Chapter Eight: Unstable Factor
AN: Lots of E-mails from people wanting to know more….. I'm surprised that everyone's really getting into this! I'll try to keep everyone riveted while I begin chapters Nine and Ten. Thanks for all the comments and Ideas!
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Author: Bob the Dead Woodchuck. (My dogs got one today…..It was really cool!)
Roxton paced around the living room, tapping his hands against his sides. He circled the table once, watching Marguerite reading next to the window. She looked up from her book, "What are you doing?"
Roxton shook his head, "Board….."
Marguerite rolled her eyes, "Ugh…Well, don't do that…Its annoying."
Roxton slowed his pace, watching the still ever vigilant Cirrus, still sitting cross-legged on the porch. "How long as he been like that?"
Marguerite turned her page, "Since Challenger and Veronica left, so for about eight hours, maybe."
Roxton pulled out a chain from the table, sitting down wearly. He pulled out one of his pisotls, and begun cleaning out the chamber. "He hasn't eaten anything all day, or even used the….Faclities."
Margureete nodded her head, not looking up from her book. "Strange, yet its him. Might as well let him do his own thing."
The rest of the day ran smoothly, and soon evening was upon the night sky. Roxton came up, after relining the hydro pumps from the elevator. Marguerite was still reading her book, and Cirrus was still out on the porch.
Roxton wiped his greasy hands on a rag, "It's late….. Marguerite, are you heading off to bed soon?"
Marguerite yawned, putting down her book. "Maybe…What about Mr. Mysterious?"
Roxton nodded, "Still out on the porch….."
Marguerite looked concerned, "He better not stay out there…Its really dangerous at night."
Roxton nodded, "That may be, but its up to him."
"Yes….It is." The voice came from the porch doorway. They both turned, and they're stood Cirrus.
Roxton smiled, "Finally up?"
Marguerite rose from her chair, "We were getting worried, I thought you were going to spend most of the night outdoors, though, it's a lovely night."
Cirrus nodded, "Yes…It is….But, that would have been unnecessary…."
Roxton eyebrow's tilted, "What?"
Cirrus chuckled, "Mortals….I am exhausted. I'm going to retire for the night."
He turned away from the two, walking back into the treehouse. Roxton shot Marguerite a questing look, "What was that all about?"
Marguerite shook her head, "I don't know…But, that was really strange."
Roxton nodded, "No kidding, I just hope we don't have to deal with that again."
A loud laugh came from the back of the treehouse, followed by something falling. Roxton and Marguerite rose to their feet, running back to Cirrus' small cot in the back. Roxton called to Cirrus, "Cirrus?! Are you alright?"
Cirrus looked up from the fallen jar that had made the sound. He laughed again, his eyes flashing with white light. "Heheh…."
He took a step towards the two, his skin contracting as small bolts of white electricity rippled across his body. His eyes flashed again, "Mortals…."
Marguerite took a step behind Roxton, "Cirrus! What are you doing?"
Cirrus body glowed softly……"Ugh…" His jaw clenched tight, as more jolts came up and down his body.
Roxton put himself between Cirrus, "Just calm down!"
Marguerite called from behind Roxton, "You heard the man!"
Cirrus stared hard at the two, his eyes blue eyes cold and unmerciful. "Pitiful….Wretched Beast…."
Cirrus walked past the two, standing alone by the window. He looked out at the star filled night, breathing in the night air.
"You have no idea, of what will transpire…." He looked at the two, "Do you?"
Roxton moved slowly towards the table, his newly cleaned pistol called to him. Cirrus looked out the corner of his eye, noticing Roxton's slow smooth movements. The corners of his mouth pulled up in a smile. "I wouldn't do that…." His eyes flashed, "You don't want to see the lady, become injured, do you?"
Marguerite grabbed onto Roxton's shoulder, "No he doesn't!"
Cirrus laughed, "Spoken like a true self-preserving mortal!"
Roxton's face was stone, "Why….What's wrong with you?"
Cirrus shook his head, "Nothing. I feel as if though, I am finally waking up…."
Marguerite shouted, "Snap out of it Cirrus! You're scaring me!"
Cirrus merely smiled, "Life is fear…. You shou…Should…"
He put his hands to his face, "Damn…The pain!" He gasped holding his temples. "No…I…Wont…Le..t… You!"
His face winked in pain…..And the hands were brought down. His normal blue eyes were back, the cold icy glare had vanished. "Marguerite, Roxton…. What's going on?"
Roxton rubbed his neck, "We were going to ask you the same question…."
Marguerite shook her head, "Cirrus……"
Cirrus looked around, "How did it become so late out? Last time I checked, Veronica and challenger had just left!"
Marguerite shook her head, "Cirrus….That was more than eight hours ago…."
Cirrus tilted his head, "Really!? Wow…Time flies."
Roxton took another step forward, "What happened back there?"
Cirrus looked at the floor, "I don't know…Everything seemed to black out, after I had started back on my training…."
Marguerite nodded, "After Challenger and the team had left, right?"
Cirrus smiled, "Yeah, that's right! But…After that…Its all…Dark…"
Roxton nodded, "I think….That challenger will want to hear about this when he comes back."
Cirrus nodded, "Yeah….But, I think though, that we will be seeing him sooner than expected."
Marguerite blanched, "What? Why do you think that."
Cirrus looked off into the sky, "Don't know….Call it a hunch."
