Aaaaannnnnndddd, I'm back! Physically, yes. Mentally…um…if you see my brain give me a shout. Ahahaha…
2: Khaos Corporation
"Flying is not inherently dangerous; crashing is." –Anonymous
"You know what I've decided," Tom grumbled after getting knocked out of the way by some crazy tourists for about the tenth time.
"What've you decided Tom?" Kaz asked, knowing what was coming.
"I've decided I hate airports."
Both boys were making their way to the terminal, a week after they'd gotten their letters from Khaos Corporation. Their tickets had arrived in the mail (causing much screaming and whooping on Kaz's part) and they'd loaded their luggage into the back of the Kalinkas' minivan to be driven to the airport by Kaz's dad. It was a pleasant ride, both boys joking and laughing and attempting to sing along with every radio song that came on even if they didn't know it.
The airport was a completely different story. People were everywhere and all of them were rushing around with bulging bags and screaming children. Kaz felt a headache throbbing in temple and groaned right along with his best friend.
"We're never going to find the terminal," Tom was muttering, "We're never going to get to the plane, and we're never going to get to Khaos Corporation!"
"Pessimist." Kaz coughed under his breath but was thinking something along the same lines. His shoulders were starting to ache from hauling his backpack on one shoulder and dragging his wheeled suitcase along behind him.
"Alright, I take it back." Tom dropped his bags beside a row of plastic chairs and fell into one with a heavy sigh, "We found the terminal."
Kaz followed suit, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, "What a relief. I thought I was going to punch the next person who ran into me." Tom raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Alright, I probably wouldn't have done that but—."
"Flight 305 is ready to board. Flight 305 is now ready for boarding. Please proceed to the gate with your tickets ready. Flight 305 is ready to board."
"That's us…!" Kaz leapt up excitedly, jumping from one foot to the other as he gathered up his things and pulled out his ticket, "That's us, Tom, that's us! We're going! We're really going! This is so awesome!"
"Totally!" Tom agreed, unable to stop grinning, "This is going to be the coolest thing ever! Our summer is going to beat all summers there ever was! Wait until we tell all the kids at school we got to go to Khaos Corporation!"
Kaz laughed jubilantly, almost bouncing forward in the line, glasses slipping farther and farther down his nose as he went.
They'd stopped at another airport later that evening to change planes and were now flying through an abyss of black, pinpoints of white stars flickering every so often through the tiny, round windows of the plane.
Kaz was fast asleep in the seat across the aisle from Tom, head lolled back against the seat, a pillow squished in his arms like a teddy bear, and his glasses safely in their case and tucked into the pocket in front of him. The young man beside him didn't seem to mind that there was a fifteen year old boy next to him how would let out a periodic snort every so often. Tom smiled to himself and went back to his Code Scanner. He never could sleep in vehicles.
The smile disappeared into a frown as he jabbed at the buttons repeatedly but to no avail. There was no way he was getting into Chaotic. With a weary sigh, Tom stowed the device away in his pockets and leaned his head back against the seat, letting his eyes wander across the ceiling of the plane. It all seemed surreal somehow, like a good dream that was vivid no matter what. Summer vacation…Khaos Corporation…all of it. He couldn't stop the grin that spread across his features and shifted in his seat, closing his eyes.
He could at least try to fall asleep.
The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when the plane landed. The light was dusky, dim, smearing everything into duller shades of color and sometimes almost grays. Kaz yawned loudly as he and Tom stumbled down the front steps of the airport, hauling their luggage behind them.
"I'm so stiff…" The bespectacled boy moaned, arching his spine so that it popped, "Remind me not to fall asleep on airplanes anymore, Tom."
"Right." Tom replied wearily, "And you'll have to teach me how to fall asleep in the first place. I spent the whole plane ride trying to learn to sing the alphabet backwards."
"Did it work?"
"No. I can't get past X."
The two friends looked at each other for a moment and then started laughing, walking down the sidewalk in front of the glass double doors to get out of the way. Tom suddenly stopped with a worried and confused expression on his face. Kaz paused beside him.
"What's up, Tom?"
"Do we…get a ride to Khaos Corp?" Tom ran his fingers through his black hair, "I mean, we don't exactly know where it is, right, so how're we supposed to get there?"
"Um…in that?" Kaz muttered, pointing wide-eyed to the black limo parked on the curb. Painted on the side was the familiar Chaotic symbol and standing just to the right of the front tire was a tall man in a red-trimmed black suit with short curly auburn hair and large hazel eyes. He was holding a white sign with the names "Kalinkas/Majors" written on it in black ink. Both boys edged forward warily and those hazel eyes snapped to them immediately.
