This is poorly written and unfinished. Please provide your advice on the comments page. If you have never read anything published in IHA or do not understand what The IHA Project is please visit my profile. There is a rather poor explanation there. And read the other stories that I have published. Infomation about IHA and The IHA Project is scattered across all the stories I have published, so read the editors notes on them all.
A flash of bright light. Then, like puss from a popped pimple, murky darkness. Thick and oozing. Then the familiar feeling of falling, which seemed to happen almost every time. This was usually followed by either a flash of brilliant white light, or a sensation of being pushed toward what seemed to be a light at the end of a tunnel. This time, it was the former. The feeling of damp air hit him. Alex Rider opened his eyes; a dark, stone chamber the size of a small church met them. He was standing in the Mahora Academy's Library Island Terminal. There was a bench beneath a large clock and intercom system. He checked himself in a pool of water on the floor and made sure that he was still in possession of his body as he last remembered it. He checked the local time; it was 13:57 on a Friday. He pressed the intercom button next to the exit door,
"Hello, this is Alex Rider. Just arrived. When you have the time could someone please let me in"?
Alex sat down on the bench polished wooden bench by the exit door and opened up the essence pouch [1] he was wearing. He reached for his Ipod and a small pair of weights and lay down to wait.
Nodoka Miyazaki swiped her passcard and walked through the parting rows of shelves. She walked down the passage until she came to the steel door of the admin room. Swiping her card again she held up a strand of her hair for the scanner and turned the door knob clockways three and a half times, and anti-clockways four times. The palm scan was passed and the door clicked open. Inside she sat down at the central console and selected the message bank. There was only the one message from the Terminal. Nodoka selected play. Alex's voice played back his request, according to the screen it had been sitting there for 1:22:03. She exited the message bank and selected "Terminal Options". Under the general options she switched the reality from Geographic to Terminal but left the Plaza Mode off[2]. Alex was listening to a Coldplay album while finishing a sandwich when the wooden bench he was lying on became a vinyl covered sofa. The intercom flickered to life and Alex he heard Nodoka's voice over the loudspeaker.
"Alex, are you there? I'm starting the localization now, do you need anything?"
Alex stood up, switched off his Ipod and spoke into the intercom again.
"No, I'm fine thanks."
He gathered up his things and lay down on the sofa. The terminal had changed. It was no longer the damp stone chamber but an empty airport arrivals area, complete with luggage carousel. Normally Alex would see many people bustling though these terminals. These were just Artificial Creations, designed for background noise and to help with baggage. But, by default, Library Island Terminal had only the one. His name was Yawaseti Kengimoto[3], and he was a greeter and porter. He came over to Alex now, greeting him with a bow.
"Good afternoon Mr Rider. Come to visit again?" he exclaimed.
"Yes I have Kengi, it's good to see you again" replied Alex. Kengi smiled.
"Are you here long Mr Rider?" Kengi queried.
"Just two nights" Alex replied.
Alex stood by the door, waiting for Nodoka. Footsteps came down the passageway.
"Well Mr Rider, I hope you enjoy your stay and I will see you in two nights", said Kengi, "Goodbye Mr Rider" he faded away into the terminal.
"Goodbye Kengi" replied Alex. Nodoka swiped her card and the door slid back. She greeted Alex and led him down the passageway, conversing in English.
"So how are things for you at the moment Alex?"
"Very good, you?"
"Well enough, I have a difficult test on Monday" she replied.
"What's the subject?" queried Alex. "English" Nodoka replied.
"It's said that English is one of the hardest languages to learn as a second language" Alex stated.
"I would have to agree with that" agreed Nodoka.
"Well you seem to be coming along well" encouraged Alex.
They stopped outside the admin room. Nodoka went inside and switched the reality back to Geographic before locking everything up again. When she was finished they continued walking down the passage.
"Anata no mimi de baberufisshu o eta koto ga arimasu" asked Nodoka.[4]
"Hai" replied Alex.
"Ok, just making sure" was how Alex heard her response.
They were nearing the mouth of the tunnel.
"All right, same thing as before", Nodoka said, "Once we get out into the Library I will lead you up to the 4th level where you will not been seen. After that it's up to you not to be overly noticeable".
Alex nodded. They stopped in front of a pair of sliding doors. Once again Nodoka swiped her card, the doors parted and they stepped out into a darkened room in the Gigantic Library Island.
Alex and Nodoka walked out though the doors and into the 37th level of Library Island. This was one of the booby-trapped[5] levels and it was best to walk along the top of the bookshelves. With Nodoka leading the way they both claimed a ladder leaning against the nearest one. Walking along the tops Alex resumed the conversation in Japanese.
"So how are Yue and Haruna Nodoka?"
"Yue is not feeling the best at the moment" replied Nodoka
"And Haruna is waiting for you in the 6th floor. She has something to give you." They continued on through the deserted levels, claiming up ladders, crawling through tunnels, and walking atop rows and rows of books. Alex enjoyed talking to Nodoka and Yue and Haruna. In fact he enjoyed talking to most of 5-A. Soon they reached level 11 and the floor was now safe to use. Alex was still talking to Nodoka,
"So will you be staying long?" Nodoka queried.
"Just till Sunday, I'll leave in the afternoon." replied Alex
"So, apart from visiting all of us, why are you actually here? "Nodoka asked Alex
"Personal reasons." he replied.
"I understand" said Nodoka, giggling. They walked on through the last few levels. Nodoka stopped at the 8th level saying she had to attend to something here and said goodbye. Alex walked through the 7th level by himself and up the steps to the 6th to meet Haruna. Alex walked through the rows of books. Looking for the tall, dark-haired, Haruna. She was sitting on the only bench installed on the level. Her face lit up at the sight of Alex.
"Alex! There you are. Come over here!" Alex sat down on the bench next to Haruna.
"Nodoka said you had something to give me?" he asked.
"Yes" Haruna replied. She pulled a small folded square of cloth and from her pocket. "This is from Kaede, it's a map". She passed it to Alex and continued speaking. "As you may have noticed the library is deserted at the moment. There are a lot of people outside waiting to get in so you need to get out quickly and without being noticed. There is a window on the top level up the back of the building which is open. The map will lead you from there". Alex opened up the map inside was a small piece of paper with directions in Japanese. He thanked Haruna and hurried up the steps to level 1. Once there he immediately went for the back of the large building where he the open window. Diving out the open window he found himself outside the Library but still on the Island. The map reflected this and started plotting a course to what Alex assumed was where he would meet Kaede. The map directed him to swim across the lake and head for the mountains. He could not swim that far but decided to hop along the shore to his destination. He removed his socks and shoes, putting them in his pouch, and took out a drysuit. Putting on the drysuit over his clothes, he jumped in the water. Swimming was something Alex was quite good at; he could hold his breath for three and a half minutes. He swam over to the mountains stoping every now and then on the shore where he would run along the land until he would swim again. Eventually he got to where the map said he had to start climbing up the mountain. He took off the drysuit and started to walk up the mountain. He eventually got to where the map indicated. There was a tent and a fireplace but no Kaede.
Explanation time!
[1] Contains the "essence" of objects (the idea of that object existing as well as the characteristics of that object). Ever played an RPG and wondered how your character manages to carry the contents of a small attic in one bag? This is how.
[2] As not explained before, this is a microuniverse (microverse). When active it creates it's own reality. So when the bench Alex is lying on changes into a sofa it's not that his perseption of the sofa has changed but the bench itself is now a sofa. (BTW: Everything in the IHAverse comes from people using their imagination to visualise worlds into exsistance. Read my acticle on the website)
[3] Made this name up, suggestions for something more authentic would be appreciated, if you don't think it is a good name.
[4] She is asking if he has his Babel Fish in his ear. Translated via Google TL. If you can do it better please tell me. The Babel fish originates from The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. In the IHAverse this has been modified to convey meaning and intent. It is IAA standard issue equipment.
[5] Couldn't find this word in the dictionary, is this how it is spelled (and for that matter, how do you spell the past tense of "spell"). EDIT: Thanks for that LiLa!
OK. As expected, this has proven to be the most populor out of all the stories that The IHA Project has come up with. As such I promuss that I will publish the second chapter within six weeks inorder to meet your demands for AlexXKeade fluff. It will come. In the meantime, if anyone wants to learn about the SiFi-Metafictional "wiki-based collaborative writing website" that is still in a pre-alpha state but online anyway, please visit my profile, read my other stories, or visit the website by visiting my profile because I cannot add the hyperlink to this document.
A word of warning, the second chapter of this story will have a much different tone and slightly different writing style. I will start to give backstory (which is something that you won't have to do if The IHA Project reaches it's full potential *dreams for eleven minutes*... zzzzz-wha! Oh, hang on. Where was I... Oh, yeah. That's right. You wont have to give back story if don't want to because other writers can write it for you. Though it will be up to you if you want it to be published as a part of your story) and incorporate some of the harder to understand concepts of IHA, visit the almost totally-content-devoid website linked on my profile. Keade is quite a different person in The IHAverse. So is Alex, he's something called a Redpill, similar to the ones from The Matrix but able to bend reality in more ways. They are both much older. My version of Keade gives her much more detail and (IMO at least) makes her more human. There is an explanation for this, it is to do with the core idea of IHA (which stands for Interdimentional Hero Alliance [a subsection of the IAFA, the military of the IAA. Read profile for info], name paritaily refures to most [most, not all] members being protagonists) being based on our existence in multiple dimentions in both senses of the word and the power of ones mind. Visit website read article.
FYI: I was planing for this to be the second chapter of Training for Two, but after encouragement from Lion in The Land I decided to publish the unfinished work.
(Spellcheck is not working today, *rages*)