And a Girl.
Chapter 3: Desperado
Still don't own Earthbound.
The blonde psychic was stirred from her nap on the cold rocky ground thanks to the hollow sound of someone striking something large and metal. Her head throbbed in response with every silence breaking clash. She closed her eyes tighter hoping somehow it would help her get back to sleep when a thought occurred to her.
She didn't remember laying down to take a nap, and not on the rocky ground for that matter.
She sat up and opened her eyes, unsure of what to make of her surroundings. From what she could tell she was underground. Dirt walls surrounded her on all sides, save for a metal door Ness had been bashing with his bat to no avail. A good 10 feet above the two was a good sized hole which allowed the evening sunlight to flood the small cavern.
"Ness? What's going on?" Paula asked, still a bit groggy.
"It's good to see you're finally up." Ness let the trusty bat slip out of his hands in defeat as he faced his friend. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I have a little headache but I'll be fine. Now where are we?"
"As far as I can tell we're still in Threed." Having only woken up ten minutes earlier Ness couldn't give a definite answer.
That was just great, still in Threed. Paula didn't care for the dreary town all that much. It seem like it was stuck in never ending autumn for some reason. The leaves in the trees were all dead and wilting and the smell of the decay was always stuck in the air. The current zombie infestation the town was under was the worst part of course.
Slowly Paula's pain-addled mind recalled the events that lead the two to their capture.
They had left Twoson with the Runaway Five, and all it had cost was the most money she had ever seen in her life. The ride itself was actually a lot of fun. The band played and sang, celebrating their liberation from the Chaos Theater. The music wasn't really her, but she couldn't help but join in on the mirth and Ness was surprisingly fun to be with when he let loose and stopped worrying so much. She was already looking forward to the next time they could kick back and relax.
However as they arrived at Threed it was right back to work. After learning of the zombie problem and exploring around the panicked stricken town their only lead was a suspicious woman who shared a hotel room next to theirs. It was when they snuck into her room they were ambushed.
Paula clenched her teeth. If she ever got her hands on that cheap, zombie helping floozy she'd make her pay.
"I'm not sure if we're going to get out of here by ourselves either." Ness motioned to the metal door.
"What!" Paula shouted in disbelief. First the cabin and now she was stuck underground, like getting out of one jail cell and stepping right into another. Her eyes frantically darted around. Ness must of missed something, anything that might aid them in escaping.
"I could melt the door!" Paula exclaimed, standing up eager to give it a shot. Ness just looked on, lost in thought for a moment.
"I don't know if that's going to help, the door seems pretty thick. And what about the smoke? We don't have that much ventilation you know." Ness pointed to the small opening above them.
"What about the hole then? I can blow it open with some lightning and we can get out!" Paula suggested excitedly.
"But how would we reach the hole?"
"If I blast enough dirt we might be able to climb on it and get out." Paula blurted out. The silly idea was more then enough proof that she was desperate.
"We'd be right under the cave in though, we could get seriously hurt. Even if it did work we'd come up battered and tired only to have to deal with the zombies. Lets just calm down and think this over a bit more, okay?"
Try as she might Paula couldn't think straight. She was frustrated; at the zombies, at the woman who lead them into the ambush, at the town of Threed itself.
"There is a power of yours we could use shouldn't put us at any risk."
"Which one is that?"
"You could contact someone to come help us. Just like how you got a hold of me." Ness suggested optimistically.
The plan sounded like it might work, save for the fact that she had no idea how she contacted Ness. The only reason she knew Ness even existed was because of a psychic-fueled dream she had. She found herself too embarrassed to admit her doubt in her own abilities, or that she had a dream about Ness.
"What if it doesn't work?" Paula asked cautiously.
"Then we may have to try one of your plans."
Taking a deep breath Paula did the one thing besides eat and sleep she remembered doing in that rustic cabin, she prayed. She prayed for help, for someone to come find them. She didn't care who as long as it wasn't a zombie or a cultist. A moment passed in silence as she finished and opened her eyes to look at her friend again. Ness could tell she didn't feel any better about the situation.
"Well what do we do now?" Paula asked as she unclasped her hands.
"I guess we sit tight. Lucky for us the zombies didn't think to take our bags. We'll be somewhat comfortable for the night." Ness pointed out.
