Chapter Five
By: Writes with Block
Lane looked around the hotel room with a broad smile on her face. Apparently ARCAM had no problems shelling out cash. She threw her bag down on the floor and flopped onto the bed. She could hear the two Spriggan talking about something in the main room but their words were indistinct. Closing her eyes Lane burrowed down in the bed, sighing.
She didn't like the idea of being so close to the Czech republic but she had taken great lengths to make sure everyone thought she was dead. It had been five years since she'd changed her name and in all that time no one had come looking for her. That didn't go a long way to making her feel better about being in Slovakia but being with the Spriggan made her feel safe.
She liked them both, even if they had kidnapped her. Yu was annoying with his cocky attitude and Jean seemed cold and distant sometimes but they were both nice to her. Yu was enthusiastic about his job, to the point where he wouldn't shut up about it, and was a great source of information. Jean was patient, repeating information as many times as she needed. And they were both quite handsome.
Lane smiled at that thought and giggled slightly. Yu was cute in a funny, boyish sort of way. She hadn't asked him yet but she had the feeling they were the same age. Yu was scruffy and rough and allot of fun to hang around with. Jean, on the other hand, was handsome. With his long blond hair, deep blue eyes, and that French accent he was easily the sexiest guy she'd ever met. Not that he showed any interest in her but that was okay because he wasn't her type anyway. He was just a lovely piece of eye candy to enjoy on this little adventure.
raising a lazy hand, Lane stuffed her arm into her bag and dug out the plate Yu had given to her. Rolling over on to her back she held it up to the light, studying it. She turned it over and over in her hands, running her fingers over its smooth surface. It was a perfect square, all sides were exactly the same length. The corners were clearly defined but even the point was utterly smooth. There was no sign of wear or damage on it at all and even her fingertips left no trace, no smudge of oil, no trace of a fingerprint.
"What are you anyway?" she asked it softly. "Who made you? How old are you?" The plate of course offered no answer. "I'm beginning to think I've gotten myself into some really weird business. What exactly are Spriggan and what are the Arks?"
Suddenly she realized that in her zeal to see the Ark she hadn't asked any questions about it. What did it do? How had they found it? What made the Arks so dangerous? How were they able to destroy the world? If this plate was indestructible what were they going to do about destroying them? Was it even possible? How do you destroy the indestructible?
"Guess this is why they kidnapped me instead of asking me. If I'd had a chance to think it over I'd have said no." Lane sighed, her outstretched arm Falling to the bed. She stared at the ceiling, her thoughts in turmoil. "What have I gotten myself into?" She rolled over onto her stomach and continued to stare at the message plate. She'd been holding it for at least five minutes now but it remained unnaturally cold beneath her fingertips. "You're just a weird little plate but I've got this funny feeling about you. Almost like you're alive in someway. I'm keeping you close. You're gonna come in handy. I just know it."
Lane tucked the plate into her front pocket. She'd have to find a way to carry it around more securely. Maybe there was a way to secure it to a long cord so she could wear it around her neck.
There was a knock and the door opened. "Oi."
Lane rolled over and sat up.
Yu was standing in the doorway, a duffel bag in one hand. "This is for you," he said tossing the bag to her. "Food's here." With that he closed the door.
Lane opened the bag and she snorted in surprise. It was full of clothes. T-shirts, jeans, socks, even bras and panties! How had they known what size to get?
"I'm not going to ask," she said to herself, stuffing the clothes back into the bag. She hopped off the bed and joined the Spriggan in the main room. Both Spriggan were sitting in on the couches. Jean had his feet up on the coffee table and Yu was sitting by the TV, watching a show in Japanese. Boxes of pizza sat open in front of them, surrounded by various kinds of sodas.
"Hungry cher?" Jean asked.
"Hell yeah," Lane answered, making Jean chuckle. She sat down and proceeded to stuff her face much the way that Yu did.
Jean rolled his eyes at the both of them, eating calmly.
Once Lane's hunger was sated she turned to Jean. "What exactly are we doing?"
"I was wondering when you were going to ask cher."
"We're Ark hunting," Yu said shortly. "What more do ya need?"
"What exactly are the Arks? Where did they come from? What exactly about them is so dangerous? How are you going to destroy them? What happens when we find an Ark? What do we do if we don't have the key?"
