Too bad no one heard Grassie's cry. MrD
and Dr Warrell were still asleep and Speedy was out of
the room. Grassie got up, stretched (my, what a good
sleep, besides that Ni interruption), and left to find
Speedy. He found her with Ukoi and Dr
Osmostien. "Speedy, FM is gone! Have you seen him?"
Grassie said. "What? Oh geez..." Speedy moaned as she
put a wing to her head and shook it. FM was being too
much for her to handle. "Ve'll ve didn't see him come
this vay..." said Dr Osmostien, "and the front door to
the outside vorld is right nearby," "Then he went to
tunnels!" said Ukoi, with a stern look on his
face. "I can't believe he isn't tired from all of
this stuff we've been doing these past 2 days," said
Speedy. "It's only been 2 days in here?" asked
Grassie. "Yep," confirmed Speedy. "Wow..." said
Grassie. "Anyways, I think we got ourselves a plan
Grassie!" said Speedy with a smile. "Really? What are
we going to do?" asked Grassie. "Vell, it vill kind
of like a compromise... a trade in fact... but that is
only the illusion!" said Dr Osmostien. "Me play
bongos!" Ukoi said with a smile. "Yes, yuo vill play
the bongos, vhile I try to give the ole badger the
formula for the peanut oil, but he von't know that it is
the vron stuff!" Dr Osmostien chuckled. "So what are
we going to do?" asked Grassie. "Since the badgers
don't like Ukoi playing the bongos, and they are scared
of him in general, he is going to play his bongos,
driving the other badgers away, and he's going to chase
them. Meanwhile, we are going to follow him in and then
head to the jailcells, where Elkae should be, release
her, and bolt out," said Speedy. "And as for getting
back home?" asked Grassie. "Vell, our spaceship is
pretty comfy,..." said Dr Osmostien. "But what for
us?" asked Grassie. "They have secret transportation,
heavily guarded. Believe that is way home for you,..."
said Ukoi. "So what do you think?" asked
Speedy.
Studying gives you knowledge.
Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. I am learning how to
be corrupt.
Veronica looks around at the age she has
linked into and does not recognize the place. If she had
opened the SUV-sized book to the first page, she
would have ended up right back in the same spot everyone
else links into at the Institute, however, she had
turned the page, thereby landing here. "Hmm...where is
here?" she thought, just as Grizz linked in next to
her.
Veronica looks around her at the thick
undergrowth of trees and shrubs, some covered with
flowers she's never seen before. "We should tell
Seymour, erm I mean Chere about this place." She walks
to a small clearing and across the chasm, she can see a
huge waterfall flowing down hundreds of feet into a
small pond below. Hearing a loud caawww-ka-caaww,
Grizz and Veronica look up to see what looks like a
pterodactyl flying above them and they follow its flight
as it soars overhead. "This place seems familiar
somehow, but I know I've never been here before." They
watch the bird as it flies lower and lower to the
ground, it appears to be heading directly for them. "Um,
Grizz..." Veronica says with a bit of urgency in her
voice.
"HEEEEEEEK!!" Veronica yelps in pain
after they kneel down to hide in the bushes. She jumps
up and looks down at the prickly plant she just sat on
and then Grizz grabs her arm and pulls her back down as
the bird swoops down right above her head. She
leans away from the plant, seeing the wicked spear-like
tips.
They wait several minutes until the bird
flies away. "Ok, I think it's gone." Grizz says
reassuringly.
"Sure, you stand up first and
check." Veronica says, her voice dripping with
sarcasm.
Grizz does so. He turns his head one
way, then the other...and yelps loudly, diving headfirst
onto the prickly plant as the bird's talons just miss
his head.
Grizz jumps up to his knees, grumbling
and mumbling, as he begins to pull cactus-like spines
from his shirt front, but keeping a wary eye out for the
flying demon in bird disguise.
"Better wait it
out a little longer he says," pulling the last spine
from his shirt. He settles down beside Veronica on his
side, feels something hard under his ribs, and extracts
a thermos from his inside pocket.
"Would you like
some orange juice, Veronica?" he says, offering her the
thermos.
_______________________________ The
DISCO - for high fashion in your hood!
