Lyrrik: *singing* Ceee-le-brate good times, c'mon! *dances*
I'm all psyched too, or I'd tell her to shut up. *dances along with Lyrrik*
Anyhoo, got up at 5 am to update this, as my mother (argh...) packed me off to bed before I could update. I know, I deserve to be yelled at for promising and then going to bed. Flame at will for that.
Disclaimer: I don't even pretend to own anything but the characters so far, so don't get mad at me. Incidentally, the spoon-bug is Lyrrik's pet now. It's actually quite cute.
'...oh good lord...shut up, brain...' is what happens when Silver thinks stuff.
Project Athena- Chapter XI: Athena
She had no idea how long she lay there- it could have been hours, or minutes. Eventually she nodded off to disturbing dreams of endless pods and batteries with faces. She came suddenly 'round when someone tapped on her door.
'...nngh...bug off already...meh-it does me no good to make enemies by being bitchy...'
Silver sighed and opened up the door to find Yak there with the pair of boots in hand.
"I found these by the ladder," Yak informed her. "If they didn't fit or something, we can find you a different pair, but for Godsake don't hide stuff."
"Sorry," Silver apologized, feeling a bit ashamed. "They fit fine. They were just no good for exploring in." She took one of them back from Yak and tapped the heavy sole on the floor. The sound echoed off the metal superstructure.
'...you idiot...you should have left them in your room, not hidden them...'
Yak nodded. She appeared to be thinking. "C'mon," she said suddenly. "I'll show you around."
"I've already seen most of the ship, I think," Silver said.
'...liar...you haven't even seen half of it...oh, shut up!...I'm not feeling social...'
"I wasn't talking about the ship, I was talking about Athena," Yak replied.
'...Athena?...'
"Athena?"
"You'll see. Come on- Sketch is busy, but maybe we can get Voldie or E.M. to join us."
'...damn...this just gets worse and worse...'
"Erm, ok?" Silver said dubiously.
"Great! Super!" Yak said, already making a beeline for the ladder. Silver reclaimed her other boot and put them both on, then followed after.
'...just fantastic, isn't it all?...'
She tagged along through the core and out the other end to what lay beyond. A hatch had opened down to ground level on the outside, letting in gusts of cold wind. Silver found herself instantly wishing for a parka. But when she stepped outside, the cold was forgotten as she gaped openly at what she saw.
'...ohh...my...dear...god...'
She was in a cave. No, not a cave- a section of a tunnel. A framework of beams and girders soared up to a rough ceiling and down to a rocky floor, with a good couple hundred feet in between if she was any judge of distance. The beams formed shelves on the stone walls, and the shelves supported lots and lots of machinery. A platform stretched across the middle, supporting what could only be a building, judging by all the people coming and going. A stiff wind whipped through, turning a host of windmills attached anywhere the wind would reach them. Silver waited for the wind to tug her braids, and then remembered that they didn't exist.
'...actually, they never did...what is all this?...'
"Welcome," said Yak's voice in her ear, "to Project Athena. Home to about 140 people, most of whom are part polar bear. The other ones are all freeze-dried."
"Do the machines know this is here?"
"Sure, they know, but they can't actually do anything about it. We've got sensors and EMPs all over the place. If one of the machines gets too close, the EMPs get it."
'...huh...well, as long as it's safe...'
"EMP?"
"ElectroMagnetic Pulse," Yak informed her. "Kills anything electric that gets inside the radius. They take a lot of power, but we're near the surface here. There's something about this section of tunnel that makes it really windy, hence the windmill generators. Every few months, each ship goes back to Zion to refuel."
'...it's like she's speaking a different language...and I'm not fluent in it...dammit...'
"Zion?" Silver inquired, in growing irritation. She hated feeling ignorant.
"You might call it the human capitol of the world," Yak explained. "Most humans live there. It's deep underground, away from the machines, and it has endless supplies of thermal energy, so that's where the hovercraft recharge. Come on, let's go find someone." She towed Silver towards the little building in the center, shepherding her through the tangle of equipment and finally inside.
'...ahh...warm...'
It was blessedly warm inside, tiny, and crammed with people and computers.
"We call this the hive. It's round, and there's always a ton of people coming and going. It's pretty much Command Central- communications from Zion are transmitted here. People come here if they need to find something. Or in our case, someone." Yak looked around and then pointed out a girl who looked a little younger that Silver, with black hair that was cut all one length and stuck out every whichway around her slim face. "That's E.M. Evidently, Mop has done something to piss her off. Again."
'...hm...I can think of people I'd like to yell at like that...'
Indeed, E.M. was apparently cussing out a skinny young man with an unkempt head of brown dreadlocks.
"Hey Emmy! How many times must I tell you not to yell at Mop?" Yak demanded. "It's not like he's clever enough to understand your insults!" Turning to Silver, she explained: "Mop enjoys pissing E.M. off, and then E.M. beats him up, and he annoys her again, and-"
"-it all repeats." Silver finished with a smile.
Meanwhile, E.M. had apparently finished yelling at Mop, becaulse she kicked him in the shins and stalked over to where Yak stood. "My name," she snapped, "is NOT 'Emmy'! It's E.M. already. Get it through your skull! Who's this?" she demanded suddenly, switching subjects so fast that Silver didn't even have time to blink.
