Confession time. I'm a write-oholic.
Reviewer Thanks
OMGitsEMILY: *Whew* I'm glad I'm not the only one who ended my chapter that way!
Anon: You want more? You got more!
Kristen: Take a few deep breaths before you read, okay? I don't want to take the blame if you have a heart-attack! ;)
Disclaimer: We know how it goes. Let's just get on with it!
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
No, you don't know what it's like…
Falling, it feels like you're completely weightless…
When nothing feels all right…
Though, Tyson couldn't care about falling himself, since his own brother- the brother he spent almost his whole life searching for- was lifted out from the speed of their incoming, soaring away from him. He felt numb, all of a sudden.
You don't know what it's like, to be like me…
Which is why, when they crashed, he didn't feel anything.
To be hurt…
"Tyson?" A voice called to him. Sweet, angelic… just like his mother's voice.
To feel lost…
"Uhhh…" he groaned. He opened his eyes, slowly, but not all the way. Everything seemed so blurry… he closed them, his vision back in darkness.
To be left out in the dark…
"Tyssson, wake up!" The voice said again, and this time something shook him. "C'mon, don't die on me now, you lunkhead!" …Definitely wasn't his mother's voice.
To be kicked, when you're down…
"Wha…?" he opened his eyes again, his vision clearing. He saw that Lucinda and Natalie- Tesoro's mother- were sitting right beside him. "What… what happened? …Oy, me head…" he rubbed his head, feeling a bump.
To feel like you've been pushed around…
"You didn't pull the lever and got uss ssstranded, that'ssssss what happened!" Lucinda snapped.
"Lucinda, not now," Natalie said firmly to her, then turned back to Tyson. "She's right. We crashed, but luckily, the impact wasn't so bad. We made it here, alive."
To be on the edge of breaking down, with no one there to save you…
"Jonesy!" Tyson gasped, looking around, frantically. "Where's Jonesy? Where's me brother?"
No you don't know what it's like…
Natalie and Lucinda bowed their heads sadly, avoiding his gaze. Tears welled up in his artificial eyes (denying science, here) and he covered his face with his hands, bawling.
Welcome to my life…
"Tyson…" Another voice moaned. Tyson sat up, looking over to see Valerie, propped up against the broken longboat.
"Val?" he stood up and walked over to her, stumbling a bit along the way. Her hand clutched her chest as she took in deep breaths. "Good Lord, what happened tah ya?"
"Let's just say… (uhh!)… this wasn't one of my… (oomph!)… best landings…"
"Is… Is anything broken?"
"I think my ribs are…" Valerie winced. "But don't think a small thing like that will keep me down!"
"If you're sssstill making witty remarksss, I doubt anything can." Lucinda scoffed.
Valerie ignored her. "Don't worry about me. I'll… (urk!) be fine. …Worry about your other girlfriend, eh?"
"Me other…?" Tyson thought about it, then gasped. "Tesoro!" he turned to Natalie. "Where is she?"
Natalie bit her fist, something she tended to do to keep herself from crying, but a sob escaped. "She… fell out of the boat after we crashed. We tried to find her, but… she was nowhere near our crash sight…" she said, then burst out crying. "My baby… she's gone…"
Lucinda put her arm around Natalie to comfort her. Tyson sank down next to Valerie, resting his face in his knees. The felinid heard soft, short breaths and saw his shoulders shake, so she knew he was crying. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't think so rash, Tyson," she said. "Tess and Jonesy are strong kids… I know they're okay…" At least, I hope so…
They heard some twigs snap and leaves shake, giving them the hint that someone was coming. Natalie put her hand on her pistol that was secured to her belt, preparing herself if their greeters were a threat. She turned to the others, raising her finger to her lips telling them to stay quiet, and she neared the bushes…
"Aah!" A voice yelled, tackling Natalie.
"Augh!" Natalie screamed as she was tackled, but calmed down when she saw her 'attacker'. "BEN?"
The robot had his arms wrapped around her in a hug. "Oh, this is fantastic! You're alive, and you've come to rescue us!" he exclaimed. "I won't be marooned again!"
"BEN?"
"Yes?"
"Get off me."
BEN noticed that he still had Natalie trapped in a hug. "Oh, uh, s-sorry." he released her.
"Is… Jim here?"
BEN smiled. "You bet he is! He and the others are coming right as we-"
"Natalie!" A voice exclaimed, and Natalie was enveloped by another hug, this time it was Jim. "I'm so glad you're alive…" he sounded as if he was crying, and she couldn't blame him.
Tyson watched them, smiling a bit from seeing the two lovers united once again, though he was still cautious about trusting Jim. He watched as several others walked out of the bushes- a blue, four-armed (two arms in bandages) alien, a man with a thick mustache, a man with a white beard with several other men behind him, and-
Tyson's eyes widened, gazing at a man with a thick-gray beard, pointed ears, wearing ragged clothing and having a robotic leg, arm, and eye. He began hyperventilating, covering his mouth with his hand to muffle his gasps.
