Lockout 3!

Yeek! This seems to be a topic we can't quite shake!

Well, here we go again.....

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A warehouse. The floor filled with....cabinets?....slightly taller than a man. Black and grey with flashing lights. A constant, low hum.

Scampering. Skittering. Scurrying.

A few sparks pop and drift to the floor.

* * * * *

Transmute Jun stood at the head of the meeting table. Sitting around the table were Amethyst, littlewolf, KT1972, clouddancer, and Daniella T.

“Is everybody ready?” TJ asked. The rest of the group nodded. She took a deep breath and pressed a couple of buttons on the table. A large viewscreen lowered from the ceiling behind her. She turned to face it as it flickered to life.

“Center Neptune Control. This is TempZark speaking. How may I assist you?” The image on the screen resembled 7-Zark-7, but this unit was bronze-colored with its paint in different shades of blue. Its voice didn’t have the annoying chirpiness, either – this one’s voice had the smooth, artificial calm of an early GPS unit.

“Hello, Temp.” TJ said.

“Ah, hello, Transmute Jun. Greetings, Gatchamaniacs.”

The other members muttered their greetings.

“How may I assist you all today?”

“We’re just after a progress report.”

“Glad to oblige. The reconstruction of the Coral Temp Base is a week away from completion.”

“That’s good to hear.” clouddancer muttered.

“And if I may say so,” TempZark added, “the defense system Chief Anderson is having installed is quite impressive.”

“Kind of weird, not hearing the robot take credit for everything.” Amethyst muttered to littlewolf. LW nodded in agreement.

“I’m looking forward to checking it out. TJ replied. “Also, um, has there been any word about 7-Zark-7?” Even though TempZark couldn’t possibly have emotions, TJ felt a tad awkward asking about 7-Zark-7; would TempZark think she wanted that electronic annoyance back?

The rest of the group inwardly cringed – they weren’t that fond of Zark before. But, after he tried to kill them to enact something called the Omega Protocol....

“Alas,” TempZark said, “he is still being assessed at the Jupiter lab. I have not received any word as to how long it will take.”

There was a loud groan from outside the meeting room. The horrendous crash the followed knocked everyone out of their seats, and caused Amethyst to have a flashback to when the Coral Temp base was hit by two rockets fired from the Phoenix.

“Is everybody okay?” TJ asked as everyone started pulling themselves up. Just then, a Gatchageek burst into the room. She was a small woman wearing the Swallow’s helmet and wings over her polo shirt and khaki slacks. “Come quick!” she cried, “We need everyone’s help!”

The group rushed out and found one of the most shocking sights they’d ever seen: in the center of the main courtyard was the shattered remains of a schooner. Other Gatchamania.net members swarmed over the wreckage, pulling away splintered boards, frantically searching for anyone trapped inside the mess.

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury

Really? Hmm.....

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury

Yeah, poor Cep was the first person who came to mind. To the rescue, Gatchamaniacs!

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They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally, they became heroes -- Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan.

LW grabs stunned gatchageeks on side lines and giving them flagons of ale, barrels of rum and a spare copy of the The Gatchamania House rules.

"Quick look up the "Ceremony of Strength and Aid to the house deity's, sub-clause Cep" now drink and make merry and shout and sing Ceps names to the heavens, give Cep all the strength, energy and appropriate worship you can spare."


Who knows what EW has in store for Cep this time.

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May the bad things get lost on the way to you door!

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury

quote:

Originally posted by clouddancer quote: Originally posted by KT1972 LOL, I love it! I think all the Gatchamaniacs will want to join in as well!!!!

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Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope. - HELEN KELLER

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"The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing." -- Blaise Pascal

This was in my head for much of the time I was in the hospital!

Let's see if there are any immediate results from the love and devotion you've shown Cep.....

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While all able-bodied Gatchamaniacs cleared away the wrecked schooner, frantically searching for any casualties, littlewolf rushed from bystander to bystander, pressing a flagon of ale or rum in their hands along with a copy of The Gatchamania House Rules. (Although, in a few cases, she slapped the stunned faces with the House Rules to get them involved.)

Soon those on the sidelines were following the appropriate text, shouting out words of encouragement while getting a snoot full, or getting smashed while screaming phrases of love, or they were professing their support of Cep while getting plastered. Littlewolf dashed hither and yon, keeping her fellow maniacs’ energy whipped up.

Finally, the search ended. The loyal, devoted followers of Cep slowly sat and stretched out, all in different degrees of drunken stupor. Littlewolf made her way down to the crash site. She headed straight toward Gary, the unofficial leader of the Gatchageeks.

Gary scanned the area before reaching under the visor of his Eagle helmet to push his horn-rimmed glasses up. He then noticed littlewolf. “There was one casualty,” he said as soon as she was close enough, “And she’s already on the way to Center Neptune’s Medical Center.”

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury

LW, I had a rough idea for this part, but I wasn't quite sure what to do until you brought up the House Rules! (Thanks, BTW!!) As for the rest of your questions

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury

And now.....

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“Please be assured, Gatchamaniacs, that if you need anything at all, you can feel free to call me at any time. I never sleep, so you need not worry about disturbing me.” The screen faded to black.

The meeting room was silent for a few moments while several Gatchamania.net members swallowed down the feeling TempZark incurred – they each felt as if they’d guzzled down a smoothie made from ipecac syrup and anchovies.

“Well,” Transmute Jun finally said with a sigh, “what do we know?”

Amethyst cleared her throat a bit. “There seems to be some sort of trouble at the server. Beside the schooner crashing, um, there’ve been random SQL – Database Errors.”

“Random!” KT1972 scoffed, “I’ve been shut out more consistently than...well...time itself!” Her expression clouded. “Time...marching us all to the end...and decay...”

“Damn, I’ve never seen you in such a mood!” Daniella T. cried.

“I guess it’s understandable,” TJ said, casting her eyes to a broken wheel from a wheelchair sitting in a corner, “given recent events....”

“Um, speaking of that,” clouddancer said with a slight cough, “doesn’t it strike anyone as odd that ElectricWhite is the only casualty?”

“What’re you saying?” littlewolf asked.

“Shouldn’t we have seen a sign of Cep? It was his schooner that crashed?”

The room was filled with muttered “Huh,” and “I didn’t think of that,” among other things.

“But what are you thinking, CD?” LW pressed.

“Well,” CD squirmed a little, “maybe Cep was in the wreckage, but we just didn’t realize it.”

A moment passed.

“Are you tryin’ to say Cep’s a trannie?!” Amethyst’s voice raised in pitch as she said the last word.

“Well, no, not like that!...I was thinking, well, like some myths where supernatural beings disguise themselves to walk among the mortals.”

“Like a trannie?”

“NO! I was thinking more like an ‘Avatar’ -type situation....”

* * * * *

The nurse had just finished changing an IV bag and restating the pump. The room exploded in a cacophony of beeps and buzzes. The nurse quickly pressed a few buttons.


“There.” she said, “All that noise can drive a soul nuts.”

The patient, buried in a mass of wires and tubes, gave no response. The nurse started toward the door, but then suddenly stopped.

“Oh!” she cried, “Well, it’s not normally done...but I think you’ll be okay. Just, please keep your visit short.” With that, she left.

The visitor stepped over to the bed. He gingerly touched the back of the patient’s hand – the only patch of open skin he could find. The patient opened her eyes and tried to smile in spite of the respirator jammed down her throat.

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury