I'm going to try to update more regularly, although the actual plot is
waiting until after I see the Matrix Revolutions. Please review me!
Anyway, here goes with another chapter.
'spoink' is thoughts- sorry it's not clearer, but ff.n keeps eating my italics and stuff.
Disclaimer: I own none of this, apart from any characters not from the Matrix movies and the phrase 'spoon-bug'. Sue me not, for I have nothing that you want- trust me on this one!
Project Athena: Chapter III- Carsick
When Lina arrived at the Dunkin' Donuts, there was a shiny black car waiting for her. As she approached, one of the doors opened. A shadowy figure inside said "Get in. You're late." Lina slipped inside and shut the door. Instantly the driver reversed and drove away at at least 15 mph faster than the speed limit. A soft noise caused Lina to look up from her search for the seatbelt buckle, only to find that the person in the passenger seat had a gun pressed to her temple. She froze, eyeing the lethal object out of the corner of her eye.
'now now, mustn't panic.calm down, it's just a unknown person with a gun to your head.oh, that's a reassuring thought.'
"Would you please point that thing elsewhere?" she inquired politely. She'd have liked to cussed the person out thoroughly, but manners seemed the best way to ensure that she'd live to see Pheniks. However, she couldn't stop herself from adding "I'm really quite fond of my head, and I'd hate to have it blown off."
"So be it," said the person, moving the gun so that it was about 10 inches from Lina's face. Lina could see straight down the barrel- she found it most disconcerting. "Now take off your sweater and lift up your shirt." Lina gave the person a puzzled look. "Now! Do it or regret it!" the person snapped, moving the gun an inch or two closer to Lina's face.
'urgh.freaking out.I can see straight down the barrel.that's unpleasant.best do as this psycho says.'
"For crissakes, Wynn, give the coppertop a break already!" said the person in the backseat as Lina stripped off her pullover. She raised her T-shirt, baring her navel.
'why is this person defending me? who cares- at least someone is.'
"Good. At least you're cooperative," remarked Wynn. "Hurry up, Lynx!" she added as the car made a dizzying turn onto the highway and accelerated even more.
"Ahh, shut up," Lynx said tartly, picking up a small gizmo which seemed to feature a display screen on four spiky little legs. Lynx placed the legs on Lina's stomach, pressing down a bit painfully. She pressed a button, and Lina winced as a slight electric shock went through her guts. Wynn tucked her hair, which was long and curly and had been obscuring most of her face, behind her ears and leaned forward to peer at the screen, which seemed to be displaying Lina's innards. She had a roundish face, which contrasted sharply with her tart, crisp voice. Lina located the image of her stomach, and sure enough, the spoon-bug was there, along with the ramen noodles she'd had for dinner.
'what the hell.that thing can't be real.how'd they know to look for it?.this has got to be the single weirdest night of my life.'
"I have got to be dreaming now," she muttered, but if Lynx or Wynn heard her, they dismissed it as the absurd ramblings of a confused coppertop.
"Yep. You're bugged. Typical," Lynx remarked calmly, as though having a robotic parasite in your stomach was perfectly normal and happened everyday. She pressed the button on the gadget again, and the screen went dark. She stuck it into the magazine pocket on the back of the driver's seat and removed a small bottle from her pocket, from which she dispensed a single tablet which looked like a chewable Tylenol or Dramamine. She handed it to Lina and ordered "Roll down your window, then let the tablet dissolve in your mouth. When it's dissolved, swallow it and lean out your window until it wears off."
'what the hell?.ah well, best do what this person says.'
Lina, although confused, did as she was told. The tablet tasted of nothing as all and dissolved fast. When she swallowed it, though, she was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea, worse than when the spoon-bug had been wriggling into its current spot in her stomach. She retched, and suddenly most of her dinner came up and splattered onto the road. The rest of it came up as she realized the reason for the pill: to eliminate the spoon-bug. Sure enough, it seemed to be in distress- she could feel it crawling frantically around. But its struggles were ultimately useless, though it nearly choked her with its struggles to stay where it was. When she finally spat it out, the car had left the highway and was driving down the streets of an unfamiliar city. Lina pulled her head inside the car and glowered at the little robot in her hands, then yanked it into two pieces. there were a couple of sparks, then it ceased to move.
'die, robotic insect scum!.hahaha.that's for nearly choking me.what now?.'
