Hello! Grey North here! I've decided to delve into FusionFall fanfiction, as you can see. I'm trying to follow gameplay, although some things will be changed for sheer believability and as plot devices. That's all for now. Enjoy!
-0.1
Kina yawned and blinked, stretching. With lazy ease, she turned to look at her alarm clock. 9:00 on a Saturday morning. Not bad.
After a moment, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. With another huge yawn, she slid out from under the covers. It was good to be done with high school, to have been accepted to college, and to be entering the beautiful, everlasting days of summer.
She stood and stumbled over to her mirror, glanced into it, and frowned. The bump her cap had left in her hair was still there, despite the massive bed-head she was suffering from. Oh well, she thought, eyes sliding to regard the reflection of her gown and golden stole. It was nothing a shower wouldn't fix, and it wasn't like she had anything to do today.
After a long, hot shower and a bowl of cereal, Kina felt a bit more human. She curled up on the couch and grabbed the book she'd been planning to reread for a month, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Shadow. As she started to read, a sudden wail destroyed the quiet morning. Kina sighed, closed the book, and padded her way back upstairs.
She walked down the hall and stopped at the pink door. After waiting for another wail, she knocked on the door. "What's up?" she asked, listening for a response. All she heard was a heavy cough.
Concern flashing across her face, she opened the door and walked into the room. Her young sister, Ellen, peeked out from under the covers and coughed again.
Kina raised an eyebrow and walked over. She placed her hand on Ellen's forehead and concentrated. It was hot, certainly warm enough to indicate a fever. She sighed and knelt beside the bed.
"You're staying in today. No arguments. You've got that annoying summer cold you always get, and we can't risk an infection like last year, right?" she said, smiling. Ellen opened her mouth to protest, but Kina shook her head. "No. I'm in charge while mom and dad are out, and I say you stay in bed. I'll make you some chicken noodle soup for lunch, since it is almost noon."
A pitiful moan escaped Ellen's mouth as she slammed her head into the pillow. "No, no, no! Why did I have to be sick today?"
Kina, already at the doorway, paused and looked back. "What's so special about today? You still have two weeks of school, so..."
Ellen shook her head and pulled up the covers. "I promised Dexter that I'd be part of his big experiment with time travel today. He needed a bunch of people, and if I'm not there, he might not be able to do it! And then everyone'll be mad and hate me and..." Her speech dissolved into coughing, which she tried to suppress with little success.
The older Brightstream girl stared at her with pity. "Sorry, kiddo, but you're super sick right now. Wouldn't want to infect the past or the future, eh? I'm sure they'll understand..." She trailed off as Ellen shook her head emphatically. She bit her lip, searching for something to say, but came up empty. After a few seconds, she turned and went to the kitchen to make some soup.
Ellen was sitting up, sniffling and staring out the window, when Kina came back with the lunch tray. She sighed and walked over, gave the tray to her sister, and sat on the bed.
"So," she said, looking into Ellen's watery eyes. "How long is this experiment supposed to take?"
"Huh?"
Kina smiled and crossed her arms. "Well, it sounds as if it's just a numbers issue. You can't be there, so Dex is one short. If I went in your place, he could do the experiment and no one would be mad at you, right?"
Ellen stirred her soup, thinking. "He said it'd only take an hour or so. We're supposed to be there at noon..."
Kina glanced at her watch. 11:40. "This at DexLabs?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
"Well then. Plenty of time to get there. Does that sound like a plan? I mean, at the very least, I can tell him why you won't be there," she said with a smile.
Her sister nodded. "That sounds good. Thanks for the soup, sis," she whispered.
Careful not to spill the lunch, Kina leaned over and hugged her. "Anything for you, kid," she said, before she stood, ruffled Ellen's hair, and left.
Kina stopped in the hallway, glancing into the full length mirror that graced the entry. Green and orange combat pants, a black and green striped halter, and orange tinted fingerless gloves complemented her brilliant green eyes and deep green hair. Technically, she supposed, it was black, but in most light, it took on a dark green luminescence. After a second she grabbed a hair-tie and pulled it back into a low ponytail. She grinned, grabbed her keys, and swept out the door.
