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FM licked the first three fingers of his right hand and stroked his eyebrows, smoothing them down. He turned at, white robes with simple gold embroidery down the front swishing around him as he heard the guard approach.
FM was standing in a simple square room, with four braziers, one in each corner, all burning different colours. These weren’t normal flames however, as they did not give off coloured light, and the room remained smokeless, with a white light seeming to emanate from the walls and floor, with no shadows forming. In the middle of the room were two pedestals, about four feet apart. On top of them was a box. In it was FM’s father. FM turned as the guard stopped, bowing.
“Master.” Said Sniper, raising his head, looking into FM’s cold, hard eyes.
“You have your mission? You are ready to leave?”
“Yes Master.”
“Good.” FM turned back to look at the coffin, licking his fingers and rubbings his eyebrows again as he spoke. “This is just the first part my friend. I will have my revenge, I do not know when, but I will/”
“Yes Master.” There was an edge of concern in Snipers voice.
“What is wrong, my friend?”
“I do not know, Master. I think I am worrying with no reason.”
“Ah. You are concerned about the book, yes?” Sniper lowered his eyes. “Do not fear. I will find the book. MY magic grows with each passing month, soon I will have the power needed to find the book. Then, when it is mine, I will have unimaginable power!” FM felt a shiver run up his spine as he closed his eyes, imagining the power he would wield. He looked at Sniper. “You have your orders.”
“Yes Master Meister.”
“Go. Be swift, and do not fail me.” Sniper turned and left the room.
FM turned back to the coffin. As he walked around it, his fingers traced the inscription carved into the stone. He knew them all, word for word, but their feel comforted him. They were instructions on how to travel the underworld.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Wrath exploded through Meka’s mind. He screamed “No!” in a murderous rage as he leapt off the rock. With both hands he brought the sword up while still in mid-air. When he hit the ground he recoiled, swinging it around from behind in an arc. The sword whistled with its speed. The man had turned as Meka hit the ground. Seeing Meka coming, he brought his own sword up defensively, with lightning speed.
Meka watched as if in a dream as his sword come around. Every ounce of his strength went into trying to make the sword go truer, go faster. Be deadlier. The magic raged with his need. Meka looked from the mans sword, hard into the steel blue eyes. Mekas sword followed the track of his eyes, he heard himself still screaming. The man held his sword straight up, to deflect the blow.
Everything else around the man dissolved in Mekas vision. His anger, the magic, was unleashed like never before. No power on earth could deny him the mans blood.
He finished his arc, the sword coming round at eye height to the side of the mans head. It shattered through the mans sword, and exploded through his chainmail hood, bits of molten twisted metal flying off into the undergrowth. The sword continued its journey, making contact with the mans skull, and continuing through, out the other side of his head.
Bits of bone blood and brain flew up into the air as the early morning air was filled with a cloud of red mist. Steaks of blood covered Meka, dripped down his body, dribbled off his sword as he slowly lowered the point to the ground.
The mans body crumpled slowly to the ground, blood pumping out over the ground, mixing with the puddles already there. Meka could feel the cold mist help cool his body.
“Meka!” Meka awoke, a sheen of sweat over his whole body. “Meka, my brother, are you alright?” asked Grix.
“It was that dream.”
“Again?” Meka nodded in reply.
“Come on, get up, we have to meet the others soon.”
“Who?”
“You know, the others from the village. Dan2K1, Venombyte and Ant.”
“What about er-no, and YH?”
“They said they had something to do. They will meet us later.” Grix helped his brother to sit up.
“Ok, give me a few minutes." Grix nodded and left the room. Meka put his head in his hands as he thought about the dream.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Master Meister?” FM looked around.
“Yes?”
“I have some bad news Lord, about Sniper.”
“He hasn’t dies again has he?”
“Yes Lord, he fell off his horse.”
“How did that kill him?”
“Into the moat.”
“He can swim.”
“Yes Lord, but as he tried to climb out, he must have pulled the lever, the one you ordered put in?”
“I vaguely remember.”
“That let the piranhas in.”
“Ah. I should have expected something like this. He has a whole bloody palace to have his accidents in. I put all that sponge about so he wouldn’t hurt himself, and yet he falls into the piranha moat. Amazing. Nevermind, he will be back by now. Tell him to continue with his task. Tell him to be more careful next time.”
FM was standing in a simple square room, with four braziers, one in each corner, all burning different colours. These weren’t normal flames however, as they did not give off coloured light, and the room remained smokeless, with a white light seeming to emanate from the walls and floor, with no shadows forming. In the middle of the room were two pedestals, about four feet apart. On top of them was a box. In it was FM’s father. FM turned as the guard stopped, bowing.
“Master.” Said Sniper, raising his head, looking into FM’s cold, hard eyes.
“You have your mission? You are ready to leave?”
“Yes Master.”
“Good.” FM turned back to look at the coffin, licking his fingers and rubbings his eyebrows again as he spoke. “This is just the first part my friend. I will have my revenge, I do not know when, but I will/”
“Yes Master.” There was an edge of concern in Snipers voice.
“What is wrong, my friend?”
“I do not know, Master. I think I am worrying with no reason.”
“Ah. You are concerned about the book, yes?” Sniper lowered his eyes. “Do not fear. I will find the book. MY magic grows with each passing month, soon I will have the power needed to find the book. Then, when it is mine, I will have unimaginable power!” FM felt a shiver run up his spine as he closed his eyes, imagining the power he would wield. He looked at Sniper. “You have your orders.”
“Yes Master Meister.”
“Go. Be swift, and do not fail me.” Sniper turned and left the room.
FM turned back to the coffin. As he walked around it, his fingers traced the inscription carved into the stone. He knew them all, word for word, but their feel comforted him. They were instructions on how to travel the underworld.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Wrath exploded through Meka’s mind. He screamed “No!” in a murderous rage as he leapt off the rock. With both hands he brought the sword up while still in mid-air. When he hit the ground he recoiled, swinging it around from behind in an arc. The sword whistled with its speed. The man had turned as Meka hit the ground. Seeing Meka coming, he brought his own sword up defensively, with lightning speed.
Meka watched as if in a dream as his sword come around. Every ounce of his strength went into trying to make the sword go truer, go faster. Be deadlier. The magic raged with his need. Meka looked from the mans sword, hard into the steel blue eyes. Mekas sword followed the track of his eyes, he heard himself still screaming. The man held his sword straight up, to deflect the blow.
Everything else around the man dissolved in Mekas vision. His anger, the magic, was unleashed like never before. No power on earth could deny him the mans blood.
He finished his arc, the sword coming round at eye height to the side of the mans head. It shattered through the mans sword, and exploded through his chainmail hood, bits of molten twisted metal flying off into the undergrowth. The sword continued its journey, making contact with the mans skull, and continuing through, out the other side of his head.
Bits of bone blood and brain flew up into the air as the early morning air was filled with a cloud of red mist. Steaks of blood covered Meka, dripped down his body, dribbled off his sword as he slowly lowered the point to the ground.
The mans body crumpled slowly to the ground, blood pumping out over the ground, mixing with the puddles already there. Meka could feel the cold mist help cool his body.
“Meka!” Meka awoke, a sheen of sweat over his whole body. “Meka, my brother, are you alright?” asked Grix.
“It was that dream.”
“Again?” Meka nodded in reply.
“Come on, get up, we have to meet the others soon.”
“Who?”
“You know, the others from the village. Dan2K1, Venombyte and Ant.”
“What about er-no, and YH?”
“They said they had something to do. They will meet us later.” Grix helped his brother to sit up.
“Ok, give me a few minutes." Grix nodded and left the room. Meka put his head in his hands as he thought about the dream.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Master Meister?” FM looked around.
“Yes?”
“I have some bad news Lord, about Sniper.”
“He hasn’t dies again has he?”
“Yes Lord, he fell off his horse.”
“How did that kill him?”
“Into the moat.”
“He can swim.”
“Yes Lord, but as he tried to climb out, he must have pulled the lever, the one you ordered put in?”
“I vaguely remember.”
“That let the piranhas in.”
“Ah. I should have expected something like this. He has a whole bloody palace to have his accidents in. I put all that sponge about so he wouldn’t hurt himself, and yet he falls into the piranha moat. Amazing. Nevermind, he will be back by now. Tell him to continue with his task. Tell him to be more careful next time.”
Page:
Just for the record. What happened to Sniper in the explosion:
------------
Meka and Venombyte led everyone from the warehouse... leaving Sniper, of course, with the dart still in his head.
