/- Well. Guess I b0rked my daily update schedule, huh? =P
Too bad writing doesn't pay the bills, or else I'd be able to take more days off and just... write. Those published authors, thinking they're so smug...
And besides, can't let Ovo have top bidding on the Ecco page, now can we? ;) Just kidding, of course. I plan to read through your story when I get the time, and review it in turn.
I can't think of anything to say... I mean, sure, there might be some plot holes, but I think I've got an explanation for each one, and they'll be shown in due time. =P So, until next time...
Happy Reading! -- Icebreaker -/
"Doc, you've gotta be kidding," Donovan was saying. "I mean, I don't think I could even get into the warehouse without a good excuse..."
The sun glinted off of Nicholas's eyes as he held up a single finger, his other hand resting on his walking stick. "Now, one problem at a time," he said, grinning. "We sure as hell aren't doing any good just sitting here, and if there are aliens hanging somewhere in orbit, we need to get the ball rolling and get some answers."
"I'm sure the Asterite will give us the answers we require, if that's what you're worried about," interjected Ecco. "Assuming I can put him together again, that is..."
Donovan smiled at that. "A modern-day Humpty Dumpty, huh?" he mumbled.
"Allright, suppose that we get to Atlanta," Donovan said, speaking up. "Suppose, even, that we manage to put this Asterite fellow together without any trouble. What kind of questions would we ask it? I haven't the faintest idea, and the Asterite might be a little distrustful of us anyway..."
Nicholas nodded sagely. "But of course. And that's why Ecco will be asking most of the questions."
Donovan's eyes popped out slightly. "Uh, Nicholas, dolphins require this little thing called water. And it's noticeably absent out on the highway."
Nicholas's grin never faltered. "Yes, you're right about that, Rescii... however, I happen to have a special trailer that carries enough water to transport a dolphin across land. Got it from Seaworld through slightly... less-than-legal means." His brow furrowed as he continued his thoughts. "Now, it's designed for just one dolphin, but I don't see any reason it can't carry two if they're friendly."
Donovan crossed his arms, thinking of any other possible objections. "Well, what are we gonna use to tow the damn thing?" he asked, and Nicholas nodded his head towards the beach.
"I think that Jeep over there ought to do nicely. Last I checked, the company was always touting about how their towing power was the best in their class or something, right?"
"MY Jeep?" asked Donovan, taking a step back. "Uh, I'm not so sure about this... I mean, I've already managed to beach a boat today..."
"Nonsense, Rescii, it'll be just fine. Now pull that vehicle over to the back of my house and we'll get it hitched up." Nicholas took his walking stick in hand and began hobbling towards his bungalow, up on the white sand.
Donovan was still in a mild state of shock, but eventually he sighed and hung his head. The old man was right, to a certain extent... they did have to get moving, and soon, at that. But still... why did it have to be HIS car?
"Trellia, Ecco, you guys just chill here for a second, allright? Me and Nicholas are gonna get some equipment ready, and then we'll go see this Asterite guy."
Ecco nodded. "Of course, Donovan. Take all the time you need," he said, before turning to Trellia and regarding her closely with one eye.
"Trellia, please tell me that you've traveled... over land before?" he asked, with a pleading note in his voice.
Trellia thought for a second. "Well, I think I have, when I was younger. They put you in this big container and you move across land, even though you're not swimming." She grinned slightly. "It was actually kind of fun, if I remember right."
Ecco went to the surface for a breath of fresh air before coming back down again. He couldn't shake a certain amount of nervousness from his head about this whole "traveling over land" thing.
"Ridiculous," he thought to himself. "I have fought the hardest enemies that the galaxy has to offer, not to mention Time itself. So why should I be worried about a little sojourn inland?"
This line of thought didn't help him feel any better.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Allright, Rescii, go ahead and pull it back a little more... little more... just a little – Okay, stop. That's perfect."
Nicholas was standing next to what can only be considered a giant water tank, made out of a translucent plastic material. The old man watched as Donovan parked the Jeep in the shade of Nicholas's house.
"So, you're gonna help with hitching the thing?" asked Donovan, stepping out of the driver's side door.
"Certainly not," snorted Nicholas, brushing the back of his hand across his head. "An old man such as myself, doing heavy lifting... hell, my bones could just plain shatter on account of this osteoporosis thing I keep hearing about."
"My ass," said Donovan, looking from the hitch to the clamp on the water tank. "You're probably in better shape than even me, Nicholas, with the exception of that leg."
Nicholas grinned as he looked over the operation. "That may be true, but I don't have to admit it. Now, I'm going to see about filling up this tank... I hope the pump still works..."
He hobbled off around the side of the house as Donovan tried to figure out how he was going to get the clamp onto the ball of the trailer hitch. He eventually settled on using a nearby steel pipe as a lever with a cinder block as a fulcrum, and had just managed to get the tank fully attached before Nicholas calmly came around the house and put the end of a fire hose in the tank.
"A fire hose? You got enough water pressure to fill this thing in the next couple of days or so?"
Nicholas grinned and shrugged. "I don't know... let's see what happens when I press this switch." He pulled back a lever on the hose, and a HUGE amount of water came gushing out, spreading across the bottom of the tank within seconds as the water level rose relatively quickly.
