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THE FALL OF WATER
Fall A2B
[Choose Fall A2B to start the ignition.]
"OK," Diva whispered to herself. "Here we go."
And as she looked out across the soundless apartment parking lot, she started the ignition.
"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?'
'What if something happens?' she continued to wonder, then added, 'Hmmm... maybe I should let her know I'll be gone for a while... Yeah, why not?'
With one eye on the road and one hand on the wheel, Diva fumbled for her purse, pulled out the silver-faced Kyocera cellphone, thumbed 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..."
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. She glanced at the MPH speedometer -- '71'... '72'... -- then repeated even louder, "Sh*t!" With her heartbeat racing at high speed, she dropped her cellphone and hit the squealing brakes as hard as she could before letting go. In moments, she passed the black mass and uncovered the screaming truth.
"Hello? Diva? What's wrong?" demanded the unheard voice.
"F*ck!" Diva cursed, with the simultaneous thought, 'That WAS a cop!' As she sped away, she glanced again -- '66' '65' '54' -- and checked her rearview mirror yet again, her pulse pounding in her ears. And to her heart-stopping horror, she couldn't mistake the blinding headlights and the flashing red-and-blue sirens rapidly pursuing her!
"Sh*t!" uttered 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 anxiously, "Sky? Are you there?"
"Right here, Flicker," Sky answered through the headset. "What's wrong?"
Following the raining code, Flicker said, "We may have a problem."
"What is it?" replied Sky.
"Waterfall got caught speeding. The cops are chasing her right now."
"Dammit!" cursed Sky. "I hate driving. Anything else?"
"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.
"F*CK ME!" Diva 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?'
Suddenly, lying on the passenger seat beside her, amidst the chaos of blinding headlights, flashing sirens, and approaching exits, her cellphone -- Beep! Beep! Beep! -- pierced the confusion and brought her attention quickly back into focus.
She glanced briefly at her cellphone to catch the caller ID, and shockingly, its still-glowing bright-green display flashed, 'THE SKY IS FALLING.'
"F*ck it!" she muttered and took the Rainbow Avenue exit at full speed.
Choose Fall A2B1 to pick up the phone without stopping.
Choose Fall A2B2 to outrun the cops before picking up the phone.
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