"Calm, calm cher," Jean said gently. "Where would you like me to start."
"I have no idea."
"All right. Let me see. We do not know what the Arks are exactly. They are much like a computer in that you can enter commands but it is something much more than just a machine. We also do not know where they came from or who built them or how they had the ability to create them in the first place."
"What do you know?"
"I am getting there cher. The Arks can control the elements of the earth. The first ark that was found, the one on Mt. Ararat, could control the earth's atmosphere."
"A weather machine?"
"Oui cher."
"Its a weather machine?"
"The Ararat ark was. We are unsure about the others. They may have different purposes."
"What about the one we went and saw?"
"The scientists were unable to control it. They never turned it on."
"How did they destroy it?"
"The Ark has the ability to destroy themselves. It is quite simple to destroy it when you know how."
"How do you know all this? Who taught you?"
"We will talk about that later cher. It has been a long few days, no? We should rest."
Lane nodded silently, wondering why Jean was so reluctant to speak about it. She turned to watch the TV screen, pulling the message plate fro her pocket and running her fingertips over it.
"Hey werewolf," Yu said suddenly. "Why don't you tell her about McDougall."
"Later Ominai," Jean said.
'Werewolf?' Lane wondered but kept her thoughts to herself. Something else was going on here and she wasn't sure she wanted to know about it.
*****
And the suspense builds. ^__^ So that was a bit of foreshadowing. I worked on this chapter from about three this afternoon until six this evening. I deserve a cookie. I really like this chapter. Its the first time I've done any characterization with Lane and it turned out pretty good.
Lets see....what else...hmmmm. Oh yeah. Yu calls Jean a werewolf. That's a reference back to the manga. In the manga, which was renamed Stricker in the US, when Jean sees the sight of his own blood he turns into a werewolf like creature. The manga deals allot with the occult and the paranormal and I'm gonna work that in as I keep going. I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep making references to the manga but I'll be sure to explain them all.
Thanks for sticking with me and my procrastinating ways. Thanks for reading and please leave a review. Ja ne! ^__^
By: Writes with Block
Lane looked around the hotel room with a broad smile on her face. Apparently ARCAM had no problems shelling out cash. She threw her bag down on the floor and flopped onto the bed. She could hear the two Spriggan talking about something in the main room but their words were indistinct. Closing her eyes Lane burrowed down in the bed, sighing.
She didn't like the idea of being so close to the Czech republic but she had taken great lengths to make sure everyone thought she was dead. It had been five years since she'd changed her name and in all that time no one had come looking for her. That didn't go a long way to making her feel better about being in Slovakia but being with the Spriggan made her feel safe.
She liked them both, even if they had kidnapped her. Yu was annoying with his cocky attitude and Jean seemed cold and distant sometimes but they were both nice to her. Yu was enthusiastic about his job, to the point where he wouldn't shut up about it, and was a great source of information. Jean was patient, repeating information as many times as she needed. And they were both quite handsome.
Lane smiled at that thought and giggled slightly. Yu was cute in a funny, boyish sort of way. She hadn't asked him yet but she had the feeling they were the same age. Yu was scruffy and rough and allot of fun to hang around with. Jean, on the other hand, was handsome. With his long blond hair, deep blue eyes, and that French accent he was easily the sexiest guy she'd ever met. Not that he showed any interest in her but that was okay because he wasn't her type anyway. He was just a lovely piece of eye candy to enjoy on this little adventure.
raising a lazy hand, Lane stuffed her arm into her bag and dug out the plate Yu had given to her. Rolling over on to her back she held it up to the light, studying it. She turned it over and over in her hands, running her fingers over its smooth surface. It was a perfect square, all sides were exactly the same length. The corners were clearly defined but even the point was utterly smooth. There was no sign of wear or damage on it at all and even her fingertips left no trace, no smudge of oil, no trace of a fingerprint.
"What are you anyway?" she asked it softly. "Who made you? How old are you?" The plate of course offered no answer. "I'm beginning to think I've gotten myself into some really weird business. What exactly are Spriggan and what are the Arks?"
