Title: Meeting
Author: the random monkey
Date: about a month; finished 12-8-03
Author's notes: Aaah, semester break. An entire month to do wahtever I want, free from the oppressive regime of homework. At least, until my parents see my grades... If I stop responding to e-mails around Dec. 17, call the FBI.
Anyway, I finally finished this chapter. I wrote the first draft for it, like, right after I finished the last chapter, and I just kept revising it... If I don't post it now, I think I'm gonna give up, because it's never gonna be perfect enough. You know how that is? Plus, when I take too long, I get too used to the idea, and it seems sooo unoriginal, so I don't want to bother writing it out... So I guess I better get to it, ne? Enjoy, and Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwaanza, Boxing Day, or Atheist Children Get Presents Day! I own nothing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Step by step,
Heart to heart,
Left right left,
We all fall down
Like toy soldiers
-Martika, "Toy Soldiers"
~*~*~*~*~*~
314 wandered slowly through the Mist. He had been wandering for days, unsure of what to do or where to go.
He sat down for a moment to rest. He felt tired, weak and dizzy, even though he had slept well and often, and eaten enough food. He also felt very hot, even when he held still. But most troubling to him was the area on his left arm where his hand had been. It ached constantly, and was starting to ooze a whitish substance. It worried him. Was there something wrong with his body? What could he do?
He decided to stop thinking about this. There was nothing he could do, after all, and the feelings of anxiety were unpleasant. Instead, he looked at his surroundings.
The ground around him was covered with dark green plants, as far as he could see, except be hind him and to the left, where there was a small forest full of tall, leafy trees, and in front him, where, barely visible through the Mist, was a dark brownish area that extended high above him- most likely a cliff.
He let his eyes follow the cliff upward, marvelling once again at the existence of something so tall, when he suddenly detected movement - Two large blackish blobs moving down the face of the cliff.
He watched, confused, as the two blobs moved slowly down the cliff. He had seen many cliffs since his escape, but never one with things moving on it. What could the things be? Some sort of animal? A monster? There were many monsters in the Mist, he knew from experience, but he had never seen one that climbed cliffs.
He watched as one of the dots suddenly started moing very quickly- falling, in fact. As it landed with a thud in a heap on the ground, he was able to make out a pointy hat and a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
A small chill ran through 314 as the A type Black Mage hit the ground. Another Black Mage! And it must be awake; surely no one would order a Black Mage to climb down a cliff, so it must be acting on its own. And... He looked up at the cliff at the other blob, now climbing much faster, and was able to make out another pointy hat.
He scrambled to his feet, suddenly more energetic. Two others like him! For a fleeting moment, 314 wondered if this was one of the pleasant visions he had while sleeping, but quickly decided it was real, because his body never felt this uncomforatable in the visions.
The third mage, a B type, jumped down the remainder of the cliff, landing on the ground with a thud. It quickly scrambled over to the first one, then rolled it onto its back and started shaking it, apparently trying to wake it up. 314 approached slowly, his legs aching. The B type stood suddenly, holding out a hand threateningly.
314 froze, unsure if the other would cast a spell or not, and for a moment, the two stared at each other. Finally, 314 broke the silence. "It's okay. I'm also aware."
The other's eyes widened, and it slowly lowered its hand. It kneeled back down next to its companion.
314 approached the two. The one who had fallen lay motionless, its eyes closed.
"Is it....?" he asked.
The other laid its hand on the fallen A type's chest, then motioned for 314 to do the same. He complied, and was surprised to feel the rise and fall of the mage's breathing and the steady thud of its pulse under his hand. Somehow, it had never occurred to him that these things could be felt.
314 sat down on ther other side of the body, staring at the B type across from him. For a moment, neither one did anything; 314 wondered if he should say something, and if so, what. Then suddenly, the other mage turned and began pulling plants out of the ground. 314 watched with interest as the mage cleared a patch of dirt, then wrote a message in it. My name is 286. I can't talk.
"I'm 314," he said, when he had finished reading. "Why can't you talk?"
