These are not (all) my characters!! Please remember that though a selective few are of my own creation (to make things realistic), the majority belong to Colfer. You know the speech...
Expect the occasional missing period and sentence fragment. I'm a lazy little girl when it comes to it.
No part of my story may be copied! I don't like to share. So don't even think about taking without asking Notice the author placement everywhere?? Yeah-well if it has a name on it… and you steal it- its like…stealing or something.
It's long, so pace yourselves, my loves. --Write reviews, m'kay? I really appreciate all your lovely criticism. PLUS- it's going to help become a better writer. You scratch my back—I'll scratch yours 333 -holds up hands- scratch-scratch
R&R
"Read
and Review.
Request the fanfic writers ask to their readers as the
only payment they´ll ever get for their stories"- random website.
NUFF SAID…you want more chapters?? Gimme some incentive ;)
By M. Pastorella
Okay, this is what we have so far:
Prelude: Whilst trying to escape to the surface on a pod due to a life threatening radiation complication with a combined two cars (for use of the public), the passengers begin to realize that the dead weight of the empty car attached to theirs is slowing them down. If they don't reach the flight point soon enough, they'll miss the magma flare, their only hope to escape the baleful fumes that threaten them. The pod can only be accessed and released from the inside of the car itself. Eventually, someone will have to give their lives to save the others, but when it comes down to it, would you really die for the one you loved?
Now would be a good time to mention that character deaths are implied! Don't Go! I'm not going to, you know, ruin it or anything, but it doesn't necessarily mean they die! Oh wait! There's violence, too. Not much, just a tad, but I don't want too many unsatisfied customer reports filling up my account.
By M. PASTORELLA -Chapter 1- Live As One Already Dead
It was another routine evening at the Jenocide Redding County Police Station in Haven's Underground City, emergency dispatch switchboard. Operator Renold J. Quitts was on duty at the time. Calls had not been pouring in, and anyways, this placid suburb not a mile outside the city and scarcely had any crime to complain of, at least by Haven standards. Suddenly, at 6:37 p. m. (although the accident itself occurred an estimated five hours earlier), the calm was
destroyed by a phone call that would shatter the safe suburban aura that was Redding county. Transcripts from the conversation demonstrate the caller's rattled composure as he desperately tried to relate to an operator the horrifying scene he and his friends had been led to:
Operator:
This is Jenocide Redding Police. May I help you?"
Man:
"We have ah- a crash here. Oh
mon dieu. Il est horrible."
Operator:
"Sir, what is your name?"
Man:
"Ennui Fait."
Operator:
"Can you spell that?"
Man:
"Oui… F-A-I-T."
Operator:
"F-A. . ."
Man:
"F-A-I-T."
Operator:
". . . -I-T. Your phone number?"
Man:
"I don't even know if it's here. There's, uh, I don't have a
phone number here."
Operator:
"Okay, where you calling from?"
Man:
"The Old Colony Railway Station."
Operator:
"Haven Square?"
Man: "Nooo-Ocean Avenue. What the ...?" Man fumbles with phone
before rejoining the conversation
Operator:
"Ocean ... Avenue? Offa where?"
Man:
"It's right
off Hell's Legs Road. Ocean Avenue."
Operator:
"Hell's Legs Road. Got it. What's ... what's the problem,
Sir?"
Man:
"Goddam- Ot
avez-vous entendu ?!
There's been a crash!"
Operator:
"There's a crash. Anybody hurt?"
Man:
"Hah?"
Operator:
"Anybody hurt?"
Man:
"Yeah, it's uh, uh – there's bodies."
Operator:
"Whattaya
mean? How many?"
Man:
Voice breaking "A lot."
Man:
"I don't know what happened. But there's bodies…erm-
everywhere.
Operator:
"Y- you said that- Hold on a second, Sir."
(Police
Officer now takes over call)
Police
Officer:
"Hello."
Man:
"Hello."
Police
Officer: "What's
your name?"
Man:
"My name is Ennui Feit
Police
Officer: "Edward
Fate?"
Man:
"Ennui Feit."
Police
Officer: "How
do you spell it?"
Man:
"What? I just ... How many
times do I have to tell you? F-E-I-T"
Police
Officer:
"Where're you at?"
Man:
"I'm on Ocean Avenue.
Police
Officer: "What
number?"
