Action, Adventure, Excitement, Part 6g The Philosophers Stone Subject: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 20:01:40 -0700 (PDT) On Sun, 23 Jul 2000 21:32:11 -0700 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008584 OOC: I hope this doesn't become a habit for me... Within the castle, alarms are likely going off as a two-dimensional electrical storm irises open, to disgorge a Xander in hir robot-form, currently sized at hir normal height of eight feet or so. @Back, folks,@ sie sends over the Lens-link, on a polite frequency, sure not to 'shout' to everyone. @What'd I miss whilst I was in Limbo? And where's the garage... I've got a little list of parts for me that may come in handy...@ ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2000 18:20:04 -0700 (PDT) On Fri, 4 Aug 2000 20:48:24 -0400 Zia Said As CAoL Message # 00008605 >On Sun, 23 Jul 2000 21:32:11 -0700 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008584 > >@Back, folks,@ sie sends over the Lens-link, on a polite frequency, >sure not to 'shout' to everyone. @What'd I miss whilst I was in >Limbo? And where's the garage... I've got a little list of parts for >me that may come in handy...@ Zia hadn't yet had time too flinch in startlement as the alarms were probably canceled before even getting to the point where 'meat' senses could hear them. She just raises BOTH eyebrows. "I can't answer that without my Lens; I'm telepathic, at about 15 feet, without it. All my gifts roam around empathy. Castle Systems? Can you speak to him about directions to a 'garage'... I think he means mechanical workspace." ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 21:17:52 -0700 (PDT) On Thu, 10 Aug 2000 20:24:49 -0700 Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00008617 >On Sun, 23 Jul 2000 21:32:11 -0700 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008584 > >@Back, folks,@ sie sends over the Lens-link, on a polite frequency, >sure not to 'shout' to everyone. @What'd I miss whilst I was in >Limbo? And where's the garage... I've got a little list of parts for >me that may come in handy...@ /The garage is {here},/ Roland sends, /and welcome back. Things are weird, which is normal for us. Hmmph. I wonder if that makes weird 'normal' for us, and normal 'weird.' Yeesh. I'm not going there./ /You already did, love,/ Morgan smiles. /And I believe the answer is, "Yes."/ /I love you too, dear,/ Roland replies dryly. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 19:10:18 -0700 (PDT) On Sat, 12 Aug 2000 21:52:53 -0700 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008631 > /The garage is {here},/ Roland sends, /and welcome back. Things >are weird, which is normal for us. Hmmph. I wonder if that makes >weird 'normal' for us, and normal 'weird.' Yeesh. I'm not going >there./ > >/You already did, love,/ Morgan smiles. /And I believe the answer is, >"Yes."/ > > /I love you too, dear,/ Roland replies dryly. /Thanks, Uncle Roland,/ the dragon sends, already striding towards the garage. /And if we went 'normal,' I think the multiverse would hiccup. And/or maybe collapse./ Xander then, upon reaching the facility, proceeds to link with the computers, and start up the fabricators, and various maintenance rigs. Panels unfold, and components in hir forearms rearranged, to make room for two similar-looking devices, both thick cylinders. One ended in a wide nozzle, the other a magnetic screen. >>system check: Nanolathe operational... Arm units loaded... Core units loaded... Specialty units loaded... D-Gun operational... >>done. Xander finished booting up hir new software, then looked around, both with eyes and mind. "Oh, pooh," sie said, punting a stray bolt across the cavernous room with a metal-clad foot, then thumped down on an upside-down bucket. "I've got all these toys... and no-one to show them off to!" Sie props a chin in each hand, looking glum. What good a super, without baddies? ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2000 01:19:50 -0700 (PDT) On Sat, 12 Aug 2000 23:56:44 -0700 Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00008633 >On Sat, 12 Aug 2000 21:52:53 -0700 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008631 > >"I've got all these toys... and no-one to show them off to!" Sie >props a chin in each hand, looking glum. What good a super, without >baddies? /Oooh, nooo,/ Morgan, sitting in the control room on Champions Island, sends in mock horror. Along with the thought is the image of Stranger sitting at the bar in Callahans, saying, "I'm bored, and I'm a bit low. I want some excitement and adventure." /Be careful what you wish for.../ And, at that exact moment, Doctor Destroyer appears in the hangar. He looks around in what might be mild curiosity. Or maybe it's contempt. "Adequate," Destroyer says. Okay, it's not contempt. (OOC: Presumably, there's a whole truck-load of stuff targeted at Destroyer at this point. Anything physical never comes close, warped away by his almost godlike control over the fabric of space. Obviously, any teleportational effects get a similar treatment, except he turns them on turrets and such. Other defenses will be responded to as they arrive.) Glancing over at Xander, Destroyer almost smiles. "Ah, yes, the hybrid android. I wonder if Defender has any idea of your potential. Destroids." Four creatures made of red-and-black energy appear around him. Any analysis shows them to be insanely advanced (by Terran standards) 'living' adaptive energy cultures. "Let us see," Destroyer says, truly curious at this point, "how much of that potential has been fulfilled." (OOC: MUA-ha-ha-ha-ha!) ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2000 10:18:23 -0700 (PDT) On Sun, 13 Aug 2000 12:23:50 -0700 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008634 >On Sat, 12 Aug 2000 23:56:44 -0700 >Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00008633 > > Glancing over at Xander, Destroyer almost smiles. "Ah, yes, the >hybrid android. I wonder if Defender has any idea of your potential. >Destroids." > Four creatures made of red-and-black energy appear around him. Any >analysis shows them to be insanely advanced (by Terran standards) >'living' adaptive energy cultures. > "Let us see," Destroyer says, truly curious at this point, "how >much of that potential has been fulfilled." > (OOC: MUA-ha-ha-ha-ha!) /Auntie, what're you say-oh.../ Xander trails off, getting back to hir feet, unconcerned by stray shots, which are absorbed by some sort of shielding. The moment hir sensors decree what the four Destroids are, sie fires a D-Gun pulse at one, chucking out a packet of antimatter at relativistic speeds, leaving behind a /very/ bright trail and a thunderclap as air in its path is annihilated. Simultaneously, sie aims hir right arm at a second Destroid, a dense cloud of nanites thick enough for an unaided human to /see/ attempting to envelope it... and transfer its constituent energy, and whatever matter it has, back into Xander's storage. Sie lets loose a second D-gun shot, this time at DocD, not expecting it to hurt him, but simply to observe just what he does to it. Xander Opal Imagining what happened during long car trips when Roger said that he's bored, when the fellow was younger... ================================= Subject: Fwd: AAE6: Instruments of Destruction (was: Re-entry) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 17:00:36 -0700 (PDT) On Fri, 18 Aug 2000 19:17:39 EDT Scott Osborne Said As CAoL Message # 00008654 Yet another forward. [Ed. Note: From Roland.] For the IC list, originally sent Thu, 17 Aug 2000 18:49:17. >On Sun, 13 Aug 2000 12:23:50 -0700 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008634 > >/Auntie, what're you say-oh.../ Xander trails off, getting back to >hir feet, unconcerned by stray shots, which are absorbed by some sort >of shielding. The moment hir sensors decree what the four Destroids >are, sie fires a D-Gun pulse at one, chucking out a packet of >antimatter at relativistic speeds, leaving behind a /very/ bright >trail and a thunderclap as air in its path is annihilated. The Destroid, too, is annihilated, before it can even react. "Fascinating," Destroyer comments. "Sennacherib, begin recording. Subject Opal is clearly bio-mechanical, with adaptive technology equal to second-generation Destroids. Subject is also capable of containing and wielding antimatter, a feat which only I have accomplished on Earth-Prime." > Simultaneously, sie aims hir right arm at a second Destroid, a >dense cloud of nanites thick enough for an unaided human to /see/ >attempting to envelope it... and transfer its constituent energy, and >whatever matter it has, back into Xander's storage. "Hmm...curious," Destroyer notes. "Were the Destroid not in my presence, this vampiric nanite attack might prove effective. Record data from affected Destroid." The Destroid's own adaptive energy begins to combat the nanites. The nanites have the early lead, but the Destroid seems to be catching up... > Sie lets loose a second D-gun shot, this time at DocD, not >expecting it to hurt him, but simply to observe just what he does to >it. Destroyer blinks (at least, the red slits where his eyes _ought_ to be close and open quickly) at the fading glow of where the antimatter had fired at him. "Interesting." Several spacial gateways appear in front of Xander, limiting hir mobility (unless sie wants to go to Champions Island, Beirut, Atlantis, a room full of supers, Libya, Malfeas...) The Destroids melt into the floor, and red and black energies flicker across the ground towards Xander, attempting to flank hir. "DESTROOO-" Roland roars, heading straight for Destroyer's back from the doorway. He vanishes. "-OOyer?" the Roland-bot asks, slowing down. Not fast enough to keep from plowing into the Black Paladin, however. "-oof-" "-gnn-" "Wh-?" "Blasted telepresence--I can't get the hang of being around myself," Roland (the real one) mutters, deflecting a flame strike from Malais (the dragon BP's riding). He vanishes, leaving the duplicate to battle the Paladin. (OOC: Roland won't get there until Xander has a chance to react, however.) >Xander Opal >Imagining what happened during long car trips when Roger said that >he's bored, when the fellow was younger... Don't ask... ;^) ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Instruments of Destruction (was: Re-entry) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 18:44:44 -0700 (PDT) On Mon, 21 Aug 2000 21:17:06 EDT SkyeFire Said As CAoL Message # 00008658 >>Xander Opal >>Imagining what happened during long car trips when Roger said that >>he's bored, when the fellow was younger... > > Don't ask... ;^) Roger looks indignant. "Hey, it wasn't MY fault that ..." ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 11:43:09 -0700 (PDT) On 08-22-2000 at 11:30:37 Nemisis Said As CAoL Message # 00008663 >On Sat, 12 Aug 2000 23:56:44 -0700 >Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00008633 > > And, at that exact moment, Doctor Destroyer appears in the hangar. >He looks around in what might be mild curiosity. Or maybe it's >contempt. > "Adequate," Destroyer says. Okay, it's not contempt. > > (OOC: Presumably, there's a whole truck-load of stuff targeted at >Destroyer at this point. Anything physical never comes close, warped >away by his almost godlike control over the fabric of space. >Obviously, any teleportational effects get a similar treatment, >except he turns them on turrets and such. Other defenses will be >responded to as they arrive.) > Glancing over at Xander, Destroyer almost smiles. "Ah, yes, the >hybrid android. I wonder if Defender has any idea of your potential. >Destroids." "You are Here by Implicit Invitation, As Such We will not respond in any Damaging Manner at this time, However Should your invitation be revoked, or Your Actions Directly impact these Facilities again, We will see to Dealing with the Situation at that time. Xander, Next time you feel a Need to say such a thing, Please make use of the Training and Test Facilities Instead." "If we are incapable of handling the Situation than in effect, We will summon the Chatelain." Castle Maintenance Systems ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 18:40:14 -0700 (PDT) On Thu, 24 Aug 2000 09:36:11 -0400 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008676 >On 08-22-2000 at 11:30:37 >Nemisis Said As CAoL Message # 00008663 > >"You are Here by Implicit Invitation, > As Such We will not respond in any Damaging Manner at this time, > However Should your invitation be revoked, or > Your Actions Directly impact these Facilities again, > We will see to Dealing with the Situation at that time. > Xander, Next time you feel a Need to say such a thing, > Please make use of the Training and Test Facilities Instead." > >Castle Maintenance Systems The two-headed dragon's mouths hang open, then sie closes them, mostly. Sie then turns, and almost-runs back, to the X-window entrance to the Castle, shifting to organic as sie goes. Taking off hir Lens, as sie goes. Dropping it, before sie enters the X-window. Entering a second one from the Place, closing it behind hir, leaving hir in an empty world, with no light, anywhere, just a slightly rough stone ground, where sie curls into a relatively small, scaly ball, weeping. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 23:25:03 -0700 (PDT) On Sat, 26 Aug 2000 23:13:28 -0700 Dane Said As CAoL Message # 00008681 >Xander Opal Said As CAoL Message # 00008676 > >Entering a second one from the Place, closing it behind hir, leaving >hir in an empty world, with no light, anywhere, just a slightly rough >stone ground, where sie curls into a relatively small, scaly ball, >weeping. Xander -hears- Oracle's voice say softly, ^Xander, you DO know that the Castle's defense system was warning Destroyer don't you? The only admonition to you, was to be careful what you wish for, unless you are in one of the exersize rooms. Your skills, talents, and abilities will be sorely missed soon. I urge you to return.^ ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 22:00:56 -0700 (PDT) On 09-01-2000 at 21:57:06 Nemisis Said As CAoL Message # 00008684 >On Thu, 24 Aug 2000 09:36:11 -0400 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008676 > >Entering a second one from the Place, closing it behind hir, leaving >hir in an empty world, with no light, anywhere, just a slightly rough >stone ground, where sie curls into a relatively small, scaly ball, >weeping. Addressing Dr. Destroyer "The Being which issued your Invitation, Has Departed. I Must Request that you leave the Premises, Your Invitation has lapsed." The Stabalizers are finished, and All of the weapons are ready to be brought to bear. Castle Security ================================= Subject: AAE6: Re-exit Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2000 16:30:34 -0700 (PDT) On Mon, 04 Sep 2000 15:43:01 -0700 Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00008689 >On 09-01-2000 at 21:57:06 >Nemisis Said As CAoL Message # 00008684 > >> On Thu, 24 Aug 2000 09:36:11 -0400 >> "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008676 > >>> On 08-22-2000 at 11:30:37 >>> Nemisis Said As CAoL Message # 00008663 >>> >>>> On Sat, 12 Aug 2000 23:56:44 -0700 >>>> Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00008633 >>>> >>>> And, at that exact moment, Doctor Destroyer appears in the >>>>hangar. He looks around in what might be mild curiosity. Or maybe >>>>it's contempt. >>>> "Adequate," Destroyer says. Okay, it's not contempt. >>> >>>> (OOC: Presumably, there's a whole truck-load of stuff targeted >>>>at Destroyer at this point. Anything physical never comes close, >>>>warped away by his almost godlike control over the fabric of >>>>space. Obviously, any teleportational effects get a similar >>>>treatment, except he turns them on turrets and such. Other >>>>defenses will be responded to as they arrive.) >>> >>> The holding fields are folded in on themselves. The tangle effects vanish, as likely expected. >>>"You are Here by Implicit Invitation, >>> As Such We will not respond in any Damaging Manner at this time, >>> However Should your invitation be revoked, or >>> Your Actions Directly impact these Facilities again, >>> We will see to Dealing with the Situation at that time. >>> Xander, Next time you feel a Need to say such a thing, >>> Please make use of the Training and Test Facilities Instead." Destroyer...smiles. "A computer with a sense of pride. How quaint." >>>>> Some of The Weapons can be seen Reconfiguring to, >>> Multi-Split Hyper-Transit Path Plasma Modes... >>> If even one of the Hyper-Paths hits the Target, >>> All of the Effect turns out to have gone that Route.> (OOC: From the sensory effects being detected from the Destroyer, he seems to be aware of the weapons; given the dossier downloaded by Roland upon discovering the existence of the castle system, it's safe to assume that he can comprehend any technology short of Nemo level. Arisian and Oan technology is probably a bit beyond him. Maybe.) >>>"If we are incapable of handling the Situation than in effect, >>> We will summon the Chatelain." Destroyer raises an eyebrow at this, clearly curious at who and what the 'Chatelain' is. >>>>> Other than out the Door or back where he came from.> Destroyer looks at these with mild contempt. "I would have imagined that your familiarity with the Defender would have taught you the difficulty of suppressing the powers of my kind." >>The two-headed dragon's mouths hang open, then sie closes them, >>mostly. Sie then turns, and almost-runs back, to the X-window >>entrance to the Castle, shifting to organic as sie goes. (OOC: Since this has been cleared up and Xander hasn't altered hir actions, I'm going to assume for the moment that sie has departed rather than face Destroyer's virtually limitless resources. He wouldn't have used them all, but often better safe than sorry.) Destroyer looks at the empty space where Xander had stood, and cocks his head slightly. "Hm. Interesting. A most unexpected--and eminently sensible--response." And Destroyer is surrounded by lightning. Defender has arrived. One arm outstretched, he has engulfed the entire area Destroyer is standing in with raw power, dozens of bolts probing Destroyer's defenses with literal lightning speed. Destroyer has responded with equal skill, channelling the blasts into empty space with his spacial warping powers. It is a bizarre combination of chess match and cosmic standoff. "This is a brazen move, even for you, Zersoiten," Roland says calmly. "Fortune favors the bold, Phoenix," Destroyer responds with equal placidity. "But as it happens--" >Addressing Dr. Destroyer >"The Being which issued your Invitation, > Has Departed. > I Must Request that you leave the Premises, > Your Invitation has lapsed." Destroyer looks up slightly, and smiles. "--I have what I came for. Indeed, it was a far more successful expedition than I expected." >The Stabalizers are finished, and > All of the weapons are ready to be brought to bear. Destroyer looks at the weapons coolly, then back at Roland. "A machine, trying to salve its wounded sense of dominion?" "A friend, protecting its own," Roland replies, his voice deepening and growing more certain. "So long as you can't understand that, you'll never be more than you are, Toryym." Destroyer blinks in surprise at the last word used. "So...you are remembering." He nods, seemingly in approval. "Another time, Harmon." With that, Destroyer vanishes. Roland grimaces, and worldwalks away a moment later. ================================= Subject: AAE6g: Capture Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2000 14:58:45 -0700 (PDT) On Wed, 20 Sep 2000 16:11:36 -0400 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00008747 In the darkness, John heard voices. "He's coming out of it." "What!? Dammit, put him back under. No one should be shaking this stuff off this quickly." Something pressed against John's neck and the darkness reclaimed him. John slowly returned to consciousness. The room around him was sterile and empty. IV tubes ran from one of his strapped down arms into one wall. He felt a little giddy, whatever was being put into his body was not just for his health. He was lying on some sort of table, and his body was securely held. He reached for a little bit of power to shatter his bonds and was shocked when it wasn't there. Well, it was there, he could still sense a deep pool of energy within him, but it was oddly out of reach, kinda slippery, if that term could be applied. He thought back to the casino. He had called up the memories of JJ, who had been a master gambler. Followed around by his guide, he doubled and redoubled his stake. Not obviously, he made sure to lose significant amounts at times, but he knew the odds on all the games, which bets were good and which were foolish. He put on a good show for the other guests, and eventually he had been invited 'upstairs' for the real games. Once there he slowly cleaned out those foolish enough to continue playing against him. Finally he fetched up against a strangely confident man, richly dressed, who matched him bet for bet. He had a feeling that this was the man he had come here to find, and after they doubled and redoubled the bets several times John found out why. The man placed a large gem into the middle of the table. John picke dit up and studied it, senses screaming that this was the reason for his visit. He handed it to the purser who gave a value, an astronomically high value. John didn't even bother to work out the scientific notation, he just reached behind his neck and pulled out a small ring on a silver cord. He placed that next to the gem and watched the man's smile fade. After the purser declared the bets to be equivalent they played in deadly earnest. An hour later John walked out of the casino and held up the crystal to the lights staring into it. Strangely enough, about a half-hour before he won, he lost a lot of his desire for the gem. Oh well, it would make a good momento, if nothing else. From there John left the pleasure worldlet, taking a pleasure yacht and sending his own ship on ahead of him. The last thing he remembered was drinking a lot at one of the banquets. He didn't even remember going back to his cabin. Someone must have slipped him something. But what? Most drugs didn't work on him, his defenses were too good after all the centuries of paranoia. Another mystery to solve before he left. He was once again trying futiley to recall _anything_ after that banquet when the wall opened and a being stepped in. He called it a being because something in what it was or was wearing distorted the space around it so that he couldn't see it as anything other than a fuzzy smear of color. When it spoke, it's voice was distorted as well. "Who are you?" it asked. John just stared ahead, refusing to answer. "Why are you here?" Again, no answer. "Double the dosage, of everything," it said into the air. One voice said "But.." another said, "Anomalous Drug reactions," before a wave of color cut off the reply. It returned it's attention to John, just staring at him. Inside, John felt the giddiness increase. The whole situation was looking more and more hilarious. Finally he couldn't help it and he giggled. The blur moved closer to him, taking on a psychedelic pattern. "Do you do parties?" John asked, and collapsed into laughter. "Who are you? Why are you here?" It asked again. "Who are you pretty colored blob shaped thing thing getting out of hand hand stirring the pot I won the pot got the thing but not the thing don't want the thing Why here here I am doing what why why why why why why why why why grrk..." John laughed again as the thing gripped his mouth, it was immensely strong, and forced him to look at what he assumed was where the head was. It repeated it's questions slowly and forcefully. It didn't sound happy. The mirth drained from John's face and with an effort he looked serious, "Me? Who am I? And why am I here? Alright." John was silent a moment while he looked directly at the thing. He motioned it closer, then said, "I'm pissed. I'm here to kick your ass." Then he giggled and started laughing so hard he didn't even feel the first blow land. He heard raised voices as the blows continued to fall and blacked out as more blobs poured into the room and tried to restrain the first one. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2000 22:45:00 -0700 (PDT) On Sun, 24 Sep 2000 22:22:34 -0700 (PDT) Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008749 >On Thu, 24 Aug 2000 09:36:11 -0400 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008676 > >Entering a second one from the Place, closing it behind hir, leaving >hir in an empty world, with no light, anywhere, just a slightly >rough stone ground, where sie curls into a relatively small, scaly >ball, weeping. The pitch darkness is disrupted for a split second by a burst of light, but the light is quickly overwhelmed by the intense darkness and once again it is faded to black. "Ow! Watch those claws, I think you're laying on my head!" *Well _I_ certainly didn't set that transporter pad...* "Oh like I'm an engineer now? And I think I did pretty well with my skills. I mean we're still alive aren't we?" *I think that could be debated actually... besides, we're both immortal, I don't think a couple of Klingon warships could kill us... Do you have any clue where we are?* "Well, I think I'm in a cave with an overweight wolf on my head!!" * I'm not overweight! I'm just right!* "I don't care! Get off me!" There's a scuffling noise in the darkness as they tried to sort themselves out. Then the darkness is shattered again as Driscoll draws a small crystal out of his cloak that casts a bright light about but doesn't seem to illuminate much... some stone.. more darkness... a large dragon... *this is another fine mess you've gotten me into* sends the wolf as he looks up at the tall thin human standing beside him wearing a Klingon ceremonial robe, a green cloak and ornate rapier hanging at his side. "Ok Toto... we're not in Kansas anymore but it's not neccisarially a bad thing... we don't know that it's hostile after all.." He coughs and clears his throat, smiling warmly as he calls out to the draogn, "Uhh excuse me... so sorry to bother you but we appear to be lost.. would you know where we are by any chance??" ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2000 10:18:29 -0700 (PDT) On Tue, 26 Sep 2000 00:49:01 -0400 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008750 > "Ok Toto... we're not in Kansas anymore but it's not neccisarially a >bad thing... we don't know that it's hostile after all.." He coughs >and clears his throat, smiling warmly as he calls out to the draogn, >"Uhh excuse me... so sorry to bother you but we appear to be lost.. >would you know where we are by any chance??" By now, the dragon'd calmed down; sitting meditatively rather than curled up. "Err... the place you go when you pull the hole in after you." Sie shrugs, one head looking wry, the other, embarassed. "I'm afraid I don't have the power to leave on my own." ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry X-CAoL-Mail: 00008752 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2000 22:44:44 -0700 (PDT) On Mon, 25 Sep 2000 22:12:35 -0700 (PDT) Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008752 >On Tue, 26 Sep 2000 00:49:01 -0400 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008750 > >"Err... the place you go when you pull the hole in after you." Sie >shrugs, one head looking wry, the other, embarassed. >"I'm afraid I don't have the power to leave on my own." Driss sets the glowstone down and looks around, "OK, that's about as helpful as a roadmap of Cleveland right now..." Roscoe chuffs at him, *Be nice now! We're obviously not the only ones in need here...* Driss sighs, 'I'm ALWAYS nice... really..." Roscoe just rolls his eyes and lays down. Driss turns to Xander again with a wide smile on his face and a graceful bow, "I'm sorry for my attitude, but I find I often become snappish after a fight that ends with a wolf falling on my head. But I have to admit, I am remis in my manners. I am Driscoll of Braxton and this is my compaion Roscoe. Dimention crossing adventurers To whom have I the pleasure of adressing? I'll be glad to help you in becoming freed as well as freeing ourselves though it could be helpful if I knew the details of how you found yourself to come here..." ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 17:54:19 -0700 (PDT) On Tue, 26 Sep 2000 16:38:45 -0700 Dane Said As CAoL Message # 00008753 >Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008752 > > Driss turns to Xander again with a wide smile on his face and a >graceful bow, "I'm sorry for my attitude, but I find I often become >snappish after a fight that ends with a wolf falling on my head. But >I have to admit, I am remis in my manners. I am Driscoll of Braxton >and this is my compaion Roscoe. Dimention crossing adventurers To >whom have I the pleasure of adressing? I'll be glad to help you in >becoming freed as well as freeing ourselves though it could be >helpful if I knew the details of how you found yourself to come >here..." *"Xander, your powers skills and knowlege will be needed shortly. Since you will need assistance to leave your current location you may want to take Driscoll up on his offer. Driscoll, if you are in need of... -directions- simply activate your device. I will see to it that you arrive where you are needed."* Oracle's -voice- is heard to say softly. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 18:57:20 -0700 (PDT) On Wed, 27 Sep 2000 09:21:07 -0400 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008754 >On Mon, 25 Sep 2000 22:12:35 -0700 (PDT) >Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008752 > > Driss turns to Xander again with a wide smile on his face and a >graceful bow, "I'm sorry for my attitude, but I find I often become >snappish after a fight that ends with a wolf falling on my head. But >I have to admit, I am remis in my manners. I am Driscoll of Braxton >and this is my compaion Roscoe. Dimention crossing adventurers To >whom have I the pleasure of adressing? I'll be glad to help you in >becoming freed as well as freeing ourselves though it could be >helpful if I knew the details of how you found yourself to come >here..." Xander stands, bringing hirself to hir full eight-foot-height (two feet of that being neck), and offers Driscoll hir right hand. "I'm Xander," sie says. "All of me," sie continues, with hir other head. "Adventurer, of sorts. I try to do good, but... recently had a run-in with old problems. Kinda proves I still need to visith the Place. I basically took an X-window (ooc: if Driss isn't a Callahanian at this point, in the literal sense, he can skim the concepts off Xander's mind; sie's pretty wide-open at the moment.) to here... the parameters I used were 'as close to nothing as possible,' and landed here... and closed the window behind me." more OOC stuff: For a sorta-close sketch of me, turn your browser of choice to http://www.myst.org/kanthara/sketchbook/Xander.jpg . The artist got my heads and general shape quite right, albeit due to shyness, I didn't mention that my two pairs of breasts're quite, ah, large. And I am (VR) a full hermaphrodite. Scales, blue opals. If you've never seen one, go to a jewelry store, and ask to see-- well worth it! Right now, IC, I'm wearing jean shorts, and a plain blue T-shirt. As far as the place is concerned.. I have no idea where it is. => => Driss, you know of a world/place within/on a world where there's no wind at all, the air's at that room-tempereature you never notice 'till it gets warmer or colder, slightly uneven rock ground, and absolutely no light other than what one provides oneself? If there's any walls, they're a /long/ ways off, there being none visible, nor an echo. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry X-CAoL-Mail: 00008755 Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2000 07:16:00 -0700 (PDT) On Wed, 27 Sep 2000 06:50:57 -0700 (PDT) Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008755 >On Wed, 27 Sep 2000 09:21:07 -0400 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008754 > >Xander stands, bringing hirself to hir full eight-foot-height (two >feet of that being neck), and offers Driscoll hir right hand. >"I'm Xander," sie says. "All of me," sie continues, with hir other >head. "Adventurer, of sorts. I try to do good, but... recently had a >run-in with old problems. Kinda proves I still need to visith the >Place. I basically took an X-window (ooc: if Driss isn't a >Callahanian at this point, in the literal sense, he can skim the >concepts off Xander's mind; sie's pretty wide-open at the moment.) to >here... the parameters I used were 'as close to nothing as possible,' >and landed here... and closed the window behind me." *The Place? you mean...* Roscoe sends as he cocks his head. Driss sighs and closes his eyes chucklign a new moments then looks around at the darkness, "Very funny Chaos! The place huh? Hmmmm I think there was something I picked up..." He pulls open his cloak and reaches into the cloth with his whole arm. He starts fishing around in there. Roscoe pads up to Xander, *So you said you came here after having a run in with old problems... maybe we should work on that first? I mean so you don't end up here again? What happened?* Driss looks triumphant a moment, and then confused. He draw out his arm and with it pull out a life sized inflatable Bullwinkle J Moose. "That tears it. I gotta buy me a new cloak!" Roscoe looks back at him rolling his eyes. *That trick never works!* Pose frowns at Roscoe as he lets the Bullwinkle go floating off and reaches back into the cloak, "Well, you'd better hope it works inless you can find us a gateway to Arcadia..." Roscoe pauses and sniffs about and shakes his head, *No, this world doesn't seem to currently be tied to any other. It seems to be like a floating island dimention drifting through the multiverse...* Driss pauses, "You mean... this dimention isn't in one fixed place? So how can we jump from it?" The ground bulges in one spot and then erupts, releasing a small Mole with a spinning head and the rear and tail of a large snake. He holds up his front paws to get his head to stop spinning like a drill and the ground heals itself up behind him. "Oh you can jump from it just fine... It's like jumping off a cloud... you just won't neccisarially land where you wanted to..." He smiles broadly. Driss scowls, "What are YOU doing here?" The mole smiles and chuckles, "Oh come now, you were the one who said my name, and I ALWAYS come to greet my fans after all! Just like I granted hir request for a place that was noplace." He grins and then grows into an exact double for Driscoll except for the Mole's head. He gives a deep flourishing bow to Xander, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Chaos. Your pleasure I'm sure. no no no don't bother introducing yourself, I know all about you already..." He smiles again and there's something disturbing about that smile... ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 18:52:23 -0700 (PDT) On Mon, 2 Oct 2000 08:46:50 -0400 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008775 > The mole smiles and chuckles, "Oh come now, you were the one who >said my name, and I ALWAYS come to greet my fans after all! Just like >I granted hir request for a place that was noplace." He grins and >then grows into an exact double for Driscoll except for the Mole's >head. He gives a deep flourishing bow to Xander, "Let me introduce >myself. I'm Chaos. Your pleasure I'm sure. no no no don't bother >introducing yourself, I know all about you already..." He smiles >again and there's something disturbing about that smile... Xander does a... double? Quaduruple? take at Chaos, then looks both him and Driscoll over, noting the similarity. "Why'm I not surprised..." sie mumbles, barely audibly. "Well... introductions either made or unnecessary... how do we get somewhere? I presume..." sie glances sidelong to hir new-found companions, "That if we can get to anyplace beings such as us can thrive indefinitely, we can get where we should be?" ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 22:43:30 -0700 (PDT) On Sun, 1 Oct 2000 22:11:24 -0700 (PDT) Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008778 >On Mon, 2 Oct 2000 08:46:50 -0400 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008775 > >"Well... introductions either made or unnecessary... how do we get >somewhere? I presume..." sie glances sidelong to hir new-found >companions, "That if we can get to anyplace beings such as us can >thrive indefinitely, we can get where we should be?" Chaos smirks at Xander and then walks up a flight of invisible stairs looking thoughtful, "Hmmm interesting quadry isn't it? I mean after all, you MUST be someplace to be anyplace to say you want to go anywhere. because to go anywhere you have to be somewhere from which to GO now don't you? Therefore if you want to go anywhere form somewhere then you're already thre aren't you now?" Chaos walks in a half loop, his body shifting as he does until he sits down in midair, hoving upside down over Xander. His body is and exact double of Xander's own, except for the heads, one of which looks like Roscoe and the other looks like Driss. Driss scowls at Chaos, "We don't need your riddles. we need a way out." He pulls a small rock out of his cloak and throws it at Chaos, "Besides, you know I don't like you wearing my face!" The rock hits Chaos and he shatters like a mirror, cascading in hundreds of little shards. Each one turns into a 2" tall Xander, but each one with different paird of heads. John and Rhiannon, Roland and Morgan, Mike and Tink, Stranger and Caprice... On and on. They wander around talking to each other in tiny unintelligable voices until they start running into each other and remerging. Finally a full sized Chaos stands there, though his arms are now where his wings were, his heads are where his wings were and his wings are on top of his necks. "So why don't you just leave then? You know you have the power to do it..." Both heads smile at Driss. Driss scowls, "You already got half my soul. I'm not giving you the other half so easily. We'll find our own way out. WITHOUT resporting to Chaos gates." Chaos disappears with a pop and reappears as a monkey wearing a red and white striped sportcoat and straw hat and carryign a bamboo cane. "Tell ya what I'm gonna do! I'm the sporting sort. Heck I came up witht he idea of games. Let's play one now..." He taps the cane on the ground as his lower body shifts to look more Kangaroo-like. Three doorways rise up out of the ground. "So here's the game..." Chaos smirks, "Pick a door, any door. One door leads to the past. One door leads to right now, and the other leads to a future. Oh sure a future with me, but a future non-the-less. Go ahead. You can pick your nose, you cna pick your friends, now pick a door!" ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 15:47:03 -0700 (PDT) On Fri, 20 Oct 2000 17:59:27 -0400 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008851 >On Sun, 1 Oct 2000 22:11:24 -0700 (PDT) >Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008778 > > Chaos disappears with a pop and reappears as a monkey wearing a red >and white striped sportcoat and straw hat and carryign a bamboo cane. >"Tell ya what I'm gonna do! I'm the sporting sort. Heck I came up >witht he idea of games. Let's play one now..." He taps the cane on >the ground as his lower body shifts to look more Kangaroo-like. > Three doorways rise up out of the ground. "So here's the game..." >Chaos smirks, "Pick a door, any door. One door leads to the past. One >door leads to right now, and the other leads to a future. Oh sure a >future with me, but a future non-the-less. Go ahead. You can pick >your nose, you cna pick your friends, now pick a door!" Xander has a brief, but /bad/ moment when Chaos fragments, automatically muttering, "Klaatu, Barada, Nicto." Then sie begins considering the doors. "Well... All the doors lead to a future. And now is moot. Or just mu. Past is interesting, but dangerous." The dragon shrugs, then rotates hir dimensional alignment to Transformer-mode. A further step, and sie's in hir Bolo-mode. Hatches in hir aft deck pop open, and six basketball-sized drones jet up, and move to the doors in pairs. At each door, one stays well back, while another enters. The ones still in this formerly-static universe stay just this side of entering the doors, in case telemetry that can go through (if there is any) needs amplification. For the benefit of Driss and Roscoe, and Chaos' amusement, six holo-tanks are projected in pairs, in each pair, one showing any data and extrapolations from the far side, the other, what is closely observable from this side... ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 08:15:07 -0700 (PDT) On Sun, 22 Oct 2000 07:12:12 -0700 (PDT) Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008859 >On Fri, 20 Oct 2000 17:59:27 -0400 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008851 > >Xander has a brief, but /bad/ moment when Chaos fragments, >automatically muttering, "Klaatu, Barada, Nicto." >Then sie begins considering the doors. "Well... All the doors lead to >a future. And now is moot. Or just mu. Past is interesting, but >dangerous." Chaos smirks, if you want to look at it that way, EVERYTHING is dangerous which is what MAKES it interesting. after all how dull would the world be without risk? Come on, ride the flying monkey!" He giggles to himself >The dragon shrugs, then rotates hir dimensional alignment to >Transformer-mode. A further step, and sie's in hir Bolo-mode. Hatches >in hir aft deck pop open, and six basketball-sized drones jet up, and >move to the doors in pairs. At each door, one stays well back, while >another enters. The ones still in this formerly-static universe stay >just this side of entering the doors, in case telemetry that can go >through (if there is any) needs amplification. For the benefit of >Driss and Roscoe, and Chaos' amusement, six holo-tanks are projected >in pairs, in each pair, one showing any data and extrapolations from >the far side, the other, what is closely observable from this side... Drone 1 enters door#1 and almost instantly appears again coming out door #3 completely covered in old travel stickers such as used to be placed of suitcases. Italy, France, Iraq, Australia, Mars, Graceland... they're all there completely encasing the drone. The information gained from it appears int the holotank and seems to be all the data for the cosmic banana. Drone 3 enters door #2 And appears again coming out of Door #1, swelled up to twice its original size and colored yellow now with a black happy face on it and a small string dangling down from it. In its tank is revealed the data for the cosmic ice cream scoops. Drone 5, whihc entered door 3 seems to have comepletely disappeared, though telemetary data shows it hasn't gone anywhere... Then drone 4 standing in front of door 2 starts bucking and shaking and vibrating strangely. A tiny something shoots out of it smacking into one of the door frames. it's drone #5 shrunken down to the size of your thumbnail. In its holotank is that data for the cosmic Whipped cream. Drones 2,4,and 6 don't seem to give any useful information either, their holotanks showing directiosn for creation of the cosmic Chocolate sauce, Strawberry topping and pineapple topping respectively. Chaos smirks, "You can't seek out destiny wiht technology. you can't select fate through caution and observation. the only way to get home again is faith in yourself. You created this place whne you lost faith in yourself. when you percieved your actions as wrong, when you saw yourself as a misfit, unable to do anything right. Hold into those beliefs and here you will remain. a prisoner of your own mind. logicing yourself falsely into oblivion. If you have faith, embrace your desitny and choose." Chaos smirks and bamphs from one door to another to the last, gesturing at each one wearing a different sequined evening gown each time as well as his usual mischievous smile. ================================= Subject: AAE6g: Illumination Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2000 10:21:49 -0800 (PST) On Tue, 31 Oct 2000 22:48:13 -0500 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00008938 >On 20 Sep 2000, at 14:58, Shadow wrote: > >He heard raised voices as the blows continued to fall and blacked out >as more blobs poured into the room and tried to restrain the first >one. "C'mon, wakey wakey." John groaned and slowly pried his eyes open. He had a pounding headache and his vision slowly resolved showing.. himself. With a cry he threw himself backward. "Now, now, none of that. I am actually you, though a bit farther along down timeline than you've gotten to." "Prove it." "What proof would you accept, that could not have been counterfeited by one of your many and powerful enemies?" As John thought about this he slowly curled himself up into a sitting position, throbbing head held between his hands. Finally he said, "Why should.. I believe you?" "You probably won't. Doesn't matter whether you beleive me now or not, in the long run. You will eventually." "Where am I? What d'you want?" "If you'd pick your head up long enough to take a look around you'd see that you're in your rest place." "Let the place get a little run-down, haven't you? And as for what I want, I'm here to set you on the path to some information which you'll need. I'd rather hoped you'd have figured it out by now, but such is life." John raised one bleary eye at the smiling figure of himself, "Oh god,"he moaned,"I _am_ an a$$$$$e." He let his head drop back down. "Can't you do something about this headache?" "I can. Why aren't _you_ doing anything about your headache. It's your restplace." With a small grunt, John marshalled his mental energies and pushed the pain away. Straightening, he looked over his new companion. It was like looking into a mirror. John thought back over what his doppleganger had said to him, coming to a decision. As the future John started to speak, vines and plants grew out of the ground, entrapping him. Once he was securely bound, the new guy glared at John, "I think.." John interuppted, "I think you should tell me who you really are." "I've told you.." "Lies. If you were truly my future self you would know what happened here. My past is fixed, unchangeable, and there are no duplicates of me wandering around, only shadows." "Oh, really? How very comforting for you." "I've found you out. Just tell me what you really want and who sent you." "How do you know?" "What?" "How do you know? You're very assured on those two points, I just want to know how you know them to be true." "Why... look, I'm not the one in doubt here." "Then why can't you answer my question?" "It's just like that." "How. Do. You. Know?" Confusion was evident on John's face as he strove to quantify his world beliefs. The vines and plants on the other one slackened, "I.. It's always..," the other John pulled himself out of the restraints, "The evidence.. They said.." The other one pounced on those last words, "Who said? The Zodaii? Those pathetic remnants, the discarded refuse of the evolutionary chain, told you something and you beleive it? You are a child. A blind, mewling child." John glared at the other one, voice low in menace, "Would you like to test just how much of a child I am?" "Games! What are you hiding from?" "I'm not hiding from anything!" "Then who are you, _John_?" The name was said mockingly. "Where are you from, _John_? Who are your _parents_, _John_?" "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" "That's it, block out what you don't want to hear. That won't change anything, _John_. Why were you picked, _John_? _They_ said you were special, said you were perfect for _their_ purposes. What are they, _John_?" "I DON'T KNOW! Leave Me Alone!" John backed away from the other John. The other John followed, "You're hundreds of years old, _John_. It's time to grow up. Everything you think you know about yourself is a lie. You can't afford to put this off any longer. Those around you can't afford you putting this off any longer. You have to learn what you are, you need to learn who you are." John stumbled and fell on his butt, breathing hard, the other John stood over him staring down, "You have a choice coming up. You will be given a chance to change a great many things. I hope you choose wisely." The extra John faded away. John sat there for a long moment, then he screamed. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE6: Re-entry Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 13:56:28 -0800 (PST) On Wed, 8 Nov 2000 16:19:52 -0500 Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00008989 >On Sun, 1 Oct 2000 22:11:24 -0700 (PDT) >Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00008778 > > Three doorways rise up out of the ground. "So here's the game..." >Chaos smirks, "Pick a door, any door. One door leads to the past. One >door leads to right now, and the other leads to a future. Oh sure a >future with me, but a future non-the-less. Go ahead. You can pick >your nose, you cna pick your friends, now pick a door!" For a moment, it sounds like Xander'd suddenly undergone /severe/ mechanical malfunction... until the noise resolves itself slightly more, into high-speed cursing and grousing. "Can you blame a person for /trying?" sie finally asks, before popping open a hatch, revealing a comfortable-looking interior passage, and control room. "Driss? Roscoe? Care to come along in style?" After hir erstwhile companions decide, and take action, sie confidently rolls up to... and in to Door Number Three, hoping, intending for Future. Xander Opal wondering if this is playing Russian Roulette with a hand grenade... ================================= Subject: AAE 6g: Awakening Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2000 21:45:04 -0800 (PST) On Mon, 13 Nov 2000 00:37:04 -0500 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009010 Of the two lab assistants in the control room, one was clearly not paying attention to the dials and monitors in front of them. The other was idly flipping back and forth between readouts. "Would you look at this guy?," he said to his companion, "I've never seen anything hold off a mindprobe this long. I mean, these readouts.. his mind should have been peeled like an onion long since." The bored one looked up from the holomag he was reading, "That's just how it is. Some people will die rather than submit to the scan. The only thing suprising is that he's still has enough will left to resist anything with all the drugs they're pumping into him." "Come'on, you've done hundreds more of these than I have. Have you ever seen anyone hold out like this? It's not natural. I don't think he's even human." "Bio-scan shows him to be human normal with a high magick potential. Otherwise he's shielded to hell and back. Just sit back and do your job, kid. This one's for the meatpile, if they can't break him. Bought time for his 'Mightiness' to check in with us, aether forfend we be allowed to go about this through the normal procedures." He settled back to his magazine. A few minutes later when a screen popped into life the magazine was gone. The blurred image of the man who questioned John before is on the creen. "What is the status of the prisoner?" The older man replied with crisp professionalism, "The subject status has not changed since my last report. All indicators are well within normal ranges. No sign of any effect by the probe." "Increase power to maximum settings." "Sir, you realize that this will most likely kill the subject?" "Are you questioning my orders?" "Just informing you of the most probable outcome, sir. Power output raising to maximum." He reached out to a bar which was only a quarter lit on the panel next to him and slid it to the top. "Inform me of any change in the prisoner's status." "Yes sir," the tech said to an empty screen. He then made the one-handed gesture of disrespect to it to emphasize his feelings. Satisfied, he sat back down. "That's it then. Wake me when he dies, will you lad. Poor sucker, aether hold his soul." With that the older man closed his eyes and dozed off. Inside a lab deep within the compound, John lay clamped to a table. Tubes and wires ran from him to several pieces of machinery around the room. A bulky helmet covered most of his head, leaving his face free. A slight hum from the helmet increased sharply in pitch as John's body arched and strained to the limit his bonds would allow. His face was pulled into a rictus grin as the muscles contracted. And time passed. Back in the control room, the young tech watched as the physical stress readouts climbed steadily for a few minutes. Then he happened to glance at some of the other gauges and sat bolt upright. "Something's happening in the subconcious," he mutterred. He decided not to wake his companion just yet. After another minute he was starting to relax when he thought he heard a low moan. Turning up the gain on the audio pickups, he waited for it to be repeated. There it was again. He shook the other one awake, babbling, "I was watching his physical monitors and I saw that his subconcious was acting oddly and then he moaned. I heard it." The older man took one look at the readouts just as another moan floated through the speakers. He dove for the panel, haste making him clumsy, "Shit he's waking up. Kill the damn probe, lad. NOW!" He slapped the alarm button, hoping it wasn't too late. Pissed-off mages were bad news. A low moan issued from between John's clenched lips, only this time it continued on into a long, anguished scream. His eyes flew open and the helmet exploded. In the control room all the equipment and panels shorted out. Back in the lab all the restraints melted into little pools of molten metal as John sat up and swung his legs off the table. He didn't notice the tubes and wires until he felt the pull as one jerked tight, when he did they all burst into flame. A loudspeaker was blaring repeatedly, 'All personnel, we are being invaded. Prepare to evacuate the station. Security teams report to lab 32 on level K.' Outside the lab an entire squad was cautiously approaching the door, weapons at the ready, when it blew outward. As the mangled titanium door came to a stop, John stepped across the threshold. He stopped a moment, scenting the air, then turned towards the squad. "Get out of my way." One man dropped his weapon and ran while the others opened fire. Enough energy to level a building poured down that hallway, and when they stopped firing John was still standing there, the last glowing remnants of a shield dying out around him. "I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO YOU," he yelled, and death filled the hallway. John walked through the falling ashes of what had once been men and continued to hunt his quarry. In a plush office in another part of the compound, an querulous old man cringed before the blurred figure in front of him. "Give me the Stone, old man. Do it now." "No. I cannot. No one from the Immortal Order is to have possession of the Stone, lest the aether descend upon us all in it's wrath." "You fool. Something else is descending upon you already in it's wrath, and it will kill you if you don't give me the Stone now!" He grabbed the old man's head and forced it to look at the large viewscreens showing John's passage through the complex. "If you don't give me the Stone you won't have to wait to die because I'll do it right now." "You can't talk to me this way. I'm the head of.." "You're the head of whatever I let you be the head of. Look at that. Do you want to die like that? Give. Me. The. Stone." Trembling, the old man reached inside his desk and disabled the wards and traps surrounding the Order's greatest treasure. With a cry of triumph the blurred man snatched up the stone and faced the screen showing John. "With this, nothing can stand before me." John approached the door. His quarry was very close, he could sense it. John shattered this door just like he had all the others before it. As he stepped through he felt a wrenching somewhere inside him. Something was different but he couldn't pin down what. Inside was a lavish office with a large viewscreen showing himself standing in the doorway. Other screens showed the path of destruction he had wrought on the way. An old man lay sprawled in a pool of blood on the floor. And there, in another doorway behind the desk was the blurred man, his quarry. "Tell me why you did this before I kill you." The man laughed, "Power. Hate. Envy. But I do not think you will be killing anyone." John gestured, but his power smashed into a shield produced by the desk. "Those toys will not save you. I did nothing to you, and you kidnapped, tortured, and tried to break me. I swear I will see you dead." John increased his attack. Soon the shield would overload and the man would be his. "Done and witnessed." The man said. "But first, you must survive yourself." The man waved a flowing, multicolored stone in his hand. "I have removed your ability to transport yourself places, mage." A liquid started spraying from the ceiling, walls and floor. Everything it touched dissolved, yet it flowed harmlessly off John's shields. The man frowned and the stone in his hand flashed green. John could feel liquid start to eat into his shields as well. "If you can survive the solvent universal, then and seek me out, mage, for your vengeance." He turned and walked through the door, which sealed behind him. John looked at the far door, but he was not so far gone in rage that he did not know when to retreat. He floated out of the room, the floor having become a sea of solvent. A short way down the hallway there was solid flooring again but John could see it be eaten away meter by meter. Setting out at a run he tried to find a route out of here. The blurred man looked back as the asteroid they had hollowed for their base was consumed by the solvent. It looked like the mage did not make it. He supposed he should have felt victorious, but all he felt was empty. All he ever felt was empty. A sea of liquid as far as the eye can see. For several minutes it just swirls and flows. With a large splash an very large bubble pops to the surface. Inside the bubble is an island and standing on the island is John, head down, arms held out to the sides. Sweat pours down his face as he struggles to hold a shield up to keep the solvent away. As each layer of shielding is eaten, he adds another. He's found that the more energy he pumps into his shields the longer they last, but his reserves are not infinite. Slowly the island shrinks. When his limbs begin to tremble he knows he's in trouble. Finally he falls to his knees, no longer able to stand. "Is this my fate?" he asks himself. "To be killed by someone I don't even know, for reasons which aren't clear." Grim will strengthens him, but the solvent is relentless. "Rhiannon..." OOC: OK, Xander and Co. this is your cue... ================================= Subject: AAE 6g: Awakening Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 09:54:35 -0800 (PST) On 11-13-2000 at 09:49:41 Nemisis Said As CAoL Message # 00009011 >On Mon, 13 Nov 2000 00:37:04 -0500 >"Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009010 > A sea of liquid as far as the eye can see. For several minutes it >just swirls and flows. With a large splash an very large bubble pops >to the surface. Inside the bubble is an island and standing on the >island is John, head down, arms held out to the sides. Sweat pours >down his face as he struggles to hold a shield up to keep the solvent >away. As each layer of shielding is eaten, he adds another. He's >found that the more energy he pumps into his shields the longer they >last, but his reserves are not infinite. Slowly the island shrinks. >When his limbs begin to tremble he knows he's in trouble. Finally he >falls to his knees, no longer able to stand. "Is this my fate?" he >asks himself. "To be killed by someone I don't even know, for reasons >which aren't clear." Grim will strengthens him, but the solvent is >relentless. "Rhiannon..." I am Going to assume the "Rhiannon..." Above was *"Rhiannon..."* >OOC: OK, Xander and Co. this is your cue... Castle P.A. System "We have a Weak detection on John's Location, Via a high sensitivity Telepathic Sensor Array He Seems to be Calling Rhiannon, However Given Her current Position in Empty World, And Scott's Briefing on the Nature of that Place, It is Doubtful that she will Receive it." "Lady Nemisis is Prepairing to interpolate a Precise Fix, Is there anyone else Available to Respond?" Castle Security System ================================= Subject: Re: AAE 6g: Awakening Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2000 11:58:42 -0800 (PST) On Sat, 18 Nov 2000 11:20:15 -0800 (PST) Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00009026 Driss adn Roscoe board Xander and then Xander passes through door #3... and into madness. Sensors are useless, the read everything and nothing all at once, colors twist and swirls and light bends into loops so it looks like Xander if following hirself tot he casual observer. Time has no meaning, is it seconds, moments, year, it's impossible ot tell. All there is is Chaos... Laughter floats from nowhere and everywhere at once, not just one laugh but hundreds of thousands of differnt voices raised in laughter as Xander floats inside of Chaos and currents of probability flow all around carrying the travellers with them until there's a flash and reality finally structures itself around them again. >On Mon, 13 Nov 2000 00:37:04 -0500 >"Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009010 > A sea of liquid as far as the eye can see. For several minutes it >just swirls and flows. With a large splash an very large bubble pops >to the surface. Inside the bubble is an island and standing on the >island is John, head down, arms held out to the sides. Sweat pours >down his face as he struggles to hold a shield up to keep the solvent >away. As each layer of shielding is eaten, he adds another. He's >found that the more energy he pumps into his shields the longer they >last, but his reserves are not infinite. Slowly the island shrinks. >When his limbs begin to tremble he knows he's in trouble. Finally he >falls to his knees, no longer able to stand. "Is this my fate?" he >asks himself. "To be killed by someone I don't even know, for reasons >which aren't clear." Grim will strengthens him, but the solvent is >relentless. "Rhiannon..." Xander can fly above the solvent, but unfortunately the Chaos gate removed Driss and roscoe from the hatch and placed them outside Xander. Rscoe barely grabs hold in time. Driss doesn't splashing down into Solvent with a scream as flesh and bone before ot disolve into nothingness. he acts out of reflex more than anything else and reaches into his cloak, removing a flask and throwing it into the sea of solvent. the liquid bubble sand changes, and then Driss is floating there just fine, healed back incredibly fast even for his abilities. *What was THAT?* sends Roscoe as he drops into the liquid and moves over to Driss "So...something I... Picked up in Xanth... Essense of 'Nteater... When I added it to the solvent it solve'd the problem by making it a solution... Apparently a healing one..." Driss replies weakly as he flops his head back down again to recompose himself, "Anyone know where we are?" ================================= Subject: Re: AAE 6g: Awakening Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 04:34:23 +0000 On Thu, 14 Dec 2000 19:30:36 -0500 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009099 WOW, I can't believe it's been a month. Time, how it does fly when you haven't pinned it to the wall with a steely-eyed stare.... >On Sat, 18 Nov 2000 11:20:15 -0800 (PST) >Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00009026 > > "So...something I... Picked up in Xanth... Essense of 'Nteater... >When I added it to the solvent it solve'd the problem by making it a >solution... Apparently a healing one..." Driss replies weakly as he >flops his head back down again to recompose himself, "Anyone know >where we are?" John, sensing the change spreading through the solvent, lowers enough of his shield to allow Xander to land. Wearily he climbed back to his feet and staggered over to the edge of the isle. Pausing only to take a sip of healing solution he helped fish Driss out of the water. "Driss," he gasped, sinking back to his knees after getting him on dry land, "It's good to see you. Let's get off this mudball so I can let it sink into the new 'ocean'." ================================= Subject: Re: AAE 6g: Awakening Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 19:44:02 +0000 On Fri, 15 Dec 2000 14:45:22 -0500 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00009100 >On Thu, 14 Dec 2000 19:30:36 -0500 >"Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009099 > > John, sensing the change spreading through the solvent, lowers >enough of his shield to allow Xander to land. Wearily he climbed back >to his feet and staggered over to the edge of the isle. > Pausing only to take a sip of healing solution he helped fish Driss >out of the water. "Driss," he gasped, sinking back to his knees after >getting him on dry land, "It's good to see you. Let's get off this >mudball so I can let it sink into the new 'ocean'." Xander drops down, yet in aerospace gunship mode, landing and popping the twin canopies open. "Method of getting off this mudball has arrived. Just let me know where you want to go, and I'll take you there... brief me on the way?" rumbles from hir PA system, whilst a trio of drones pop out of a bay, and take on about fifteen gallons' worth of the solution. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE 6g: Awakening Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 21:08:25 +0000 On Tue, 19 Dec 2000 15:59:34 -0500 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009113 >On Fri, 15 Dec 2000 14:45:22 -0500 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00009100 > >Xander drops down, yet in aerospace gunship mode, landing and popping >the twin canopies open. >"Method of getting off this mudball has arrived. Just let me know >where you want to go, and I'll take you there... brief me on the >way?" rumbles from hir PA system, whilst a trio of drones pop out of >a bay, and take on about fifteen gallons' worth of the solution. John climbs into the gunship, closes his eyes and concentrates a moment. "Head on this bearing <>" he says. "That's as specific as I can get at the moment." John plops himself down into a chair and promptly falls asleep, exhausted. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE 6g: Awakening Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2000 02:11:59 +0000 On Sun, 24 Dec 2000 17:30:07 -0800 The Hunter Said As CAoL Message # 00009136 >On Tue, 19 Dec 2000 15:59:34 -0500 >"Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009113 > >>On Fri, 15 Dec 2000 14:45:22 -0500 >>"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00009100 >> >>Xander drops down, yet in aerospace gunship mode, landing and >>popping the twin canopies open. >>"Method of getting off this mudball has arrived. Just let me know >>where you want to go, and I'll take you there... brief me on the >>way?" rumbles from hir PA system, whilst a trio of drones pop out of >>a bay, and take on about fifteen gallons' worth of the solution. Over in the High King's realm, things are going at a snail's pace (ironic given the amount of temporal manipulation power available 8^). So Eric decides to try a change of pace. > John climbs into the gunship, closes his eyes and concentrates a >moment. "Head on this bearing <>" he says. "That's as specific as I >can get at the moment." John plops himself down into a chair and >promptly falls asleep, exhausted. /Hello, all. Could you folks use a...sigh,/ Eric sighs. (OOC: Does anyone besides John have a mini-lens? 8^) ================================= Subject: AAE 6g: Exposition Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 01:37:44 +0000 On Sun, 7 Jan 2001 20:12:52 -0500 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009194 Onboard ship John tossed in his sleep. * * * * * * * John was back in his rest place, only this time he wasn't in pain. He looked around the wooded glen and noticed that the plants were thriving a little more than they had before. Taking to the air, he viewed the miles of forest, blinked, and then looked over an open house in the Eastern style with a stone meditation garden. Hearing the sounds of a broom being used he landed and entered. John surveyed himself as he swept out the house, and was mildly amused when he looked up and waved at himself. "May I ask what you are doing?" he said. "Preparing for visitors." John looked at what he recognized as a manifestation of his psyche sharply, "Visitors? What visitors? I don't know anything about any visitors..." "Yes, you do." "No, I don't." "Only because you don't want to. You're a mess, hiding this and that from yourself." "Is this about the.. hold on, you're part of _MY_ psyche. I command you to tell me what your talking about." John's psyche snorts at him, "You're barely in command of your conscious mind, much less me. And hooking m.. your subconcious in tandem with those precog abilities you've blocked out was a masterstroke of denial. Or would that be evasion." "I am not in denial." "Oh, then what about your anger problem?" "I don't have an anger problem." "Please, you're this," he holds up his fingers an inch apart, "far away from being a berserk. It's been getting worse for a long while." "I have control over my rage." "Repression is not control, nor is it helping. You need to accept it." "I don't have to listen to this. Now I remember why I stopped coming here," John turned and started away. "How are you doing integrating those psyches?" John stopped and slowly turned, "What's that mean?" "It's a fairly simple question. Their souls are getting restless. You need to hurry up and finish so you can send them back. There are some lessons you'll need to learn." John looks thunderstruck, "But, That'll take... Their.. souls?" John's subconcious holds a hand out toward him, "Join with me again. You'll know everything I do about what's to come. I've even come up with a filter system for the stuff that's dangerous for you to know." John takes a step back, "I'vegottago, checkontheship. Bye." As he leaves behind him he hears, "Things will get very bad if you don't do something soon. You'll receive a warning. Take heed of it." John wakes up just as the ship is hailed. * * * * * * * "Unidentified vessel. This is UG vessel Mandarb. We are on searching for a violent criminal known to have recently been sighted in these parts. Stand by to be boarded." OOC: OK Xander, this one's all you. ================================= Subject: Re: AAE 6g: Exposition Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 20:42:23 +0000 On Mon, 8 Jan 2001 14:22:08 -0500 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00009195 >On Sun, 7 Jan 2001 20:12:52 -0500 >"Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009194 > > Onboard ship John tossed in his sleep. > John wakes up just as the ship is hailed. > > * * * * * * * > > "Unidentified vessel. This is UG vessel Mandarb. We are on >searching for a violent criminal known to have recently been sighted >in these parts. Stand by to be boarded." "Erm. I'd rather not let them into me... any suggestions other than partial or total destruction of their ships?" Xander asks over hir intercom. John looks flustered a moment, thinking, 'I do not have a violence problem' then says, "Umm, how much firepower this thing pack?" The aerospace ship ponders a few moments-- very significant in machine-time. "Welll... let me try to put it into meaningful terms to you: due to relatively recent upgrades, I could take on two, perhaps three Bolo mark XXVI's with negligable damage." John blinks a few times, "Oh. Ermm, Tell them that your a private vessel, blahh, blah, you would certainly know if any dangerous criminals were on board, blah, blah, and that you object to jack-booted thugs tramping all over your nice clean ship. Then vapourise that little cluster of asteroids over there." "Message approximated and sent," the ship replies, then rotates some degrees on two axis; the tube of hir main gun glows briefly, before a pumped-up Hellbore shot applies a bolt of fusion-temperature particles to the asteroids; a surrounding nimbus of energy making the precision shot into an area-effect. "Hmm... Remind me later to test a fully-charged Hellbore/X-buster weapon coupling." ================================= Subject: AAE 6g: Conclusion begins... Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 01:41:29 +0000 On Thu, 11 Jan 2001 20:30:37 -0500 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009201 >"Message approximated and sent," the ship replies, then rotates some >degrees on two axis; the tube of hir main gun glows briefly, before a >pumped-up Hellbore shot applies a bolt of fusion-temperature >particles to the asteroids; a surrounding nimbus of energy making the >precision shot into an area-effect. "Hmm... Remind me later to test a >fully-charged Hellbore/X-buster weapon coupling." From the comm channel comes a medly of voices of which John can only make out two comments, 'My God!!' and 'I need to go change my uniform.' A few moments later the channel opens, "Private vessel. This is UG vessel Mandarb. We request that you contact us should you come across this criminal," John's picture is sent, "and subdue him if possible. Continue on." * * * * * * * * * John goes back to sleep and tosses for a long while before coming awake with a scream. He looks wildly and the panic slowly fades from around his eyes. He refuses to answer any questions about the dream. * * * * * * * * * John spends the next few hours playing cards with Driss and Xander, occasionally stopping to get a fix on their bearing. John could sense the stone due to the lock it was maintaining on his ability to create rifts. He could tell they were getting close and sure enough, they soon came upon an influx in space traffic. Xander relayed the distress warning most ships were sending. Apparently a planet ahead was being consumed by some unknown substance. "That's it. Take us there, Xander, if you would." John asked. When they arrived they found a planet in chaos. A quick communications check showed that the best efforts of the scientists were futile against the spread of the solvent. It wasn't spreading very fast, but most of the available transportation off planet had already been used. It seemed to have spread out from one of more heavily fortified military bases and most of that base seemed immune. Leaders were trying to quell the panic that had swept the world and were congregrating people in the areas farthest from the solvent. Urgent distresss messages were asking any passing ships to land and take more people out. The few remaining working ships were mobbed. Speculation had it as being a military experiment gone awry. The middle of the base is gone, a seething mass of solvent, but most of the weaponry remains. John studies the situation a moment. "Xander, got any of that solution from before? I want to try to dump it in and get rid of the solvent." ================================= Subject: Re: AAE 6g: Conclusion begins... Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 03:38:48 +0000 On Thu, 11 Jan 2001 19:28:37 -0800 (PST) Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00009202 >On Thu, 11 Jan 2001 20:30:37 -0500 >"Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009201 > > From the comm channel comes a medly of voices of which John can >only make out two comments, 'My God!!' and 'I need to go change my >uniform.' A few moments later the channel opens, "Private vessel. >This is UG vessel Mandarb. We request that you contact us should you >come across this criminal," John's picture is sent, "and subdue him >if possible. Continue on." Driss looks as releived as John may be, 'I still don't know where exactly we are and you never know where you've been previously later one in life..." Roscoe just rolls his eyes and goes off to inspect the galley for any goodies... > John goes back to sleep and tosses for a long while before coming >awake with a scream. He looks wildly and the panic slowly fades from >around his eyes. He refuses to answer any questions about the dream. Driss shrugs and doesn't press too hard, knowing abotu nightmares himself having had quite a few and knowing how personal they can be... > John spends the next few hours playing cards with Driss and >Xander, occasionally stopping to get a fix on their bearing. John Driss picks up the cards again with a melodramatic sigh and starts shiffling them flipping them around in various card tricks, "OK, I'l go over it once more for you. With Knorkin a Triad beats a pair, a Quiggle beats a Triad, except if it's an odd numbered hand, then a pair beats a Quiggle in that case a Holio can come about to take the place of a Quiggle but only if you have BOTH prawns and a fool... now if you happen to have both fool and a single Prawn, you can have a Glimp, or a double glimp if you have both prawns and both fools, but I'm getting ahead of myself... anyways..." > The middle of the base is gone, a seething mass of solvent, but >most of the weaponry remains. John studies the situation a moment. >"Xander, got any of that solution from before? I want to try to dump >it in and get rid of the solvent." Driss rummages around in his cloak, "I don't have any more of the pure 'nt eater solution on me, but the mixture that Xander pumped up might have enough of it left in it to work..." ================================= Subject: Re: AAE 6g: Conclusion begins... Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 12:38:29 -0800 (PST) On Sun, 14 Jan 2001 15:21:11 -0500 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009205 >On Thu, 11 Jan 2001 19:28:37 -0800 (PST) >Driscoll Said As CAoL Message # 00009202 > > Driss rummages around in his cloak, "I don't have any more of the >pure 'nt eater solution on me, but the mixture that Xander pumped up >might have enough of it left in it to work..." John has Xander dump some of the mixture into the solvent, but there is no discernible result. As Xander comes around John decides on a course of action. "We need to get through that stuff. Xander, I want you to fly over the middle of the base. See if you can shoot a passage through that stuff. I'm going to jump. I need some cover fire while I'm going down, protecting myself from those emplacements will use energy I'll need later. Driss, see what you can do to help these people out. Xander, you too.If that stuff eats too far down there might be earthquakes and such." John gets ready to jump. OOC: One more big post and I'm done. ================================= Subject: Grabbing the plot (was Re: AAE 6g: Conclusion begins) Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001 22:58:49 -0800 (PST) On Mon, 05 Feb 2001 21:34:11 -0800 Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00009274 If Shadow posts soon, go ahead and ignore this post. But I think we all want to move along, and this idea was too good to resist... >On Sun, 14 Jan 2001 15:21:11 -0500 >"Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009205 > > "We need to get through that stuff. Xander, I want you to fly over >the middle of the base. See if you can shoot a passage through that >stuff. I'm going to jump. I need some cover fire while I'm going >down, protecting myself from those emplacements will use energy I'll >need later. Driss, see what you can do to help these people out. >Xander, you too.If that stuff eats too far down there might be >earthquakes and such." > John gets ready to jump. "*mutter mumber grumble* bloody map *grumble gripe* bloody errands *growl mutter sigh* bloody cold space when I could be back in front of me own warm fireplace at Hog--OH!" Floating in front of the open airlock was a gigantic man with hair sticking out from the collar of his equally enormous black coat. It takes a moment to realize that the two dark orbs within are eyes and not beetles of some sort. Soon after, one realizes that there's a face under all that fur. The viewer could be excused for not noticing the tree trunk of a broomstick that he's sitting on... "Anyways, the headmaster tells me to give yer this," he continued, and extended a small box (dwarfed by the hand holding it) wrapped in plain brown paper and tied in twine. "He understands ye'll be needin' it, eh?" The giant chuckled briefly. The box glowed for a moment, and the solvent below was neutralized. The huge man blinked at it. "Well, awright then. Be that way, ye bloody Stone." He started to hand over the box when an owl flew up to him. "Whazzis?" He gave the owl a piece of meat, which stopped it as it began to attack his coat, took a parchment from its claw, and read slowly. "Aw, bloody--" He looked back at the ship. "Oh. 'Scuse me. Wrong address." He grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Eh, it'll be waitin' fer ye at yer castle. Pardon me. Go about yer business. Sorry about that." He withdrew his arm, looked at it and the box for a moment, pivoted on his broomstick, and flew ninety degrees away from the entire universe. Meanwhile, at the castle... Eric stopped in mid-gesture as he was about to touch the control panel on the waiting room's door. He and Mew stared at the giant man and broomstick that unfolded in front of them. "Roit." The giant looked Eric over and chuckled. "Nice to find a bloke with good taste. Catch." The giant threw an astounded Eric the box, which he caught as much out of reflex as anything else. "Well. I'm off then. Say hello to the Sevens fer me, will ye?" The giant grew thoughtful. "Erm. I think. Do we know them yet? Er, scratch that. But the headmaster says hi to the Keystone when 'e gets back." The giant turned and (presumably, since he left the universe again) flew off. Eric looked at the box, at Mew, and back at the box again. "I'm almost afraid to." =Don't look at me, that one wasn't _my_ fault,= Mew replied emphatically. Eric shrugged and opened the box. Inside was a stone, seemingly made of red metal, shining like a ruby. (OOC: If the Philosopher's Stone doesn't look like this, insert the proper description.) "Um." =My.= "Ah, castle? I think we have something you want..." OOC 2: NEXT! ;^) ================================= Subject: Re: Grabbing the plot (was Re: AAE 6g: Conclusion begins) Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2001 01:39:08 -0800 (PST) On Tue, 6 Feb 2001 04:25:32 -0500 "Shadow" Said As CAoL Message # 00009275 >On Mon, 05 Feb 2001 21:34:11 -0800 >Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00009274 > > If Shadow posts soon, go ahead and ignore this post. But I think >we all want to move along, and this idea was too good to resist... > I've made a slight modification, but go with it... I'll post my bit soon. Things are busy here.. John flies back to Xander, having lost the Stone during the fight.. > "Anyways, the headmaster tells me to give yer this," he continued, >and extended a small box (dwarfed by the hand holding it) wrapped in >plain brown paper and tied in twine. "He understands ye'll be needin' >it, eh?" The giant chuckled briefly. The box glowed for a moment, and >the solvent below was neutralized. The huge man blinked at it. > "Well, awright then. Be that way, ye bloody Stone." He started to >hand over the box when an owl flew up to him. John looked from the box to his immaterial hands and motioned for him to put the box on the floor. =================================