Mr. 286 flinched as if he'd been hit, then quickly smeared his last message and wrote, It's a long story. I don't care to tell it. He glanced over at his companion, then wrote another message: Can you help me move him?
314 looked from one mage to the other. "I'll try," he replied, "but I haven't felt well for several days, and I don't know how much I can help. Where do you want to move him to?"
Mr. 286 considered, then wrote, Is there any shelter nearby?
"The closest shelter I know of is the one I stayed in last night," said 314. "It's a small structure made of branches in a patch of trees nearby."
Mr. 286 nodded in approval and stood, then paused, looking down at his partner, a look of confusion on his face.
"How will we get him there?" 314 understood the question without having to be asked. He paused, considering the best solution, then after a moment said, "I'll lift his legs; they're heavier, and I have more muscle than you. You lift his shoulders and head. I'll try to lead you towards the place." He nodded his head, as he always did when he'd solved a problem.
314 stood, and the two mages tried to lift the body of the unconscious A type, but almost the instant 314 picked up the others' legs, he felt his strength drain away. He took a few trembling steps, then nearly fell down, dropping his end of the body. Mr. 286 stopped and looked at 314 angrily.
"I'm sorry," 314 said apologetically, trying to catch his breath. "I told you, I haven't been well."
Mr. 286 gently lowered the other mage's head to the ground, then sighed and looked up, his expression one of hopelessness and uncertainty. Looking at him, 314 was overcome by the emotions that suddenly filled him. He thought he had learned all of the emotions by now, but this one was new. He squinted his eyes shut as he considered it. He felt sadness at not being able to help Mr. 286, and anger at himself for the same reason... Frustration? Is that what this is called?
A loud, shuttering gasp made him open his eyes. He looked at Mr. 286, who was staring at the ground, looking amazed. 314 followed his gaze, and saw that the third mage's eyes were open. But something was wrong... very wrong...
314 shuddered as he realized what the problem was. The other's eyes...
Were completely empty.
He looked up at Mr. 286, wondering if the other had seen the same thing; the look on Mr. 286's face told him that it was true.
314 dropped to the ground, suddenly more exhausted than ever. Empty. Soulless. Unaware. Those were the eyes of a mindless killer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Default Mission: Wait For Orders
Default Objective: Obey
Awaiting instruction.
Error: Pain.
Assessment: Body shaken. Nonfatal; Continue mission.
Error: Pain
Assessment: Blow to Face. Nonfatal; Continue mission.
He's crying...
Error: Extraneous stimulus.
Stimulus ignored.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
This could not be happening.
He stared into those blank eyes for the millionth time, searching for any sign of life, any glimmer of thought, of awareness. But they stayed blank.
He let his gaze fall numbly down to his gloved hands, as he went over what had happened yet again. Mr. 287 had climbed down ahead of 286, and they'd gotten about halfway down the cliff without a problem. 286 wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but somehow, Mr. 287 had lost his grip, and fallen to the ground below...
286 still wasn't sure how he had made it down the cliff face himself. The next thing he knew, he was crawling over to Mr. 287's limp form, rolling him onto his back, relieved to find he was still breathing. Then the new person, Mr. 314, had come, and they'd tried to move 287; and finally, 287 had woken up.
Almost.
The fall had done something to 287; he hadn't died, but he might as well have. He wasn't Mr. 287 anymore. He was a tool. A machine built to take orders.
286's gaze rested on the knuckles of his right hand, where a dark smear of blood stained the white material of his gloves. He'd just felt such anger and fear... He had hit 287, hit him hard, and the other hadn't even reacted. He would have hit him again, too, if Mr. 314 hadn't stopped him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip. 287 responded to orders, as he was programmed to do; Mr.314 had ordered him to follow, and had led the way to a tiny but well-built hutch in a small forest. They had squeezed in with just enough room for a small fire, and Mr. 314 had fallen asleep almost immediately, leaving 286 with nothing to do but stare at the empty shell of his former friend, and remember, over and over, what had happened.