After he pulled it out, the whole warehouse exploded.
Sniper was blown into bits. Then, kinda like the T-1000, they reformed.
He crawled out of the building, and walked down the road, and into McDonalds.
He spotted Meka and Venombyte waltzing into a building through the window, and went outside. He asked what was going on, and they told him that Meka and Venombyte were going to rescue him, before doing one of those Looney Tunes double takes.
------------
"...go to Pembrokeshire."
"Huh?" Everyone said, apparently.
"We need to go to the Pembrokeshire Motor Museum... the DeLorean from Back to the Future is there."
Authors note: True. Well, kind of. It was there four years ago, but was sold to keep the museum open. Obviously in the future they bought it back.
"Grix..." FM said. "You know what I said about seeing things in films, and getting them mixed up with real life?"
"Nope."
"The Delorean can't really go back in time. It was only a film."
"Damn."
"Keep out of this, Snake." Grix said. "Sure it can. It worked with the falling asleep in the ocean theory."
"This is different."
"Nah, not at all. We just need to get the DeLorean, fix the time drive, fill it with rubbish, and we're away."
"But don't you remember... the DeLorean was destroyed in the end of Back to the Future 3, so it can't be the real one." FM said.
"Ah yeah, damn..."
"Actually..." Sheepy said.
"Yeah? What?"
"I've got an idea. It's a bit embarassing."
They all looked at Sheepy.
"Well, because of the success of Dr Who, people started to rip off the ideas. I watched a porn film once called, Dr Poo. It involved him going around in time making love to big breasted women."
They continued to stare at Sheepy.
"It might be possible to get the thing he time travelled in."
"What was it?" Ant asked.
"What was what?" Sheepy replied.
"...What was the thing he went through time with?" Ant asked again.
"Oh. A portaloo. We just need to find it."
Authors note: None of this can be associated with the personal experiences of the author. Honest.
------------
Meka and Venombyte led everyone from the warehouse... leaving Sniper, of course, with the dart still in his head.
After he pulled it out, the whole warehouse exploded.
Sniper was blown into bits. Then, kinda like the T-1000, they reformed.
He crawled out of the building, and walked down the road, and into McDonalds.
He spotted Meka and Venombyte waltzing into a building through the window, and went outside. He asked what was going on, and they told him that Meka and Venombyte were going to rescue him, before doing one of those Looney Tunes double takes.
------------
"...go to Pembrokeshire."
"Huh?" Everyone said, apparently.
"We need to go to the Pembrokeshire Motor Museum... the DeLorean from Back to the Future is there."
Authors note: True. Well, kind of. It was there four years ago, but was sold to keep the museum open. Obviously in the future they bought it back.
"Grix..." FM said. "You know what I said about seeing things in films, and getting them mixed up with real life?"
"Nope."
"The Delorean can't really go back in time. It was only a film."
"Damn."
"Keep out of this, Snake." Grix said. "Sure it can. It worked with the falling asleep in the ocean theory."
"This is different."
"Nah, not at all. We just need to get the DeLorean, fix the time drive, fill it with rubbish, and we're away."
"But don't you remember... the DeLorean was destroyed in the end of Back to the Future 3, so it can't be the real one." FM said.
"Ah yeah, damn..."
"Actually..." Sheepy said.
"Yeah? What?"
"I've got an idea. It's a bit embarassing."
They all looked at Sheepy.
"Well, because of the success of Dr Who, people started to rip off the ideas. I watched a porn film once called, Dr Poo. It involved him going around in time making love to big breasted women."
They continued to stare at Sheepy.
"It might be possible to get the thing he time travelled in."
"What was it?" Ant asked.
"What was what?" Sheepy replied.
"...What was the thing he went through time with?" Ant asked again.
"Oh. A portaloo. We just need to find it."
Authors note: None of this can be associated with the personal experiences of the author. Honest.
"So, just to clarify things" said Grix, "are you the Ant who was taken off with pb in the tardis by er-no, and then got captured while er-no flitted back/forward in time to the pub, and then you escaped and ran off to some trees, or are you the robot version they left behind that seems to have found sniper, who we thought was captured?"
"Me? I Am Not A Robot." said Ant
"Mmm. Sugar. I Like Eating Sugar."
"Right, that's that sorted out." said Grix
"Next then." Grix continued. "Sniper, what happened to you in the explosion?"
"What explosion?"
"Oh... forget it"
"I suspect he already has done." FM pointed out
"Right then. What else do we need to know? Ah yes - where are Shepy, YH, Mongoose man, snake, VenomByte and Meka?"
"Meka's dead. I just told you, we have to hurry and go back in time to save him."
"No rush then is there? What with him being already dead and all. What about the others?"
"Not sure about VenomByte. He and meka never left the building. The rest of them are just over there on the bench, see?"
"Ah yes. Okay then, how are we going back in time?"
"We'll use the tardis."
"Excellent idea, but slightly flawed. Er-no has the tardis, and we don't know where or when he is right now."
"Er-no the hermit, or the other one?"
"Not sure. They may well be the same person from different time periods, or perhaps just two different characters with the same name. It happens sometimes."
"Okay then, if we don't know how to go back in time, what else should we be doing?"
"Ah, that's obvious. We should......"
------------------------------
It had all happened so fast, VenomByte thought to himself. Meka had said "Uh-oh" when they'd seen that sniper had found the rest of the group outside somewhere, and they knew they'd been set up when alarms had gone off. They'd frantically tried to barricade the room's only door, but there wasn't enough to hold it, and jumping out of the window of the tenth floor was not an option. It seemed hopeless. Venom wasn't sure if the panicky babble he'd heard was from his mouth or Meka's.
Then something had happened.
Er-no had appeared in the tardis, and he thought they'd be alright. How wrong he was. The door wasn't holding long enough, and Meka had tried to hold it up. They'd shouted at him to get into the tardis when er-no had it ready, but he wasn't quick enough. The doors burst open the moment Meka had released them, and he was shot in the leg while he was still a good ten feet away from the tardis.
They'd left him behind.
They had no choice, VenomByte kept telling himself. They couldn't lose the tardis.
His thoughts were interruoted by er-no
"We'll go back for him." er-no said. "But first we have to get pb and Ant, before ... "
Er-no decided to leave out the details.
"Me? I Am Not A Robot." said Ant
"Mmm. Sugar. I Like Eating Sugar."
"Right, that's that sorted out." said Grix
"Next then." Grix continued. "Sniper, what happened to you in the explosion?"
"What explosion?"
"Oh... forget it"
"I suspect he already has done." FM pointed out
"Right then. What else do we need to know? Ah yes - where are Shepy, YH, Mongoose man, snake, VenomByte and Meka?"
"Meka's dead. I just told you, we have to hurry and go back in time to save him."
"No rush then is there? What with him being already dead and all. What about the others?"
"Not sure about VenomByte. He and meka never left the building. The rest of them are just over there on the bench, see?"
"Ah yes. Okay then, how are we going back in time?"
"We'll use the tardis."
"Excellent idea, but slightly flawed. Er-no has the tardis, and we don't know where or when he is right now."
"Er-no the hermit, or the other one?"
"Not sure. They may well be the same person from different time periods, or perhaps just two different characters with the same name. It happens sometimes."
"Okay then, if we don't know how to go back in time, what else should we be doing?"
"Ah, that's obvious. We should......"
------------------------------
It had all happened so fast, VenomByte thought to himself. Meka had said "Uh-oh" when they'd seen that sniper had found the rest of the group outside somewhere, and they knew they'd been set up when alarms had gone off. They'd frantically tried to barricade the room's only door, but there wasn't enough to hold it, and jumping out of the window of the tenth floor was not an option. It seemed hopeless. Venom wasn't sure if the panicky babble he'd heard was from his mouth or Meka's.
Then something had happened.
Er-no had appeared in the tardis, and he thought they'd be alright. How wrong he was. The door wasn't holding long enough, and Meka had tried to hold it up. They'd shouted at him to get into the tardis when er-no had it ready, but he wasn't quick enough. The doors burst open the moment Meka had released them, and he was shot in the leg while he was still a good ten feet away from the tardis.
They'd left him behind.
They had no choice, VenomByte kept telling himself. They couldn't lose the tardis.
His thoughts were interruoted by er-no
"We'll go back for him." er-no said. "But first we have to get pb and Ant, before ... "
Er-no decided to leave out the details.
"Just to check, we're all in New York right?" Sniper asked.
"Yeah." Ant replied.
"Good, right."