"I don't think you can get that much water out of a well..." Donovan scratched his head. "Say, Nicholas, where do you get your water anyway?"
Nicholas hunkered down on his walking stick and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Old fire hydrant, up inland about two miles," he yelled, trying to be heard over the roar of the rising water. "The pipes down to my house are all buried about a foot below ground. The hydrant itself obviously still works, although I don't think it's ever been used legitimately in all the years I've been here."
Donovan shook his head and smirked. "Damn hermits... you've gotta give them credit for being resourceful, though."
"In any case, this should fill up in a couple minutes. I'm going to try and find a tarp to put over this thing... transporting dolphins out on the freeway might garner unwanted attention," Nicholas said, before pointing towards the pier. "In the meantime, ask Trellia to retrieve the translator from the seafloor, and bring both units here to me. With any luck, we'll be ready to go before the hour's up."
Donovan did as asked, getting the box from Trellia, who balanced it amazingly on her nose as she brought it to the surface. He brought back both units to the tank, which was now almost full. Nicholas stood beside it with a massive blue tarp, secured with ropes to one side of the trailer.
"Excellent, excellent," said Nicholas, taking one of the boxes from Donovan and throwing it into the tank. "Don't want to lose communication while out on the road, I'm sure we'll have a lot of explaining to do about any works of Man we happen to pass."
He walked over to the passenger-side door of the Jeep and threw the other box in. "Now, let's roll this thing back into the water and let our less-land inclined friends in, hrmm?"
Donovan shrugged. "You appear to be the authority on the subject, so let's go, I guess."
They backed the tank slowly into the ocean, enough to make an easy jump for the dolphins, but not enough to either lose any water, or prevent it from making it back onto the beach. The Jeep didn't have enough horsepower to pull a tank that size, full of water, back out once it was fully immersed in the ocean. The two humans shut off the vehicle, and stepped out, beckoning for the dolphins to jump into the tank.
"I think they're trying to signal us for something," mused Ecco. "Any idea what we're supposed to do?"
"I should think that's fairly obvious," said Trellia, as she rolled her eyes. "All you have to do is jump in that tank... I mean, you CAN jump, right?"
Ecco tried to keep from laughing, and settled for a wide smile instead. "Oh, I think so... you needn't worry about me."
Trellia nodded. "Right, well, just to make sure, I'll go first so you can see how it's done, okay?" She swam a little ways back, then shot forward, doing a small breach so as to get above the rim of the tank. She landed with a small splash, then stuck her head out of the water and smiled at Ecco.
"Now it's YOUR turn to see how it's done," Ecco thought to himself, laughing inwardly. He swam back a modest distance, and then shot forward at least twice as fast as Trellia had done. He knew that jumping too far horizontally could land him past the tank and onto the beach, so he settled for jumping as high as he could and letting his momentum carry him over the rim.
He burst out of the water, and he felt for a moment as if he could touch the sky itself. He kept going up and up and up... almost for what seemed like an eternity. When he finally started to come back down, he turned himself so he was facing the tank, and realized his fatal mistake.
"That water is a bit shallower than it looked from the ocean..." he thought, eying up the water level in the tank. He saw Trellia's wide eyed look, with Donovan and Nicholas staring on in similar expressions. "Let's see if I can get out of this without undue embarrassment..."
Just after he made contact with the surface of the water in the tank, he twisted, trying to turn his vertical momentum into horizontal momentum. The water was just too shallow, though, and he couldn't help but squeak a bit as his underside slapped against the bottom of the tank with a sharp sting. As he was shaking his head to clear his pain, his newfound horizontal momentum carried him into the tank wall, where he earned himself a nasty bump on the noggin.
Trellia swam over as fast as she could. "Ecco! Ecco, are you all right?"
"Yes," Ecco muttered, forcing a smile. "I'm just fine, miscalculated the jump, is all."
Trellia sighed. "I showed you how to do it, didn't I? Oh well, you'll get better with more practice." She mulled over something in her head for a moment. "I've gotta say though, that was quite an impressive height for a jump..."
"Ecco, can you hear me? Is everything allright? Trellia?" The box in the corner of the tank started babbling, its artificial song echoing off of the plastic walls.
"Yes, Nicholas, everything is fine," Trellia said. "He just took a couple of bumps, but nothing too serious."
"Good, good. In that case, prepare yourselves, we're about to start heading out."
"You know, Nicholas, I've never seen any dolphin jump as high as that one did," Donovan said, looking over at the old man in the passenger seat with the black translator box in his lap. "There's something special about him, I'm sure..."
Nicholas nodded. "While your experience with dolphins is limited at best, I think you're right about Ecco... there is indeed something special about him." He laid his walking stick in the back seat, leaning back as he did so. "Now, shall we get out of here? Time's a wasting, you know."
Donovan searched his pocket for his keys. "Allright, but I get to pick the radio station." He turned the key in the ignition, the Jeep springing to life, and some form of techno blared out of the speakers, with heavy synthesizer riffs and an obnoxious bassline. Nicholas made a face, but said nothing.
"Atlanta, here we come!" said Donovan, throwing the Jeep into gear and pulling away from the beach.