He looked up again, into those blank eyes, halfheartedly hoping that this time, he'd see some faint spark of awareness in them. But they still stared back vacantly, hollowly, without emotion.
This could not be happening...
~*~*~*~*~*~*
314 awoke, his head throbbing and his body aching. He still felt tired, and the feeling of being unbearably hot was still there, only now he felt himself shivering. The sensations scared him, but he tried to push the frightened thoughts away. Maybe all he needed was to get moving...
Weakly, he opened his eyes. Mr. 286 was already awake, and was staring out the front of their shelter, knees drawn up to his chest.
"Did you sleep?" 314 asked, sitting up a little bit and trying to stretch in the small space.
Mr. 286 startled, then nodded slowly without looking back, holding up his hand with his thumb and forefinger a short distance apart. A little.
314 looked at the third mage, hoping that there had been some change in it, but it still stared vacantly into space.
314 looked back to Mr. 286. "You never told me his name," he said.
Mr. 286 sighed heavily and wrote three figures in the dirt next to him with a finger. 287. He hesitated, then wrote more. We cared about each other; he took care of me when I was injured. I think that makes us friends. He paused again, then quickly rubbed out his message and wrote, Now that you're awake, we should leave.
"Yes," agreed 314. He sat up all the way, but was suddenly overcome by a wave of dizziness. His vision blurred, then everything went black...
... and the next thing he knew he was laying back down, and Mr. 286 was staring down at him with a look of deep concern. He pointed down at the ground next to him, where 314 assumed he had written a message. He tried to lift his head to look at it, but found he was too weak to even do this.
Mr. 286 stared at him sadly for a long moment, then started moving away. A wave of fear passed through 314. "No, don't leave!" he mumbled weakly, making a feeble attempt to grab Mr. 286's arm.
Mr. 286 moved back into his field of vision, taking 314's hand and squeezing it comfortingly. 314 relaxed instantly. "Don't leave. Please," he whispered.
Mr. 286 shook his head no, then pointed to himself and then the ground. I'll stay here.
314 smiled and closed his eyes, and was soon asleep again.
Author: the random monkey
Date: about a month; finished 12-8-03
Author's notes: Aaah, semester break. An entire month to do wahtever I want, free from the oppressive regime of homework. At least, until my parents see my grades... If I stop responding to e-mails around Dec. 17, call the FBI.
Anyway, I finally finished this chapter. I wrote the first draft for it, like, right after I finished the last chapter, and I just kept revising it... If I don't post it now, I think I'm gonna give up, because it's never gonna be perfect enough. You know how that is? Plus, when I take too long, I get too used to the idea, and it seems sooo unoriginal, so I don't want to bother writing it out... So I guess I better get to it, ne? Enjoy, and Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwaanza, Boxing Day, or Atheist Children Get Presents Day! I own nothing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Step by step,
Heart to heart,
Left right left,
We all fall down
Like toy soldiers
-Martika, "Toy Soldiers"
~*~*~*~*~*~
314 wandered slowly through the Mist. He had been wandering for days, unsure of what to do or where to go.
He sat down for a moment to rest. He felt tired, weak and dizzy, even though he had slept well and often, and eaten enough food. He also felt very hot, even when he held still. But most troubling to him was the area on his left arm where his hand had been. It ached constantly, and was starting to ooze a whitish substance. It worried him. Was there something wrong with his body? What could he do?
He decided to stop thinking about this. There was nothing he could do, after all, and the feelings of anxiety were unpleasant. Instead, he looked at his surroundings.
The ground around him was covered with dark green plants, as far as he could see, except be hind him and to the left, where there was a small forest full of tall, leafy trees, and in front him, where, barely visible through the Mist, was a dark brownish area that extended high above him- most likely a cliff.
He let his eyes follow the cliff upward, marvelling once again at the existence of something so tall, when he suddenly detected movement - Two large blackish blobs moving down the face of the cliff.
He watched, confused, as the two blobs moved slowly down the cliff. He had seen many cliffs since his escape, but never one with things moving on it. What could the things be? Some sort of animal? A monster? There were many monsters in the Mist, he knew from experience, but he had never seen one that climbed cliffs.