----------------
Grix thought about writing what Venom and Meka were up to... but left it for someone else to do. Like Your Honour. Or Ant.
---------------
FM and Grix sat floating on a crate.
They had been floating for some time now... still refusing to try to break off their bonds.
"I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with... w." Grix said.
"Water?" Quizzed FM.
"Yeah."
"This is boring."
"I know."
"Well, it's not as if there is much to look at..."
"Oh, I got one." Grix said. "I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with S."
"Stratosphere?"
"Err... yeah."
"See... bloody hell."
"Something beginning with A, C." Said Grix, angrily.
"Alpha Centurai." FM replied.
"Ok, why don't YOU choose one then."
"No, it's boring."
FM kicked his feet in the water.
"You know, we've been here long enough now. Why hasn't a ship picked us up or something?"
"I bet they'll be one along in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" FM asked.
"Yeah."
"How much?"
"What?"
"How much do you want to bet?"
"Err... a fiver."
"Ok."
--------------
9 minutes and 59 seconds later.
--------------
"Look! A ship!" Grix shouted.
"Where?" FM asked.
"No, only kidding. You win."
"Cool."
Then, there was a lot of silence. For about two hours.
Suddenly, without warning, FM spoke.
"Can you see any land?"
"No."
"Damn, neither can I."
More silence.
"Do you think we're going to die?" Grix asked.
"Well, obviously one day, we all do." FM said, staring into the stars.
"Yeah, but anytime soon?"
FM tried to turn around. "What? Now?"
"No... I mean, by drowning or from the cold or something."
"I should hope not." FM replied, turning back to face the water.
----------------------
Days past. I'm sure everyone else did a lot during this time.
"No... like a, burning, itching... deep inside, where you can't reach it." Grix said.
"Oh, right. I've always wanted to know, thanks."
"Yeah, you said."
"Oh."
They drifted a bit more, before anyone spoke again.
"You know, I bet, if we just fall asleep, we'll wake up on a beach or something." Grix said.
"Hmmm?"
"Always happens. When someone get's shipwrecked in stories like this, then if they fall asleep on a log, or get knocked out, then they end up on a beach."
"Grix, that's only because filming the dead people would get boring."
"Oh yeah... never thought of that."
"Worth a try though." FM said.
"Rightio."
A few hours later, they fell asleep for the first time in days.
--------------
"You awake?"
"Yeah." FM replied...
"I notice we're still on the crate." FM added.
"Yeah."
"How long have we been asleep for?"
"Ten minutes." Grix said, checking his digital watch. "Perhaps it needs longer to work."
"Happens in seconds on the tv though." Grix added again.
And so, they fell asleep again.
---------------
FM woke up, and rubbed his eyes... he was on a beach, and his bonds had gone...
And so had Grix.
"Grix?" FM shouted. "Grix? Where are you?"
"I'm over here!" Grix shouted back. "I've found a banana tree, and I'm trying to knock some bananas down!"
"Ok, right!" FM shouted back, after he said it, he didn't really know why he did.
He got up, and walked in the direction Grix seemed to be.
FM found Grix. He was repeatedly throwing a small rock at a banana tree.
"OI!"
FM and Grix looked around... they could see the water splashing up and down the beach, the sand... beyond that, grass, trees... and a small building.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON MY BEACH?"
"Oh, err, sorry... we were shipwrecked!" FM shouted, trying to locate the source of the sound.
A man walked from the small building, and up to them.
"Yeah, very ****ing funny. Get out, now."
"What?"
"Get out! You heard me, come on." The man pointing to the building... FM and Grix staggered up to it.
He pushed them through, and they looked down the building. It wasn't a hut... it was an access hut.
"What the hell?" FM said... he walked down, and looked out the window.
"We're back in New York." Grix said. "Look... there's the Statue of Liberty!"
It was in the distance. If they looked straight, they were about level with the head.
"Hang on..." Fm said, walking down the steps of the tower block...
"See, I told you it would work." Grix said.
Grix and FM walked into McDonalds... as they ordered their food, Ant walked through the door, saw them, and ran towards them.
"Grix! FM! We thought you were dead!"
"Who? Oh, right, hi."
"Quick... Meka... you've got to help!"
"What? What's happened?"
"Meka's dead!" Ant said. "We've got to go back in time and save him!"
"Yeah." Ant replied.
"Good, right."
----------------
Grix thought about writing what Venom and Meka were up to... but left it for someone else to do. Like Your Honour. Or Ant.
---------------
FM and Grix sat floating on a crate.
They had been floating for some time now... still refusing to try to break off their bonds.
"I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with... w." Grix said.
"Water?" Quizzed FM.
"Yeah."
"This is boring."
"I know."
"Well, it's not as if there is much to look at..."
"Oh, I got one." Grix said. "I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with S."
"Stratosphere?"
"Err... yeah."
"See... bloody hell."
"Something beginning with A, C." Said Grix, angrily.
"Alpha Centurai." FM replied.
"Ok, why don't YOU choose one then."
"No, it's boring."
FM kicked his feet in the water.
"You know, we've been here long enough now. Why hasn't a ship picked us up or something?"
"I bet they'll be one along in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" FM asked.
"Yeah."
"How much?"
"What?"
"How much do you want to bet?"
"Err... a fiver."
"Ok."
--------------
9 minutes and 59 seconds later.
--------------
"Look! A ship!" Grix shouted.
"Where?" FM asked.
"No, only kidding. You win."
"Cool."
Then, there was a lot of silence. For about two hours.
Suddenly, without warning, FM spoke.
"Can you see any land?"
"No."
"Damn, neither can I."
More silence.
"Do you think we're going to die?" Grix asked.
"Well, obviously one day, we all do." FM said, staring into the stars.
"Yeah, but anytime soon?"
FM tried to turn around. "What? Now?"
"No... I mean, by drowning or from the cold or something."
"I should hope not." FM replied, turning back to face the water.
----------------------
Days past. I'm sure everyone else did a lot during this time.
"No... like a, burning, itching... deep inside, where you can't reach it." Grix said.
"Oh, right. I've always wanted to know, thanks."
"Yeah, you said."
"Oh."
They drifted a bit more, before anyone spoke again.
"You know, I bet, if we just fall asleep, we'll wake up on a beach or something." Grix said.
"Hmmm?"
"Always happens. When someone get's shipwrecked in stories like this, then if they fall asleep on a log, or get knocked out, then they end up on a beach."
"Grix, that's only because filming the dead people would get boring."
"Oh yeah... never thought of that."
"Worth a try though." FM said.
"Rightio."
A few hours later, they fell asleep for the first time in days.
--------------
"You awake?"
"Yeah." FM replied...
"I notice we're still on the crate." FM added.
"Yeah."
"How long have we been asleep for?"
"Ten minutes." Grix said, checking his digital watch. "Perhaps it needs longer to work."
"Happens in seconds on the tv though." Grix added again.
And so, they fell asleep again.
---------------
FM woke up, and rubbed his eyes... he was on a beach, and his bonds had gone...
And so had Grix.
"Grix?" FM shouted. "Grix? Where are you?"
"I'm over here!" Grix shouted back. "I've found a banana tree, and I'm trying to knock some bananas down!"
"Ok, right!" FM shouted back, after he said it, he didn't really know why he did.
He got up, and walked in the direction Grix seemed to be.
FM found Grix. He was repeatedly throwing a small rock at a banana tree.
"OI!"
FM and Grix looked around... they could see the water splashing up and down the beach, the sand... beyond that, grass, trees... and a small building.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON MY BEACH?"
"Oh, err, sorry... we were shipwrecked!" FM shouted, trying to locate the source of the sound.
A man walked from the small building, and up to them.
"Yeah, very ****ing funny. Get out, now."
"What?"
"Get out! You heard me, come on." The man pointing to the building... FM and Grix staggered up to it.
He pushed them through, and they looked down the building. It wasn't a hut... it was an access hut.
"What the hell?" FM said... he walked down, and looked out the window.
"We're back in New York." Grix said. "Look... there's the Statue of Liberty!"
It was in the distance. If they looked straight, they were about level with the head.
"Hang on..." Fm said, walking down the steps of the tower block...
"See, I told you it would work." Grix said.
Grix and FM walked into McDonalds... as they ordered their food, Ant walked through the door, saw them, and ran towards them.
"Grix! FM! We thought you were dead!"
"Who? Oh, right, hi."
"Quick... Meka... you've got to help!"
"What? What's happened?"
"Meka's dead!" Ant said. "We've got to go back in time and save him!"
