A/N: This is a chapter-long or so preview of 'El Dorado', the next installment of the NvEoUrTtReOxN series. This is intended to be the darkest story in the series, more so than the first and much more than the two afterwards. Please enjoy this preview, and R/R.
NvEoUrTtReOxN
Cindy stood and looked around, shielding her eyes from the intense sun with her hand. The cloudless sky looked wonderful, but the wasteland spread in front her was bleak and dour. "Uh, Jimmy?" she asked uncertainly, turning to the boy lying in front of her.
Jimmy groaned and turned around. "What is it?" he asked.
"Um, where are we?"
Jimmy managed to his knees and looked around. He gasped, "I… I have no idea. There… must have been some kind of malfunction." He slowly pulled the machine from his pocket, examining it carefully.
"Oh great," Cindy muttered sarcastically. She sighed and sat down Indian-style, resting her head in her hands.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, while Jimmy continued to inspect his new invention. "There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it. So why aren't we at the park?" he raised an eyebrow in confusion. He looked up at the brown otherworldly surroundings. "Maybe we should take a small look around," he suggested, standing up. "I'm sure we can figure this out. We can't be that far from home."
"If you say so," Cindy muttered, standing back up and yawning. The two started walking ahead.
NvEoUrTtReOxN
After an hour, Cindy noticed something in the distance. Something could be faintly seen rising just over the horizon.
"What do you think that is, Jimmy?" she asked uncertainly.
Jimmy shrugged. "I have no idea. But it looks like smoke. Maybe there's something going on over there. We should check it out," he said.
"But that looks really far off. Maybe fifty miles," Cindy groaned. "Let's take a break first."
Jimmy nodded. "I need one too." He sat down on a large stone, looking at the red-orange dirt on the ground.
"Wait a minute," Jimmy muttered, picking a handful of the soil up. "Something's not right here." He brought the dust up to his face.
"Oh, c'mon Neutron." Cindy sighed. "Everything's not right! We're sitting here in some desert wasteland who-knows-where, because you wanted to test out that new teleport thing!" she took a step backward to a large jagged rock rising from the ground, leaning against it with her arms crossed. "So what went wrong, Jimmy? Let me ask you that. What went-"
"Gunpowder."
Cindy uncrossed her arms and stood back up. She paused for a moment. "Gunpowder?" she repeated uncertainly.
Jimmy looked up at her. "There's gunpowder in the soil." He let the dirt slowly slip through his fingers.
Cindy walked over and sat next to Jimmy. "Where do you think it might have come from?"
"I don't know. Maybe from a gun or something. Probably just some kind of weapon. But there's something else…" he trailed off and turned away.
Cindy leaned forward, trying to look at his face. "What is it?"
Jimmy stood. He crossed his arms and looked up at the sky, still facing away from Cindy. "I may be mistaken, but I think there are small traces of gold." he replied.
NvEoUrTtReOxN
The two were silent for a while, pondering on what this meant. Cindy had a million questions speeding around in her head, but Jimmy was deep in thought, and she didn't want to bother him.
The sun was now beginning to slip down into the western sky, beating down on the two in their stillness. Cindy looked toward it, shielding her eyes. But something else caught her eye.
A small cloud of dust was getting closer and closer. As it drew nearer, the sound of a car engine grew louder. Jimmy seemed to notice it as well, although he made no strong indication of it.
After a few moments, the brown Jeep stopped in front of the two, and a young man in fatigues jumped over the low closed door and faced the two. His short brown hair was spiked, and there was a small scar on his right cheek.
After a brief moment of silence he spoke. "Thank god. I've been looking for you. Get in the car, and don't ask questions." He opened the door and motioned for them to enter, but neither of them budged. "C'mon Jimmy, Cindy. I haven't got all day."
Jimmy took a step back. "How… do you know my name?" he asked softly.
The older man shook his head. "I've known you for a long time. Now just get in the car. We don't have much time left."
The two thirteen-year-olds looked at each other, before slowly making their way to the brown Jeep.
NvEoUrTtReOxN
The drive was silent for the first few minutes. The rocky, jagged ground threw the vehicle over every bump, amplifying the effects on the passengers, as they weren't wearing seatbelts.
It was the older man who spoke up first. "So how old are you now?" he asked Jimmy. "Thirteen, right?"
Jimmy looked up at him, a shocked expression printed on his face. "Yeah…" he answered slowly. He had too many questions to ask, but didn't know where to start.
"I remember my first time out here. I was acting much the same way you are now," the older man rubbed the stubble on his chin.
"And- where exactly is here?"
"Listen Jimmy. The problem isn't where. It's When."
Jimmy looked up at him. "When? What?"
The man shook his head. "Don't worry. It will all become clear very soon."
NvEoUrTtReOxN
Over the next few minutes of the silent drive, Cindy noticed that they were heading towards the smoke they had seen earlier. She was sitting in back, while Jimmy rode shotgun. Speaking of shotgun, a rifle was lying on the floor of the Jeep, just inches away from her foot. It was making her feel a little edgy, but then again, everything about this place was making her feel that way.
Soon what looked like the smoldering ruins of a town came into view, which appeared to be the cause of the smoke. Cindy leaned forward over the door to get a better view.
As the car pulled in close to the town, the man jumped out. "C'mon guys. We have to run." Jimmy and Cindy didn't argue; they instinctively jumped out and followed him. After a few minutes, they saw a field of large tents spread around in a large open area. They followed the man into a medium-sized one on the outside.
The inside was messy, and littered with broken gadgets. Looks like Jimmy's lab, Cindy thought quietly to herself.
The man was deep in thought, as if reminiscing something from the past, which was hastily broken by Jimmy. "So, uh, can you explain to us what's happening?" he asked, wrinkling his brow in curiosity.
The man looked at him, then Cindy, and then back to Jimmy. "Your invention, the one that was supposed to teleport you… it malfunctioned. It sent you quite a bit away from your planned destination. Right now, you're in South America."
The two children looked at each other in shock. "Well, then what did you mean in the car? When you said that the problem is 'when'?"
The man scratched the back of his neck. "Well, the machine malfunctioned in another way too. It brought you ten years into the future."
The two gasped again, and Jimmy took a step back. "Does- that mean…" he stuttered.
The man smiled and put a hand out. "James Neutron, at your service."
Expect to see 'El Dorado' posted very soon, maybe in the next week or so. Until then, see ya!