Chapter 2: Not in Kansas Anymore

Thunderchild awoke once again, to find himself lying on a comfortable bed, for a minute or two he just lay there running over the events of the last 24 hours in his head. Then he slowly got up and looked around the room he was in, it was much the same as the room he'd arrived in. Gods know how though.

I don't think I'm on the Disc any more, he thought where the hell am I?

He noticed a bowl of fruit on a table in the corner but decided not to touch it, for all he knew it could contain poison. He rubbed his eyes, what was he doing here? The last thing he could remember was attacking the black wizard and then he was on this ship, if indeed it was a ship. Ships floated, they didn't fly like the birds!

He reached for his sword, which wasn't there.

"Damn!" he swore

Defenceless and in the middle of another world, could it get any worse?

The door clicked and swung slowly open, the monkey creature he saw earlier walked in with another of the same species, Thunderchild closely examined the both of them.

The male of the species had blonde hair, cut to about neck height, he wore loose baggy clothing and carried a small dagger in a sheath. The female was similarly dressed but her hair was black with purple highlights and it carried down to the back of her shoulders, at the moment she had it up in a ponytail. Thunderchild decided that if it wasn't for the tail she'd be quite attractive.

Thunderchild smiled to himself thinking Ye gods man, can't you keep your mind off women for two seconds!?

The male walked across the room and turned a chair around to face the bed that Thunderchild was sitting on and sat down.

"Erm, hiya, I'm Zidane and this," He indicated the female "Is Domino. We'd like to know who you are and how you got on the Prima Vista?"

"My name is Thunderchild, and to be frank I haven't got a clue how I got here, one minute I was fighting and the next I woke up here"
Thunderchild noticed that Domino was watching him with a great distrust in her eyes, something he'd not noticed in Zidanes, as he looked back at her she quickly looked away.

"Who were you fighting?" asked Zidane, dragging Thunderchilds attention from Domino

"Erm, they were two wizards, dark mages I can only presume, they'd been chasing me all the way from the Ramtops back to Ankh-Morpork"

"Ramtops? Ankh-Morpork? I've travelled far across the Mist Continent but I've never heard of those places"

"That's because they're not from this continent, or indeed I suspect, this world"

That got Dominos attention

"Are you trying to suggest you're from another planet??"

"Not suggest, I know that this isn't part of the disc, you're too advanced in technology for one thing"

Domino gave him a very suspicious look and went back to examining the ceiling, Thunderchild wondered what was so fascinating about the wooden beams.

"So, assuming you are from another world, how do these mages come into it?" continued Zidane

"Well, as I was fighting one he began chanting something about Gaya.."

"Gaia"

"Yeah, that'd be it, how'd you know?"

"It's the name of this planet"

"Really? Oh, well he was chanting something about Gaia and then there was a massive flash of white light and I blacked out, when I woke up I was here"

"Can you describe these mages to us?"

Thunderchild paused, searching his memory for events that happened less than forty-eight hours ago but seemed like years in the past. He wondered how Proeliator had fared, whether the mages had left or whether the battle had continued after his departure.

"Well, if I remember rightly they were dressed in shabby clothing, all black, with a wide brim dark black hat, I couldn't see much of their face, but I swear…"

Zidane leaned closer to Thunderchild

"What?"

"I swear their eyes glowed blood red," Thunderchild paused and then shook his head "No, sod it, that's impossible."

"As impossible as being transported to alien world?"

"Well, when you put it like that Mr Zidane"

"Hell, please, ditch the Mister, it's just Zidane ok?"

"Oh, ok, Zidane, thank you."

"Hmm," Zidane turned to Domino "These guys sound a bit too familiar don't they Dom?"

"Yes, they do, I'll go tell the boss"

With that she looked back at Thunderchild briefly and then with a flick of her tail, she opened and walked out the door, without shutting her tail in it, Thunderchild made a mental note to ask how she did that.

"Is there anything you need then Thunderchild?"

"Well, information really, about you, this world, everything"

Zidane smiled and flicked his tail slightly

"Well, you must understand that I can't tell you much at the moment but I can answer a few questions"

Thunderchild thought for a moment and then asked

"What are you?"

Zidane laughed briefly "Brief and to the point, I like you Thunderchild. Me and Domino are what are known as Genomes, we're a sort of monkey cross human but we all have some special abilities."

"Such as..?"

"Ah, but that would be telling," Zidane laughed again "Anything else?"

"What keeps this ship from plummeting to the ground?"

"This ship is powered by mist engines, in essence we sail above the mist, it's much more safer than trying to travel through it at ground level"

"Safer? How so?"

"The mist is a sort of life force of it's own, it can create mist creatures, which are generally hostile and powerful, and it's generally considered best to keep out of it"

Thunderchild raised his eyes at the mention of the power of the mist.

"Blimey, that's pretty nasty."

"Yeah, so Thunderchild, tell me some more of where you come from."

"Well, there's not a lot to be said, I live, or used to live on, the Discworld, which according to some priests and wizards, is carried through space on the back of four elephants who in turn stand on the back of a turtle, the Great A'tuin"

"What!? That sounds ridiculous!!"

"Really? How does your planet function?"

"Well, erm, it's spherical shape, like all planets, well I thought all anyway"

"Sphere!? How does that work, why doesn't everyone fall off the bottom?"

"Something called gravity I think"

"Sounds a bit risky to me."
"I dunno Thunderchild,  I'm a fighter not a scientist! All I know is that it does work"

With that Zidane stood up and made for the door

"Wait," called Thunderchild "Will I be allowed outside at all?"

"I dunno, I'll have to ask the boss"

"The boss? Who's he?"

"His name is Baku and he's in charge around here, he'll decide what's going to happen with you"

"Oh, right, well… thank you Zidane."

"Don't mention it Thunderchild, welcome to Gaia."

With that Zidane walked out, also managing not to shut his tail in the door.

Thunderchild lay back down in his bed, Genomes, Gaia, spheres and ships. It all didn't make sense and yet it did make sense Thunderchild thought. It obviously worked but he couldn't see how.

I guess it'll all make sense in the end, whatever end that'll be thought Thunderchild. He then remembered Domino and smiled, Dammit he thought I kinda like that strange genome.