Paula only nodded and went to her bag. After getting back to Twoson she made a point to take Ness through the department store personally. For a trip that might take the two around the world he was no where close to being prepared for it. Luckily Ness had more than enough money for it all. A blanket, changes of clothes and a first aid kit were just a few things that now filled her backpack. She also had Ness buy himself a new hoodie and a few different clothing items. She looked back at him, the hoodie seemed like a natural match for him. It was almost the same blue as his stripped shirt was. For whatever reason he still wore his shorts even though Threed was a good deal chillier then Twoson was. She changed into her new pair of white leggings as soon as they got a hotel room.
Digging through her bag she retrieved the blanket and spread it out. Taking a seat on it she wrapped one of the loose ends around herself, the other end was Ness' invitation to come sit with her. Grabbing his bag he took the seat next to her. He hadn't realized how chilled his legs actually were until the touched hers.
Paula watched quietly as Ness dug through his bag and retrieved his radio. Was really really just going to listen to music and leave her by her lonesome? She quickly began running through possible conversation topics in her mind as he set to work untangling his ear buds.
"So Ness, was that your first concert?" He stopped and gave her his full attention as he usually did when she struck up a conversation.
"Yes, actually. We don't have that many venues in Onett."
"Really? It was my first one too."
"I'm sorry the music wasn't more to your taste."
"I still had a good time, they put so much energy behind their show it was hard not to have fun!" Paula grinned.
Ness smiled, happy to hear that she wasn't miserable this entire time. As Paula thought of something else to talk about her small grin turned into a mischievous smile.
"And how about that obsessed fan we met?" She asked as innocently as she could.
"What about her?"
"Well, was she your type?" She stifled a giggle as his face turned a deeper red.
"Huh?" Ness was a bit confused at the sudden turn their conversation took.
"Don't play innocent, I saw you stealing glances at her. So what did you like so much about her?" Paula pressed on, ribbing him.
"I have no idea what your talking about." Ness lied, hoping his friend would forget about his past behavior.
"It was because she was older right? You like older girls don't you?" Paula smiled slyly, enjoying the reaction she got from her dark haired companion.
"No... not necessarily." Ness tilted his head downwards, hiding behind his hat.
Paula took a minute to think, unwilling to let her game end so early.
"Well her shirt was a little low cut, maybe you're not as innocent as I thought."
"Hey!" Ness attempted to interrupt.
"Looks like I'll have to keep an eye on you Ness. We can't have you chasing girls while we're trying to save the world." Paula clicked her tongue, playing like she was disappointed.
"It wasn't that!" He nearly yelled, clearly flustered.
"Well what was it then?"
"Her hair!" He answered barely above a whisper.
"Huh? What was that?" Paula didn't expect such a simple answer.
"I liked her hair, that's all." Ness popped an earphone into his ear, effectively ending the conversation.
Paula was struck silent at the simple response. Her hair? There wasn't anything too special about her hair. Just a plain, blonde ponytail. If it weren't tied back Paula would of guessed that it would have been about shoulder length. It looked a lot like her own hair when she tied it back. Paula glanced at the side of Ness' face. Was that why he was so embarrassed? Did that mean he liked her hair as well?
Rather than risking souring his mood even further Paula decided to leave him be. Maybe the best thing would be if she got some sleep for now. Again she felt lonely with no one to talk to and the evening light slowly fading away. She inched closer to Ness and tilted her head slightly, resting on his shoulder. For a brief moment she second guessed her action, but she reassured herself that Ness wouldn't mind.
As long as he was being of help he never minded.
Jeff Andonuts walked down the street of an unknown town, his feet knowing what asphalt path to take. In his hand was his tool of choice, a handgun. Try as he might he couldn't call to mind what make the weapon was, not to mention if he had reloaded it recently. Whatever, it didn't matter much now. There were bigger problems at hand.
His eyes cautiously watched the line of trees along the boulevard. Those odd, marmalade colored trees that seemed to stretch on forever into the slate gray sky. They always seemed to emerge from behind those damned trees.
A moan caught his attention and he quickly spun on his heel, taking aim with the gun. Dozens and dozens of ravenous undead stumble towards him. He stumbled back, feeling overwhelmed by their growing numbers. He fired his weapon a handful of times before turning to escape.
