<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0080</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0081.txt">Next (Page 81)</A><BR><P><P>Looking over at Fake, Kesh asked "Was there some sort of poison or narcotic in your weaponry?"<P><P>"Not that I really know of, but I don't even understand most of that stuff. Just get her away from it! She's losing her fucking composure!"<P><P>"I tend to agree with you," Kesh said. "Now Classic, what is wrong? Why do you act in such a manner?"<P><P>Classic looked up at Kesh.<P><P>"I don't know but it feels grand. I've never been drunk, but this is how it must feel," Classic said, looking up at the sky. "What a feeling!"<P><P>Kesh reached out with his black lines and engulfed Classic.<P><P>"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, dear, but for now let's just get you away from this stuff!" Kesh said, lifting Classic and moving her far from the pile of mortal supplies.<P><P>"No Kesh! I like that stuff! I like that stuff!" Classic whined, whipping around like a rag doll, suspended in midair.<P><P>"Never mind it, it's affecting your mind," Kesh said.<P><P>"No! No," Classic said, and began crying a little. "Let me see those socks again, Kesh. Let me see it."<P><P>"I've never seen you this way before, young lady. And I'll not be a party to such hazardous indulgence."<P><P>Kesh didn't see it, but Classic still had a huge tin clock which she had stuck under her shirt. With a "Ha ha! Whee!" she tossed the metal object skyward. <P><P>"What?" Kesh said, watching as the clock lurched unnaturally upward, growing steadily larger, until after a few seconds it hung diagonally and swaying high up in the air. It cast a huge shadow on the party, and it seemed enormous. As it wobbled, it looked like it might drop on the group at any moment. It's pendulum swung madly back and forth as a silent cuckoo bird shot in and out of its door.<P><P>"It's gonna fall!" Bith the Silly Train exclaimed, looking up in horror.<P><P>Elsewhere, at the water treatment plant, some folks were confused.<P><P>Daptin Gone stood up and surveyed the scene. It was definitely a water treatment plant. They had all collapsed, but were now getting up. It appeared to be mid-afternoon.<P><P>"What is it about this place?" Iterator of Rail Avenue asked.<P><P>"It a fun, fun place!" Pantry Lurkin said, jumping about in a little jig.<P><P>Granticaine Chug Perion looked around at the flat landscape dotted with huge power line towers and spoke.<P><P>"No--Iterator of Rail Avenue is right--I feel something--familiar about this place--like--"<P><P>"--like we work here?" Wreckage Mallie said.<P><P>Daptin shook his head.<P><P>"We do work here, don't we? I mean, we definitely do."<P><P>"Poo in, faucet out, mister! The water treater of all is me and you, you, you. Uh-huh," Pantry Lurkin said, climbing up onto a railing looking over a huge pool of water.<P><P>"No, you're right Daptin," Iterator of Rail Avenue said. "We do work here. We have for a while."<P><P>Mallie knelt down and opened his duffel bag, examining the contents, a gun and a pipe.<P><P>"I realize we work here," Mallie said. "I know it's the Arietta Sane City water treatment plant. I know I'm an assistant engineer."<P><P>Daptin grabbed his forehead and spoke.<P><P>"But--I mean, I know I don't have to bring this up, but weren't we, like, going to rescue my friend, Fake? And, I mean, I know it's obvious, but we just got here because of the Coffee I drank. I mean, we were on the superway at Greatwall just a minute or two ago."<P><P>"That's true Daptin," Granticaine said, "but whatever the details, we do have to get back to work. Don't you see that? We have our responsibilities."<P><P>"I wanna work. I like it," Pantry said.<P><P>"Okay, we'll all go back to work in a minute," Iterator of Rail Avenue said. "But first let's sort this thing out with the just getting here, and the mission and everything."<P><P>"You're right," Mallie said. "There's something here we're missing. It all seems to make sense, but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mind.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0081.txt">Next (Page 81)</A>