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THE FALL OF WATER
Fall A2A
[Choose Fall A2A to pull out her cellphone and leave a quick message for her boss.]
"OK," Diva whispered to herself. "Here we go."
But as she proceeded to point her key into the ignition slot, she wondered suddenly, 'Wait... maybe I should let her know I'll be gone for a while... Yeah, why not?'
Diva quickly pulled out the silver-faced Kyocera cellphone from her purse, punched the direct number for her data-entry manager and friend Roxanne Landers, and hit the "Send" button.
"Hello... this is Roxy," answered the light but exhausted east-coast accent of the Data Entry Manager for PrisNet Communications.
"Hi Roxy, it's Diva!"
"Hey, Dee!" brightened the voice. "What's up?"
"Well... something's come up... I can't explain right now, but I don't think I'll be able to come to work tomorrow... Wait, it's already tomorrow... I mean--"
"I know whatcha mean," smiled Roxanne. "Don't worry 'bout it, Dee. Is it something I can help you with?"
"Ummm, not really... it's hard to explain..."
"That's OK. I don't need an explanation right now."
"Thanks, Roxy. I appreciate it."
"No problem. Just stay outta trouble. And let me know how it turns out, OK?"
"Sure!"
"See ya later!"
"Bye."
"Bye."
After hanging up, putting away her phone, and sighing "Here we go," Diva looked out across the soundless apartment parking lot, and started the ignition.
"Finally!" whispered the bearded mussy-haired operator of the hundred-year-old hovercraft 'Nosferatu.' He maintained his bright-eyed focus on the descending streams of green-glowing code filling his station monitors. After tapping a string of characters into his keyboard, he placed a fingerless-gloved hand to his headset, and into its microphone, called eagerly, "Sky? Are you there?"
"Right here, Flicker," Sky answered through the headset. "What's going on?"
Following the raining code, Flicker said, "Waterfall just left the parking lot."
"Finally," replied Sky. "Do we have enough time?"
"Hard to say. But Agents are on the move in your area."
"Understood. Keep me posted, Mr. Flicker."
Reflexively, Flicker glanced at the real-world Sky lying back in her favorite battered chair, eyes closed and plugged in, nothing at all like the polished hard-edged warrior-image that roamed the Matrix.
"Sure thing," he said.
"Nothing," muttered subordinate Agent Graves, scanning the deserted storefronts and streetlights along Rainbow Avenue -- left, then right, then left again -- through his spotless sunglasses, through the spotless windshield of his black 2003 Cadillac.
As he sped westward towards Lakeview Boulevard, he began to experience the initial tinges -- Repulsive! -- the repulsive human emotion of -- What was it called? -- hopelessness.
"Repulsive," Graves spat.
He remotely hoped that something, anything -- a traffic accident, a highway speeder, a domestic crime -- would appear to give him an excuse to leave this hopeless street search.
As Diva sped along the highway, she couldn't help but check her rearview mirror for headlights, taillights, or any other signs of traffic activity. She began to wonder, 'I'm not paranoid, am I?'
She glanced at the MPH speedometer -- '71'... '72'... -- and whispered to herself, "Slow down, slow down. Not too fast, now. Don't wanna get a f*ckin' ticket at a time like this!" So she hit the squealing brakes, a small step at a time, and glanced again -- '61'... '60'... '59' -- and breathed much easier. "Whew, that's better."
As she approached the off-ramp exit, Diva noticed something along the right shoulder of the highway -- a black, partly-shiny, partly-reflective mass against the dark-gray concrete barrier. Her first thought was the worst thought, 'A cop car?'
"Oh, sh*t!" she uttered, slowing her car even more -- '56' '55' '54'... -- while her heartbeat raced even faster. In moments, she finally passed the black mass and uncovered the screaming truth.
"F*ck!" she cursed, with the simultaneous thought, 'That WAS a cop!' As she sped away cautiously -- '53' '54' '53'... -- Diva checked her rearview mirror yet again, her pulse pounding in her ears yet again. And to her heart-stopping horror, she couldn't mistake the blinding headlights and the flashing red-and-blue sirens rapidly pursuing her!
"F*CK ME!" she cursed even louder, glancing towards the poorly-lit exit coming up ahead. 'Should I STOP? Should I GO?' she thought frantically. 'What am I gonna DO?'
Choose Fall A2A1 to slow down and stop the car.
Choose Fall A2A2 to speed up and take the exit.
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