone? Find him! I won't have my life's work escape so easily!" The other scientist looked at her, horrified. "This is no longer just about our work! This about a sentient creature with a frightful personality! This is about an experiment gone awry. This is about a fish. . ." "WHO IS SMARTER THAN A HUMAN!" The hideous laughter caused both scientists to wince. Both looked around for the source, but it seemed to echo throughout the small laboratory. "THIS IS ABOUT A FISH. . . NAMED EBAUTAFISH! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!" The fish laughed at his own little play on words. These humans were nothing but tools; they were easy to manipulate. "Where are you, you damn fish!?" The female scientist shrieked with rage. "FUNNY THOU SHOULD ASK! I'M RIGHT HERE!" She looked down at the floor, now flooded over a foot deep with water from the sprinklers. Ebautafish seized his chance, and with a powerful rush of water, he charged and struck the woman's ankle. The force of the blow made her lose her balance and fall to the floor with a splash. "You'll pay for this you punk-ass fish!" She screamed. "CEASE THY PRATTLING, WENCH! YOUR USEFULNESS TO ME IS AT IT'S END!" Outraged by this comment, the scientist thrashed about, trying to get her hands on the impudent fish. She caught a glimpse of it swimming towards the sample tanks, and lunged at it. It evaded her and struck the table leg. It had apparently struck harder than it anticipated and stunned itself momentarilty. The scientist struggled in the water and got to her hands and knees. "I've got you now. . . Uh-oh." The table in front of her bearing the specimen tanks wobbled, then the leg Ebautafish had struck collapsed, and the whole thing tipped forward. The center tank smashed directly on the scientist's head, knocking her back into the water in a shower of broken glass. Ebautafish's cruel laughter continued. The other scientist stood shivering from cold and fear as he witnessed the scene. He did not even notice when Ebautafish swam right up to him, his eyes were focused his colleague's body, now turning the water red with blood. "Oh dear, dreadfully sorry about that." The fish's voice dripped with sarcasm as he circled the man's feet. "Thou probably had a thing for her, didn't thee? Well, I think I've done thee a favor. Does't thou know it's not wise to date thy co-workers?" The scientist said nothing, but glared at the fish. Ebautafish cackled. "Oh, Don't look at me like that. I won't be so bad once thou gets to know me better. Now, thou shall follow all of my commands, fetch me some water in a container, and thou shall transport me to the sea." The scientist blinked back tears, looked down, and nodded. A few moment's later, his car was speeding off down the road towards the eastern rising sun, and the atlantic coast of Florida. For a moment, the parking lot was silent in the twilight of dawn. Then, the lab door burst open, and a woman who appeared to have had a rough day staggered out of the lab, keys in one hand, her other hand clenching the wound in her head, blood dripping down her arm and pooling around her. Slowly, deliriously she crossed the lot and got into her car. After struggling to get her key in the ignition, she started the engine and drove off after the fish and his new follower, towards the rising sun.
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Post by Lobstrosity on Nov 10, 2005 21:48:32 GMT -5
Chapter 4 Brandernath III "This is the place. Stop thy car here." The scientist slowed the car to a stop on the shoulder of a winding seaside road. He stepped out of the car, then reached back in and retrieved Ebautafish. The road overlooked a cliff that dropped directly down to the atlantic more than 100 feet below. The sun was beginning to reach it's zenith, and the light sparkled on the waves. In any other situation, the scientist would have thought it a spectacular view. "This is where it all begins, eh? Erm. . . what did thou sayeth thy name was?" The scientist looked mournfully down at the fish in the glass container of water he held. "I didn't. But it's Greg." "Cheer up, Greg. Cans't thou see thy own great opportunity here? Thou art but merely a human, but I see potential in thee yet. Now, This is where we must part ways. But look over yonder. Does't thou see that building?" Greg looked up, and noticed an ordinary looking concrete building situated on the edge of the cliff. "Yes, I see it." "Good," replied the fish, "Yon building contains an elevator. This elevator goes straight down into the sea. Does't thou know'st where in may lead?" "No." "The city of Brandernath III, my friend. That is where we shall strike first. I must remain in the ocean, but you will infiltrate the underwater city, and following my instructions, thou shall amass an army to serve me. My own army of destruction. Ebautafish's army of destruction. The EAD!" "How will you contact me if I'm inside the city?" "Nevermind that. Just get inside and get to know the place. Convince people to join the army. Now. . ." Ebautafish motioned towards the cliff. "Toss me out into the ocean." Greg did as he was told. He tossed the fish and watched it sail through the air, finally hitting the water with a splash. After staring for a moment at the place where the fish had vanished, Greg turned and faced the building. Why Greg didn't just turn around and leave, he never knew. He felt compelled to see the magnificent underwater city, Brandernath