Elkae Dr. Elkae Knutsson, Dir., Dept. of
Stymied Peregrinations & Asinine Mischief, Inst. of Advanced
Exploration of Myst Worlds
posted
Elkae had turned on the rain at her
Relto in the hope it would help her sleep. Apparently it
did; now she's running late. A quick shower, a change of
clothes, and she's off. She makes a mental note to give
the hut a thorough cleaning when she
returns.
Upon arriving at the Institution, she
notices a new flower shop by the fountain and makes
another mental note to stop in later to see if they
carry any of those lovely little purple flowers she'd
seen in Eder Kemo. They would be a perfect addition to
the garden she'd planned to start on Relto. But first,
her rumbling stomach compels her to head to the Egg Room
for a cup of steaming coffee and a couple of grilled
english muffins.
"Who took the last of the
cream cheese?" she shouts. No one is around to
answer.
She settles for extra butter and a dab
of plum jam. As she eats, she wonders what adventure the
day will offer.
Thietris Professor Thietris Squirrel, CEO,
President and Managing Director, Institution of Advanced Exploration
of Myst Worlds
posted
Sigh.
Professor T is
sitting behind a mountain of paperwork. So many research
projects! So few researchers! The Institution was
becoming a - a nation of shopkeepers! Now even they were
disappearing.
Veronica waves away the offer of juice.
"This place is so...isn't that the waterfall in
Eder Gira across the way?" She answers her own question.
"Of course, the last time I stood on the edge of that
waterfall, I tried to climb down there to explore." She
points to the pond far below. "For some reason, I would
always panic link to my Relto." She grabs Grizz's hand.
"Come on, let's go see what's down there." They look up,
but the bird has vanished. Creeping carefully around the
numerous prickly plants, they begin their
descent.
Cordelia enters the professor's office
with a large mug of coffee and some nice shortbread
cookies.
"Good afternoon professor, and how are
you today?" she asks smiling as she puts the coffee and
cookies on the desk in front of the
professor.
Thietris looks up and nods his head,
"things would be much better if we had a few more
researchers around the place. I wonder where they all
went to" he asks of no-one in particular and takes a sip
of coffee and a nibble of a cookie.
"I often
wonder that myself, Professor" she replies "especially
that nice young man, RW. He seemed very keen to meet
with you and embark on a project but he seems to have
vanished too"
Slowly she walks
out the door into the empty hood. Behind her, Thietris
is trying not to choke on his
cookie.
Cordelia Personal
Assistant to Professor Thietris Squirrel, CEO,
President and Managing Director, Institution of
Advanced Exploration of Myst Worlds
An umbrella isn't just
for Christmas, it's for life!
Elkae Dr. Elkae Knutsson, Dir., Dept. of
Stymied Peregrinations & Asinine Mischief, Inst. of Advanced
Exploration of Myst Worlds
posted
Elkae finishes the last bite of muffin,
wipes the smear of jam from her lips, and refills her
coffee mug. She looks again at the strange design on the
mug.
"I wonder what a melted blue plastic
paperclip is supposed to signify?" she mused. The same
design is on the coasters. "I've seen that design
somewhere ..."
Since it's still mid-morning,
Chuckles58 links in to the Institution to grab breakfast
and to see if Urudawg has security under control. Not
seeing Urudawg at his post, he goes on. He sees the SUV
sized linking book near the fountain.
Oh, I
see the new Lexus models are
out.
Wearing a batting helmet, he sticks his
head in the door of Heek, Inc.
Hey TLG, no
hard feelings? ... Good. I need to find Grizz to discuss
the new position recently filled for human/Bahro
relations. Well, I'm off to help retrain the Bahro who
spent the last few months in the D'ni Tax Preparation
Office. Good thing Kestryll is also involved in giving
the Bahro gainful employment.
He heads over to
DISCO, but can't find either Grizz or Veronica. He makes
a 'quick' search of the first two levels with no
success, except for replacement wiper blades for his
Volkswagen. He trepidly went down to the third level to
see if they were down there.
Hello? Grizz?
... Veronica? Is anybody down
here?
---------------------------- Master of
Manipulating Stories (MOMS) Director of Redirecting
Kinesis (DORK)
Elkae Dr. Elkae Knutsson, Dir., Dept. of
Stymied Peregrinations & Asinine Mischief, Inst. of Advanced
Exploration of Myst Worlds
posted
Elkae leaves the Egg Room, noting
someone has since refilled the cream cheese tray, and
heads to the Classroom. She waves a good morning to
Cordelia just outside, but she seems preoccupied and
doesn't look up.
