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Learning to Live
Chapter 9: Turn of Events
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(Knives)
The Plant needed some serious work, oh sure it could function, but that's all it could do. I was currently writing up a list of things that need to be tone to get the Plant optimized. With better efficiency the Plant would be less likely to break down.
Everything in the plant was screwed up. I was really shocked that the humans had managed this long without a massive burnout.
Humans and their "ingenuity." I snorted.
Along with trying to work out the problems with the Plants I had been trying to work with Kestrel with her problems.
It was not fun.
In fact while I made a fool of myself trying to get her to learn how to say 'pencil' by saying "pencil" then pointing to the said object, she just looked at me confused then seemed to find the whole thing extremely amusing.
And when I had thrown the pencil to the floor in frustration she had laughed, picked up another pencil and mimicked my frustration, giggling like it was a big joke.
At that point I decided to ignore her and get to work on the Plant problems. She had tried to get my attention at first, I don't know why; she still refused to be touched by me but wanted my attention. She had given up after awhile falling quiet as she sat on the bed behind me. It wasn't strange for her go silent like this. When she did her eyes would look distant and she would stare into space for long periods of time. In those times I wondered if she was remembering something.
I looked back at the bed where Kestrel should have been. "Should" have been.
I blinked in surprise. She was gone. At some point while I had been absorbed in my notes and thoughts she had left the room.
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(Luke)
I looked around nervously. Lily was nowhere to be seen. I sighed with relief and stuck my hand into the Savings jar.
The jar that held all our money, because Lily didn't trust banks and refused to even get a savings account.
I needed some money for a little night out with my buds from the Plant. We all took turns buying the beer, and tonight was my turn.
Suddenly I felt a light touch on my back. Surprised I shrieked out of pure shock and flipped around accidentally elbowing the person behind me.
The person, who turned out to be Kes, screamed herself, ran away from me and hid behind the couch.
The commotion brought the sound of two sets of feet, one from the guest room and the other from downstairs in the bakery.
Both Knives and Lily came into the room at the same time, "What happened?" Lily was the first to speak.
"Uh… I… uh." I didn't know what to say, my left hand was still in the money jar and both Lily and Knives were giving me peeved looks.
"You scared her!" Lily cried seeing Kes huddled behind the couch.
"I scared her? She scared me!" I said, even though the both of them were no longer paying any attention to me but to Kes.
I took my hand out of the jar and looked around guiltily.
Turns out the strike to the face she had gotten from my elbow had started her nose bleeding.
After they had made sure Kes hadn't reopened her major wounds, Lily chewed me out so bad that if it had been physical I would have needed surgery to put all my bones back in place. And Knives well he looked like he wanted to tear me apart, fourtunatly the look passed. But it made we wonder...
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"Who does she think she is," I complained to one in particular, "I mean just because she's ten years older than me she thinks she can rule over my life. I get my weekly "allowance" and that's it! Ask for more and it's all, "We have to manage the budget properly," and "don't be a glutton." Jeez!"
"Well then why don't you get your own place?" Calvin, another one of the weekday Plant Engineers said.
The entire weekday PE's were here including Knives who had grudgingly tagged along saying something about needing some peace and quiet.
"Me and what money!" I cried throwing my hands up in the air.
The others, not including Knives who was reading a standard Plant manual with a look of disgust on his face, laughed.
"Oh, shut up, you nimrods." I said.
That made them laugh even harder.
I shook my head and looked at Knives again, who still had a very disturbed look on his face.
"Hey, Knives? What's with the crusty face?"
Knives looked up from the manual for a moment then back at it and shook his head, "Nothing."
Deana leaned on the table and smiled at Knives, "Knives… that's an interesting nickname… where does it originate from? What I mean is who gave it to you?"
Knives looked at her, with a strange look in his eye, an angry look that lasted for a moment then it was gone as if it had never been there in the first place.
"My… foster mother gave it to me." Knives sighed.
"Oh really? You're adopted?"
Knives grunted in affirmation, he still had a very odd look on his face. He looked uncomfortable. Maybe he just didn't like talking about his parentage.
I decided to change the subject, "So Knives, what are you planning on doing next with Kes?"
He shrugged, "I haven't a clue. I've been trying to teach her language but it's all just a big game to her."
I was about to respond but my beeper went off. The beeper was a special bit of lost technology that had been recreated for the use of us Plant Engineers. It was used to notify us of any emergencies at the Plant.
