Wicked Comet part 8
(A.N, just as a warning to you, this chapter follows the script closely for the majority)
Elphaba, Rich and Glinda had been in the emerald city for at least 6 hours now. After interviews with the local news outlets and shaking hands with the ordinary populace, the trio had gone into the Emerald city to explore. The Emerald city was a wondrous place, full of buildings as tall as Quoxwood trees, Dress Salons, Libraries, Palaces and Museums a hundred strong. It was grand and all green. Elphaba, Rich and Glinda all felt as if they had found the place where they belonged. The trio even went to see the hit musical Wizomania!
Right now Rich, Elphaba and Glinda were inside the Wizard's palace, waiting to go inside the throne room and meet the wonderful wizard of Oz! They were all terrified, it was understandable.
Rich was carrying a bag full of plans, drawings and Notes for the Comet and every component that was built into the aircraft as well as instructions on how to build more Comets, notes on what would be needed to operate them and a copy of the operational handbook. A sort of "How to fly the Comet" book was what the operational handbook was.
Glinda and Elphaba were sitting on either side of Rich. Elphaba, on noticing Rich's tension, gave him a quick squeeze of the hand in a comforting gesture which Rich smiled at and returned to say that he was ok.
"We're meeting the Wizard!" Glinda squealed in excitement.
"Aye, that we are" Rich replied.
"I mean, once we step through that door, our lives will be changed for the better. Elphie, you'll become the Wizard's right hand witch, Rich, you'll be building Comets and operating them all over Oz by the time you're 35!" Glinda continued.
"That is if, the Wizard approves of me and my supposed magical talents and Rich's designs for the Comet." Elphaba warned.
Glinda was about to reply when the doors to the throne room opened slightly and a guard said to the trio,
"The Wizard will see you now"
Elphaba, Glinda and Rich all bolted up to their feet and slowly strode into the throne room with the guard exiting the room and closing the doors behind them.
The throne room was a huge space, richly decorated and there were quite a few candles lighting up the space. On the other side of the throne room was a massive golden coloured mechanical head on top of the wizard's throne. The head seemed to be out of action at the moment.
Elphaba, Glinda and Rich were all confused at this. Rich decided to move closer and find out what the Head was doing there in the Wizard's throne room. But as he did so, the Head burst into life with electrical lights switching on and off at random and smoke filling the room! Rich leapt back in surprise, only to be stopped from falling flat on his back by Elphaba, who helped Rich to his feet.
The Head spoke in a loud, heavily distorted voice which shook the room and Elphaba, Glinda and Rich to their bones.
"I AM OZ, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE! WHO ARE YOU AND WHY DO YOU SEEK ME?" the Head boomed.
"Say something!" Glinda said to both Elphaba and Rich.
"Uh... Elphaba Thropp your terribleness!" Elphaba said to the Head.
"And I am Richmond Thropp, I prefer to be called Rich though" Rich replied.
The Head stopped moving and a normal and distinctly human voice but not with any normal Ozian accent spoke out from behind the Head.
"Oh? Is that you Elphaba, Rich? I didn't realize!"
The light and smoke cut off and the head moved about slightly before it returned to its resting position.
As it did so, a human figure stumbled out of the head, coughing and waving away smoke. Once the smoke cleared, he spoke again.
"I hope I didn't startle you, it's so hard to make out peoples' faces all the way back there. So, let's see... which is which?" He said as he tried to figure out which of the three friends was which.
Then he saw Elphaba and cried out in joy "Elphaba! And you must be…" he trailed off as he saw Glinda.
"Glinda. The Ga is silent." Glinda replied.
Rich just stood there in wonder, the Wizard an inventor just like him? That confused him greatly and Rich didn't like being confused, not one bit.
The Wizard then turned to see Rich and his face broke into a smile so wide, Elphaba, Glinda and Rich all thought he would tear his own face in half!
"And you are the famous Rich! The designer and Pilot of the Comet!" The Wizard said in Joy.
"It is an honour sir." Rich replied.
"It is an honour for me too" The Wizard said to Rich.
Rich gave a confused expression and the Wizard continued talking,
"A like-minded person other than myself who made major advancements to make Oz better for all!"
Rich agreed with this, just then Elphaba touched the Head in amazement.
"I know. It isn't much, is it? But people expect this sort of thing. You have to give people what they want. The thing is, I hardly ever let people meet the real me, but this being special occasion." The Wizard said to Elphaba.
"We are all so happy to meet you" Elphaba replied.
The Wizard chuckled to himself before he spoke again,
"Well, that's good. Cause that's what I love best: making people happy!"
He then explained that he was a sentimental man who always wanted to be a father, so he did the best he could to treat the Citizens of Oz like his own children.
He then said how he would like to help to raise Elphaba and Rich high; because he thought everyone deserves the chance to fly, both figuratively and literally.
Once he had finished, Elphaba tried to tell the Wizard about the crisis involving the Animals.
"Please, I'm the Wizard of Oz. I already know why you've come." He replied to Elphaba.
"Oooo" Elphaba and Glinda said in amazement, Rich's eyes widened in surprise.
"But first you must prove yourself" The Wizard then said, directed at Elphaba.
"How?" Elphaba asked.
"Oh, I don't know" The wizard admitted as he thought.
Then he had a brainwave as he said "I know!" to Elphaba, then he shouted off into a nearby corridor.
"MADAME! THE BOOK!"