"Kazdan Kalinkas and Thomas Majors?" The man's voice was medium, light, friendly and the boys nodded, still too stranger shy to say anything, "May I see your Code Scanners, please?"
"They don't work…" Kaz grumbled as he fished his out of his pocket and handed it to the man. Tom followed suit.
To their utter surprise, the man started chuckling as he hooked their Scanners up to a small, black box via wafer thin black cords, "Ahahaha, no one's Code Scanners are working at the moment. I'm Levi Tember, by the way, chauffer and guard dog." He chuckled again, looking at the black box which was making an odd whirring noise, "Everything seems to be in order." He handed them back their Scanners, "If you'll just climb right in," Levi opened the back door, ushering them inside, "I'll take your luggage and put it in the trunk."
Kaz and Tom slid into the black leather interior of the limo, half-smiling at one another, and Levi shut the door. They listened as the trunk popped open, their luggage set inside with some dull thuds, and then the slamming noise as the trunk was shut again. Footsteps around the side of the car and then the driver side door opened and Levi dropped into the driver's seat, grinning at them and tossing his sign and black box into the passenger seat next to him. The engine revved and, through the tinted windows, the boys could see the air port moving slowly away from them.
"Hey Levi," Tom leaned forward in his seat as Kaz fiddled with the controls; he was now making a drink holder pop in and out of the back of the seat in front of him, "You said nobodies Code Scanner was working, right? Well why's that?"
Kaz lost interest in the cup holder immediately.
Levi's smile dropped, "We're having problems with Chaotic. Not with Perim, with Chaotic. Online gaming is fine but we've sent an e-mail to everyone who's been able to port to Chaotic saying we've shut down the game world because it's under maintenance. Man, the hate mail from that one…" Levi rolled his eyes and Tom and Kaz glanced at one another.
"So, what sort of problems are you having with Chaotic?" Kaz asked, remembering vividly the dream/nightmare he'd had after the science fair.
"It's…hard for someone like me to explain, I don't work in the department that manages Chaotic. But apparently, from what I've heard, there's been some sort of "rip" in it or those things." Levi's brow furrowed, "Well, I mean, Tobias and Izaak were talking about it and by the sound of it they were having problems with the wormholes or something to that effect. Apparently, they had to close it up real quick and kick everyone out."
"Tobias? Izaak?" Tom and Kaz said at the same time.
"Well, yeah, two of the six Khaos brothers who own Khaos Corporation." Levi pulled onto the freeway, picking up speed, "Tobias is the oldest and then there's Joseph, and then Izaak, the twins Scotty and Conner, and the youngest is Leon."
"Dang, big family." Tom murmured and Kaz nodded in agreement.
"Hey, you guys mind if I turn on the radio?" The hazel-eyed man did not take his eyes off the road but reached for the stereo control. When both boys answered that they didn't mind, he flicked the radio on, messed with the tuning for a bit, and finally settled on a station.
"—to the Country Station! Where everything's country music!" Levi immediately relaxed as a song started playing; Tom winced in the back seat, a country hater, "Tell me brothers, sisters, do you listen when it rains? Are you worried something's going to end it all today?"
Kaz turned his attention to the window, watching the scenery fly by as the zipped over the concrete, and thought about where he was going. Khaos Corporation. Amazing! Then he frowned. But problems with Chaotic? Wormholes? It sounded eerily like the dream he'd had.
"Is there anything that you wished that you had said? Or is it all just bouncing like a bubble in your head? Run, run 'til you're far away! Run, run 'til you're far away! 'Cause if you want to blow my mind, blow my mind, blow my mind! If you want to blow my mind, blow my mind, blow my mind!"
Kaz forced his thoughts back to the idea of staying at the Khaos Corporation building all summer. A cabin! A private cabin all to himself! He suddenly pictured himself in a hot tub with a giant hot fudge Sunday and a plasma screen TV playing some action filled movie. He couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face.
"Oh my…gosh…" Tom said in a hushed voice as the limo exited the long drive of thick pine trees to reveal a huge glass and steel building that was hidden from the road by the forest on three of its sides and the frosty mountains at its back.
"Welcome to Khaos Corporation, boys!" Levi laughed, catching sight of Kaz's open-mouthed stare in the review mirror.
The Khaos Corporation building was gigantic. Kaz hadn't seen a building that size since he'd lived in Chicago and even then, this one seemed monstrous compared to those. It had a rounded sort of front, pointed at the tip like a spade on a playing card, a rounded middle and three square-ish ends coming off it, one on the left, one on the right, and one in the back.
