Random Project

[major_kerina]

Heh. Since it'll still be a little while before I'm done with Mecchen 20, I decided to take an intriguing little idea I had while driving home tonight and write a little treatment of what I had. For now, this is all the story I have. Although I have some ideas for where it can go. I also don't have a name for it but I'd like to draw from Chinese philosophy and sources like the 108 stars of destiny. Also, I worked in some anime ideas as well. I hope you enjoy it for what it is --- a little diversion. You're all welcome to take anything you like from it, add ideas to it, whatever...

And yes, I wrote Mecchen too :-p But I didn't want to burn myself out on Mecchen tonight, so I added this in as a little creative treat to myself.



Two female, humanoid figures walked along a featureless, flat gray landscape.

The taller of the two wore a loose-fitting brown tunic and torn pants. The other was dressed in a dark, full-body jumpsuit and carried a heavy backpack.

The taller one limped from a heavy, silvery starfish-like pouch which floated over her hip. She stepped soundlessly in black, high-ankle boots with reddish trim. Her right, gloved hand brushed a bit of sweat from her curly, short pink hair. Her eyes were large and the color of bright gold. Her skin looked dark, almost tan.

The shorter one, always moving forward, aimed a short rod through the air, turning this way and that. Her green hair cascaded, untamed and unmanaged over her shoulders, and curled back in on itself in places. Her eyes were just as large as the taller one, only dim green in color. Her skin was pale and showed colorful veins near the surface.

The shorter one stopped and waved the rod around in place.

The taller one looked behind her, scampered back, and asked, “Is this it, Shren?”

Shren poked the ground with rod then smacked it with her hand.

She shook her head. “Not yet. False reading…Fen.”

“Stop calling me that.” The taller girl, whom the other called Fen, shook her hands, as though to clean them.

Shren shrugged. “That’s what She called you when we met.”

“Well…I’m getting tired of ‘She’ dictating my fate.”

Shren lowered the rod. “But She has gotten you out of so many difficult situations.”

“More like luck than anything. And what you do you call what happened with us in the Grawler Cavern?”

Shren raised the rod again, looked up, and took a big step to the side. Fen looked at the ground and took an even bigger step to the other side of Shren.

The rod began to beep. Shren smiled and remarked, “We lived. She was looking out for us.”

“So we could wind up on the parking lot planet of death…” Fen gave the ground a solid kick for emphasis.

Shren poked her ear. “Could you say that again? My whisperer didn’t get that.” A small, multi-legged insect slipped halfway out of Shren’s ear and then darted back inside.

Fen held her hands up for a moment, then clapped them gently. “This place is…like Alpha Mindet’s capital city, only everywhere.”

“I disagree.”

Fen sighed. “Well, if you saw the parking lot at Disney World, you’d understand what I meant.”

Shren turned her head. Fen waved a hand. “Don’t even bother trying to understand that one.” 

“I see…It’s not far from here.”

The two continued on in a direction which seemed no different than the rest.

Fen pressed her cheek and sighed. “I still don’t understand why we have to do this on foot…”

Shren turned the rod in her hands and hit it against the ground once more. “You wanted to follow the written legends to the letter.”

“I didn’t want to be stuck as some alien girl for the rest of my life. I still don’t. I’d much rather be back on Earth with my chatty wife, three noisy daughters, and gorgeous, flat-screen TV with one-hundred channels of high-definition programming.”

Shren stared at Fen, who gave a nervous chuckle and added, “So long as I wind up back where I was, I can trek across any boring or scary planet the universe can throw at me.”

The rod made a faster sound.

Fen smiled. “Is that a good sound?”

Shren shook the rod and tightened her expression. “No. We keep moving.”

Fen followed closely behind and tugged at her tunic. “At least this tunic feels comfortable. Thanks for it.”

 Shren paused and pressed a series buttons on the rod. “Be glad we’re not in Arvati territory…”

“I still can’t believe what they do the females of their species. And they’re the taller, stronger ones!” Fen smacked her hands together.

“I agree with complete confidence...”

A section opened on the rod. Shren stepped back, raised the rod high above her, and struck it against the ground.

Fen watched the ground. “Are you sure you did it rig...”

A shudder passed through the ground and a patch of the ground vanished like a dwindling mirage.

A smooth tower burst from the ground and slid far into the sky. The top glimmered and fanned out like a clear, top-heavy mushroom.

The base turned once in place to reveal a small opening.

Shren looked to Fen. “You have to put your hand in there. Now.”

“You’re sure?”

“Certain.”

Fen approached the tower and pulled at her glove a little.

Something twisted inside and she backed away.

Fen asked, “Why don’t you do it?”

Shren was silent. Fen turned to look. Shren held her right arm clutched in her left hand. She slipped it back on with a firm click. “Too late for that…and too late for delays.”

Fen froze as Shren drew a slender tool from her backpack and pointed it at Fen’s head. Shren’s hand trembled a little as she said, “This is a high-intensity welder. Do not force me to use it as a weapon. Please just put your hand in there.”

Fen stepped sideways. “And wind up with one missing? Like you?”

“You won’t lose it...I didn’t lose mine in one of these.” Shren massaged her wrist.

“I didn’t know you lost an arm till just now, so why should I trust you at all?”

Shren lowered the welder slightly. “We’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Five Rek according to…those I’m helping.”

Fen shook her head. “All this time…you were plotting against me.”

Shren raised the welder again. “You don’t understand. They want to help.”

“I’m sure…just like the last five aliens who wanted to ‘help’ me.”

Shren flexed her fingers on the welder. “It’s not like that. You’re special. You’re vital to the future of the universe.”

Fen scraped her hands through the tight tangles of her hair. “I don’t want to be special. I don’t want to have to save the universe. I just want to go home to my normal life.”

Shren leaned with the welder. “We have only 2 drek left.”

“You know I can’t convert to Galactic measurement. I can barely convert to metric.”

“Not long till the end of all things.”

Fen grimaced. “Simple and terrifying. Thanks.”

“Do it now or I will separate your arm and finish this myself.”

Fen held both her hands up. “Wait! Okay okay! I’ll do it.”

She faced the tower, took a deep breath, and looked at the mysterious hole in tower. Fen slipped the glove off to reveal her shimmering, semi-translucent right hand.

Closed her eyes, said softly, “There’s no place like home…” and pressed her hand into the opening.

Light filled everything.

Comments

[maychanlj.livejournal.com]

what are these words that lack Jamie and Tara O_O!

you say she wanted to get back to her high definition TV? Kerina... you mean ULTRA-high don't you ^_^ Silly you, just had to put that in after what you were reading about last night ^_^

[musaluc.livejournal.com]

Ooh... interesting! :o You are very good at writing things that really grab the reader and make 'em wanna see more. :3

[eirienlisandrie.livejournal.com]

Grabs me more than Mecchen has :)

[major-kerina.livejournal.com]

It would, sci-fi nerd :-p *tickles*