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THE NEWCOMER
Path A1A1A1A by John
[Chose A1A1A1A to disagree, tests shows there's no time to prepare and load the construct.]
Sky looks at the Captain while he is concentrated on flying the craft. She can see him wince as the squiddy holo-display changes, showing that the relentless and practically unstoppable metallic monstrosities have gotten a weak signal to chase now. Her green eyes flick back and forth between the captain and the Sentinels. Her eyes set and the light in them fades a little as she considers what would happen if the Captain made a fatal mistake.
But then Hitch, removing that hideously ugly orange bill cap for a moment to ruffle his hair before putting it back on, speaks out. "Captain, Sky helped me on this thing, and I'm afraid she may be right. Can you find another way to deal with this?"
Kan-chiang had been tense when Sky had stated at him. But, with these words, he slouches back in his chair. His usually sparkling medium brown slightly translucent eyes seem to become softer with some added moisture. He pulls in a deep breath and lets out a lonesome sigh. His head dips for a beat.
Hitch starts to open his mouth and step forward. Sky catches his eye and silently mouths to him to stay his ground. Hitch resigns himself to helplessly watching the Captain be alone with his own demons. One was called Fear while another was called Doubt.
For a moment all the little sounds they usually ignore in the ship come to the foreground. There is the fuzzy low-pitch buzzing of the light mechanisms and swirling lenses that created the Holo-Display. This was joined by the slight whooshing-sound as the ship glided effortlessly through the be-piped tunnels. Added to this symphony of ignored sounds was the crackling of the hover-thrust pods. Soon, like ghosts begging for attention, came all the creaks and rattles and groans as the ship's parts fought a valiant crusade against disintegration.
But, now the Captain just seems to stop. He grinds his teeth for a short time, and then he stops that as well. As he gets back into a straight posture and closes his eyes and creates healing Chi breathing, all the sounds miraculously fall back into the background. He pushes all the technology away from him and enters into himself, into his very soul. Then, he looks within and outside himself simultaneously with his inner eye. He becomes one with the world because he feels the Universe and his heart are actually one.
Too bad he breaks this understanding in the next few seconds. If he had only stayed with it a few more moments he may have received the Sight to risk going right instead of left in the very near future. But, this is the way of things, and it actually means he is on the right path. For the True Path is steep and rocky. Well, it will soon be very rocky indeed.
Witnessing this moment, getting a sense of it by proximity inside his own heart, Hitch straightens himself up. Sky tilts her head to the side because she has never seen Hitch stand up straight. It seems that at any moment Hitch's eyes will spray forth lasers like a Sentinel, he looks so focused. Then she is there watching the Captain collect himself, her eyes do not blink as the rest of the ship falls away.
"OK, I know we can escape. It will be close, though. Hitch, I want you to go down to make sure Cyberreyn is all right. Sky, you take the co-pilot seat. Center yourself, because I am going to need everything you've got."
Hitch considers whining because he does outrank Sky and he should be co-piloting the craft instead of having to baby-sit some newbie. But things are too tense and he doesn't want his last words to this great man to be from the sewers of human emotion. So, he slides down the ladder and heads off to console Cy.
"Sky, can you at least get Nos to speak to us?"
"Yeah, I am sure that will work." She pushes a few buttons and takes a cable with a jack and plugs it into a hole. She hits another button and calls out to "Nos".
"Yes, Sky?"
"We need verbal help on this situation, can you help us?"
"Of course."
"I see a difficult choice up ahead, one path is known, the other is not."
"What are you talking about, Nos," demands Sky.
"Go right, it is charted and straight. A few yards in you will find a place to hide."
"What do you see coming up on our left, Nos?"
"Captain, it is the place you humans have designated dangerous, even though none of you have fully explored it. It is a place that is just at the beginning of gaining mythical proportions, as if it were a gingerbread house hidden in the shadowy depths of the woods. The name it has been given by you humans speaks greatly of your ability to create something out of nothing. Even though you know next to nothing of this place, you still manage to fear it. You fear the unknown and the strange, and yet you do not run from it completely. You always find a way of naming it. For this fear, the explorer brave enough to begin to search it before losing heart and heading for home has chosen a rather colorful three-word phrase. It is none other than 'The Devil's Bowels."
"'The Devil's Bowels', huh?"