AN: Lots of E-mails from people wanting to know more….. I'm surprised that everyone's really getting into this! I'll try to keep everyone riveted while I begin chapters Nine and Ten. Thanks for all the comments and Ideas!
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Author: Bob the Dead Woodchuck. (My dogs got one today…..It was really cool!)
Roxton paced around the living room, tapping his hands against his sides. He circled the table once, watching Marguerite reading next to the window. She looked up from her book, "What are you doing?"
Roxton shook his head, "Board….."
Marguerite rolled her eyes, "Ugh…Well, don't do that…Its annoying."
Roxton slowed his pace, watching the still ever vigilant Cirrus, still sitting cross-legged on the porch. "How long as he been like that?"
Marguerite turned her page, "Since Challenger and Veronica left, so for about eight hours, maybe."
Roxton pulled out a chain from the table, sitting down wearly. He pulled out one of his pisotls, and begun cleaning out the chamber. "He hasn't eaten anything all day, or even used the….Faclities."
Margureete nodded her head, not looking up from her book. "Strange, yet its him. Might as well let him do his own thing."
The rest of the day ran smoothly, and soon evening was upon the night sky. Roxton came up, after relining the hydro pumps from the elevator. Marguerite was still reading her book, and Cirrus was still out on the porch.
Roxton wiped his greasy hands on a rag, "It's late….. Marguerite, are you heading off to bed soon?"
Marguerite yawned, putting down her book. "Maybe…What about Mr. Mysterious?"
Roxton nodded, "Still out on the porch….."
Marguerite looked concerned, "He better not stay out there…Its really dangerous at night."
Roxton nodded, "That may be, but its up to him."
"Yes….It is." The voice came from the porch doorway. They both turned, and they're stood Cirrus.
Roxton smiled, "Finally up?"
Marguerite rose from her chair, "We were getting worried, I thought you were going to spend most of the night outdoors, though, it's a lovely night."
Cirrus nodded, "Yes…It is….But, that would have been unnecessary…."
Roxton eyebrow's tilted, "What?"
Cirrus chuckled, "Mortals….I am exhausted. I'm going to retire for the night."
He turned away from the two, walking back into the treehouse. Roxton shot Marguerite a questing look, "What was that all about?"
Marguerite shook her head, "I don't know…But, that was really strange."
Roxton nodded, "No kidding, I just hope we don't have to deal with that again."
A loud laugh came from the back of the treehouse, followed by something falling. Roxton and Marguerite rose to their feet, running back to Cirrus' small cot in the back. Roxton called to Cirrus, "Cirrus?! Are you alright?"
Cirrus looked up from the fallen jar that had made the sound. He laughed again, his eyes flashing with white light. "Heheh…."
He took a step towards the two, his skin contracting as small bolts of white electricity rippled across his body. His eyes flashed again, "Mortals…."
Marguerite took a step behind Roxton, "Cirrus! What are you doing?"
Cirrus body glowed softly……"Ugh…" His jaw clenched tight, as more jolts came up and down his body.
Roxton put himself between Cirrus, "Just calm down!"
Marguerite called from behind Roxton, "You heard the man!"
Cirrus stared hard at the two, his eyes blue eyes cold and unmerciful. "Pitiful….Wretched Beast…."
Cirrus walked past the two, standing alone by the window. He looked out at the star filled night, breathing in the night air.
"You have no idea, of what will transpire…." He looked at the two, "Do you?"
Roxton moved slowly towards the table, his newly cleaned pistol called to him. Cirrus looked out the corner of his eye, noticing Roxton's slow smooth movements. The corners of his mouth pulled up in a smile. "I wouldn't do that…." His eyes flashed, "You don't want to see the lady, become injured, do you?"
Marguerite grabbed onto Roxton's shoulder, "No he doesn't!"
Cirrus laughed, "Spoken like a true self-preserving mortal!"
Roxton's face was stone, "Why….What's wrong with you?"
Cirrus shook his head, "Nothing. I feel as if though, I am finally waking up…."
Marguerite shouted, "Snap out of it Cirrus! You're scaring me!"
Cirrus merely smiled, "Life is fear…. You shou…Should…"
He put his hands to his face, "Damn…The pain!" He gasped holding his temples. "No…I…Wont…Le..t… You!"
His face winked in pain…..And the hands were brought down. His normal blue eyes were back, the cold icy glare had vanished. "Marguerite, Roxton…. What's going on?"
Roxton rubbed his neck, "We were going to ask you the same question…."
Marguerite shook her head, "Cirrus……"
Cirrus looked around, "How did it become so late out? Last time I checked, Veronica and challenger had just left!"
Marguerite shook her head, "Cirrus….That was more than eight hours ago…."
Cirrus tilted his head, "Really!? Wow…Time flies."
Roxton took another step forward, "What happened back there?"
Cirrus looked at the floor, "I don't know…Everything seemed to black out, after I had started back on my training…."
Marguerite nodded, "After Challenger and the team had left, right?"
Cirrus smiled, "Yeah, that's right! But…After that…Its all…Dark…"
Roxton nodded, "I think….That challenger will want to hear about this when he comes back."
Cirrus nodded, "Yeah….But, I think though, that we will be seeing him sooner than expected."
Marguerite blanched, "What? Why do you think that."
Cirrus looked off into the sky, "Don't know….Call it a hunch."