Running deeper into the city proved to be no help as more and more of the living undead crawled from every shadowy path and cove of the maze of buildings. Before long he was cornered, his back against the large display window of a department store. He fired at any creature who got close to him, his gun never needing more ammunition.
"We need you..." A human voice called to him from behind, Despite his better judgment he turned to peer into the store's window.
There in the darkness stood a blonde girl donned in a bright pink dress. Her hands were folded as if she were in the midst of prayer and her soft blue eyes seemed to plead to him as she spoke again.
"We are friends you've never met and we need your help. Please come to Threed and help us!" Her blue eyes peered into his soul.
Jeff pounded on the window, hoping to shatter it and come to her aid. It was to no avail and soon he could feel multiple set of rough, dead hands dragging him to his horrible fate.
His brow was covered in cold sweat as his eyes shot open, trying to take in something other than the dark of his dorm room. Slowly he rose to a sitting position, succumbing to a fit of coughs shortly afterward. Every morning seemed to follow this little ritual, the coughing always came back and he'd have to stifle it with the cure he kept in his nightstand. Quietly he pulled open the drawer, his hand almost immediately finding the small box which held his temporary cure.
Jeff Andonuts, despite knowing most of the harm it might do to him in the future, smoked. It wasn't like he was horribly addicted. Cigarettes weren't easy to come by for a fourteen year old who, thanks to his influential ass of a father, lived in the school year round. So his smoking was cut down to once in the morning and maybe one during those late work nights.
He cracked his window and lit the tobacco filled tube hanging from his lips, willing to endure the chill. All the while the S.O.S. message from his nightmare bounced around in his brain. It didn't even feel like a thought anymore, but more like someone was right behind his shoulder constantly repeating it. As he took a final drag a rustling in his roommates bed broke his train of thoughts.
Tony was probably the best roommate Jeff could ask for. Not only was he pretty easy going and tolerant of Jeff's bad habits, but he had been a good friend since Jeff had come to the school. Jeff took a final drag from the cigarette before putting it out. If the invading chill was going to wake Tony he would be more than glad to cut his smoke break short. At the same time he knew sleep wasn't an option any longer. Not with that silly dream ransacking his head.
The halls of Snow Wood were quiet and dark, which was to be expected since it was only 4 am. He would probably be the only one who was normally awake at this hour if it weren't for Maxwell. Their love of science made the two fast friends, despite the fact that Jeff was only 14 and Maxwell was training to become a teacher. Knowing Maxwell, Jeff headed towards the library, the only place that might stay nice and quiet after the student body woke up.
"Good morning Jeff. Burning the midnight oil again?" Maxwell asked from his seat on one of the library's couches as Jeff approached.
"No, just couldn't get back to sleep." Jeff took a seat at the other end. "What about you, any luck with your research?"
"Not really, I think I might have to go out soon and study them in person." Maxwell put down the book he was reading moments before.
Jeff only nodded in response. Maxwell had been trying to find out why the animals of Winters had grown so aggressive lately. There had been numerous reports of unprovoked attacks the past few weeks, luckily no one had been killed yet.
"Apparently Winters isn't the only place that's encountered this problem either."
"Really?" Jeff hadn't been keeping up to date on the subject.
"Yeah there are reports from all over of violent, animal and even human attacks."
"Wow that's pretty bad."
"And the strangest of all is in Threed." Jeff perked upon hearing Threed mentioned.
"What's happening there?" Jeff asked slowly.
"Well it may sound silly but there's talk of the living dead attacking."
Jeff froze, the coincidence recalling that voice which seemed to plead from right over is shoulder.
"You mean like zombies?"
"That's what they're saying, silly isn't it?" Maxwell chuckled.
"Yeah, ridiculous." Jeff grew quiet. Again her voice rang through his head. It was all just a coincidence right? It didn't mean anything at all. The more he tried to brush it off the louder the voice called out to him. He tired to compose himself, burying his face in his hands. For a moment he swore the voice was changing, becoming more frantic. Time slowed to a crawl as the voice wore away at his sanity.
"I think I'm going to take a trip!" Jeff blurted out, not quite sounding like himself.
"Huh? What brings this up?" Concern trailed from Maxwell's question.