"Kan, I don't like that half-smile. It means you're about to do something very dangerous."
Captain Ka-chiang just smiles wider and leans forward. As he moves to the entrance to "The Devil's Bowel," he sees the squiddies gaining on him like silver bullets slowed down by focusing in The Matrix. Maybe it is here, it is an obvious place to avoid even though it is close to Zion. Shaking off the cold cruel knowledge that such tricks are impossible here in the intestines of the Real, he does the sanest thing he can think of -- he creates order out of chaos.
"On into the mouth of Madness,
Risking cause for loved one's sadness,
I must risk it all for the all.
I leap into the gap with grace,
With a smile planted on my face,
You cannot fly until you fall."
"I will only have a short amount of time to see what is in front of us if the whole structure here is as serpentine as the charted part. I cannot see around curves too well."
"I trust you Nos, and I'll do my best not to nick you too much," says Sky, her wink-with-a-smile apparent in her voice.
Now they are into the first curve, the ship swings around it effortlessly because of the map gained from that one human who may be called brave or laughed at for his foolishness. The shape of the tunnels are changing, seeming smoother and redder. As the ship whisks around the curves kept from harm by the electro-repulsive pods surrounding it, the Sentinels close ranks and pull their tentacles in for optimum speed and maneuverability.
"Coming to the end of the mapped area, Captain. Switching more power to front sensors. All three Sentinels still in pursuit. Momentarily they will be riding with our wake."
Soon the ship whips up and around the curve and down. The Sentinels follow as easily as a dog follows the leash that attaches to its collar. Communication coded carefully in mathematical formulae pass between the three mechanical grim reapers: >>Now we have no choice but to destroy them//we must do it before they or gather or send data//they cannot be allowed to see//focus on following ship"
Suddenly the craft seems to drop too close to the bottom of a tunnel, but it does not hit.
"Nos, is something wrong with the hover-pods? I seem to be having trouble steering."
"No, they are nominal, as is the steering mechanisms. The only thing wrong is a small leak which I have already sealed with smart-foam."
"So, why am I having so much trouble keeping in the middle of the tunnels?"
Just then Sky sees a curve up and to the left a tad too late, whips the ship around it as best as she can.
"Ouch, Sky, that was my tail!"
"Sorry, Nos. What is going on?
"I am a little busy at the moment. I could really use permission to control the front guns in case an obstacle presents itself."
Sky moves the ship to the right around a curve that then curves downwards and to the right. They have entered a downward clock-wise spiral. The walls are definitely looking more rough-hewn.
"We are fast approaching the end of the map."
"Fine, Nos. Case-Vodka-Shuriken-Neuromancer. You may control the front guns."
As soon as she said that, they went off. In the very next second they see why.
No wonder this is as far as the Annanuki had gotten. Captain Gilgamesh told us that he had to turn around. In front of them the tunnel ended in a giant piece of flaky brown metal that nevertheless looked pretty foreboding. It was actually a Frankenstein's Monster of many different jagged pieces riveted together. All along the sides they could see rivets bolting it to the tunnel's walls. Strangely, a newer piece had been added in the very corner they were gunning for.
"Nos, why are we going for the most solid looking part?" As Sky asked this, her finger creeps closer to the override button. She had to be sure, for pressing this button would also temporarily knock out their ability to see what Nos saw.
"I know it looks like the strongest place, but there is something funny about it. I am shooting it to analyze it."
"Nos. I think there is a very good reason the map ends here. I would rather not end here as well by smashing head on into a very solid looking piece of metal."
"Sky, may I ask for your trust? I know it is hard for you humans to trust machines, especially if they are not out trying to kill you rely on them to protect your lives. Please trust me when I say that I want to help."
A strange flickering bounced off the place just below the newer shinier plate. Meanwhile the ship got closer to the plate with no hole in sight. Closer have the Sentinels come, now within moments of assuming attack position.
>>retain heading//spread out so that when they turn around they cannot double back behind us//they may see like the other//it does not matter//I will aim for the place through//retain course, 1001001! They WILL not pass through<<
"Nos, I'm turning us around now before it is to late."
"Sky, I sense something."
Choose Path A1A1A1A1 to trust Nos to find a way through the metal plate.
Choose Path A1A1A1A2 to attempt to push the override button.
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