"The spoon-bug is dead," she informed Lynx. "What should I do with it now?"
"Just drop it out the window," Lynx recommended. "We'll be arriving shortly." 'Shortly' turned out to mean almost exactly 17 minutes by Lina's watch. She occupied herself by wondering about the mysterious spoon-bug, which was now lying in the road miles away. Why was it so determined to stay in her stomach, and what the hell was the damn thing anyway? There were so many possible answers, each more ridiculous than the last, that she was still wondering when the driver announced their arrival and the car stopped.
'where the hell am I.'
Lina got out and looked around. They were outside an old warehouse. She was pleased to note that Wynn was no longer aiming at her, but the gun was still in her hand. Lina was escorted to a small door, which looked very solid indeed. Lynx unlocked it, and Lina was ushered into a space cluttered with dusty old broken crates. An area near the front office had been cleared of debris to make way for a clutter of machinery. She would have liked to inspect some of it- it looked interesting- but she was led quickly past it and into the front office of the warehouse. It was very dark- the windows had been boarded up. Lynx and Wynn and the driver, who resembled Wynn exactly except for the gun, turned and left, shutting the door with a resounding 'thud'.
'ok, don't panic.eeesh, this is getting creepier by the minute.mustn't panic.'
Lina looked around at the room, letting her eyes adjust to the light, or lack thereof. The room seemed empty, except for two chairs. One was the sort of straightbacked wooden chair that is so uncomfortable unless you lean back against a wall, and the other was an imposing armchair. The chairs were facing each other- the armchair faced the door from a shadowy corner, and the wooden chair was in the middle of the room, far from any convenient walls to lean on. Suddenly, the deep shadows in the armchair moved forward to become a person with black and orange hair and very dark sunglasses.
'mustn't panic, mustn't panic.too late, I did.aaaagh!.'
***
Me: Yay! Third chapter! Sorry about the wait.
Lyrrik: She is. I'm not! *dodges barrage of pencils thrown by me* Aaagh! Ok, fine, I may have deserved that- possibly. *dodges memo pad, also chucked by me* Sorry!
Me: I apologize for Lyrrik's behavior, she's not usually like this. Actually I wouldn't know- she's the embodiment of my inspiration and creativity, and she hasn't been around much.
'spoink' is thoughts- sorry it's not clearer, but ff.n keeps eating my italics and stuff.
Disclaimer: I own none of this, apart from any characters not from the Matrix movies and the phrase 'spoon-bug'. Sue me not, for I have nothing that you want- trust me on this one!
Project Athena: Chapter III- Carsick
When Lina arrived at the Dunkin' Donuts, there was a shiny black car waiting for her. As she approached, one of the doors opened. A shadowy figure inside said "Get in. You're late." Lina slipped inside and shut the door. Instantly the driver reversed and drove away at at least 15 mph faster than the speed limit. A soft noise caused Lina to look up from her search for the seatbelt buckle, only to find that the person in the passenger seat had a gun pressed to her temple. She froze, eyeing the lethal object out of the corner of her eye.
'now now, mustn't panic.calm down, it's just a unknown person with a gun to your head.oh, that's a reassuring thought.'
"Would you please point that thing elsewhere?" she inquired politely. She'd have liked to cussed the person out thoroughly, but manners seemed the best way to ensure that she'd live to see Pheniks. However, she couldn't stop herself from adding "I'm really quite fond of my head, and I'd hate to have it blown off."
"So be it," said the person, moving the gun so that it was about 10 inches from Lina's face. Lina could see straight down the barrel- she found it most disconcerting. "Now take off your sweater and lift up your shirt." Lina gave the person a puzzled look. "Now! Do it or regret it!" the person snapped, moving the gun an inch or two closer to Lina's face.
'urgh.freaking out.I can see straight down the barrel.that's unpleasant.best do as this psycho says.'
"For crissakes, Wynn, give the coppertop a break already!" said the person in the backseat as Lina stripped off her pullover. She raised her T-shirt, baring her navel.
'why is this person defending me? who cares- at least someone is.'
"Good. At least you're cooperative," remarked Wynn. "Hurry up, Lynx!" she added as the car made a dizzying turn onto the highway and accelerated even more.