"It's got 30 floors," Levi was saying as he pulled the limo around the Chaotic symbol statue in the front and stopped in front of the double glass doors, "Plus living quarters tucked into Pine Forest with arched glass tunnels connecting it. Not to mention the basement levels. There are about six of those. Oh, and the highest security measures the world has to offer!" He leaned back in the seat, grinning, "This is where I say good-bye. Pleasure meeting you two! Don't worry about your luggage, the porter's will take it to your cabins. Enjoy!"
Tom scrambled out of the car after Kaz, both of them still in awe over the giant building.
"Think…we should go inside?" Tom asked as the limo disappeared around a corner and into the trees. Kaz nodded dumbly and stepped forward, Tom trailed behind him. Kaz pressed against the double doors and they swung open revealing a lobby that was more glorious than the outside of the building could ever be.
It was like walking into a movie theater only ten times more comfortable. A soft, dark maroon carpet was spread across the triangular room, several chandeliers of crystal and what appeared to be gold lit the place with a warm, welcoming glow, tiny crystal spheres, almost like disco balls, were strung around the ceiling, sending splinters of soft, white and gold light splashing around every surface, and the walls were a creamy color with several painted pictures of exotic and surreal landscapes hanging in ornate frames. Across the far wall opposite Tom and Kaz was a heavy, half-circle desk that seemed to be made out of wood but had a sheen like metal. On either side of this desk were four revolving doors with tinted glass and black trim. Behind the desk sat four or five women in black and red outfits typing away at computers, answering phones, or taking messages. Along the two walls to the left and right were squishy looking chairs or two seaters with small wooden coffee tables and lamp stands between them. And in the middle of the room, gathered around a large, round table that was groaning under trays of food and drink, was a group of at least ten teenagers, all talking in hushed, excited voices. Tom and Kaz trailed up to them, wary, but recognizing some faces of people they'd seen in Chaotic though not necessarily talked to.
"Hey, I know you," A girl with short, dyed black hair and thick black makeup eyed Tom, "You're that MajorTom kid." She glanced at Kaz, "And…KidChaor, right?"
"Uh…yeah." Kaz muttered.
"Cool." The girl replied and then went back to talking to the two other girls beside her. Tom's attention was immediately refocused upon the food and he grabbed a handful of potato chips and a cup of soda. Kaz was too excited and awe struck to be hungry.
"It looks like everyone's here, doesn't it Conner?" Said a light, sunshine voice.
"Sure does, Scotty." Answered a similar voice, "But lets count…one, two, three, four…five, six…seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven…and twelve! That's everyone!"
The group of teenagers all turned to face the revolving doors. Two men were strolling nonchalantly towards them, smiling. Both of them were equal height with narrow faces to match their narrow frames, their eyes were a vivid turquoise blue and copper colored hair that seemed to be ruffled into a stylish mess. Both men wore black and red uniforms though they were more intricate than Levi's or the lady's at the desk.
"Hello, Chaotic players!" The one of the left hailed the group with a raised hand, "I'm Scotty and this is my twin brother Conner!" The man on the right wiggled his fingers at them with a grin, "I know you guys are probably eager for the tour but my brothers and I think it would be better for you to get settled in first. So if you'll just follow Conner and I…"
The twelve teenagers trailed after the two Khaos Brothers. They walked through the revolving door to the far left of the desk, up a flight of stairs, and into a smaller room with a white tiled floor, white walls, and a white ceiling. On one wall was a dark blue desk behind which was stationed a stern looking man dressed in something like a police officer's outfit but colored in the now familiar scheme of red and black. He saluted Scotty and Conner who saluted him right back.
"That's Greg, our Living Quarters Security Man," Conner said and Greg waved to the gang who gave mixed responses of waves and cold shoulders, "You'll come by him everyday so he can verify your identities."
Scotty and Conner led the group through a set of heavy metal doors at the other side of the room and into the sunshine. At least, that's what they thought at first as the brilliant afternoon glare hit them. But as soon as their eyes adjusted…
"Whoa…" One girl whispered, "This is amazing…!"
They were standing in an arched bridge, shining black tile beneath their feet and a glass dome arching over their heads. Beneath them flowed a river that curved out of the forest of pine trees, twisted alongside the building, and then vanished back into the trees. The view was breath takingly gorgeous.
Kaz pressed his hands against the glass, looking down, and got an extreme sense of vertigo. He stepped back, shaking his head and readjusting his glasses, and then turned and caught up with Tom and the rest of the group who was heading down the bridge.
"This is the Glass Bridge," Conner stated, waving a hand around to emphasize the dome over their heads, "It's air conditioned so it never gets too warm in the summer, and has a heating system so it's not to cold in the winter. This area leads to the living quarters of the staff and the guests. Most of the personnel choose to remain living at Khaos Corporation because it would be too far away for them to keep going back and forth between home and work everyday."