***
Lyrrik: And on to the next chapter! *dances*
I'm all psyched too, or I'd tell her to shut up. *dances along with Lyrrik*
Anyhoo, got up at 5 am to update this, as my mother (argh...) packed me off to bed before I could update. I know, I deserve to be yelled at for promising and then going to bed. Flame at will for that.
Disclaimer: I don't even pretend to own anything but the characters so far, so don't get mad at me. Incidentally, the spoon-bug is Lyrrik's pet now. It's actually quite cute.
'...oh good lord...shut up, brain...' is what happens when Silver thinks stuff.
Project Athena- Chapter XI: Athena
She had no idea how long she lay there- it could have been hours, or minutes. Eventually she nodded off to disturbing dreams of endless pods and batteries with faces. She came suddenly 'round when someone tapped on her door.
'...nngh...bug off already...meh-it does me no good to make enemies by being bitchy...'
Silver sighed and opened up the door to find Yak there with the pair of boots in hand.
"I found these by the ladder," Yak informed her. "If they didn't fit or something, we can find you a different pair, but for Godsake don't hide stuff."
"Sorry," Silver apologized, feeling a bit ashamed. "They fit fine. They were just no good for exploring in." She took one of them back from Yak and tapped the heavy sole on the floor. The sound echoed off the metal superstructure.
'...you idiot...you should have left them in your room, not hidden them...'
Yak nodded. She appeared to be thinking. "C'mon," she said suddenly. "I'll show you around."
"I've already seen most of the ship, I think," Silver said.
'...liar...you haven't even seen half of it...oh, shut up!...I'm not feeling social...'
"I wasn't talking about the ship, I was talking about Athena," Yak replied.
'...Athena?...'
"Athena?"
"You'll see. Come on- Sketch is busy, but maybe we can get Voldie or E.M. to join us."
'...damn...this just gets worse and worse...'
"Erm, ok?" Silver said dubiously.
"Great! Super!" Yak said, already making a beeline for the ladder. Silver reclaimed her other boot and put them both on, then followed after.
'...just fantastic, isn't it all?...'
She tagged along through the core and out the other end to what lay beyond. A hatch had opened down to ground level on the outside, letting in gusts of cold wind. Silver found herself instantly wishing for a parka. But when she stepped outside, the cold was forgotten as she gaped openly at what she saw.
'...ohh...my...dear...god...'
She was in a cave. No, not a cave- a section of a tunnel. A framework of beams and girders soared up to a rough ceiling and down to a rocky floor, with a good couple hundred feet in between if she was any judge of distance. The beams formed shelves on the stone walls, and the shelves supported lots and lots of machinery. A platform stretched across the middle, supporting what could only be a building, judging by all the people coming and going. A stiff wind whipped through, turning a host of windmills attached anywhere the wind would reach them. Silver waited for the wind to tug her braids, and then remembered that they didn't exist.
'...actually, they never did...what is all this?...'
"Welcome," said Yak's voice in her ear, "to Project Athena. Home to about 140 people, most of whom are part polar bear. The other ones are all freeze-dried."
"Do the machines know this is here?"
"Sure, they know, but they can't actually do anything about it. We've got sensors and EMPs all over the place. If one of the machines gets too close, the EMPs get it."
'...huh...well, as long as it's safe...'
"EMP?"
"ElectroMagnetic Pulse," Yak informed her. "Kills anything electric that gets inside the radius. They take a lot of power, but we're near the surface here. There's something about this section of tunnel that makes it really windy, hence the windmill generators. Every few months, each ship goes back to Zion to refuel."
'...it's like she's speaking a different language...and I'm not fluent in it...dammit...'
"Zion?" Silver inquired, in growing irritation. She hated feeling ignorant.
"You might call it the human capitol of the world," Yak explained. "Most humans live there. It's deep underground, away from the machines, and it has endless supplies of thermal energy, so that's where the hovercraft recharge. Come on, let's go find someone." She towed Silver towards the little building in the center, shepherding her through the tangle of equipment and finally inside.
'...ahh...warm...'
It was blessedly warm inside, tiny, and crammed with people and computers.
"We call this the hive. It's round, and there's always a ton of people coming and going. It's pretty much Command Central- communications from Zion are transmitted here. People come here if they need to find something. Or in our case, someone." Yak looked around and then pointed out a girl who looked a little younger that Silver, with black hair that was cut all one length and stuck out every whichway around her slim face. "That's E.M. Evidently, Mop has done something to piss her off. Again."
'...hm...I can think of people I'd like to yell at like that...'
Indeed, E.M. was apparently cussing out a skinny young man with an unkempt head of brown dreadlocks.
"Hey Emmy! How many times must I tell you not to yell at Mop?" Yak demanded. "It's not like he's clever enough to understand your insults!" Turning to Silver, she explained: "Mop enjoys pissing E.M. off, and then E.M. beats him up, and he annoys her again, and-"
"-it all repeats." Silver finished with a smile.
Meanwhile, E.M. had apparently finished yelling at Mop, becaulse she kicked him in the shins and stalked over to where Yak stood. "My name," she snapped, "is NOT 'Emmy'! It's E.M. already. Get it through your skull! Who's this?" she demanded suddenly, switching subjects so fast that Silver didn't even have time to blink.
***
Lyrrik: And on to the next chapter! *dances*