"Nothing really. I've been wanting to see my father lately. Maybe he has some insight about these odd happenings." Jeff half lied. He was going to need his father's help in order to get to Threed, but he really didn't want to see him. Besides, he'd sound crazy if he told Maxwell he was going to Threed because of a really convincing dream he had.
"Going to see Dr. Andonuts? It's been quite awhile since you've seen him, hasn't it?"
"Yeah." Jeff was too bitter towards his father to count the years.
"I don't know Jeff, it's dangerous out there. And how much school would you be missing?"
"If I leave this morning it should only take a day or two. Plus he'll probably give me a ride back or something." Jeff reasoned.
Maxwell stroked his chin. As a member of the staff it he could get into a lot of trouble if anyone knew he just let Jeff put himself into danger like this. On the other hand however Jeff wanted to see his father. As far as Maxwell knew Dr. Andonuts was the only family Jeff had left. What kind of person would he be if he denied Jeff of his request. Maxwell had a soft spot for the young scientist in front of him
"Alright, but if I don't hear from you in a day or so I'm letting the authorities know. And I want you to write down your findings, just because you're missing class doesn't mean you can skip out on learning all together."
Jeff only nodded, standing from his seat. The sun was beginning to rise and if he didn't want to get caught he would have to leave soon.
"Wait, I want you to take this with you too." Maxwell revealed a box that was hidden on his side of the couch. Opening it up he passed it to Jeff who reached inside and pulled out a seemingly normal looking airsoft handgun. Jeff was stunned once again. If his dream was prophetic this was one of the final pieces falling into place.
"I modded it to act more like a real gun. Its not going to kill anything but maybe it will scare away some unruly animals if you happen to run into them. There's also more parts in the box so maybe you can improve upon it if you need to." Maxwell explained rising from his seat offering his hand in a farewell handshake.
"Don't worry, I'll get you all the info you're going to need." Jeff smiled, shaking his hand before departing back to his room.
It didn't take long before Jeff was packed and ready to go. Unfortunately in his haste he had awoken Tony. Lying to Maxwell was one thing, he really didn't want to deceive Tony as well.
"Jeff what in the world are you doing?" Tony got out of his bed, dragging himself to his dresser.
"Nothing, I'm just getting ready to take a little trip, that's all."
"Where to?" Tony grew suspicious.
"Just to visit my dad."
"Hmm, well where ever you're really going I hope you're not planning on leaving for too long." Even if Tony couldn't see Jeff's face it was easy enough to sniff out his lies. Jeff turned and faced his roommate, who was busing buttoning his uniform.
"I'm not sure how long I'll be away for. You don't have to worry about it though." Jeff walked past his friend, only for him to follow.
"What's so important that your skipping an unknown amount of class for?" Jeff usually wasn't the one to skip classes. Tony couldn't help but to begin worrying.
"I think someone out there is trying to get a hold of me, someone who needs my help." It still sounded crazy, Jeff had to wonder what Tony thought of what he said.
"Someone is trouble? Where and how do you know?"
"I had a dream that someone in Threed was in trouble."
"What? A dream! Have you ever thought that it might only of been a dream and nothing more?" Tony exclaimed as the two left the school building and headed to the front gates. Tony didn't have too many other friends at Snow Wood, the thought of losing his dearest one because of a dream frightened him.
"I know, but I can't get the idea out of my head that there's something more to it all. If it turns out to be nothing I'll come back and accept whatever punishment awaits me but for right now I just have to check it out." Jeff attempted to climb the locked gate a few times, only to slide down the bars.
"I've always known you were a mad genius Jeff, but maybe you were just mad all this time." Tony chuckled, a bit unsure of what to make of it all. The two looked at the towering gate which kept all the boarders of Snow Wood caged in. After a moment of thought Tony stepped forward, getting on all fours. As his closest friend he had no other choice but to trust Jeff and his dream.
"What are you doing?" Jeff asked glancing down at his friend.
"Trusting the intuition of a mad genius. Now get over those bars, my hands are freezing." Tony smiled, willing to give his full support.
In one last attempt Jeff managed to liberate himself from the steely bonds of Snow Wood, looking to his friend and roommate as he stood up and brushed the snow off of his knees.
"Now hurry up and do what you need to do Jeff, and if you're not back soon you had better keep in touch." Tony warned.