Valerie tapped him. "What's the matter?" she asked.
He looked at her, but couldn't answer. He looked back up at the cyborg, his knees were shaking, and he wrapped his arms around them to make them stop. When the cyborg looked his way, he looked away, afraid to meet his eyes. He closed his eyes tight to keep his tears from escaping. I don't believe it! I thought… I thought he was… he thought, trying to control his breathing.
Tyson didn't pay much attention to anything else. He just noticed that Natalie was smiling and shaking hands with the man with the white beard, while a few other men brought over a make-shift stretcher and put Valerie on it, and then he shut his eyes.
"Hey, kid," Someone tapped him on his shoulder. He gasped lightly, looking up, noticing the man in the white beard was standing next to him. "You okay?"
Tyson nodded, still a bit shaky. "Y-yeah, I'm alright…" he replied.
"Well, come with us, we're going out to search for your friends. …If you think you're up for it, what with crashing and all…"
Tyson stood up quickly. "I'm in. I'll do anything tah find 'em. I'd join even if every bone in me body was broken!"
The man chuckled. "Good, good. …That's quite an accent you've got, kid. What's your name?"
"Tyson. Tyson-" he paused, thinking cautiously. "Revlis."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Revlis." They shook hands. "My name is Anthony. Anthony Hawkins. Now, lets go find your friends."
Tyson stared at the man, his eyes glowing orange. Another Hawkins? Could it be deh one who…? he wondered, then shook his head. Forget it for now, Tyson. Ya have more important matters tah get to. He followed Anthony, Jim, Natalie, the cyborg, and a few other men into the jungle to search for Tesoro and Jonesy.
Valerie watched him go. Please come back again… she thought, hopeful. Lucinda and BEN stayed by her side as she was carried up to a cave. Then, randomly, for some reason, she realized something.
Morph wasn't with them, either.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Tesoro woke up from being splashed with water. "Ack! What the…?" she sputtered, looking up at a sponge floating above her head. It grew eyes, and shifted into a little, pink, blob. "Morph?"
"Yay!" Morph exclaimed, rubbing up against her cheek. It had been an hour since they both crashed (he had hid in her pocket once they gained speed) and he had been worried that Tesoro was gone for good. "Tessy! Tessy!"
"Uhhh… boy, do I ache," she sat up, examining the bruises and scratches on her arms. "Man, that's one stunt I'll never do again."
"Never do again."
She rubbed her head and looked around, surrounded by thick bushes and large trees. "Either I'm dreaming I'm visiting a giant green-house, or we're on Xenta."
"Xenta." Morph shuddered, nervous about what dangers lurked about.
"C'mon, Morph, we've got to find the others." Tesoro stood up, stumbling a bit, trying to balance herself, but her foot slipped and she fell through the bushes, down a hole. "Augh!"
"Augh!" Morph flew down after her, down a dark, slick, slanting tunnel.
"Whoa!" Tesoro slid down on the floor of the tunnel on her stomach, as if she were on a slide. "Woo-hoo! …This would be more fun if I knew where this thing was going!"
A blue light shone ahead, and Tesoro and Morph arrived in an underground cavern. Tesoro had slid on the ground, but stood up, balancing herself… but she fell back down in shock at what she saw before her.
A large, blue, glowing orb floated on a pedestal in front of them. Walking up closer, she noticed it wasn't just a pedestal, but some sort of holographic projector, surrounded by buttons and small levers. "What is all this?" Tesoro asked out loud.
Morph shrugged, still gazing curiously around the cavern. Suddenly, he let out a startled squeal and dove into Tesoro's pocket, shaking with fear. "S-scary…" he pointed to something propped up against the wall.
Tesoro turned and gasped, spotting the skeletal remains of… possibly a scientist, judging that he was in a tattered, grimy lab coat. "Oh, gag…" She stumbled back, her elbow accidentally hitting a lever, causing the dusty metallic platform to glow. "Oops."
"Uh, oh," Morph ducked back inside her pocket, only peeking out slightly as the orb began to twirl. Suddenly, an image appeared of a canidid man with white, poofy hair and a mustache, wearing a lab coat.
"Greetings," The holographic image of the scientists said. "My name is Professor Plad Polar. You may know me from my teachings of Planeteology at the University of Planet Felanx. My recent lesson was about gravitational pull… pull… BZZT-WAT-WERP-"
Tesoro watched as the image became fuzzy, and static took over. Curious to learn more, she pressed a button, and a new image of the Professor appeared.
"Video Journal, Day 24" A feminine computer voice announced.
"It has been over a month since I've decided to run my experiments," The Professor's voice narrated as an image of him worked on a machine. "If my calculations are correct, I'll be the first scientist to reconstruct the mass of planets with the advanced energy I have found on Zignus Cross, thereby- WAZT-"
"Reconstruct a planet's mass?" Tesoro asked, looking at Morph, who had built up the courage to come out of her pocket. She pushed another button, this time, an image of the Professor frantically pushing buttons on the platform appeared, only his coat was torn and his hair was messier than before.
