Title: Red Twine and Portals
Verse: Treasure Planet, Disney, Reality and World Events
Pairings: Scroop x Obsessive Pseudo-Scorpion Fangirl
Summary: "S.C. Arachnida was a conspiracy theorist. And if it's anyone's job to uncover the secrets that the Disney Corporation has been hiding, it's hers. She just didn't expect her investigation to transport her halfway across the galaxy."
A/N: I've found out recently that Scroop isn't really a spider, cause he has pinchers, or a scorpion, cause he lacks a tail. Technically, he's a Mantavor, but since the common joke on aliens is to compare them to animals: Scroop is now officially a pseudo-scorpion! This little know fact will be referenced in one of the coming chapters.
This has nothing to with the story but: I had a dream recently, where Jim was one of the Homestuck kids and in order to make his kernelsprite he used his solar surfer and Scroop's cold dead corpse. So it was a Solarscrooper! :D
Warning: Movie lines, very AU.
And I'm an idiot who uploads this from school, where I can't reply to comments properly. Sorry :(
Sebsula and Azarathian Angel: LOL Fear the crowbar! :D
amalimrock: Thanks, I'll try to keep that advice in mind. I'm glad you found me on DA.
Jewel Magix: Updated!~
CoffeeCarrot: LOL Now I'll have to see Starcraft just to know what you're talking about. I'll add it to my to-do-list.
=====Chapter 3: Talk==============================
04.7-002.08, 545
"Say, Scroop?" Scroop held back a groan as Mackriki settled next to him, obviously wanting to start up a conversation. Such a thing was most unwelcome by the Mantavor. "Who was t'at woman you was talkin' to?"
"The ship's medic."
"What was you talkin' about?"
"Nothing, she just assssked me to escort her through the port while she shopped." He replied with a hiss. "Ssssshe doesn't know anything about this voyage."
"Methinks t'at's gonna change real soon." Mackriki countered, pointing down at her and Amelia. "She t'ain't one of us. You could gets information out of her."
"Me?" Scroop asked incredouosly. "Why me?"
"She trusts you, else she would've asked someone else to escort her."
"I'm pretty sure she just grabbed the first person she passed by. Bessssssides, she doesn't seem like the trusting type. She threatened to kill a shopkeeper just because he wouldn't sell her a crowbar. And then once she settled down she started shaking, turned red, and gave me the rest of her money."
"Int'resting. Sounds like a real adrenaline rush."
Scroop rolled his eyes. "I'm sure."
"Dr. Doppler, Mr. Hawkins, this is Miss Sophieta Arachnida." She would have scoffed at the formal introduction, if she hadn't found the doctor's outfit to be so laughter inducing.
"No need for formalities, just call me Sophie." She shook both their hands.
"Is that even a real name?" The boy glared at her.
"It is according to my country's government. Why, do you have arachnophobia?"
He turned his head, but the blush was obvious. "Just asking."
The captain gave a slight cough, "Well then, on to the reason why I called you down here."
"Which is?"
The captain gave her a glare, then walked over to her desk. She scooped up a golden cartrigde and handed it to Doppler. "Doctor, do these symbols look similar in any way to the ones on the map?"
The doctor scrutinized it heavily, tracing his fingers over the circular indents. "Why, yes, they do. Where did you find this?"
"Miss Arachnida was found unconscious in Port Enitul with this cartridge."
"Really?" Doppler looked over at her. "Is there any chance you know what it says?"
Sophie shook her head. "Sorry, I can't translate it unless it's an Indo-European language. This thing is about as indecipherable as the Voynich Manuscript." -they gave her a strange look- "It means it is completely unreadable unless you can find a ethnic group which uses the same or a similar language."
"I see."
"Yes, well, now it's my turn to ask questions. What map? Where are we going? And what do I have to do with it?"
"All very excellent questions. Doctor, if you please. It is your voyage, after all."
"Oh! Y-y-y-yes. I would be happy to explain. You see, Jim here found a map, and it leads to Treasure Planet, the distant and unknown planet where the notorious Captain Flint hid his fortune."
"Treasure Planet?"
"Yes, have you not heard of it?"
"My planet has a similar story of a treasure island; it's a novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson. But tales like that are usually fictional, creations of imaginative pirates and those who wish to be like them."
"It would be better to just show you. The map, please?" Amelia held out her hand expectantly.
Doppler glared at her, then motioned to Jim. The boy rolled his eyes and pulled a small sphere out of his coat pocket, tossing it over to the captain rather harshly. "Here."
Captain Amelia caught it perfectly, eying it with little interest. "Interesting. Your thoughts, Miss Arachnida?"
Blue and grey eyes widened, Sophie suddenly felt her mouth go dry. "I-I... Where did you find that?"