"I will, and thanks Tony." Jeff took Tony's hand in a brief shake as his other arm snaked though the bars for a hug. After all Tony was the only one who was willing to trust and support Jeff's wild intuition. Breaking up the hug the two could only go their separate ways, wondering what the future held for Jeff Andonuts.
The journey across Winters had been hard and strange. Jeff reflected on it momentarily as he stood before the door of his father's lab. There had been plenty of angry animals just as Maxwell had warned. What Jeff had not been prepared for were the sentient mushrooms, protoplasm and Neanderthals that threatened to harm him. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door wondering if the worse was yet to come.
A lab assistant with short black hair answered. "Yes?" He raised an eyebrow, unused to getting such young visitors at the door.
"Hi, I'm here to see Dr. Andonuts." Jeff stated nervously. The lab assistant sneered.
"That's very nice but he is a very busy man you know, and he has much more important things to do and he doesn't have time for your... what is it you wanted with him anyways?"
"I just wanted to talk to him, you see I'm his son."
The older man looked him up and down. Upon seeing some family resemblance he spoke. "What is your name?"
"Jeff Andonuts."
Satisfied with the answer he ushered Jeff in. It was the first in some time Jeff had been in his father's lab. A handful of assistants roamed the floor, taking down data from various experiments being preformed. Jeff's heart thrashed wildly in his ribcage as they approached the oldest man in the lab who had his back to them, swiftly typing away at a computer.
"Sir, there's someone here to see you." The assistant stood next to the doctor.
"Tell them to come back later, I'm right in the middle of something."
"Sir, it's your son." These words got the old scientists attention.
Dr. Andonuts spun around in his chair. He looked on for a moment, studying Jeff's face before speaking again.
"Jerry? Is that really you Jerry?"
The young blondes heart dropped painfully into his stomach. In a way it was funny, one of the most brilliant minds in the world couldn't remember his own son's name. Jeff bit the inside of his cheek, he wanted to scream or cry or just do something. He wanted to rid himself of the painful feelings that filled him to the brim. He denied himself of acting out at the moment, he wasn't going to break down in front of this neglectful man.
"No sir, his name is Jeff." The assistant reminded his superior.
"Ah yes, Jeff." The doctor nodded. "What brings you here Jeff? Come to watch your old man at work for a little while have you?"
"No." He wasn't going to stay even if someone would pay him to. "I need a transport to Threed and I thought you might be able to help."
"Threed eh? Going out to see the world? Well that's a grand idea." Dr. Andonuts rose from his seat and motioned for Jeff to follow him. He led him to the basement where Jeff stared in amazement at the UFO like machine that stood in the center of the room.
"This is my Sky Runner it should help you get to Threed in no time! All I have to do is program the desired destination into it and it'll be all ready to go."
Something began to nag at the back of Jeff's thoughts. There was something Jeff had been meaning to ask his father for sometime and it seemed that he should do it now or never.
"Dad, you haven't heard from mom recently. Have you?" Jeff's voice had become soft and meek as he asked the burning question.
The question stopped Dr. Andonuts in his tracks for a moment and the two stood in cold silence. Jeff regretted saying anything when he received no response. Jeff tried desperately to drop any further questions and hurt feelings he had, only wishing the Sky Runner would be ready soon.
Paula was awoken with a sudden start. She could of swore that she was just in a vast, grassy field moments ago. She was enjoying the cool, spring breeze when a huge object blocked out the sun and proceeded to fall from the sky and crushed her. She breathed heavily, peering into the darkness all around her, trying to forget the vivid nightmare.
There was no green field or object of death above her, there was only Ness and the darkness. The two were still in their prison under Threed's cemetery. Sighing and wiping her brow she rested her head on Ness' chest again. She closed her eyes, letting Ness' slow, rhythmic breathing lull her back to sleep. Maybe the morning would bring better news for the both of them.
A/N: Sorry for the nearly late chapter, but here it is coming in at the last second. When thinking about Jeff I didn't want to make him out to be just another nerd. I hope you like the way I wrote him, hopefully he'll grown even more as the story goes on. Maybe even get over his father issues.
January should have at least 2 chapters. The next one will be pretty short and they both will deal with Jeff getting use to the group and vice versa.
The chapter name is from an Eagles song, if you didn't already figure it out.
Thanks for all the support and I hope you enjoy reading this!