Glow: Thanks to all who...um...were very helpful...
Viv:Wha'd ya mean?
Glow : Nothing...
Verdana: Yes, thank you reviwers for sending the caffe mochas that we fixed up
Glow: -winks- Uhhh, right... -whispers- Thank you mucho Lady Kyra 13 for the anti-anti-caffine pills. And to Head-in-the-clouds for the caffine loaded choco bar. Muchos garacias!
Jordan: What are you whispering about?
Odd: Probably her crush...
Glow: What crush? We all don't have such busy social lives as you...
Verdana: Ignore the personal lives...just read...
The next morning
"Alright, everyone up!" Verdana called down over the edge of the outcropping. Odd groaned and rolled over. Ulrich and Yumi stood up and stretched. Viv unfolded her wings and flapped then a few times. Jordan's eyes shot open and he jumped up. Aeilta stretched out and blinked her eyes open.
Jeremy sat up in his bubble and mumbled, "Wha?" extremely tiredly.
Seeing Odd was still asleep, Verdana hopped down. "Come on, time to get a move on." Leaning close she whispered, "I told you that you'd need some rest."
Odd groaned again and struggled to open his eyes. Verdana stood up and addressed the rest of the group. "We have another three kec walk until we reach the transport point." (Just for reference, a kec is about 50 miles). "Tekki vot, CHEV!" (Hurry up CHEV!) "Great, another 150 mile walk in freezing cold wind and slippery ice. Just what I always wanted to do." Odd said sarcastically. Verdana grinned.
"I thought that you might be getting a bit cold, so I prepared some arctic gear to upload." Everyone looked quite surprised at this, but she shrugged it off. They gathered around her again and she pressed several buttons on the remote. In a flash if light, they were all clothed in comfortable and warm furs. Viv's consisted of a silvery white jacket with matching pants and boots. Ulrich's was green fur made into a tunic like thing and matching pants. Yumi's was made of a gold colored fur and was like a poncho with matching boots. Odd had a full body (and tail) suit made of a light purple fur. Jeremy didn't change because of the nature of his bubble. Aelita had jacket and pants, with matching boots, almost like the ones she wears in the real world. They were made all of a seashell pink fur. Jordan had an ice blue piece of fur that covered his whole body with a space for his head and sleeves for his arms. It came with a pair of goggles with glowing blue lenses. "What do these things do?" he asked.
Verdana smiled and replied, "You'll see. I thought I'd give you something to work out during the trip. Move out troops!" She directed them out like a military officer.
Many miles later
"How-far-have-we-gone-?" Odd asked between gasps.
"Only about one kec." Verdana answered. They had stopped to rest in the shelter of an icy cliff.
Jordan was nearby, fiddling with his goggles. "Verdana, will you please tell me what they do? I can't figure it out!" Verdana just smiled and turned back to the cliff. She was standing at the base and looking up, as if studying it. After a few minutes of consideration, she pulled out the remote. She did a quick calculation in her head then pressed a few buttons. Climbing gear arrived next to her.
"What is that for?" Aelita asked.
"Oh no! Oh no we are not!" Odd practically screamed.
"Are not what Odd?" she replied sweetly and innocently.
"Climb the freaking cliff, Goddammit!"
"We can rest later, once we reach the top of the cliff." she said, ignoring his outburst.
A few minutes later, everyone who needed climbing gear was fitted with it. Viv and XAT were pacing in the ground, anxious to be up in the air again. It was the only trait they had in common.
"Viv, will you go up and tie this securely on an anchor. It could go bad for us if it does not hold." Verdana asked kindly. Viv shrugged and flew up to the top. She was gone for about ten minutes before flying back down, exhausted.
"Rope secure." she informed them. CHEV led her viruses ten feet away from the gang and secured her own rope. Verdana was checking over the group and stopped when she got to Jeremy.
"This could pose a slight problem." she mumbled, staring at his bubble.
Odd came over and stood next to her. "Ya know," he mused aloud, "you might try making it into more of a skin-tight suit. That way he could still have his bubble and be able to climb."
She looked at him, considering the possibility. Odd, misunderstanding the look, said, "I'm not stupid. I'm just lazy." Verdana laughed.
"Oh Odd, I wasn't thinking anything like that! I was debating whether or not I could actually do that. That was a brilliant idea, by the way." Then she started over to where Jeremy was talking with Aelita. "You should have more of them!" she called back jokingly.
He was about to go chase after her and make her pay for that, but then he noticed that Jordan was watching him. Quite strangely, actually. In fact, it was almost like he knew something Odd did not.
"What?" he asked.
Jordan choked back a laugh and replied, "Oh, nothing. Don't mind me."
Verdana was working on Jeremy's bubble. She typed in various codes, but none did exactly what she wanted. One made the bubbled wider, another made it thin and too stiff. Right when Verdana was about to throw the remote down in frustration, Aelita grabbed her arm.
"Calm down. Lemme try." Verdana willingly handed it over. Aelita thought for a moment. As she worked furiously to get it working, tip of her tongue hanging from the corner of her mouth, Verdana watched over her shoulder. She stopped punching in random codes and moaned, "Oh, I am sooo stupid! Could it be any more obvious?" Verdana shrugged. Aelita typed in a two character code. Instantly, the bubble was form fitting and moveable.
"Wha'd ya do?" Verdana asked, genuinely curious. "Well, I did the codes for 'shrink' and 'form'. It was really so simple that we didn't get it."
"Then let's get climbing!"
Viv elected to climb up with the others, so she wouldn't have to wait forever for the rest of them. They started up in a single file line. Verdana led, followed by Odd, who was followed by Aelita, who was followed by Jeremy, who was followed by Yumi, who was followed by Ulrich, who was followed by Viv, followed by Jordan who brought up the rear. It was a slow process, but it occupied their minds fully. There were tricky winds that nearly blew them off, as well as dangerous patches of black ice. But, unlike anyone else, Verdana had scaled this cliff many times and knew the safest paths and places to avoid. The viruses went up their own way, because they did not care if they fell; it wouldn't hurt. The safer way took longer, so the viruses were the first ones up.
They were content to wait for the others, but something happened. A change came over them; they no longer seemed themselves. CHEV gave an evil laugh and turned toward the gang's anchor point. She pulled out her sword and cut the rope. It slid over the edge. XAT peered over the edge and called down, "Your brother sent his greeting." Then they turned their backs on the cliff and entered the nearby portal.
Glow: Sorry it took so long, but it's here! Now review like the good little readers you are! If you leave what I need you to leave, then I will have trained you well!
Verdana: Of yes...please leave more caffe mochas...so we can torture Glow...NO MORE ULTRA-CAFFINATED CAFFE MOCHAS!
Glow: They only THINK they're torturing me...and those who know what I am refering to, don't say a word.