Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-27324808-20160708020658/@comment-27324808-20160809151533 - Revision history

FleetCaptainT: Created page with "

2016-08-09T15:15:34Z

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN">Â </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'''<span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN">Chapter Sixteen</span>'''</p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>To sum up his thoughts on the situation, Gallant Strong Cyclone was very confused.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"So it's probably weird, that you're a Stromling," the brown haired girl, Allison Ryder, chattered away.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Aren't the Maelstrom kind of extinct now?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Don't Stromlings hear each others' voices in their heads?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Do Stromlings even have telepathy- do Stromlings even talk?"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I can talk." Cyclone said indignantly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Because I'm a minifigure."<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Although when he thought about it, he had heard another Stromling talk, before it got smashed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Then he almost got smashed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>He shuddered to think about it.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Yeah so what do Stromlings think about?" Allison asked.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"About serving the Baron, or smashing things, or infecting people..."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Cyclone rolled his eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I don't know what Stromlings think about."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"But you're infected, so, shouldn't you be, becoming, you know, thinking all evil things about now?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>No offense intended of course,"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I still feel the same." Cyclone said.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I once asked my dad about Stromlings," another voice said, and Cyclone looked up at him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Ben, the young auburn haired boy, had been going from file cabinets to bookshelves, looking through the Leek Works archive room to find anything on disinfecting Stromlings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>So far he hadn't found anything, because he was still scuttling between drawers, running his fingers over book bindings, and occasionally grabbing a book and opening it, but only to put it back.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"My dad said he had friends who were infected, and disinfected." Ben continued, speaking while he worked on his search.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"And they talked together, about being infected, and the thing about my dad's friends... they were special.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Something kept them from being infected immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>They told him that they always maintained free thoughts, but began to experience evil 'urges', that became stronger the longer they were infected."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>With nothing left to say, Ben closed his mouth, so the only noise from him was the bumping and clinking of drawers sliding open and shut on their metal rails.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I wonder who his friends were." Allison mused aloud.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Yeah, me too." Cyclone agreed, as Ben stood up to walk and disappeared around a wall into the other part of the archives room.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Who's his dad?"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Now Allison rolled her eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"It's not obvious?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Oh, I guess not, since they don't look much alike.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>But then again, neither does Red.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Red hair seems to be the dominant gene with this guy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>The boss of this place.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Intrepid Fusion Eclipse."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"''He's'' their dad?" Cyclone asked, surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>He pictured Intrepid... he couldn't be older than seventeen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>He shook his head, flabbergasted.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"''What''?"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Yep!" Allison confirmed.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Isn't he a little, you know, young?" Cyclone queried.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Oh, you're thinking about the wrong guy!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Dimensions are so confusing!" she laughed, then continued.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Yeah, no, we're talking about ''our'' Intrepid Fusion Eclipse.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>He's twenty years older than your Intrepid.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Yeah, I can see why you'd be confused... that'd be strange really, ugh, don't make me think about-"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"So Ben and Red are brother and sister?" Cyclone asked.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Half-siblings."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Oh.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Why's that?"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Everyone's always yelling at me that I'm talking too loudly," Allison said suddenly, and she glanced towards the corner around which Ben was.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Then she grabbed Cyclone's hand, the hand that wasn't a literal sword arm, and pulled him surprisingly soundlessly into the hallway.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>There wasn't a door to close so Allison just held a finger up to her lips.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"What's the matter?" Cyclone asked hushedly, worried by her sudden discreetness.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"What I'm about to talk to you about," Allison whispered, "this subject, isn't something the rest of us talk about much.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>It's like an unspoken rule, saying it's forbidden to talk about our personal lives.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Actually not ''our'', plural, personal lives, but the boss's."<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>She shivered and grabbed her shoulders.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I feel like I'm breaking a rule even telling you about the rule!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>You know that feeling?"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I guess so," Cyclone said, trying to understand.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Why are we hiding from Ben, though?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Is his mom...?" He didn't dare finish the grave thought.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"No, not her.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Not Elite Distant Tofu, AKA Mara Mercury, she's very alive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>She's the boss's second wife, after..." Allison gulped.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"...after Red's mom... died.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>She died a long time ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>You won't find anything about it outside Leek Works, though.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>It's not even in the main archives."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"It's expunged?" Cyclone figured.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Why?"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"The only files are in the boss's personal office, and no one's read them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>I certainly haven't." Allison explained.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"It's almost romantic.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>But they're really all hidden away because of the nature of her death.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>The faction leaders know a little about it, and they said to hide it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Not to cause fear, since the war was over..."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"It had to do with the war?" Cyclone asked.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Yeah.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>It was in our 2020 when it happened..." she leaned in close to Cyclone's ear.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"A rift opened between our dimension, and another dimension, where the Maelstrom won the war.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>The boss's team was the first to respond.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>But then the Darkitect himself came, and he took... ugh."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Allison suddenly scrunched her eyes shut and pressed her fists against her temples, swaying on her feet slightly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Reaching for her shoulders to steady her, Cyclone forgot for a second to use just his right hand, since his other arm was a sword.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>But now that both his arms were up, he did a double take when he noticed that on his left side appendage, there was not a blade to be seen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>It had become a hand again.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Thanks, sorry..." Allison mumbled.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"It hurts to think about."<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>She opened her eyes and gave a small smile.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Where were we?"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"You said it was a secret," Cyclone recalled, letting go of her.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"If Red's mother's death was a secret, how do you know so much?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>You couldn't have been there, in 2020... fourteen years ago?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>You'd be what, three?"</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>Allison sighed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"Well, that's actually why I'm here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>I don't really work with Leek Works the way the others do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>They, Red, Ben, his mom, her brother - when he did work here, he left - and the boss, and the others; they have a cause, to help the Nimbus System's citizens, and all minifigures across the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>But I've never really understood the conflict.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I kind of, well, work for the boss himself." Allison said.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"And it's because of what happened to Red's mom.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>This is something I've never told anyone else."</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>She grabbed Cyclone's head and whispered directly into his ear again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>The words she said, not just because of the close whisper she said them in, jarred Cyclone when he heard them.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-ansi-language:EN"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I was born what the dictionary calls a medium." Allison said.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">Â </span>"I can listen to the spirits of smashed minifigures."</span></p>