Suddenly she realized that in her zeal to see the Ark she hadn't asked any questions about it. What did it do? How had they found it? What made the Arks so dangerous? How were they able to destroy the world? If this plate was indestructible what were they going to do about destroying them? Was it even possible? How do you destroy the indestructible?
"Guess this is why they kidnapped me instead of asking me. If I'd had a chance to think it over I'd have said no." Lane sighed, her outstretched arm Falling to the bed. She stared at the ceiling, her thoughts in turmoil. "What have I gotten myself into?" She rolled over onto her stomach and continued to stare at the message plate. She'd been holding it for at least five minutes now but it remained unnaturally cold beneath her fingertips. "You're just a weird little plate but I've got this funny feeling about you. Almost like you're alive in someway. I'm keeping you close. You're gonna come in handy. I just know it."
Lane tucked the plate into her front pocket. She'd have to find a way to carry it around more securely. Maybe there was a way to secure it to a long cord so she could wear it around her neck.
There was a knock and the door opened. "Oi."
Lane rolled over and sat up.
Yu was standing in the doorway, a duffel bag in one hand. "This is for you," he said tossing the bag to her. "Food's here." With that he closed the door.
Lane opened the bag and she snorted in surprise. It was full of clothes. T-shirts, jeans, socks, even bras and panties! How had they known what size to get?
"I'm not going to ask," she said to herself, stuffing the clothes back into the bag. She hopped off the bed and joined the Spriggan in the main room. Both Spriggan were sitting in on the couches. Jean had his feet up on the coffee table and Yu was sitting by the TV, watching a show in Japanese. Boxes of pizza sat open in front of them, surrounded by various kinds of sodas.
"Hungry cher?" Jean asked.
"Hell yeah," Lane answered, making Jean chuckle. She sat down and proceeded to stuff her face much the way that Yu did.
Jean rolled his eyes at the both of them, eating calmly.
Once Lane's hunger was sated she turned to Jean. "What exactly are we doing?"
"I was wondering when you were going to ask cher."
"We're Ark hunting," Yu said shortly. "What more do ya need?"
"What exactly are the Arks? Where did they come from? What exactly about them is so dangerous? How are you going to destroy them? What happens when we find an Ark? What do we do if we don't have the key?"
"Calm, calm cher," Jean said gently. "Where would you like me to start."
"I have no idea."
"All right. Let me see. We do not know what the Arks are exactly. They are much like a computer in that you can enter commands but it is something much more than just a machine. We also do not know where they came from or who built them or how they had the ability to create them in the first place."
"What do you know?"
"I am getting there cher. The Arks can control the elements of the earth. The first ark that was found, the one on Mt. Ararat, could control the earth's atmosphere."
"A weather machine?"
"Oui cher."
"Its a weather machine?"
"The Ararat ark was. We are unsure about the others. They may have different purposes."
"What about the one we went and saw?"
"The scientists were unable to control it. They never turned it on."
"How did they destroy it?"
"The Ark has the ability to destroy themselves. It is quite simple to destroy it when you know how."
"How do you know all this? Who taught you?"
"We will talk about that later cher. It has been a long few days, no? We should rest."
Lane nodded silently, wondering why Jean was so reluctant to speak about it. She turned to watch the TV screen, pulling the message plate fro her pocket and running her fingertips over it.
"Hey werewolf," Yu said suddenly. "Why don't you tell her about McDougall."
"Later Ominai," Jean said.
'Werewolf?' Lane wondered but kept her thoughts to herself. Something else was going on here and she wasn't sure she wanted to know about it.
*****
And the suspense builds. ^__^ So that was a bit of foreshadowing. I worked on this chapter from about three this afternoon until six this evening. I deserve a cookie. I really like this chapter. Its the first time I've done any characterization with Lane and it turned out pretty good.
Lets see....what else...hmmmm. Oh yeah. Yu calls Jean a werewolf. That's a reference back to the manga. In the manga, which was renamed Stricker in the US, when Jean sees the sight of his own blood he turns into a werewolf like creature. The manga deals allot with the occult and the paranormal and I'm gonna work that in as I keep going. I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep making references to the manga but I'll be sure to explain them all.
Thanks for sticking with me and my procrastinating ways. Thanks for reading and please leave a review. Ja ne! ^__^