"Well. Are they off yet?" asked Ant as Pb tried to cut the final ropes that bound them to the chair.
"Would you shout a little louder?" asked Pb sarcastically, "I don't think the guards at the door heard you...." He grunted and the rope fell loosely to the ground as they both stood up and rubbed their aching shoulders.
Ant turned to look at the now empty alter. "That was a bit nasty, all the dancing and stuff. I can't even bare to think about what they were doing with those candlesticks..."
"ahem. Well, just forget about it, we need to find a way out of here and fast." said pb looking around. "Aha!"
"Eighties pop group?"
"No, spare costumes, over there." pb pointed to what looked like a laundry basket with several spare cloaks in it.
"Why do you think they left these here?" asked Ant as they walked straight passed the door guards.
"Even bad guys have to do their laundry sometime." replied pb as they exited the building and made a run for the nearby trees. "Do you think the others have noticed the difference?"
Ant turned to pb, a confused look on his face. "what?"
"In the robot versions of us! The ones that we had made to stop them thinking we had gone off somewhere..."
"Ah. No, they had all our characteristics, so they shouldn't notice at all."
-------
"Ant!" shouted Sniper as he tried to get Ant's attention. He could swear that there was something funny about the little guy, ever since they'd found him and pb in the local games shop, looking for second hand games.
"uh?" came the reply from the mouth resembling Ants. "What do you want Sniper?"
"You looked...far away...you know, kind off switched off..." said Sniper, worried about Ant's current behaviour. "You're usually the life of the party."
Storm clouds gathered as they waited for Venom and Meka's return from the building, they were taking an awfully long time to return and Sheepy was beginning to worry. Pretty soon it started to rain and the robot Ant and Pb looked at each other with metallic worry.
"Would you shout a little louder?" asked Pb sarcastically, "I don't think the guards at the door heard you...." He grunted and the rope fell loosely to the ground as they both stood up and rubbed their aching shoulders.
Ant turned to look at the now empty alter. "That was a bit nasty, all the dancing and stuff. I can't even bare to think about what they were doing with those candlesticks..."
"ahem. Well, just forget about it, we need to find a way out of here and fast." said pb looking around. "Aha!"
"Eighties pop group?"
"No, spare costumes, over there." pb pointed to what looked like a laundry basket with several spare cloaks in it.
"Why do you think they left these here?" asked Ant as they walked straight passed the door guards.
"Even bad guys have to do their laundry sometime." replied pb as they exited the building and made a run for the nearby trees. "Do you think the others have noticed the difference?"
Ant turned to pb, a confused look on his face. "what?"
"In the robot versions of us! The ones that we had made to stop them thinking we had gone off somewhere..."
"Ah. No, they had all our characteristics, so they shouldn't notice at all."
-------
"Ant!" shouted Sniper as he tried to get Ant's attention. He could swear that there was something funny about the little guy, ever since they'd found him and pb in the local games shop, looking for second hand games.
"uh?" came the reply from the mouth resembling Ants. "What do you want Sniper?"
"You looked...far away...you know, kind off switched off..." said Sniper, worried about Ant's current behaviour. "You're usually the life of the party."
Storm clouds gathered as they waited for Venom and Meka's return from the building, they were taking an awfully long time to return and Sheepy was beginning to worry. Pretty soon it started to rain and the robot Ant and Pb looked at each other with metallic worry.
Jaguar fell to the pavement as Venombyte dropped him to it... They were outside the burning building, watching as it fell to pieces.
"It's Sniper." Jaguar said, wiping the blood from his face.
Venombyte was not pleased.
"What about him?"
"They want him... the people who want Gates revived."
"Who are they? What do they want him for?"
Jaguar flinched... "I can't tell you. But believe me, this goes deeper than you could possibly imagine."
"Where have they taken him?" Meka said, barging into the conversation.
"To the Gates Memorial tower... it's not far from here."
Venombyte dropped him back to the ground.
"I'm going in." He said... he snatched Snake's radio headset from off his head, and put it on.
"What?"
"I think I can save him." Venom said quietly. "I think I've got a chance."
"You've got no chance... they've got three of Microsoft's reps in there. THREE. I think Steve Bulmer is up there too..." Jaguar said.
"Jaguar, what else do you know about the tower?"
He bought out blueprints, photos of the interior, painting schemes, receipts for Ikea, and a code for a lift.
"But how are we going to do it... we have no guns, no bombs, and no bullet-time... this is going to be impossible!"
"Hang on..." Meka said, standing up, and walking a few paces... "I've got a plan. Probably the greatest plan ever conceived."
Sheepy stood up.
"The most ingenius plan you'll ever likely to encounter..."
Snake and Mongoose Man stopped hitting eachother, and looked up and listened to Meka...
"And what's more, it's going to work."
------------------
Meka and Venombyte looked across the road. All clear.
"There are two guards near the doors... four on each wall of the hallway as you go down it. If you sprint, you'll reach the lift at the end of the corridor in about ten seconds."
"What's the code again?"
"1. 2. 3. 4."
"Right... ok... 1, 2, 3, 4." Venom breathed in.
"Let's do it." Meka said.
Venom threw his arm around Meka's back.
Meka did the same around his.
They both put an arm forward, and grabbed each otherís hand.
And they waltzed right into the building.
The doors slammed open as they waltzed right down the centre of the hallway... all the guards just looked at them, unsure of what was going on...
They waltzed all the way to the lift, entered the code, and got in.
They waltzed into the lift, and pressed the top floor button.
The guards all looked at each other.
--------------
Meka and Venombyte peered out of the lift... perhaps they could have hid above it, and waited for someone to come and see the empty lift, but neither had the agility to do so.
A guard peered back at them. Meka punched him. The guard yelled, and ran to the toliet to get some toliet paper for his bleeding nose.
They both ran on, past the cubicle offices that lined the room...
-GUARDIAN-
STEVE BULMER - MONKEY MAN
*camera pans around Bulmer, while he screams and beats his chest*
Venombyte turned on his sidekick character. "Holy confusing plot Meka, what do we do?"
"I say we fight him in the only way a Microsoft rep knows how... we fight him in court!"
-----------
"Your Honour, I ask the court to recognise my uppercut to the face."
"You may proceed." Your Honour said.
Meka smacked Steve in the face.
"Your Honour, in my defense, I wish to bring forward my kick in the shin."
"Overruled."
"Damn."
"Your Honour, may I present my knee in the happy sack?"
"You may."
------------
Not long later, Meka and Venom marched past the quivering body of Bulmer, and opened the door...
A chair lay in the centre of the room... but Sniper wasn't there...
The empty chair looked out over the giant windows on the north facing side of the wall. Venom and Meka looked down from them...
"Uh oh." Meka said.
"It's Sniper." Jaguar said, wiping the blood from his face.
Venombyte was not pleased.
"What about him?"
"They want him... the people who want Gates revived."
"Who are they? What do they want him for?"
Jaguar flinched... "I can't tell you. But believe me, this goes deeper than you could possibly imagine."
"Where have they taken him?" Meka said, barging into the conversation.
"To the Gates Memorial tower... it's not far from here."
Venombyte dropped him back to the ground.
"I'm going in." He said... he snatched Snake's radio headset from off his head, and put it on.
"What?"
"I think I can save him." Venom said quietly. "I think I've got a chance."
"You've got no chance... they've got three of Microsoft's reps in there. THREE. I think Steve Bulmer is up there too..." Jaguar said.
"Jaguar, what else do you know about the tower?"
He bought out blueprints, photos of the interior, painting schemes, receipts for Ikea, and a code for a lift.
"But how are we going to do it... we have no guns, no bombs, and no bullet-time... this is going to be impossible!"
"Hang on..." Meka said, standing up, and walking a few paces... "I've got a plan. Probably the greatest plan ever conceived."
Sheepy stood up.
"The most ingenius plan you'll ever likely to encounter..."
Snake and Mongoose Man stopped hitting eachother, and looked up and listened to Meka...
"And what's more, it's going to work."
------------------
Meka and Venombyte looked across the road. All clear.
"There are two guards near the doors... four on each wall of the hallway as you go down it. If you sprint, you'll reach the lift at the end of the corridor in about ten seconds."
"What's the code again?"
"1. 2. 3. 4."
"Right... ok... 1, 2, 3, 4." Venom breathed in.
"Let's do it." Meka said.
Venom threw his arm around Meka's back.
Meka did the same around his.
They both put an arm forward, and grabbed each otherís hand.
And they waltzed right into the building.
The doors slammed open as they waltzed right down the centre of the hallway... all the guards just looked at them, unsure of what was going on...
They waltzed all the way to the lift, entered the code, and got in.
They waltzed into the lift, and pressed the top floor button.
The guards all looked at each other.
--------------
Meka and Venombyte peered out of the lift... perhaps they could have hid above it, and waited for someone to come and see the empty lift, but neither had the agility to do so.
A guard peered back at them. Meka punched him. The guard yelled, and ran to the toliet to get some toliet paper for his bleeding nose.
They both ran on, past the cubicle offices that lined the room...
-GUARDIAN-
STEVE BULMER - MONKEY MAN
*camera pans around Bulmer, while he screams and beats his chest*
Venombyte turned on his sidekick character. "Holy confusing plot Meka, what do we do?"
"I say we fight him in the only way a Microsoft rep knows how... we fight him in court!"
-----------
"Your Honour, I ask the court to recognise my uppercut to the face."
"You may proceed." Your Honour said.
Meka smacked Steve in the face.
"Your Honour, in my defense, I wish to bring forward my kick in the shin."
"Overruled."
"Damn."
"Your Honour, may I present my knee in the happy sack?"
"You may."
------------
Not long later, Meka and Venom marched past the quivering body of Bulmer, and opened the door...
A chair lay in the centre of the room... but Sniper wasn't there...
The empty chair looked out over the giant windows on the north facing side of the wall. Venom and Meka looked down from them...
"Uh oh." Meka said.
They march down the centre of the road... darkness is upon them. Only the light of the moon and the people resumed inside their homes in the buildings that tower over them show the way.
The pub, ahead. The Crossroads Inn sign shattered nervously in the wind. Wonderfully carved windows allow light in and out, it looks just like the Fog Arms, in many ways.
Venom walked in first... someone brushed against him, trying to get outside, he couldn't see who it was...
Actually...
"Guys, go on in, I'll be back now." He said absently, walking off down the road.
Sheepy, Sniper, Meka, Your Honour, Snake and Mongoose Man walked through the door.
----------
Venom hurried to catch whoever brushed past him... something wasn't right about it.
He followed him down the street, and the man ran around a corner.
Venom ducked around it...
And he was gone.
For some reason, he put his hands in his pockets for comfort.
And that's when he found the newspaper cutting.
-----------
"Hi Jaguar!"
Jaguar had a worried expression on his face, one which didn't compliment the words he spoke.
"Hi guys! You all good?" He lowered his eyebrows. "Where's Venom? Shall we go find him?"
He half blinked as he said it...
Meka read his face... something was wrong... he quickly looked around. There were many people in the pub, all just going about their business... drinking, playing pool...
-----------
Venom dropped the newspaper cutting on the floor... it landed, soaked from the rain... that person must have slipped it into his pocket...
He looked up... a giant warehouse... why the hell didn't he see it before?
He looked down at the newspaper cutting, it had tommorrows date on it.
It simply striked one large headline, a picture, and a story... the picture matched the warehouse he saw before him.
"EXPLOSION AT ENGINEERING PLANT. ONE SURVIVOR"
------------
Sniper and Snake played darts, while the others went to get drinks.
"Hey, Jaguar, is there a toliet in here?" Meka asked.
"Err... no. No there isn't."
------------
Venombyte had to make a decision.
Could he alter the time lines? Could he change history?
He looked at the newspaper cutting... he picked it up...
And he began to run. He ran towards the engineering plant.
------------
Sniper went to retrieve his three darts.
It was Snake's turn.
------------
Two figures watched through cameras the display in the sectioned off area of the plant.
"As soon as Dmitiry gives his word... blow it up."
One man walked out of the room.
------------
Snake threw his dart... it rebounded, and hit Sniper in the back of the head.
He screamed in pain as he collapsed on the floor almost immedietly...
Meka didn't look at Sniper in agony, as did everyone else...
He looked at Jaguar.
Jaguar watched Sniper... not scared, worried... horrified, like most people would be... just intrigued.
Meka grabbed a glass in his hand, run up behind Jaguar, and smacked him over the head with it.
"BAR-ROOM RUMBLE!" Sheepy yelled, leaping onto a table, and throwing a chair at the bar. Others began to jump on eachother, and punch others in the face.
The chair missed the bar completly...
-------------
Venombyte ran on, trying not to think too much about what was going to happen...
-------------
...and it hit the wall behind it, smashing all the bottles and glasses.
Sheepy watched, laughing.
And then, everyone fell silent.
And watched.
-------------
"What the hell is going on down there!" The man shouted down a microphone... "Jaguar, you idiot! What are you doing?"
The second man came running back into the dark room.
-------------
The entire room began to tilt. They all took a few spaces back.
-------------
"No... we can't blow it up now, Jaguar is our best agent. We can't let him die."
"In order to retrieve Sniper," The second man commented... "We may have to."
-------------
Venombyte ran on... he saw the Crossroad Arms sign flapping violently in the wind. He saw Meka running out of the pub, and shouted to him.
--------------
"Everyone out! Now!" Meka shouted...
The wall fell down... and instead of listening to Meka, who just ran straight out, they watched as the wall landed on the ground.
And behind it lay machinary, and large metal cylinders.
Below them, lay tanks of petrol, crates... and what seemed like a large hold of tnt.
--------------
"Ok, ten second count down timer on."
--------------
"Venombyte! What's going on!"
"GET OUT!, GET AWAY!" He shouted...
"Why? What's happening?"
--------------
Snake ran out the door, past Meka... the rest followed.
"Quick! Get everyone out!"
Venom ran inside, and shouted for everyone to leave... they snapped out of watching the walls crumble in intrigue, and ran out of the warehouse.
They all ran from the wooden door, following Venom up towards the end of the street...
---------------
Sniper got up, and pulled the dart from his head.
---------------
"What the hell was that?" Fm shouted, unable to turn around to see the city...
"Something just blew up!" Grix said. "Something just blew up... Jesus!"
The flames bounced on the reflections of the water.
The pub, ahead. The Crossroads Inn sign shattered nervously in the wind. Wonderfully carved windows allow light in and out, it looks just like the Fog Arms, in many ways.
Venom walked in first... someone brushed against him, trying to get outside, he couldn't see who it was...
Actually...
"Guys, go on in, I'll be back now." He said absently, walking off down the road.
Sheepy, Sniper, Meka, Your Honour, Snake and Mongoose Man walked through the door.
----------
Venom hurried to catch whoever brushed past him... something wasn't right about it.
He followed him down the street, and the man ran around a corner.
Venom ducked around it...
And he was gone.
For some reason, he put his hands in his pockets for comfort.
And that's when he found the newspaper cutting.
-----------
"Hi Jaguar!"
Jaguar had a worried expression on his face, one which didn't compliment the words he spoke.
"Hi guys! You all good?" He lowered his eyebrows. "Where's Venom? Shall we go find him?"
He half blinked as he said it...
Meka read his face... something was wrong... he quickly looked around. There were many people in the pub, all just going about their business... drinking, playing pool...
-----------
Venom dropped the newspaper cutting on the floor... it landed, soaked from the rain... that person must have slipped it into his pocket...
He looked up... a giant warehouse... why the hell didn't he see it before?
He looked down at the newspaper cutting, it had tommorrows date on it.
It simply striked one large headline, a picture, and a story... the picture matched the warehouse he saw before him.
"EXPLOSION AT ENGINEERING PLANT. ONE SURVIVOR"
------------
Sniper and Snake played darts, while the others went to get drinks.
"Hey, Jaguar, is there a toliet in here?" Meka asked.
"Err... no. No there isn't."
------------
Venombyte had to make a decision.
Could he alter the time lines? Could he change history?
He looked at the newspaper cutting... he picked it up...
And he began to run. He ran towards the engineering plant.
------------
Sniper went to retrieve his three darts.
It was Snake's turn.
------------
Two figures watched through cameras the display in the sectioned off area of the plant.
"As soon as Dmitiry gives his word... blow it up."
One man walked out of the room.
------------
Snake threw his dart... it rebounded, and hit Sniper in the back of the head.
He screamed in pain as he collapsed on the floor almost immedietly...
Meka didn't look at Sniper in agony, as did everyone else...
He looked at Jaguar.
Jaguar watched Sniper... not scared, worried... horrified, like most people would be... just intrigued.
Meka grabbed a glass in his hand, run up behind Jaguar, and smacked him over the head with it.
