<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0073</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0074.txt">Next (Page 74)</A><BR> It's just like, it's like being there, there's so much that seems hidden. I don't know. I mean, there's just so much, uh, I don't know..."<P><P>"You know many goddesses there?" Granticaine asked, stirring a sweet black spice into some hot tea.<P><P>"Huh? I uh, well, I mean there's lots and lots of goddesses there. And like, for some reason I had access to the god community right away. I guess it's because I'm a mortal there, but I dunno. I seems sort of, almost, suspicious. I don't know. But yeah, I knew a number of goddesses. I mean, I know them. I do plan on going back."<P><P>"Are they nice?"<P><P>"Nice? Yeah! They're amazing. I mean, you like get buzzed and tingle all over just being near them. It's really weird. That's one reason I doubt the Sweptim thing--they really do seem to be like, I dunno, like deities."<P><P>"Hmm. I'd like to see what this is all about. I've long suspected that there's a lot more going on than just Aconck, and it looks like my patience has finally found fruit."<P><P>"Yeah."<P><P>"Found fruit, not to be confused with fend fruit, eh?"<P><P>"Heh heh, no," Daptin said, smiling.<P><P>Granticaine took a big bite out of a piece of fruit and looked again out the window into the interior of Greatwall.<P><P>"So Daptin, what sort of framepoint are we looking at for this mission of yours? Is it time-sensitive?"<P><P>"Um, well y'know, that's a pretty good question. Obfuser didn't make that part very clear. In fact, he didn't make much of anything clear."<P><P>"Is this Obfuser fellow contactable?"<P><P>"Um, generally no. I have been able to get him to show up on a few occasions, but there were special circumstances involved. I had kind of a supernatural problem back in college, which as far as I know is not connected to any of this other stuff. And he helped me with all that, y'know."<P><P>"Hmm," Granticaine said, nodding.<P><P>"I mean, I know very little of the physics of the matter, this whole time travel thing. I assume time is running pretty much equiv between here and there, where Fake is. I guess he put me back a little while after I disappeared. And at this point..."<P><P>Daptin looked down for his wristwatch, only to find he wasn't wearing it.<P><P>"Need the time?" Granticaine asked.<P><P>"Yeah."<P><P>Granticaine flipped up a portion of his collar to reveal a clock which appeared to be embroidered into the fabric.<P><P>"It's a little after 3:30."<P><P>"That thing actually works?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"Yeah. I know it seems unlikely, but the underlying mechanism is actually quite simple. It's from Govern Wetness Earth, or so I'm told."<P><P>"Huh. Well, I guess that if I include a lag time for the popcorn, like say two hours, and the time since I got back, I'd say it's been something like four or five hours since I left Fake in that weird place."<P><P>"I see. But I'm curious, why didn't you let the girl escape before you?"<P><P>"Well, I dunno. She was like, I mean it was a real tense situation. It was like a split second thing. If I had offered her the popcorn, she might not have taken it. I mean, I took a real risk doing that, and I almost got erased for good. So I mean, like, it didn't even cross my mind. I thought I could get the Cup of Coffee away from the situation and hope things had, y'know, improved when I got back."<P><P>"I see. And what makes you think this gang hasn't slain your friend by now? Or captured her and taken her back to their base of operations?"<P><P>"I don't know. Obfuser seemed to think it'd be pretty easy to get her back."<P><P>"Well, from my perspective, we're walking into a very unsure situation. I would like more time to prepare, but unfortunately, from what you've described, time is our enemy. I think I'll call Mallie and have the team assemble in a set location. Do you need to get anything from Greatwall Base?"<P><P>"Yeah! I have a lot of stuff there.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0074.txt">Next (Page 74)</A>