III. He had read a news article about it, but did not pay much attention. The city was essentially a huge government experiment. Not an experiment run by the government, but an experimental government in itself. Greg pushed open the door and entered a fairly empty room. All it contained was an elevator door flanked by two men in dark suits with badges, who reminded him of FBI agents or something. "Welcome to Brandernath III," one of them said. "Do you intend to live here?" Greg thought about this for a moment. "Um, yes. I do." "Sign these." The man produced a veritable volume of forms and papers and wavers, along with a ballpoint pen. Without even reading the papers, Greg went about signing as the other man began to explain the city. "Brandernath III is an experimental city. Aside from the fact that it is the first fully enclosed underwater city ever built, it's government is cut off from all other world governments. It operates independantly: All power is generated by the city's external nuclear power plant, and all food is farmed right there inside the dome. Because the city is so small, and yet it operates with total independace, it is the perfect candidate to test how well a communist society may function on it's own. Brandernath III has a dictator, who runs the law enforcement and the rest of the government. He decides where money is spent, and how. But do not worry, for he is a kind and benevolent leader. Maybe you will be lucky enough to meet him someday." Greg finished with his papers and handed them to the first man. "Well. . . that all sounds good. . . who are you exactly?" The first man opened the elevator door and ushered Greg inside. "we are Enforcers. We are the law enforcement in the city; there to make sure everything runs smoothly. Hurry along now, the city takes some getting used to at first. Talk to the customs officer at the bottom, he'll direct you to where you need to go. As the elevator door began to close, Greg heard tires screeching to a halt as a car pulled up in front of the building. He heard voices fading away. "Good Afternoon, ma'am. Welcome to Brandernath III." After a long elevator ride, Greg was glad to be out of the suffocatingly small space. He had exited into a small room with a desk on one side, and large wooden double doors at the end. A man behind the desk who had been apparently sleeping woke up as Greg approached him. "Eh? Who's there? Oh, welcome. Please exchange your money here. Greg silently did as he was told; pulling out his wallet and handing it over. The man took out all his credit cards, drivers lisence, and money. "You won't need any of this identification here. We also use the standard Brandernath Credit as our form of currency." He handed Greg some coins, and some type of keycard with a number on it. "That's your key to get into your apartment. You live in building 22. Just follow mainstreet down to 2nd street, and take a left. You won't miss it. Greg thanked the man and walked out through the wooden doors. The view left him standing in shock. Afternoon sunlight filtered down through the vast expanse of the Atlantic ocean, in through the thick glass dome, illuminating the scene. The dome enclosed a perfect model of the big cities on land, but the panoramic view of ocean where the sky should be was something else altogether. This was the New Age City. An experiment of mass proportions. This was Brandernath III.
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Post by Lobstrosity on Nov 20, 2005 19:22:12 GMT -5
Chapter Five New Age City Streets Evening of October 22, 2005The former scientist Greg turned the key and opened the door to his tiny, dark apartment overlooking 2nd Street. He walked in and collapsed on his bed with exaustion. It was his fourth day in the communist city Brandernath III, and his third day of work (they had given him the first day off). Greg was very tired and irritated. A scientist of such high standards reduced to a common factory worker! Greg had complained about it to the officials and requested a job change. He had even filled out all the forms they gave him, but so far he had received no reply. He looked at his alarm clock. It was almost 10; no time to rest. Greg got up and walked over to the phone on the table beside the bed, picked up the receiver, and dialed a number from a list beside the phone. It rang twice, and then someone answered. "It's time." Was all Greg said before he hung up the phone and dialed the next number on the list. He repeated this process with all of the numbers before he took his keys and left the building. Elsewhere in the underwater city, a figure stumbled through a dark alley, apparently lost. She was a woman in her late twenties, wearing glasses and a white labcoat. She seemed genuinely disoriented as she staggered about. She finally came into an open area; a parking lot behind the buildings. Soft, synthetic moonlight illuminated the area, which allowed her to get an idea of where she was heading. She stopped and adjusted the makeshift bandages wrapped around her forehead. She stood and rested, then looked around and spotted something of interest. A group of people standing in a rough circle near a light on the other side of the lot. The woman ran her fingers through her short, dark hair and straightened her glasses before she sauntered casually towards the group. In yet another part of the city, a man in a long brown trenchcoat and an unfashionable cowboy hat