The Team Chaos Chronicles-- Episode III
Worlds Apart
"Are the coordinates set?"
"For the fifth time, Slasher, YES! I can't believe you're nervous about
this."
The winged raptor and I were standing in my room (well, actually, she was
crouched on my bed; she wouldn't have fit otherwise) and were about to
open the gate to go on a little trip, mission unknown. Only the two of
us knew about it; we didn't want to worry any of the Freedom Fighters or
Team Chaos members.
"It's just that it's been ages since I've been in Jurassic Park."
"...Waaaaait a minute. You've been there before?"
"Actually, yes."
I was curious. "When?"
"It was such a long time ago... I was actually there in Space-Time Six."
"Huh? I thought that you stayed just inside the gate so you wouldn't
get lost."
"Well, that gateway shifted to different locations every so often, and
took everything within a radius of about 10 feet with it."
"Ohhhh, I see. The gate took you to Jurassic Park, and you stayed
there as long as the gate did."
"Exactly."
"You know, I'm kind of glad you've promised never to tell anyone how
you got there, or I might be tempted to try it."
"Well, let's get to the matter at hand; this isn't just a tourist trip,
you know."
I gave her a double take. "Then why _are_ we going?"
"I'll tell you when we get there."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure if I've ever described the tunnel experience before. When
you first walk in, it feels like you're walking into a wall of water.
Once you're through that, it suddenly feels like a thrill ride; the free
fall, the volcano coaster, and a wind tunnel all in one. But that's
nothing compared to the sight you experience. It looks like you're in
a virtual reality helmet, with a swirl of multi-colored stars zooming
past you, an occasional burst of light passing by you, and the
swirling rainbow which marks the target zone. Get headed in the wrong
direction, and you could get lost forever, but the current of energy
pushing you along makes sure you don't get lost. The view is
breathtaking, but the most amazing thing is that you can still
breathe. Then you get thrown out the other end, and without practice
you can easily land flat on your face. I've taken some tips from
Sonic; I throw my arms and legs back and keep my head high, and
then I curl into a ball just as I pas!
s through the tunnel exit. The uneven energy barrier flips me into a
spin, which i come out of by uncurling. I've gotten good enough that
I can land on my feet most of the time.
However, this was not to be one of those times. The gateway appeared
at the top of a hill. I came out of my spin to land on uneven ground,
causing me to stumble and roll down the hill.
Slasher glided down to where I'd landed. "Ouch."
"No kidding. You mind helping me up?"
She did, and we both looked around.
"Where are we?"
"I set the coordinates for the plains where the herbivorous dinosaurs
are allowed to roam free. It's the carnivores that they have to keep
fenced."
"I see. So where is the gate?"
"It should be... that way."
As we walked, more and more dinosaurs came into view. I looked around
and couldn't help but think of the majestic movie theme on one of my
CDs at home.
We reached the gate. The gigantic wooden doors stood over 100 stories
tall.
"What do they keep in there, King Kong?" I quipped, looking for a way in.
"Hop on."
"Huh?"
"It's the easiest way in. Hop on."
It's easy to forget something even as blatantly obvious as the wings on
Slasher's shoulders. I jumped on her back as she glided effortlessly
over the gate into the park complex.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So why _are_ we here?"
"There's technology in this complex that we can use against Robotnik.
I would've asked Knux to come with, but he and Sonic had a falling out
recently, and he refused us access to the Floating Island. Later,
Sonic called to ask if he'd seen Sally, and Knux climbed all over his
back. I asked Sonic what happened, and he said he had no idea. Sally
had sent him out there to take a week off from the demolition work in
Robotropolis. He got a little impatient."
"What'd he do?"
"Went hyper with a jackhammer. Not pretty."
"Ouch."
"Anyway, while he was out there, Knux kept getting angrier and angrier
with him, and all he did was act normal. He said that when Knux dumped
him off back at Knothole he looked and acted like he'd been tormented
endlessly about something. Anyway, the two haven't spoken since."
"I don't get it. How can a friendship go sour like that?"
"I think something else may have had a part in the whole matter, but I
have no idea what."
We walked in silence for a few moments, until we came to the main
visitor's center. "Here we go. The coordinates should have sent us
to the point where everyone is busy and no one will notice a thing
until after we're long gone."
I anxiously awaited her return. Several minutes later, she came back,
with a leather pouch around her neck. "Let's get out of here. I
think one of the security cameras may have spotted me."
I jumped on and she fled back the way we'd came. She leaped into the
air and beat frantically with her wings, but just as she reached the
apex of her climb, she lurched.
"Are you OK? What happened?"
"Tranquilizer dart... I think I can make it..."
She made it halfway from the gate to the portal. Then she collapsed
on the ground. I activated my Chaos Armor and carried her to a safe
place where no one would find her unless they knew exactly where to
look. I then scanned her body to find any trace of the tranquilizer.
I found 5000 cc's of a chemical foreign to her body. I started
praying when I saw what the chemical was. Li(2)O(3)-- Lithium
Trioxide. Poisonous to all living things. I ran for the portal.
Slasher needed an antidote... and if she didn't get one soon, she
was going to die.