"BAR-ROOM RUMBLE!" Sheepy yelled, leaping onto a table, and throwing a chair at the bar. Others began to jump on eachother, and punch others in the face.
The chair missed the bar completly...
-------------
Venombyte ran on, trying not to think too much about what was going to happen...
-------------
...and it hit the wall behind it, smashing all the bottles and glasses.
Sheepy watched, laughing.
And then, everyone fell silent.
And watched.
-------------
"What the hell is going on down there!" The man shouted down a microphone... "Jaguar, you idiot! What are you doing?"
The second man came running back into the dark room.
-------------
The entire room began to tilt. They all took a few spaces back.
-------------
"No... we can't blow it up now, Jaguar is our best agent. We can't let him die."
"In order to retrieve Sniper," The second man commented... "We may have to."
-------------
Venombyte ran on... he saw the Crossroad Arms sign flapping violently in the wind. He saw Meka running out of the pub, and shouted to him.
--------------
"Everyone out! Now!" Meka shouted...
The wall fell down... and instead of listening to Meka, who just ran straight out, they watched as the wall landed on the ground.
And behind it lay machinary, and large metal cylinders.
Below them, lay tanks of petrol, crates... and what seemed like a large hold of tnt.
--------------
"Ok, ten second count down timer on."
--------------
"Venombyte! What's going on!"
"GET OUT!, GET AWAY!" He shouted...
"Why? What's happening?"
--------------
Snake ran out the door, past Meka... the rest followed.
"Quick! Get everyone out!"
Venom ran inside, and shouted for everyone to leave... they snapped out of watching the walls crumble in intrigue, and ran out of the warehouse.
They all ran from the wooden door, following Venom up towards the end of the street...
---------------
Sniper got up, and pulled the dart from his head.
---------------
"What the hell was that?" Fm shouted, unable to turn around to see the city...
"Something just blew up!" Grix said. "Something just blew up... Jesus!"
The flames bounced on the reflections of the water.
An old man sat in an old chair, wasting away and revisiting his life.
"Sayings? What sayings?"
"Sayings that control the world... the lands..." Dr someone, I forget who, said.
(Grix, really, stop using that joke, it wasn't funny the first time.)
"There is one... one of such wonder, that I vowed never to utter any two words of it together again."
The small boy listened to the old man in wonder. "Wow... what does it do?"
The old man leaned forward, the chair creaked. "It's... complicated. At the moment you utter it, someone nearby, someone you've never met before, will walk towards you, and do something that will utterly change your life forever. The problem being, of course, that will they change your life for the better, or for the worse?"
The boy listened, wide eyed... "What's the saying? What do you have to say?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you... I must let it die out with me..."
-------------
As soon as Venombyte had finished his sentence... he stopped, and looked out into the streets.
A man was running down the centre of the road, straight towards him. He was wearing an overcoat, that fell to his heels... it swayed as he ran.
The man stopped before him... he wasn't in the least breathless.
"Sorry to bother you... but my keys, I dropped my keys down a drain, and I need someone to help me lift the drain up."
Venombyte lowered his eyebrow.
"Err... right, ok, where are they?"
The man ran off, and Venombyte followed him. The rest ran to catch up.
"Here, just help me lift the drain."
Venom kneeled down, and they both managed to lift up the drain, and put it to one side... the man pulled his coat to his elbow, leaned down, and retrieved his keys. He wiped his arm clean with some paper.
"Thanks a lot mate... hey, what's your name?" The man asked.
"Err... people call me Venombyte."
"Venombyte huh?" The man finished polishing his arm, and pulled his coat arm back down. He put out his hand, as if Venom should shake it.
"My name's Jaguar Dmitiry." Venombyte took his hand, and shaked it... he wiped his hand on his trouserleg.
"Jaguar Dmitiry? That's an odd name."
"Why, yeah, it is!" He said, delighted. "Hey, like what are you doing tonight, I know a great pub around here, I could buy you lot a pint!"
"Well, we're kinda busy..." Venombyte said... and then realised what Sheepy would do to him if he declined.
Venombyte quickly spoke again. "Yeah, we'll love to come, actually, might be a laugh!"
"Excellent!" Jaguar said, writing something down on the same piece of paper that he had wiped his hand in. "Here, meet me at this pub at 8 o'clock tonight, I'm always in there then!"
"The Crossroads Inn... just like back home." Venom said aloud...
"Sayings? What sayings?"
"Sayings that control the world... the lands..." Dr someone, I forget who, said.
(Grix, really, stop using that joke, it wasn't funny the first time.)
"There is one... one of such wonder, that I vowed never to utter any two words of it together again."
The small boy listened to the old man in wonder. "Wow... what does it do?"
The old man leaned forward, the chair creaked. "It's... complicated. At the moment you utter it, someone nearby, someone you've never met before, will walk towards you, and do something that will utterly change your life forever. The problem being, of course, that will they change your life for the better, or for the worse?"
The boy listened, wide eyed... "What's the saying? What do you have to say?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you... I must let it die out with me..."
-------------
As soon as Venombyte had finished his sentence... he stopped, and looked out into the streets.
A man was running down the centre of the road, straight towards him. He was wearing an overcoat, that fell to his heels... it swayed as he ran.
The man stopped before him... he wasn't in the least breathless.
"Sorry to bother you... but my keys, I dropped my keys down a drain, and I need someone to help me lift the drain up."
Venombyte lowered his eyebrow.
"Err... right, ok, where are they?"
The man ran off, and Venombyte followed him. The rest ran to catch up.
"Here, just help me lift the drain."
Venom kneeled down, and they both managed to lift up the drain, and put it to one side... the man pulled his coat to his elbow, leaned down, and retrieved his keys. He wiped his arm clean with some paper.
"Thanks a lot mate... hey, what's your name?" The man asked.
"Err... people call me Venombyte."
"Venombyte huh?" The man finished polishing his arm, and pulled his coat arm back down. He put out his hand, as if Venom should shake it.
"My name's Jaguar Dmitiry." Venombyte took his hand, and shaked it... he wiped his hand on his trouserleg.
"Jaguar Dmitiry? That's an odd name."
"Why, yeah, it is!" He said, delighted. "Hey, like what are you doing tonight, I know a great pub around here, I could buy you lot a pint!"
"Well, we're kinda busy..." Venombyte said... and then realised what Sheepy would do to him if he declined.
Venombyte quickly spoke again. "Yeah, we'll love to come, actually, might be a laugh!"
"Excellent!" Jaguar said, writing something down on the same piece of paper that he had wiped his hand in. "Here, meet me at this pub at 8 o'clock tonight, I'm always in there then!"
"The Crossroads Inn... just like back home." Venom said aloud...
Sheepy stopped, and called to the group, "Hey guys, I think I've found the teleporter!"
YH, Venom, Meka, Sniper and Mongoose Man all walked over to him, leaves and twigs crunching beneath their feet.
"There," Sheepy said, pointing a few feet in front of him.
Meka sighed, "No Sheepy, that's not the teleporter."
"What is it then?"
"It's a tree, Sheepy. There are quite a few of them around here, didn't you notice?"
Sheepy studied the woods for a couple of minutes, before smiling and then saying, "Ah yes, I thought it looked familiar."
"DAMN!" came the cry from Solid Snake, a few metres to their left.
Snake had apparently found the teleporter. And to their surprise, he had found it.
It was shaped like a telephone box, with a big sign over it reading, "TELEPORTER."
Sniper rolled his eyes, "How imaginative."
YH opened the door and pulled out an instruction manual from inside.
"It says we can only go one at a time, or..."
Before he could finish, Sheepy and Mongoose Man both ran in and pressed a button. There was a flash, and then they were gone.
Meka sighed, "Okay, I'll go first. We just press the button, right?"
"It seems so." YH replied.
So Meka went, then YH, then Sniper, then VenomByte and then Snake. They all landed hard on the concrete seemingly just outside Madison Square Garden.
"Okay, we're here." Venom confirmed.
He looked over at Sheepy, who seemed to be okay. As did Mongoose Man...until he looked at his body.
"Erm, Sheepy. You apparently have the body of Mongoose Man. And Mongoose Man...you have the body of Sheepy...apart from the head, I mean."
"I know!" Sheepy said outraged, "God Mongoose, I never realised how fat you were!"
"Hey, at least mine's bigger than yours!"
"You son of a-"
Sheepy was broken off when Mongoose Man leaped onto him and began to him hard in the stomach.
"Hey Mongoose, I hope you know your hitting your own stomach there..." Venom commented.
YH, Venom, Meka, Sniper and Mongoose Man all walked over to him, leaves and twigs crunching beneath their feet.
"There," Sheepy said, pointing a few feet in front of him.
Meka sighed, "No Sheepy, that's not the teleporter."
"What is it then?"
"It's a tree, Sheepy. There are quite a few of them around here, didn't you notice?"
Sheepy studied the woods for a couple of minutes, before smiling and then saying, "Ah yes, I thought it looked familiar."
"DAMN!" came the cry from Solid Snake, a few metres to their left.
Snake had apparently found the teleporter. And to their surprise, he had found it.
It was shaped like a telephone box, with a big sign over it reading, "TELEPORTER."
Sniper rolled his eyes, "How imaginative."
YH opened the door and pulled out an instruction manual from inside.
"It says we can only go one at a time, or..."
Before he could finish, Sheepy and Mongoose Man both ran in and pressed a button. There was a flash, and then they were gone.
Meka sighed, "Okay, I'll go first. We just press the button, right?"
"It seems so." YH replied.
So Meka went, then YH, then Sniper, then VenomByte and then Snake. They all landed hard on the concrete seemingly just outside Madison Square Garden.
"Okay, we're here." Venom confirmed.
He looked over at Sheepy, who seemed to be okay. As did Mongoose Man...until he looked at his body.
"Erm, Sheepy. You apparently have the body of Mongoose Man. And Mongoose Man...you have the body of Sheepy...apart from the head, I mean."
"I know!" Sheepy said outraged, "God Mongoose, I never realised how fat you were!"
"Hey, at least mine's bigger than yours!"
"You son of a-"
Sheepy was broken off when Mongoose Man leaped onto him and began to him hard in the stomach.
"Hey Mongoose, I hope you know your hitting your own stomach there..." Venom commented.
Grix and FM sat back to back on the empty crate, floating in the darkness... Grix could see the lights of New York in the distance, shimmering reflections off the dark waters.
FM was trying to place the Street Fighter 2 cartridge into his pocket, his hands being tied to Grix's really wasn't helping much.
"Ok, so we're in New York, but how the hell did we get all the way from Pembrokeshire to here... and why?"
"I really haven't a clue..." FM lied again. He couldn't get a thought out of his mind...
"Grix?"
"Yah?"
"I can trust you, right?"
Grix thought for a second. "I think so, I don't really speak that often, and I doubt I would run away if you a broken leg and couldn't get out of a burning house, or something."
Silence for a few seconds.
"So, yeah, you can trust me."
"Good. I think there's something I think you should know... a lot happened when you were trapped in the Street Fighter 2 cartridge."
Big tense moment.
"I'm Stefan RamistÈ."
"Oh, cool."
FM's thoughts stopped in their tracks for a second.
"I'm... you know, that famous games collecting guy, Stefan RamistÈ! I kill for games!"
"Yeah, I know, I've heard all about it. Neat."
More silence. FM grated his teeth.
"It's really clever, all it is is an anagram of my name!"
"Oh, yeah, that is clever." Grix thought for a second. "Where is the y?"
"I... I couldn't fit it in."
"Ha! You couldn't fit it in? Didn't you even try?"
"Well... yeah, but..."
"And you think you're the mysterious God of gaming?"
"Well, yes!"
Silence again.
Grix broke it. "Well, fair enough."
Bit more silence.
"So why are you telling me this, anyway?" Grix asked, breaking the silence once more.
"Well... it's a bit embarressing actually. I was... err... working for Bill Gates."
"What? Why?"
FM smiled at the eventual interest of Grix... "Well, it's a long story, and I'm sure you really wouldn't want me to bore you with the details."
"Oh, ok."
More silence.
FM broke it this time. "Well, actually, he said he could supply me with all the games I ever wanted. I just had to do a little something for him."
"Err... what?"
"I err, just had to kill you all."
"Oh, I see. Yeah, I can see why too." Grix said.
Fm wondered how different this conversation would be if Grix's and his hands weren't tied.
"I suspected Pb and Ant knew... when they left, I think Pb was running away from me. I tried to kill them as they left, but..."
"But what?"
"I don't know what happened to be honest. Either er-no picked them up in the tardis, or they were captured and locked in a car boot by someone, it depends on which part of the story you read. Time travel, very confusing."
"So... when we first were made to work for you, when Wookiee met us, he was basically just informing us of our upcoming deaths."
"Yeah. I didn't realise he meant me too."
"Hey?"
Fm went silent for a moment. "I don't think Wookiee is working for me anymore. That's why I think we were left in a sinking boat to die."
"And why we're stuck on a crate, floating aimlessly."
"Yup." FM replied.
"So what have the mimes got to do with all this?"
Grix felt FM shudder as he asked the question.
"I'm afraid that's another story... one I'm not sure I want to face yet." FM looked up to the stars.
Grix thought he heard violins.
"So..." FM asked. "You got any exciting stories?"
"Nope." Grix replied.
It was going to be a long night.
Grix and FM tried to pull their bonds apart, and nearly fell into the water. They didn't try again.
-------------------
Pb and Ant were sat on two wooden chairs, back to back. Their hands had been tied together, and rope had been wrapped around their torsos.
"Loads of imagination, this writer." Pb muttered.
They were seated in what seemed like a large hall... the stage fell parallel of them, and it was lighted beautifully with chandliers and candles... but Pb and Ant were surrounded by people in black sheets. It wasn't a nice experience.
"We know how much Grix regards you as friends... he will come... he only needs to learn of your pain."
The man stood at centre stage spoke into the microphone to the two bound guys. He wore a black sheet over him, like the rest, and like the rest, only an opening in the head revealed his face, and no more of his body you could see.
But unlike the rest, he also wore a golden medalion around his neck... the chain held something across his chest, but Ant nor Pb could see what it was.
"And when he comes... we will perform the operation."
All the men in black sheets suddenly turned and faced the man on stage.
"We are the one." The man on stage said.
"THE ONE." The rest chanted.
"We will rule the day that the world struck us down, fed us to the dogs of inhumanity and waited patiently for us to crawl to their feet and lick the dirt off them. For we no longer can live in harmony with these people that see us for the nothing in which they live."
The man on stage took a deep breath.
"For we are MAC USERS!"
"MAC USERS!" The room chanted.
"And for us to find the evil Gates, and rid him of our world... we must find someone who can combat him, and will work for us... against him."
"AGAINST HIM!"
"For we must find Grix Thraves, slayer of Gates." The man on stage knelt on the ground, his face tilted towards the ground.
"For we must find Stefan RamistÈ!" He shouted, as he rose from the ground, and punched the air above him.
A banner with Grix's face on fell in the background, and the room cheered.
"Grix is Stefan...?" Pb asked himself...
"What? What's going on?" Ant said to Pb...
FM was trying to place the Street Fighter 2 cartridge into his pocket, his hands being tied to Grix's really wasn't helping much.
"Ok, so we're in New York, but how the hell did we get all the way from Pembrokeshire to here... and why?"
"I really haven't a clue..." FM lied again. He couldn't get a thought out of his mind...
"Grix?"
"Yah?"
"I can trust you, right?"
Grix thought for a second. "I think so, I don't really speak that often, and I doubt I would run away if you a broken leg and couldn't get out of a burning house, or something."
Silence for a few seconds.
"So, yeah, you can trust me."
"Good. I think there's something I think you should know... a lot happened when you were trapped in the Street Fighter 2 cartridge."
Big tense moment.
"I'm Stefan RamistÈ."
"Oh, cool."
FM's thoughts stopped in their tracks for a second.
"I'm... you know, that famous games collecting guy, Stefan RamistÈ! I kill for games!"
"Yeah, I know, I've heard all about it. Neat."
More silence. FM grated his teeth.
"It's really clever, all it is is an anagram of my name!"
"Oh, yeah, that is clever." Grix thought for a second. "Where is the y?"
"I... I couldn't fit it in."
"Ha! You couldn't fit it in? Didn't you even try?"
"Well... yeah, but..."
"And you think you're the mysterious God of gaming?"
"Well, yes!"
Silence again.
Grix broke it. "Well, fair enough."
Bit more silence.
"So why are you telling me this, anyway?" Grix asked, breaking the silence once more.
"Well... it's a bit embarressing actually. I was... err... working for Bill Gates."
"What? Why?"
FM smiled at the eventual interest of Grix... "Well, it's a long story, and I'm sure you really wouldn't want me to bore you with the details."
"Oh, ok."
More silence.
FM broke it this time. "Well, actually, he said he could supply me with all the games I ever wanted. I just had to do a little something for him."
"Err... what?"
"I err, just had to kill you all."
"Oh, I see. Yeah, I can see why too." Grix said.
Fm wondered how different this conversation would be if Grix's and his hands weren't tied.
"I suspected Pb and Ant knew... when they left, I think Pb was running away from me. I tried to kill them as they left, but..."
"But what?"
"I don't know what happened to be honest. Either er-no picked them up in the tardis, or they were captured and locked in a car boot by someone, it depends on which part of the story you read. Time travel, very confusing."
"So... when we first were made to work for you, when Wookiee met us, he was basically just informing us of our upcoming deaths."
"Yeah. I didn't realise he meant me too."
"Hey?"
Fm went silent for a moment. "I don't think Wookiee is working for me anymore. That's why I think we were left in a sinking boat to die."
"And why we're stuck on a crate, floating aimlessly."
"Yup." FM replied.
"So what have the mimes got to do with all this?"
Grix felt FM shudder as he asked the question.
"I'm afraid that's another story... one I'm not sure I want to face yet." FM looked up to the stars.
Grix thought he heard violins.
"So..." FM asked. "You got any exciting stories?"
"Nope." Grix replied.
It was going to be a long night.
Grix and FM tried to pull their bonds apart, and nearly fell into the water. They didn't try again.
-------------------
Pb and Ant were sat on two wooden chairs, back to back. Their hands had been tied together, and rope had been wrapped around their torsos.
"Loads of imagination, this writer." Pb muttered.
They were seated in what seemed like a large hall... the stage fell parallel of them, and it was lighted beautifully with chandliers and candles... but Pb and Ant were surrounded by people in black sheets. It wasn't a nice experience.
"We know how much Grix regards you as friends... he will come... he only needs to learn of your pain."
The man stood at centre stage spoke into the microphone to the two bound guys. He wore a black sheet over him, like the rest, and like the rest, only an opening in the head revealed his face, and no more of his body you could see.
But unlike the rest, he also wore a golden medalion around his neck... the chain held something across his chest, but Ant nor Pb could see what it was.
"And when he comes... we will perform the operation."
All the men in black sheets suddenly turned and faced the man on stage.
"We are the one." The man on stage said.
"THE ONE." The rest chanted.
"We will rule the day that the world struck us down, fed us to the dogs of inhumanity and waited patiently for us to crawl to their feet and lick the dirt off them. For we no longer can live in harmony with these people that see us for the nothing in which they live."
The man on stage took a deep breath.
"For we are MAC USERS!"
"MAC USERS!" The room chanted.
"And for us to find the evil Gates, and rid him of our world... we must find someone who can combat him, and will work for us... against him."
"AGAINST HIM!"
"For we must find Grix Thraves, slayer of Gates." The man on stage knelt on the ground, his face tilted towards the ground.
"For we must find Stefan RamistÈ!" He shouted, as he rose from the ground, and punched the air above him.
A banner with Grix's face on fell in the background, and the room cheered.
"Grix is Stefan...?" Pb asked himself...
"What? What's going on?" Ant said to Pb...
Grix was thrown back into reality by a smack to the back of his head.
"Fricks?!"
"Get up you pillar." Grix thought FM shouted at him. "We're going to duck in frown."
"Wha?" Grix said, before water started to enter his mouth.
"Blub."
-------------
One minute earlier.
-------------
Gunfire? Was that gunfire?... And an engine?
FM woke up, and went to scratch his head.
But he couldn't, because his hands were tied behind his back.
Shouting for help was his intial reaction.
"HELP!"
Didn't seem to work.
He looked at the white boards in front of him... stars lay to the right of them, a length of rope was on his left, somehow lying on the wall, dyfing the laws of gravity.
The walls were swaying as well... which was when he realised he was lying on a boat.
And shortly after that, he realised that his face was getting wet.
-------------
Four minutes earlier.
-------------
"I'm sorry." The man said to the two unconscious people. He sat them on wooden chairs on the boat, back to back. He tied their hands together, and tied rope around their torsos as well.
He got into the speedboat next to the small white wooden boat, in which the two men sat. He pulled out a gun, and started firing into the hull of the boat. He shot a few more times... and a stray bullet hit the leg of FM's chair. It tumbled over, and the two chairs slammed onto the deck of the boat.
The mans eyes widened. He shot a few more times, and then sped the boat away... back to Manhatten Isle.
FM tried to break free... but he was truly trapped. Someone was behind him...
"Grix? Grix!"
FM headbutted backwards.
"Grix!?"
FM swore at Grix to get up...
Grix spat the water out of his mouth.
"What? What's going on?"
"I don't know! Try and get the chairs back on their legs!"
They both tried rocking, both at different times.
"No no... together! Rock together!"
So they got a pattern going, and still didn't get anywhere.
The water was covering their mouths completly now.
"Grix? What can you see?"
"Err..." He looked around. "There's an oar here, a few bits of rubbish floating around, empty bottles of sprite, a chocolate bar wrapper..."
Grix strained his eyes... was that? No, probably just another piece of rubbish.
"There's something that looks like a Megadrive cartridge. It's in a crate at the front of the boat... actually, I think it's full of them, but I'm not sure even if it IS a mega..." Grix was silenced by water rushing into his mouth again...
FM, while listening, had managed to get his feet up onto the seat of the wooden chair... he pushed down with all his might, and the chair broke away underneath him. He wriggled a bit, and the rope over his torso came loose.
They stood up, and Grix ran to the megadrive cartridges... all Street Fighter 2 cartridges...
"WTF?"
He swung around, and made FM look.
"Do megadrive cartridges float?" Grix asked.
FM kicked the crate hard.
And again.
A cartridge fell out. It sunk.
"Nope."
Grix thought for a second.
"Kick that crate again."
FM did.
Another cartridge fell out.
It sunk.
"Fricks?!"
"Get up you pillar." Grix thought FM shouted at him. "We're going to duck in frown."
"Wha?" Grix said, before water started to enter his mouth.
"Blub."
-------------
One minute earlier.
-------------
Gunfire? Was that gunfire?... And an engine?
FM woke up, and went to scratch his head.
But he couldn't, because his hands were tied behind his back.
Shouting for help was his intial reaction.
"HELP!"
Didn't seem to work.
He looked at the white boards in front of him... stars lay to the right of them, a length of rope was on his left, somehow lying on the wall, dyfing the laws of gravity.
The walls were swaying as well... which was when he realised he was lying on a boat.
And shortly after that, he realised that his face was getting wet.
-------------
Four minutes earlier.
-------------
"I'm sorry." The man said to the two unconscious people. He sat them on wooden chairs on the boat, back to back. He tied their hands together, and tied rope around their torsos as well.
He got into the speedboat next to the small white wooden boat, in which the two men sat. He pulled out a gun, and started firing into the hull of the boat. He shot a few more times... and a stray bullet hit the leg of FM's chair. It tumbled over, and the two chairs slammed onto the deck of the boat.
The mans eyes widened. He shot a few more times, and then sped the boat away... back to Manhatten Isle.
FM tried to break free... but he was truly trapped. Someone was behind him...
"Grix? Grix!"
FM headbutted backwards.
"Grix!?"
FM swore at Grix to get up...
Grix spat the water out of his mouth.
"What? What's going on?"
"I don't know! Try and get the chairs back on their legs!"
They both tried rocking, both at different times.
"No no... together! Rock together!"
So they got a pattern going, and still didn't get anywhere.
The water was covering their mouths completly now.
"Grix? What can you see?"
"Err..." He looked around. "There's an oar here, a few bits of rubbish floating around, empty bottles of sprite, a chocolate bar wrapper..."
Grix strained his eyes... was that? No, probably just another piece of rubbish.
"There's something that looks like a Megadrive cartridge. It's in a crate at the front of the boat... actually, I think it's full of them, but I'm not sure even if it IS a mega..." Grix was silenced by water rushing into his mouth again...
FM, while listening, had managed to get his feet up onto the seat of the wooden chair... he pushed down with all his might, and the chair broke away underneath him. He wriggled a bit, and the rope over his torso came loose.
They stood up, and Grix ran to the megadrive cartridges... all Street Fighter 2 cartridges...
"WTF?"
He swung around, and made FM look.
"Do megadrive cartridges float?" Grix asked.
FM kicked the crate hard.
And again.
A cartridge fell out. It sunk.
"Nope."
Grix thought for a second.
"Kick that crate again."
FM did.
Another cartridge fell out.
It sunk.
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