"G'morning, Thietris!" she
chirps as she enters the Classroom. And then she does
something very unprofessional (and very unexpected). She
bends down and gives the little squirrel a big kiss
right between the ears. "Happy Birthday! I see the lamp
arrived safely. Do you like it? I made it myself from a
collection of antique parts I had stashed
away."
Cordelia suddenly looks up. She is
certain she just saw someone walking past, waving at
her, but now there is no-one in sight.
Feeling a
little confused she digs deeper into her subconscious
and seems to recall that the person looked a lot like
Elkae, but no, it can't be. Elkae is in Teledahn prison
for the next year and those badgers surely would never
let her escape.
"Oh well, it couldn't have been
Elkae then. I wonder who it was" she thinks and returns
to whatever it was she was thinking about before
Cordelia Personal
Assistant to Professor Thietris Squirrel, CEO,
President and Managing Director, Institution of
Advanced Exploration of Myst Worlds
An umbrella isn't just
for Christmas, it's for life!
Thietris Professor Thietris Squirrel, CEO,
President and Managing Director, Institution of Advanced Exploration
of Myst Worlds
posted
"Thank you, Cordelia. Hmmm, where on
earth did they get these mugs from? I mean, a melted
blue paperclip - what is that supposed to signify, I ask
myself?"
Veronica is fast losing her adventurous
state of mind, as well as her piece of mind.
The
undergrowth is extremely thick as they make their way
down the steep slope, the branches catch on her clothing
and snag in her hair. Grizz does not seem to be having
the same trouble. He is whistling and getting further
and further ahead of her. She gets caught yet again and
stops to rip the branch from her hair, mumbling all the
while. "Sure, yes let's go see what's at the bottom of
this pit. What a great idea! Stupid girl." She considers
touching her Relto book and leaving Grizz to explore,
but before she can, the ground gives way beneath her
feet, causing her to land with an ooomph on her
backside. The steep angle of the forest floor starts to
add momentum to her fall. Her velocity picks up to such
a pace, that before she knows it she is heading straight
for Grizz, sliding along on her backside. Before she can
call out a warning, she hits him from behind, knocking
him down and they both get carried over a precipice into
the pond below.
Grizz flails about, his suit hindering
his movements. The water is deep, and he is an
indifferently abled swimmer at best. He manages to get
out of the jacket, loses his shoes in flailing about,
but then is able to paddle in a somewhat canine fashion
to the shore. He looks about for Veronica as he hangs on
to a vine trailing into the water. He sees her, and
can't believe his eyes! Far from being scared or
thrashing about, she seems to be enjoying herself
greatly, and she seems able to swim like a fish! Then he
remembers the pictures of the boats she showed Chuckles,
and understands. He watches as she finally seems to be
ready to come to the vine where he is hanging. She swims
up laughing, grabs the vine, and splashes water in his
face.
"Splutter...sptt...hack...coff" is what he
manages to get out, and it's well that he isn't about to
translate that into English. Then, won over by her
happiness and exuberance, he grins at her.
"Do
you think you can find my shoes?" he asks
plaintively.
_______________________________ The
DISCO - for high fashion in your hood!
Ancient One, holding the Golden
Kachina watched as the prisoner Elkae attached the
badger fetishes and disappear. It was the only solution.
While the desire of the badgers was only to have the
interlopers who had come to rescue the Human leave, for
her to stay would no doubt have continued to bring
injury and perhaps worse.
Ancient One looked at
the almost empty Golden Kachina.
"To bad,
once this is gone, won't be able to get more. Something
about not being able to sell to badgers. Oh well.
Perhaps the Elkae woman will come back with more.
Now that that she is gone, perhaps the others
will stop bashing badgers on the head and leave too.
Oh yes, must not forget to start that paper
delivery again to Dr Osmostien. Odd that one. Not human,
not animal. Still, he does remarkable things with
peanuts and beans, very useful. If only he could contain
the gas.
Now, where again did I leave that Xtra
large Xtra Strength bottle of Excedrin. Somebody keeps
moving
it."
----------------------------------------- Note:
Paroles
should not forget to report at regular
intervals.
[This message was edited by rohnerw on
Fri April 23 2004 at 11:13 AM.]
Experimental Program 1
An umbrella isn't just
for Christmas, it's for life!