I read the small screen on the beeper then cursed, "We gotta get the Plant!" I yelled.
"What's happening!" Calvin asked as we ran the five blocks to the Plant.
"The plant is entering the preliminary stages of a meltdown!" I said through my heavy breathing as I ran.
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(Knives)
The plant was breaking down; my sister Plant inside the bulb was delirious, the hydrogen pumps flickering on and off sending her into a state of confusion. She couldn't control the bursts of energy much less communicate with me.
Everyone was working to figure out what had triggered the sudden collapse of the entire Plant system. Even I couldn't find out what was wrong. If only she would communicate with me.
Suddenly one of the huge hydrogen batteries exploded sending shrapnel in every direction. I dove behind a control desk just as the energy released from the battery shook the entire complex. The people in the room cleared out of the room, obviously seeing the place as a lost cause.
I heard the Plant cry out in agony. She was dying, and she would most certainly die if I didn't get her out of there.
I took a dive out from my safe place behind the control desk and ran straight into the flames created by the explosion.
I would not let my sister Plant die. I couldn't just sit there at let it happen.
I ascended a ladder up onto the top of the plant bulb and drove my fist into the paneling there, opening it I leapt into the bulb.
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(Luke)
When everyone had cleared out and was out side I noticed something missing. "Where's Knives?" I yelled out.
Everyone looked around confused, shaking their heads. No one knew where he was.
He was still inside.
I ran back inside despite the protests of my peers, Knives wasn't stupid, why did he stay in there? What possessed him to…?
Upon entering the plant I was hit with a blast of hot air flowing off of a gigantic blaze. Through the flame I saw Knives… in the Plant bulb. He had his arms around the Plant angel inside and was hastily trying to disconnect the creature from the mechanical devices inside the bulb.
What was he doing? How could he even be in there? Any normal person would have been killed instantly by the pressure and radiation inside the bulb.
As the last connection came loose both he and the Plant angel came dropped to the bottom of the bulb. Knives wasted no time. He pointed his hand at the glass and suddenly, his arm changed slightly making his arm look like some sort of small cannon.
It could have been a trick of the eye brought on by the heat and light emitting from the blaze but I was certain it was not. The small cannon that had become Knives' arm began to glow with a strange ethereal brilliance.
A beam of light shot through the bulb, shattering the glass and sent a whirl of intense energy into the Plant room. I backed up against the wall. What was that? Was Knives creating that?
Knives was suddenly out of the bulb with the Plant Angel in his arms. He saw me and headed in my direction. Not wanting to waste any more time in that room with questions I led him out of there without a word.
But it only deepened the fact in my mind that he and maybe even that girlfriend of his… weren't normal.
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-Kills the evil writer's block- HAHAHAHA! I have killed the evil beast! But I think that my brain was addled by it all… I still don't like this chapter. Sooo hard to write. But I'll leave it up to you all for the opinions.
AND I GOT FANART! -Does the happy dance of a thousand smiles- you may see it at the Author's notes Live Journal! It's by the wonderful and most gracious Blu-Chan. –Gives hugs-
And a special thanks to LegacyRBluesummers for beta-reading.
And to Blu-Chan for the feedback.
RRWhitewolf7187: Well I do apologize quite profusely for leaving you hanging for so long between updates… I will try my hardest to get you the next chapter soon. Fate willing of course.
Blu-Chan: Oh yeah about the POV think… I just hadn't had the real chance to change it until that point. I love to write stories from multiple points of view… It gives a story so much more depth… in my mind anyway. I'm glad you like Kes; I've been working my hardest to make her not a MS. And don't worry I understand perfectly. Eee! Thankyouthankyouthankyou for doing some fanart for my story! –More hugs for you-
Hope-is-4ever: Well only time will tell, no? And I'm sorry for not having updated soon.
Dark Fusion: As always I'm glad you approve. Here is your update!
Shadowneko003: Thanks. -)
Rosebud: Yeah… well come next chapter the whole cat will be out of the bag. But they'll get along. Hehe, XD yeah-Sings- Knives and kestrel sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G hee hee! And the truck thing… that would be an…. interesting chapter to write. O.O
El Hustino: Is okay… Is okay. Me? Not nice? Well… heh heh heh… -evil laugh- No break for the weary… It's going to get much worse… if my writing goes the way it's supposed to. Well now review when you can. Don't strain yourself… YOU need to write as well. –Hint hint-