<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0034</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0035.txt">Next (Page 35)</A><BR> "Just finished equipping your proteges."<P><P>"I see. I see," Cursive said.<P><P>"I'm glad you're here. You can help us carry all this stuff back to your place," Daptin said.<P><P>"Oh, no need. We can use my disappear simulator to disappear over there," Cursive said. <P><P>"You can disappear like the gods?" Fake asked.<P><P>"Of course I can--can't you, Fake?" <P><P>"No."<P><P>"Well, gather all your junk up and let's go. I came by because you're late. This mission is time-sensitive, and we have to get it started. Come on you two."<P><P>"Hey okay," Daptin said. <P><P>"One pile of junk coming right up," Fake said.<P><P>Just then, Elaine Caxopy, Cursive's sister and business partner, walked into Basement-Wall-Thursday Mortal Supply. She wore a pretty, light-blue dress--the antithesis of Cursive's hard attire.<P><P>"Oh, you're here. I was just coming by to see if our two recruits are all set," Elaine said.<P><P>"They're done," Cursive said, taking a drag on her cigarette. "We were about to disappear over in my simulator."<P><P>"Well," Elaine said, looking a little hesitant, "okay. But my truck's outside. You'll take care of it, won't you Confetti?"<P><P>"Of course," Confetti said, and Elaine tossed her the keys to the truck.<P><P>"No need to gather 'round--I'm good at this," Cursive said.<P><P>The next moment, Cursive, Elaine, Daptin and Fake were in the offices of The Caxopy Group.<P><P>"Nice simulation," Elaine said.<P><P>Cursive didn't reply.<P><P>"Well you two, come on. We have a cup of coffee to show you," Elaine said urgently.<P><P>--------------------------<P>CHAPTER 9<P>--------------------------<P><P>"Notice the strange glyphs on the styrofoam--we haven't been able to match these to any known form of writing," Elaine Caxopy said to Daptin Gone and Fake Cerquaine, gingerly holding a twenty-ounce styrofoam coffee cup with a plastic lid.<P><P>"Probably just a silly corporate logo," Cursive Caxopy said with a sneer.<P><P>"So this is our mission?" Daptin asked. "Buying coffee?"<P><P>"Don't be an idiot," Cursive said tersely.<P><P>"I just thought--" Daptin started.<P><P>"Would we need all these supplies just to buy coffee, Daptin?" Fake said.<P><P>"I mean--maybe there're some weird, super weird coffee shops or delis in Boltpike. I mean I don't know," Daptin said.<P><P>"You can see the coffee's still hot--you can see the steam. They must've just got it--and without our help," Fake said.<P><P>"You're both very, very, very mistaken," Elaine said. "Open your minds and listen. This is the Cup of Coffee. And we didn't just get it--in fact, by our estimates it's well over 40,000 years old. Now just wait--there's more. Hold on a second."<P><P>With this, Elaine placed the cup carefully on her desk.<P><P>"Tavmatey--are you with us?" Elaine asked, facing the cup. <P><P>Silence.<P><P>"Tavmatey Numblem--if you can hear me, please respond. Please. We have two new friends here."<P><P>"Well I don't--" Daptin began.<P><P>"Quiet!" Elaine snapped as she held out her arm. <P><P>Then a small voice emerged from deep within the cup.<P><P>"Hi Elaine," said the distant yet distinctly husky female voice. <P><P>"Hi Tav. The two are here, the two we told you about last time we talked. Remember?" Elaine said, staring distantly at the cup.<P><P>After a pause, Tavmatey said "I remember. The rescue team."<P><P>"That's right. They're off to Boltpike to retrieve you," Elaine said.<P><P>"Oh boy, I can't wait to get out of here," Tavmatey said.<P><P>"Now is she in the cup in some way," Faked asked, "or is it just a means of communicating?"<P><P>"Good question," Cursive said. "We're not entirely sure, but we know one thing--the sound of the girl's voice gets louder in some places and softer in others. And by mapping our various readings, we've determined that she must be somewhere in Boltpike."<P><P>"So there it is," Elaine said.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0035.txt">Next (Page 35)</A>