"And just up ahead…The Khaos Corporation Living Quarters!" Scotty waved a hand dramatically at the end of the tunnel which was blocked by a set of double glass doors. The group piled out through the doors and paused to take in the dazzling sight.
They stood on a huge platform over the ground below with an arched canopy of steel beams and stained glass over their heads, speckling the floor with over a dozen colors and making the pine trees whose tops toward over them like ghostly Christmas trees. Tables and soft chairs were scattered around the platform. Leading off of the platform was a sturdy metal bridge with smooth wooden handrails that vanished into the trees across a huge crater in the side of the mountain.
"Those mountains," Conner pointed to the peaks in the distance and the towering one before them, "Are called the Hoarfrost Crests. They get very, very, very cold farther up, even in the summer. I suggest you stay within the boundaries of your living quarters."
"Come along!" Scotty bounced ahead of his twin, gesturing for the group to follow, "We're almost there and then you can get all settled in!"
"This place is more like a resort than a major company!" Tom whispered as they walked down the bridge into the pine trees, "It's just…beautiful!"
"I know!" Kaz responded with a small laugh, "I have to keep reminding myself this is the source of Chaotic and not a luxury hotel on the Florida coast of something!"
Both boys fell silent again as they followed the gang of teenagers led by the two Khaos twins into the shade of Pine Forest. A few steps farther in and they emerged onto another platform, this one made of a mock wood that looked as tough as steel. Park benches painted black were scattered around it with small tables with glass tops and a waist height glass wall topped with a wooden bar ran along its length. Stretching off from the platform were three different bridges similar to the one they had just crossed.
"Ladies, if you'll follow me I'll show you around your cabins." Scotty smiled charmingly and, blushing, the girls separated from the group and followed after him. Tom saw the Gothic girl rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"And boys, you'll be sticking with me." Conner motioned for them to follow along the bridge to their far right, the girls having followed Scotty down the one to the left, "The middle bridge is to the staff living area. You're not allowed down there."
"Mr. Conner," A tall boy who looked like a basketball player stuck his hands in his pockets, gazing around, "This place seems…really swanky for a corporation. Why're you so rural?"
"Tobias' idea." Conner replied, "He figured it would be best to stay out here to keep imagination fresh and unhindered by society or something like that. Plus, the air's cleaner here. Keeps our staff healthy. Aha! Here we are!"
Standing silently before them were several wooden cabins etched into the mountain side like something from a greeting card. There was a wooden platform running all the way around each cabin and a small bridge linking each platform. The cabins all appeared to be about two stories high with tinted windows and knockers in the shape of the Chaotic symbol. Conner turned to face them, pulling a black pouch from the pocket of his pants.
"You each have a cabin to yourselves. Each cabin is equipped with a large bathroom, a small kitchen should you get hungry between meals at the main building, a large bedroom, a lounge, also very big, equipped with the latest gaming systems, two plasma screen TVs, couches, chairs, coffee tables, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera." The Khaos brother smiled, reaching into the pouch, "The numbers on your keys match the number of your cabin. The number is painted on the door in red." He pulled out a handful of keys, "Enjoy yourselves, boys! Lunch will be delivered to you at noon and supper at six! The tour will begin tomorrow morning!" Conner lifted a key out of the bunch in his hands, "Um, Dylan Ashter?"
The tall, basketball player-looking boy stepped forward and took the key from Conner, staring at the keychain number swinging from it before wandering off in search of his cabin.
"Nicholas Anderson?"
"Nick." Said a short boy, snatching the key away with a sneer, "Don't call me Nicholas." And he stomped away.
"Matthew Henrik?"
"Thanks, mate." A teen with sandy colored hair took the key from Conner, grinned at the remaining three boys, and vanished.
"Kazdan Kalinkas?"
"Kaz, call me Kaz." Kaz practically jumped forward for his key and bounced off to the side to wait for Tom.
"Soyokaze Yume? Did I say that right?"
"Mm-hm, yes. Thank you."
And finally…
"Thomas Majors?"
"Uh, Tom, please." Tom pushed his black hair from his face, let Conner drop the key in his hand, and then proceeded to follow Kaz into the trees. Conner watched them disperse for a moment or two and then turned and went back the way he'd come. He met up with Scotty just outside the security doors.
"Tobias wants to see us…" The twin muttered in a somber tone as Conner approached, "In the Generator Room, he says it's serious."
"Right." They vanished through the doors.
Whoa my goodness! Long freaking chapter! Smoly Hokes! Okay, so, things are finally under way and Kaz and Tom are at Khaos Corporation! Yeah!
So, anyway, I'll try and get as many chapters done while I'm on my computer here and now so that when I post this it will be, um, a lot of chapters all at once. (inner voice: *cough*procrastinator*cough*)