"Something's gone wrong! The gravitational pull is out of control! There's only one thing to do," he pulled on a helmet with antennas sticking out of it. "I must send a telepathic message, warning other's to stay away from Xenta- WIZZ- BZT-"
"Telepathic communication?" I wonder if that has anything to do with the dreams…
Tesoro pushed another button, showing the Professor, better dressed, standing by the giant orb. "With this energy, I can control the planet's gravity! If I succeed, I can use my work to adjust the gravity on ships, on other planets- In the universe! -BZZ-"
"This guy's a nut." Morph nodded in agreement, turning into an acorn.
Tesoro pushed on more button, showing an image of the Professor, looking aged and drained of energy, a scathed burn-mark rimming his head, and his voice was raspy. "Hello, if you are watching this, then you'll know that I, Professor Polar, have failed with my experiment. I was wrong to try to control nature, I now admit, and because of my deeds, Xenta has become a danger to all to come near it. It's force is too strong now… the machine… too powerful… dreams…" And the image faded. The screen disappeared, leaving only the orb the only light support.
Tesoro turned to the skeleton, approaching it. Morph dove back into her pocket, not wanting to make contact with it. In its lap sat a notebook, full of designs and blueprints of the machine. Tesoro grabbed it, brushing the dust off of it. "So, this is what caused all this," she opened the notebook up, reading a peculiar chapter…
Day 87: Something has gone wrong. The machine is out of my control, and the gravitational force has grown to strong. Telepathic communication was no use, for the machine has a mind of its own, reading other's minds and casting them out into the galaxy as mental messages. I know this because a young lad arrived long ago by boat, claiming he heard my cry of help in a dream. It appears the machine is using those it traps' thoughts as bait for others. If someone is reading this, I must warn you, you would need to be absolutely mindless to shut down the machi-
And the rest of the pages were blank. "That explains everything!" Tesoro gasped. "C'mon, Morph, we've got to find the others and tell them this-" She heard a hum, seeing that the orb was glowing red. It's reading my mind! she realized.
She got an idea, and grabbed Morph, whispering to him while thinking random thoughts. Anchovies, unicorns, pickles and bunnies were galloping around the pizza hut… and other thoughts. It was difficult, but she was able to get her message to Morph. The machine, reading her thoughts, turned orange, and Tesoro guessed it was wary of her actions (since it was the same color Tyson's eyes got when he was suspicious).
She handed Morph the notebook. Supercalifragilicious-expialidosius… she thought. Morph grabbed the notebook and flew up the tunnel, quickly. The machine hummed and turned back into red, knowing it had been tricked. Bolts of electricity surged through the orb, and Tesoro backed away. Deal with it.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Morph zipped out of the tunnel, searching for help. He started flying forward, when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye that made him gasp and almost drop the notebook.
Lying on a tree branch on his stomach, dangling and unconscious, was Jonesy. Morph set the notebook down and flew up to the cabin boy, chattering frantically. He turned into a squirt-gun and sprayed Jonesy's face, but with no affect. Then he got an idea and turned into an open bottle of hot sauce, and floated under his nose, giving off a spicey essence.
Jonesy's eyes fluttered open and he moaned. "Save some for me…" he mumbled, then slipped off the tree branch and hit the ground. "Oof! Oh, what happened? I feel like I've been hit by an interplanetary bus…"
"Jonesy!" Morph squealed, licking the boy's face. "Yay! Not dead!"
"Ugh, I feel like it… Ouch!" Jonesy tried to sit up, but there was a sharp pain in his chest. He was able to sit on his knees, but he heaved over in pain. He looked down, noticing the notebook. He grabbed it, looking through it. "What's all this?"
"Machine! Evil! Gravity! Professor! Tess!" Morph transformed into everything he said, trying to explain everything.
"Tess?" Jonesy looked up at Morph. "Where is she? Where's everyone? ….Tyson?"
Morph shrugged, chirping solemnly.
"C'mon, we've got to find them- ugh!" He tried to stand, but the pain was too intense. He handed the notebook to Morph. "Go get help, Morph. Tell them everything. …Where's Tess?"
Morph pointed over to the bush he had flew out of. It was at least 50 feet away. He saw the determination in Jonesy's eyes. "No," he shook his head, turning into a hand and pointing downwards. "Stay!"
Jonesy shrugged. "Hey, someone's got to keep her company."
Morph groaned. "Danger…" He turned back into the machine, with the orb being red.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"Injured!" Morph turned into a mini Jonesy, collapsing on the ground.
He shook his head. "I don't care. …I've got to see her."
"Tyson?" Morph changed into a mini Tyson, looking around as if searching for something… namely Jonesy.
He sighed. "Good point. Fine, I'll stay here. We'll need all the help we can get, anyway."
Morph nodded and flew off on his rescue mission.
0o0o0o0o0o0
A/N: Once again, I'd like to give thanks to Nims for the idea! …The rest of you weren't expecting that, were you? Please R/R, flames suck eggs