"It was given to me," Jim answered swiftly, not wanting to mention a lot of details. He was busying himself with snooping around the various items in Amelia's stateroom. Besides, he didn't need to turn around to know that Sophie was glaring at him angrily for being so unspecific. He could feel her eyes burning into the back of her skull.
"Well then, gentlemen this is to stay under lock and key when not in use." Amelia explained as she locked the map in a cabinent. "And again, Doctor, with the upmost respect: zip your howling screamer!"
Sophie had to suppress a laugh at the insulted look on Doppler's face.
Amelia waved her hand dismissively. "You may return to your posts. Make sure the cabin boy doesn't wander off." They scowled and turned to leave. "And you, Miss Arachnida, did you need something?"
"Ah, yes, captain! I was wondering if I could perform an examination on each of the crew. It's extremely important that it gets done eventually."
"A medical examination? Why, yes, of course! You can start calling them in after we launch."
"Err, launch?" As in shuttle launch? That didn't give her much reassurance.
"Yes, would you like to watch?"
"Uh, sure, why not." Why did she agree to this? Stupid!
A light breeze blew across the deck, causing the native Floridian to pull her red coat closer to herself. She shivered, teeth chattering as she watched the crew run about the deck.
"Well, Mr. Arrow, don't you think it's about time we raised this creaking tub?" Amelia smirked at her first officer.
"Yes, captain." He faced the deck once again. "ALL HANDS TO STATIONS!"
Sophie flinced at the booming voice, sending a hateful glower in Arrow's direction. The crew quickly grabbed lines and climbed ropes, trying to get to their posts as quickly as possible. She didn't blame them.
"SMARTLY NOW!" This was going to be a long day.
"LOOSE ALL SOLAR SAILS!" The sails unfurled and began to glow bright coppery-orange the second sunlight touched them. Now she was interested. For such an archaic society they sure did seem to have an abundance of futuristic technology, the likes of which her planet had been unable to produce. Maybe she should ask one of the riggers about the material used to make the sails, assuming they knew. They hadn't proven themselves very intelligent yet, but maybe one of them has a special knowledge of sails.
"HEAVE UP THE BRACES! BRACE UP!" A honeycomb pattern lighted the sails now, and the rows of lights that ran down the mast blinked on. She assumed that the solar energy was fed into the engine and used to power the boosters at the back of the ship. She could ask about the type of electrical wiring used lat- what the heck?
Caught in her thought process, Sophie didn't notice the sudden lack of floor beneath her feet until a ring of pinkish energy flew past, and the ground rushed up to smack against her back and head. Her skull throbbed immensely, to the point where it hurt to move.
"Are you alright Miss Arachnida?" Mr. Arrow called.
"Oh yeah, I just involuntarily knocked on wood so I think I'll be fine." She replied sarcastically. The laughter of the nearby crew members greeted her response. Amelia, however, looked less than amused.
"Full speed, Mr. Arrow, if you please."
Arrow turned to a nearby intercom and shouted: "TAKE HER AWAY!"
Sophie flinched when she heard the engine rev. Her hands instantly reached out and white knuckled to the first solid object she touched, which just happened to be the leg of a four-armed roper. He glanced over his shoulder at her, giving her a strange look.
She almost laughed at the next words that came out of her mouth. "I-if you move or kick me off I'm gonna make your medical examination particularily unpleasant. Trust me, you won't like it."
He nodded, but instead of just leaving her on the ground, he helped her stand and held her in place as the ship took off. The burst of speed caused the blonde strands of her hair to blow wildly. If she hadn't been held in place so firmly then she would have ended up smacking against -a loud crash sounded behind her- the far wall. She sighed, muttered a 'thanks' to the roper, and went over to help Doppler untangle his -she snickered- suit.
"I hope your 90 days isn't up on returning this thing." She helped him stand awkwardly, frowning at his obvious limp. For some reason, the thought of having to patch up the modest and skittish doctor sounded particularily unpleasant. He would probably put up a fight.
"Thank you, Miss-" -she gave him a warning glare- "Eh, I mean, Sophie."
"No problem." She looked around suddenly, then glared at the doctor. He took a noticeable step backward.
"Something wrong?"
She narrowed her eyes. "How have the crew been treating you and the boy?"
"Oh! Um, okay, I guess. Why?"
"Nothing, it's just that they've been exceptionally kind to me. I find it rather... supicious."
"Oh, I'm sure they want nothing of you! They're just polite to an attra- ahem, errr, outgoing young lady."
She really hoped he didn't think she was stupid enough to NOT catch that stutter. "Riiii~ght. Well then, I've got to go prepare the med bay for around twenty autopsies. Catch you later!"
Doppler laughed nervously at the joke. Catch me later? Well, if this voyage ended up uneventful then at least he would have Sophie Arachnida and her strange accent and speech patterns as a source of entertainment.