Ten minutes of frantic driving found her at DexLabs, five minutes early. She frowned to herself as she locked the car doors. She had a habit of driving fast that she was trying to correct. All in good time, she supposed, as she walked up and entered the building.
One of the many Dexbots rolled up to her. "Are you here for experimentation?" it asked, voice flat.
"Er... Yes, I suppose. I was wondering if I could talk to Dexter about that, actually? There's a little problem..." she said, blinking and staring around the lobby. Everything was... blue. And shiny, she thought, mind wandering. New looking.
The Dexbot made a whirring sound, drawing her out of her reverie. Its eyes blinked. "Yes. Please follow me," it intoned, turning and heading down a hallway.
After a moment, Kina shook her head and followed. Robots. Time travel. How else would the young genius change the world?
The robot led her to a small room, where it stopped and indicated that she should enter and sit. The door slid shut behind her, leaving her alone with a bench and a large, flickering screen.
Kina bit her lip and sat down, glancing around the room. White walls, dim, blue tinted lights. What was it with blue? She shook her head and focused on the screen, and, feeling foolish, waved.
"Um, hi? Is anyone there?"
"Please stand by. Dexter will be with you in a moment," a feminine voice said. Kina jumped, then blushed. Of course. Computress. How could she have forgotten?
The screen flickered once more before settling. Dexter and his ever-present assistant Computress stood, staring at her. She smiled sheepishly as the young scientist raised an eyebrow.
"You wanted to speak with me?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"Ah, yes. Right. I'm Ellen Brightstream's sister, Kina. She got sick this morning and felt bad that she couldn't come, so I came instead." She winced, wondering why she was so unnerved by this boy's unchanging stare.
After a long silence, Dexter smiled. "It's fine. It's quite impressive that she thought to send a substitute. The experiment can proceed as planned," he said, pressing a button. "Now, everyone, please sit still as the computer scans you. When prompted, say your name very clearly."
"Name, please." Computress's voice issued from hidden speakers.
"Akinas Brightstream."
"Age?"
"Eighteen."
The screen flickered again as one corner changed to a three dimensional rendering of Kina. Her name, age, and other stats appeared next to it. Beneath the screen, a drawer popped open, revealing a medium-sized black watch.
"Please take the communicator and place it on your wrist. The doors will open in a few seconds and you will all be led to the time capsule. We will issue further instructions there," Dexter said, turning away from the screen.
Kina did as she was asked, and the doors slide open with a pneumatic hiss. Flashing lights and arrows ushered her into a large room with many doors, through which were entering many younger kids. She sighed and rolled her eyes, hiding her annoyance at the fact that half of them were taller than her. Yes, she was short, but this was bordering on ridiculous.
One whole wall flickered and revealed Dexter and Computress once more, as the doors slid closed. Kina glanced around. There had to be at least a hundred kids in the room, probably more. Why did Dexter feel the need for so many test subjects, she wondered, before returning her attention to the screen.
"Are we ready, Computress?" the boy genius asked.
"Systems are go."
"Start the program then. And, countdown! In five..."
"Oooh, pretty!" came a young, female voice. Kina raised an eyebrow.
"Four..."
"Tee hee!" This time, the voice was accompanied by a spinning, dancing girl. She flashed behind the two onscreen, without them noticing.
"Three..."
"Oooooh, this is new!"
"Two..."
"Hey, what's that?" The girl launched across the screen again. Kina bit her lip, wondering exactly what was going on.
"One..."
"What's this button do?"
"Dee Dee, no!" Dexter cried, a look of panic flashing across his face as he turned to see the girl. It was too late, however, and the button had already been pressed.
"Zero," Computress finished.
The room flashed into perfect darkness. Kina's heart leapt into her throat and her stomach twisted, feeling the way it did on a big drop on a roller coaster. Her chest felt tight, like she couldn't get enough air in her lungs. Disoriented, she fell to her knees, blinking rapidly. There was a sense of infinity around her, like there were no walls, no people, just nothing that went on forever...
And with a jolt, she hit the ground, knees and hands grinding into the dirt. She took a deep breath, head spinning, and collapsed.
A/N: Well, the first chapter is up, and we're rocketing into the future! I think I have the title down, although suggestions are gladly accepted. Also, if I don't have a character quite right, don't hesitate to tell me. In any event... Hobey ho, let's go!