"Ahh, shut up," Lynx said tartly, picking up a small gizmo which seemed to feature a display screen on four spiky little legs. Lynx placed the legs on Lina's stomach, pressing down a bit painfully. She pressed a button, and Lina winced as a slight electric shock went through her guts. Wynn tucked her hair, which was long and curly and had been obscuring most of her face, behind her ears and leaned forward to peer at the screen, which seemed to be displaying Lina's innards. She had a roundish face, which contrasted sharply with her tart, crisp voice. Lina located the image of her stomach, and sure enough, the spoon-bug was there, along with the ramen noodles she'd had for dinner.
'what the hell.that thing can't be real.how'd they know to look for it?.this has got to be the single weirdest night of my life.'
"I have got to be dreaming now," she muttered, but if Lynx or Wynn heard her, they dismissed it as the absurd ramblings of a confused coppertop.
"Yep. You're bugged. Typical," Lynx remarked calmly, as though having a robotic parasite in your stomach was perfectly normal and happened everyday. She pressed the button on the gadget again, and the screen went dark. She stuck it into the magazine pocket on the back of the driver's seat and removed a small bottle from her pocket, from which she dispensed a single tablet which looked like a chewable Tylenol or Dramamine. She handed it to Lina and ordered "Roll down your window, then let the tablet dissolve in your mouth. When it's dissolved, swallow it and lean out your window until it wears off."
'what the hell?.ah well, best do what this person says.'
Lina, although confused, did as she was told. The tablet tasted of nothing as all and dissolved fast. When she swallowed it, though, she was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea, worse than when the spoon-bug had been wriggling into its current spot in her stomach. She retched, and suddenly most of her dinner came up and splattered onto the road. The rest of it came up as she realized the reason for the pill: to eliminate the spoon-bug. Sure enough, it seemed to be in distress- she could feel it crawling frantically around. But its struggles were ultimately useless, though it nearly choked her with its struggles to stay where it was. When she finally spat it out, the car had left the highway and was driving down the streets of an unfamiliar city. Lina pulled her head inside the car and glowered at the little robot in her hands, then yanked it into two pieces. there were a couple of sparks, then it ceased to move.
'die, robotic insect scum!.hahaha.that's for nearly choking me.what now?.'
"The spoon-bug is dead," she informed Lynx. "What should I do with it now?"
"Just drop it out the window," Lynx recommended. "We'll be arriving shortly." 'Shortly' turned out to mean almost exactly 17 minutes by Lina's watch. She occupied herself by wondering about the mysterious spoon-bug, which was now lying in the road miles away. Why was it so determined to stay in her stomach, and what the hell was the damn thing anyway? There were so many possible answers, each more ridiculous than the last, that she was still wondering when the driver announced their arrival and the car stopped.
'where the hell am I.'
Lina got out and looked around. They were outside an old warehouse. She was pleased to note that Wynn was no longer aiming at her, but the gun was still in her hand. Lina was escorted to a small door, which looked very solid indeed. Lynx unlocked it, and Lina was ushered into a space cluttered with dusty old broken crates. An area near the front office had been cleared of debris to make way for a clutter of machinery. She would have liked to inspect some of it- it looked interesting- but she was led quickly past it and into the front office of the warehouse. It was very dark- the windows had been boarded up. Lynx and Wynn and the driver, who resembled Wynn exactly except for the gun, turned and left, shutting the door with a resounding 'thud'.
'ok, don't panic.eeesh, this is getting creepier by the minute.mustn't panic.'
Lina looked around at the room, letting her eyes adjust to the light, or lack thereof. The room seemed empty, except for two chairs. One was the sort of straightbacked wooden chair that is so uncomfortable unless you lean back against a wall, and the other was an imposing armchair. The chairs were facing each other- the armchair faced the door from a shadowy corner, and the wooden chair was in the middle of the room, far from any convenient walls to lean on. Suddenly, the deep shadows in the armchair moved forward to become a person with black and orange hair and very dark sunglasses.
'mustn't panic, mustn't panic.too late, I did.aaaagh!.'
***
Me: Yay! Third chapter! Sorry about the wait.
Lyrrik: She is. I'm not! *dodges barrage of pencils thrown by me* Aaagh! Ok, fine, I may have deserved that- possibly. *dodges memo pad, also chucked by me* Sorry!
Me: I apologize for Lyrrik's behavior, she's not usually like this. Actually I wouldn't know- she's the embodiment of my inspiration and creativity, and she hasn't been around much.