End Part 1
Worlds Apart
"Are the coordinates set?"
"For the fifth time, Slasher, YES! I can't believe you're nervous about
this."
The winged raptor and I were standing in my room (well, actually, she was
crouched on my bed; she wouldn't have fit otherwise) and were about to
open the gate to go on a little trip, mission unknown. Only the two of
us knew about it; we didn't want to worry any of the Freedom Fighters or
Team Chaos members.
"It's just that it's been ages since I've been in Jurassic Park."
"...Waaaaait a minute. You've been there before?"
"Actually, yes."
I was curious. "When?"
"It was such a long time ago... I was actually there in Space-Time Six."
"Huh? I thought that you stayed just inside the gate so you wouldn't
get lost."
"Well, that gateway shifted to different locations every so often, and
took everything within a radius of about 10 feet with it."
"Ohhhh, I see. The gate took you to Jurassic Park, and you stayed
there as long as the gate did."
"Exactly."
"You know, I'm kind of glad you've promised never to tell anyone how
you got there, or I might be tempted to try it."
"Well, let's get to the matter at hand; this isn't just a tourist trip,
you know."
I gave her a double take. "Then why _are_ we going?"
"I'll tell you when we get there."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure if I've ever described the tunnel experience before. When
you first walk in, it feels like you're walking into a wall of water.
Once you're through that, it suddenly feels like a thrill ride; the free
fall, the volcano coaster, and a wind tunnel all in one. But that's
nothing compared to the sight you experience. It looks like you're in
a virtual reality helmet, with a swirl of multi-colored stars zooming
past you, an occasional burst of light passing by you, and the
swirling rainbow which marks the target zone. Get headed in the wrong
direction, and you could get lost forever, but the current of energy
pushing you along makes sure you don't get lost. The view is
breathtaking, but the most amazing thing is that you can still
breathe. Then you get thrown out the other end, and without practice
you can easily land flat on your face. I've taken some tips from
Sonic; I throw my arms and legs back and keep my head high, and
then I curl into a ball just as I pas!
s through the tunnel exit. The uneven energy barrier flips me into a
spin, which i come out of by uncurling. I've gotten good enough that
I can land on my feet most of the time.
However, this was not to be one of those times. The gateway appeared
at the top of a hill. I came out of my spin to land on uneven ground,
causing me to stumble and roll down the hill.
Slasher glided down to where I'd landed. "Ouch."
"No kidding. You mind helping me up?"
She did, and we both looked around.
"Where are we?"
"I set the coordinates for the plains where the herbivorous dinosaurs
are allowed to roam free. It's the carnivores that they have to keep
fenced."
"I see. So where is the gate?"
"It should be... that way."
As we walked, more and more dinosaurs came into view. I looked around
and couldn't help but think of the majestic movie theme on one of my
CDs at home.
We reached the gate. The gigantic wooden doors stood over 100 stories
tall.
"What do they keep in there, King Kong?" I quipped, looking for a way in.
"Hop on."
"Huh?"
"It's the easiest way in. Hop on."
It's easy to forget something even as blatantly obvious as the wings on
Slasher's shoulders. I jumped on her back as she glided effortlessly
over the gate into the park complex.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So why _are_ we here?"
"There's technology in this complex that we can use against Robotnik.
I would've asked Knux to come with, but he and Sonic had a falling out
recently, and he refused us access to the Floating Island. Later,
Sonic called to ask if he'd seen Sally, and Knux climbed all over his
back. I asked Sonic what happened, and he said he had no idea. Sally
had sent him out there to take a week off from the demolition work in
Robotropolis. He got a little impatient."
"What'd he do?"
"Went hyper with a jackhammer. Not pretty."
"Ouch."
"Anyway, while he was out there, Knux kept getting angrier and angrier
with him, and all he did was act normal. He said that when Knux dumped
him off back at Knothole he looked and acted like he'd been tormented
endlessly about something. Anyway, the two haven't spoken since."
"I don't get it. How can a friendship go sour like that?"
"I think something else may have had a part in the whole matter, but I
have no idea what."
We walked in silence for a few moments, until we came to the main
visitor's center. "Here we go. The coordinates should have sent us
to the point where everyone is busy and no one will notice a thing
until after we're long gone."
I anxiously awaited her return. Several minutes later, she came back,
with a leather pouch around her neck. "Let's get out of here. I
think one of the security cameras may have spotted me."
I jumped on and she fled back the way we'd came. She leaped into the
air and beat frantically with her wings, but just as she reached the
apex of her climb, she lurched.
"Are you OK? What happened?"
"Tranquilizer dart... I think I can make it..."
She made it halfway from the gate to the portal. Then she collapsed
on the ground. I activated my Chaos Armor and carried her to a safe
place where no one would find her unless they knew exactly where to
look. I then scanned her body to find any trace of the tranquilizer.
I found 5000 cc's of a chemical foreign to her body. I started
praying when I saw what the chemical was. Li(2)O(3)-- Lithium
Trioxide. Poisonous to all living things. I ran for the portal.
Slasher needed an antidote... and if she didn't get one soon, she
was going to die.
End Part 1