<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0005</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0006.txt">Next (Page 6)</A><BR><P><P>"Well everyone," Chamomile said from the control panel. "We transport in 26 minutes. All we can do now is wait."<P><P>"Yeah," Sulfur said.<P><P>"It's creepy, knowing that guy is right outside!" Lemon said with a shiver.<P><P>"It's creepy with you in here! Whoop!" Canary said.<P><P>"Roll over, boy," Lemon said.<P><P>Canary growled at Lemon with a smile.<P><P>"So Colonia," Chamomile said, looking the fellow over, "how'd you manage to escape from our friend Mr. O'Riley?"<P><P>"It's a long story. For now, let it suffice to say that two of my teammates sacrificed themselves that I might survive to tell the tale."<P><P>"But how did you know to come to Yellowhaus?" Chamomile asked.<P><P>"I had suspicions about this place. Call it 'weapon's intuition' if you will. I just had a gut feeling you could help us. And as it turns out, you're at least helping me, and maybe through me Libertine A-Wave can live on."<P><P>"Well friend," Chamomile said. "We're happy to have another ally on our journey into unknown territory. Let's just hope our flight lasts more than 25 more minutes."<P><P>"Indeed," Colonia said. "So we are off to another world then, really?"<P><P>"Really," Chamomile said.<P><P>"Hmm," Colonia said with a sigh. "The adventure continues."<P><P>"Except," Sulfur cut in, "all our friends and relatives, and everyone we ever knew, will be dead and gone."<P><P>"Oh Sulfy! Don't be such a party pooper--this is fun!" Lemon said.<P><P>--------------------------<P>CHAPTER 2<P>--------------------------<P><P>Sitting in his room at the Supbam Hotel in Agoopish as Bright (the thing that passed for the sun here) was rising, Daptin Gone didn't want to make the phone call.<P><P>He ran his hand through his long green hair and leaned back in his chair. His mind was wandering, seeking avenues of thought engaging enough to justify delaying the call. He looked out the window at the city below, at the people starting to throng, at the weird hospitals in the distance, at the unpredictable Tuhalont River.<P><P>He'd been in a hospital once. Cringing, he recalled in vivid horror the terminal illness he had had, and how he somehow beat it, and that Glorious Place, and how things hadn't seemed to be working quite right.<P><P>He mulled over the matter, as he had done so many times before. This whole superlife of his, which seemed to casually annihilate the infinite suffering of his miserable diseased state. Crushed it like stepping unknowing on a little spider.<P><P>The miracle cure that people didn't like--they thought he'd been faking it. Escape down to Baskonontana, to college in Gullia Fair. Recruited into a dimension-hopping company of weirdoes, Overwhelm Associates. And then introduced to these cities, these hidden Avert Cities... and Agoopish was the one he called home.<P><P>It all started in that Glorious Place...<P><P>Such a wonderful day, such an excellent location. Walking up the grassy hill, perfect sunlight and breezes, Daptin saw the rock and the fox on top of it, jumping off. Near the rock was a blackboard with the words "Here is Canyon" scrawled across it.<P><P>The little red fox trotted toward Daptin and said, "You're late. Oh so very late."<P><P>Daptin stopped. Fox approached and sat.<P><P>"I knew you were still here," Fox said. "Sit, and I'll let you know what you missed."<P><P>Daptin slowly sat down in the grass, mind racing, all so familiar. It was the beautiful smell in the air more than anything else.<P><P>"We're so far along," Fox said, shaking his head. "So few left."<P><P>Daptin took a deep, deep breath and smiled in recognition. He knew Fox, somehow. The furry fellow was familiar.<P><P>"And I'll be departed myself before the next Time," Fox continued. "So few left."<P><P>"Who?" Daptin asked, his voice sounding unusually rich.<P><P>Fox sighed.<P><P>"Twenty-five, including you and me."<P><P>Daptin took a moment to think about it.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0006.txt">Next (Page 6)</A>