Man:
"For chrissakes!! Indistinguishable French –Sighs- I don't
have a number here. But could you kindly send someone down… I don't
know. If there are survivors you're sure as hell killing them off
now with your dumbass questions. There's no number on the phone.
"
Police
Officer: "Sir-
can you calm down? What's the address?"
Man:
"I don't even know that."
Police
Officer:
"Where're you at? Ocean Avenue and what?"
Man:
"I'm at the Railway Station"
Police
Officer: "Okay.
Now, tell me what's wrong."
Man:
"I heard some screaming from the bar I was ah… attending. So,
uh . . ."
Police
Officer: "You're
intoxicated…"
Man: grunting mumbles No sir…
Police Officer: Uh-huh. You on anything?
Man: more grumbles No sir.
Police Officer: Okay Ennui… I need you to try to hold yourself up for a minute longer and tell me exactly what you see.
Man: fumbles with phone I see a little girl. Underneath a collapsed waiting terminal. She's dead.
Police Officer: This isn't the drugs talking right buddy? I'd hate to go down there myself only to find a wasted French-elfman half-drowning in his own urine, mistaking his bag of cans for a girl."
Man: Piss off.
Police Officer: Anyone else with you?
Man: Yes- but I wouldn't-
Police: Put him on.
Second Man: severely intoxicated ramble "What'd I tell you?? I told you I had nuthin to drink right? Looky here, yous- yous either come down here! Ors SOMEWHO es gunna be en qweit a
bit of TROUBLE with somewhos. So- I'd. Id'. I'd come here. Yesh. I would. And invetestagte!
Police Officer: "I see. Put the other man on please.
Man: What?
Police Officer: That your drinking buddy? I'll send an ambulance."
Man:
Not necessary officer.
Police Officer:
"What do you mean?"
Man: Ain't nobody to save.
Four Hours Earlier
Artemis seated himself beside Holly. The car is spread with a frantic group of people; each with another's company, yet never feeling more alone in their lives.
"I need to speak to you", he whispered. The only sense of calm that shines through pandemonium, when fear has consumed itself, and there's nothing left to feel.
Holly switched her glaze to him. She had been sitting there to remove herself from Foaly and tech men who were desperately trying decide whether or not to attempt to shake off the other car through a series of complicated maneuvers (risking the lives of every child, woman, and man in this car) or remove the car manually (risking their lives)... sigh such hard decisions.
A couple and their child clutched and clung to each other, digging for the treasure of hope beneath human skin. The parent's hushed tones parted from the screams, trying in vain to shield themselves from the realization of the situation. Most of the group had relatively accepted their fate, or they were in a state of shock that retarded bodily movement…or at least- that is what Holly gathered- for they all sat around drowning their spirits in each other's sorrows.
She sighed, "Tell me you came up with something," using a tone louder than his, to make everyone aware that there were ideas being offered.
He lowered his voice even more than he had begun with, "You could say that."
Holly silenced herself as proof she was listening. "But you need to hear me out," he warned. He let out a sigh and continued, "Maybe it's better if I explain the situation."
"Hurry up," Holly said genuinely annoyed, "You have no idea what this will do to them." She glanced at the tech boys taking apart an operating unit at the pod's piloting center and turned quickly away. She didn't want her gazes screwing up their work.
He never changed his voice level, but he spoke much more hastily now. "There are two pods", he began absent-mindedly. He paused to think about what he would say before he said it. "Two pods," he began again "that are both trying to reach the flight station. Now to get to the surface, we need to get to a specific speed to make the cable jump and activate the flare." She tuned him out at this point- as if she didn't know how the transport system worked. She had been there with Foaly when he was developing it. "But we can't get to that speed with the car behind us holding us back..."
"What are you getting at?" she interrupted imitating one who had actually listened to what was just said them.
"That car can't be disabled from this car, though. It has to be released manually from within itself."
She jerked away from him, "You're- kidding me, right?"
"Someone has to go inside the car and release it. The tech-boys are trying to work around it- but I know better."
"No ones going to do that!" she said abandoning any hope Artemis had of concealing his plan, "It's stupid! Everyone knows that the idiot that pulls that is going to be killed. So I wouldn't bother mentioning it. Trust me, you'll have no volunteers."
He turned to look at the others. Mulch, Vinyaya, and Butler were looking back, probably through the half-excitement that someone having an idea had brought about. "Yeah," he said returning to Holly, "I know."