He watched as one of the dots suddenly started moing very quickly- falling, in fact. As it landed with a thud in a heap on the ground, he was able to make out a pointy hat and a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
A small chill ran through 314 as the A type Black Mage hit the ground. Another Black Mage! And it must be awake; surely no one would order a Black Mage to climb down a cliff, so it must be acting on its own. And... He looked up at the cliff at the other blob, now climbing much faster, and was able to make out another pointy hat.
He scrambled to his feet, suddenly more energetic. Two others like him! For a fleeting moment, 314 wondered if this was one of the pleasant visions he had while sleeping, but quickly decided it was real, because his body never felt this uncomforatable in the visions.
The third mage, a B type, jumped down the remainder of the cliff, landing on the ground with a thud. It quickly scrambled over to the first one, then rolled it onto its back and started shaking it, apparently trying to wake it up. 314 approached slowly, his legs aching. The B type stood suddenly, holding out a hand threateningly.
314 froze, unsure if the other would cast a spell or not, and for a moment, the two stared at each other. Finally, 314 broke the silence. "It's okay. I'm also aware."
The other's eyes widened, and it slowly lowered its hand. It kneeled back down next to its companion.
314 approached the two. The one who had fallen lay motionless, its eyes closed.
"Is it....?" he asked.
The other laid its hand on the fallen A type's chest, then motioned for 314 to do the same. He complied, and was surprised to feel the rise and fall of the mage's breathing and the steady thud of its pulse under his hand. Somehow, it had never occurred to him that these things could be felt.
314 sat down on ther other side of the body, staring at the B type across from him. For a moment, neither one did anything; 314 wondered if he should say something, and if so, what. Then suddenly, the other mage turned and began pulling plants out of the ground. 314 watched with interest as the mage cleared a patch of dirt, then wrote a message in it. My name is 286. I can't talk.
"I'm 314," he said, when he had finished reading. "Why can't you talk?"
Mr. 286 flinched as if he'd been hit, then quickly smeared his last message and wrote, It's a long story. I don't care to tell it. He glanced over at his companion, then wrote another message: Can you help me move him?
314 looked from one mage to the other. "I'll try," he replied, "but I haven't felt well for several days, and I don't know how much I can help. Where do you want to move him to?"
Mr. 286 considered, then wrote, Is there any shelter nearby?
"The closest shelter I know of is the one I stayed in last night," said 314. "It's a small structure made of branches in a patch of trees nearby."
Mr. 286 nodded in approval and stood, then paused, looking down at his partner, a look of confusion on his face.
"How will we get him there?" 314 understood the question without having to be asked. He paused, considering the best solution, then after a moment said, "I'll lift his legs; they're heavier, and I have more muscle than you. You lift his shoulders and head. I'll try to lead you towards the place." He nodded his head, as he always did when he'd solved a problem.
314 stood, and the two mages tried to lift the body of the unconscious A type, but almost the instant 314 picked up the others' legs, he felt his strength drain away. He took a few trembling steps, then nearly fell down, dropping his end of the body. Mr. 286 stopped and looked at 314 angrily.
"I'm sorry," 314 said apologetically, trying to catch his breath. "I told you, I haven't been well."
Mr. 286 gently lowered the other mage's head to the ground, then sighed and looked up, his expression one of hopelessness and uncertainty. Looking at him, 314 was overcome by the emotions that suddenly filled him. He thought he had learned all of the emotions by now, but this one was new. He squinted his eyes shut as he considered it. He felt sadness at not being able to help Mr. 286, and anger at himself for the same reason... Frustration? Is that what this is called?
A loud, shuttering gasp made him open his eyes. He looked at Mr. 286, who was staring at the ground, looking amazed. 314 followed his gaze, and saw that the third mage's eyes were open. But something was wrong... very wrong...
314 shuddered as he realized what the problem was. The other's eyes...
Were completely empty.
He looked up at Mr. 286, wondering if the other had seen the same thing; the look on Mr. 286's face told him that it was true.