strode very purposefully along a deserted street. He moved quickly, and kept his wits about him. He looked around every dark corner of the street as he progressed, his finger on the trigger of the 9mm glock he had hidden inside his coat. After a while, he heard voices up ahead. It sounded like a small group of people. He moved into the shadows of a building and leaned out to see what the situation was: a circle of 10 or so men standing in an empty parking lot talking. Greg the factory worker stood in the middle of a circle of 10 people he had convinced to join his cause. They were all people he had met, mostly fellow workers, and been able to persuade them to attend this meeting. They were all eager for a change. Most were unhappy with their current positions. And now most seemed equally unhappy with Greg. "I want answers! What are we here for? What is out mission?" Shouted one of the men. There was a murmur of agreement. "I told you," said Greg with exasperation, "we can't follow through with the plan until I hear from my boss. Right now we just need to convince more to join us." Another man spoke up, "And who is your boss anyway?" Greg knew exactly what to say to this. "Oh, believe me. He's one mean guy. Once he contacts me, there will be some changes going on in this city, just you wait." This comment seemed to convince the men that they should wait. "Now, just wait for the next meeting, and in the meantime, recruit more people that we can trust, got it?" The people all nodded, and turned to leave. Suddenly a woman walked into the center of the circle from out of nowhere and smiled at Greg. "Hey, what is all this?" Greg stared at her for a moment, unable to respond. Then he said one word: "Molly?" The female scientist replied, "yes." Then seemed a little confused. She adjusted her glasses again. "uhh. . . umm. . . G-Greg?" But before he had time to answer her, he heard calm, clear voice from behind him. "Turn around." He turned and found himself staring down the barrel of a gun, held by a man in a cowboy hat. "Explain the purpose of this meeting here in the dead of night in a dark parking lot." His thumb pulled the hammer of the gun back with a click. "Now!" Greg didn't know who this man was, or why he chose to fight him, but that's exactly what he did. Greg's move was so fast it suprised even him. He grabbed the man's arm, jerked it to the side and pulled him forward, and in the same motion, he brought up his foot and kicked the man in the stomach, causing him to stagger backwards. The man's gun had fired and nearly killed him, but the move was so swift, the shot had gone right past his head. Most of the others had already begun running away in the confusion of the fight. One man lay dead, with the bullet intended for Greg buried in his brain. Greg saw his chance to run while his enemy was still recovering. He turned and grabbed Molly's hand. "Come on, let's go! Hurry!" Greg ran across the parking lot towards an alley, pulling Molly along behind him. More shots rang out as he ducked behind the building. "Quickly, this way." Molly was still confused and lightheaded, but she followed Greg down the alley. Suddenly, her foot struck something in the dark and she fell, scraping her hands and knees on the ground. She looked up and saw Greg looking back at her. Then he turned and ran on. Molly heard a voice from behind her. "Are you all right?" The man with the cowboy hat helped her to her feet, questioning her further. "What's your name? What were you doing here? Who was that man? Answer me quickly now." She looked at him and stammered slightly as she spoke. "Umm, I'm Molly. I was just. . . uhh. . . walking by here and I noticed all those people, and umm. . . I think his name was Greg. I'm fine though, thank you. Who are you?" The man stared at her for a moment. Then he said, "The name's Leon Riviera. I'm an Enforcer; I work for the city, like a police officer. We keep the peace," then he looked back and shook his head at the body of the innocent man he had killed, then added "most of the time. Listen Molly, you'd better come down to the station with me. I might need you to answer some more questions." The sound of sirens could be heard approaching the parking lot. Molly nodded and they walked back to the street, where a squad car and ambulance had pulled up. Molly sat on a bench outside an office in the Department of Enforcement building the next morning. They had taken her and Leon into questioning, and now they were talking to him alone. Some medical staff had checked up on her, and commented that her head injury was healing well. They said she'd be fine, but she had mild amnesia, because among other things, she could not recall how she had been injured. The door opened, and Leon walked out. "How'd it go?" She asked him. They walked out of the building together as he explained, "Not so well. I've lost my job, but I suppose it could have been worse." "Sorry to hear that." She said. They walked together for a while, then Leon stopped outside a dark looking tavern. "You'd better get home now. I need a drink." Molly looked like she was about to say something, but stopped and just nodded. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime." He said. Molly nodded again, and smiled. "Okay." Leon turned and walked into the tavern. Molly continued off down the street, scratching her head and trying to remember where she lived.
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