314 dropped to the ground, suddenly more exhausted than ever. Empty. Soulless. Unaware. Those were the eyes of a mindless killer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Default Mission: Wait For Orders
Default Objective: Obey
Awaiting instruction.
Error: Pain.
Assessment: Body shaken. Nonfatal; Continue mission.
Error: Pain
Assessment: Blow to Face. Nonfatal; Continue mission.
He's crying...
Error: Extraneous stimulus.
Stimulus ignored.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
This could not be happening.
He stared into those blank eyes for the millionth time, searching for any sign of life, any glimmer of thought, of awareness. But they stayed blank.
He let his gaze fall numbly down to his gloved hands, as he went over what had happened yet again. Mr. 287 had climbed down ahead of 286, and they'd gotten about halfway down the cliff without a problem. 286 wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but somehow, Mr. 287 had lost his grip, and fallen to the ground below...
286 still wasn't sure how he had made it down the cliff face himself. The next thing he knew, he was crawling over to Mr. 287's limp form, rolling him onto his back, relieved to find he was still breathing. Then the new person, Mr. 314, had come, and they'd tried to move 287; and finally, 287 had woken up.
Almost.
The fall had done something to 287; he hadn't died, but he might as well have. He wasn't Mr. 287 anymore. He was a tool. A machine built to take orders.
286's gaze rested on the knuckles of his right hand, where a dark smear of blood stained the white material of his gloves. He'd just felt such anger and fear... He had hit 287, hit him hard, and the other hadn't even reacted. He would have hit him again, too, if Mr. 314 hadn't stopped him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip. 287 responded to orders, as he was programmed to do; Mr.314 had ordered him to follow, and had led the way to a tiny but well-built hutch in a small forest. They had squeezed in with just enough room for a small fire, and Mr. 314 had fallen asleep almost immediately, leaving 286 with nothing to do but stare at the empty shell of his former friend, and remember, over and over, what had happened.
He looked up again, into those blank eyes, halfheartedly hoping that this time, he'd see some faint spark of awareness in them. But they still stared back vacantly, hollowly, without emotion.
This could not be happening...
~*~*~*~*~*~*
314 awoke, his head throbbing and his body aching. He still felt tired, and the feeling of being unbearably hot was still there, only now he felt himself shivering. The sensations scared him, but he tried to push the frightened thoughts away. Maybe all he needed was to get moving...
Weakly, he opened his eyes. Mr. 286 was already awake, and was staring out the front of their shelter, knees drawn up to his chest.
"Did you sleep?" 314 asked, sitting up a little bit and trying to stretch in the small space.
Mr. 286 startled, then nodded slowly without looking back, holding up his hand with his thumb and forefinger a short distance apart. A little.
314 looked at the third mage, hoping that there had been some change in it, but it still stared vacantly into space.
314 looked back to Mr. 286. "You never told me his name," he said.
Mr. 286 sighed heavily and wrote three figures in the dirt next to him with a finger. 287. He hesitated, then wrote more. We cared about each other; he took care of me when I was injured. I think that makes us friends. He paused again, then quickly rubbed out his message and wrote, Now that you're awake, we should leave.
"Yes," agreed 314. He sat up all the way, but was suddenly overcome by a wave of dizziness. His vision blurred, then everything went black...
... and the next thing he knew he was laying back down, and Mr. 286 was staring down at him with a look of deep concern. He pointed down at the ground next to him, where 314 assumed he had written a message. He tried to lift his head to look at it, but found he was too weak to even do this.
Mr. 286 stared at him sadly for a long moment, then started moving away. A wave of fear passed through 314. "No, don't leave!" he mumbled weakly, making a feeble attempt to grab Mr. 286's arm.
Mr. 286 moved back into his field of vision, taking 314's hand and squeezing it comfortingly. 314 relaxed instantly. "Don't leave. Please," he whispered.
Mr. 286 shook his head no, then pointed to himself and then the ground. I'll stay here.
314 smiled and closed his eyes, and was soon asleep again.