An Open Letter to my “30 Days” Characters

Dear Alex, Elena, Carrie, Misty, Julia, and the rest of the “30 Days” Cast.

I’ve just spent the last few days reviewing the Blogvels I wrote for the last couple NaNoWriMo’s. The first one, 30 Days: The Infinity Event, is pretty poor. Terrible characterization, no story structure, random events with no purpose. It was completely written on the fly, with no direction, and it shows. A wholly unbelievable mess.

Last year’s entry, 30 Days: The Singularity Matrix, was far better. Perhaps having 11 months to think about it helped a lot. There’s a distinct story arc, much better characterization, yet the same zany atmosphere as the first. A huge improvement, with characters you can actually care about. I hadn’t re-read it since last year, so I was surprised how well it worked, given that it too was written on the fly.

I’ve been planning the exciting conclusion of 30 Days since the last one ended. I have plans for all of you. It involves a tremendously exciting struggle to save the planet from annihilation. You will all be tested to your limits, beyond anything I’ve put you through before. It’s the climactic end to a three-year journey, with the entire world, nay, perhaps the structure of the Universe, at stake.

However.

I’ve decided that for NaNoWriMo 2009 I will be going in a different direction. I want to let you know you’ve all meant a lot to me over the last couple years.

My circumstances have changed drastically. This year, NaNoWriMo counts. I need to focus on writing that will lead somewhere. There’s nothing wrong with my plans for you, but I’ve decided to use NaNoWriMo to work on a new story with new characters and a new setting. I don’t want you to think this is a better story. I haven’t even written it yet, so I don’t know. I’m not saying Prudencia, Thomas, and Beatrice are any more deserving of my attention than you. You’ve been great. I love your stories. But it’s been said, “kill your darlings” and you certainly are mine.

I do want to say a few things. First, this is not necessarily the end of 30 Days. I do want to continue the Blogvel at some point. I want you all to achieve the closure you so desperately need. Second, I want to thank you for being part of my life for so long. I will never forget you.

Third, there’s some things I want to say to each of you.

Alex. You’ve come so far. You’ve transformed from a timid computer nerd to Captain of a Pirate Ship and now owner of a social networking startup. You’ve proven you were worthy of being Main Character. But you still have more to learn, more ways to grow. You have a wife and a daughter, challenges you’ve never faced.

Ellie. You’ve been through so much, and never had a moment’s peace. You are one of my all-time favorite characters, you’re so full of life and energy, ever fearless and strong, always full of surprises, yet I always felt something was missing from your life, something you tried to achieve with Alex but couldn’t. Someday you know you will have to go home. You’ll have to close the loop with your own family before you can consider having one of your own.

Carrie. You are so ready for redemption it’s not funny. Your blind ambition has destroyed you, now you have had a chance to become something you could respect. You have the opportunity to save the world. Some day you will forgive yourself for what happened and move on. I don’t know if you can do it. I hope so.

Misty. It’s amazing how you kept your wits in the midst of chaos. Keeping a strange family like yours together is tough. Dealing with Alex and Julia is tough, but you’re the one person who could probably pull it off. You’ve emerged so much stronger after this experience, ready to take charge of your life.

Julia. We hardly got to know you. You have so much fire and energy, and you’re a great cook. Your life is just starting and already you’ve lived a lifetime. Someday you’ll trust Alex and Misty with you innermost struggles, and become a real asset to the world.

So I wish you guys the best, and I feel like we’ll see each other again. I just wanted to let you know and I hope you understand.

Nuclear Thanksgiving Part IV We blasted through the cabin door with Julia's gun and gathered our weapons. Ellie found her earpiece and put it in, listening to the attack. We found some towels and a sink, and tried to clean away the blood as much as possible. Ellie studied her face in the mirror for a moment. "Damn. I think I have a broken jaw, nose, and maybe my zygomatic bone. My head's gonna start swelling up like a balloon. This is gonna hurt." She spit a huge gob of blood out into the sink. Julia's wound seemed superficial but her eyes didn't seem too focused. I worried she might have a concussion. I felt fine for my part, just some aching ribs, nothing broken I hoped. Ellie listened intently for a moment, then shouted, or rather spat, "we've secured the ship. Alex, tell them how to restore power. We'll need to do a room-by room search." She handed me the earpiece and I instructed them, and in a minute all the lights flashed back on. "Okay, let's find her," said Ellie, grabbing her weapons and backpack. I led the team over to Carrie's cabin. I knocked on the door and shouted, "Carrie, it's over! Come on out." The door exploded from a shotgun blast. "Carrie," I yelled. "It's over. We have control of the ship." "Fuck you, asshole," came the response along with a couple blasts, knocking down the rest of the door. Ellie nodded at me, holding up a knife. I stuck my shotgun around the corner and fired randomly, then Ellie jumped into the doorway and threw her knife. I heard a scream. I rushed in behind Ellie, who grabbed the woman and pinned her up against a wall, a knife at her throat. Carrie had another knife protruding from her arm. "You bitch," she screamed at Ellie, who back-slapped Carrie hard and returned the knife to her throat. "Say the word, Alex," she breathed, blood still foaming out of her broken mouth and nose, "and I'll end this right now." At that moment, the ship lurched to one side. I ran over to the console Carrie had been using. "There's flooding in the SMD. Carrie, what have you done?" Carrie laughed. "That water will cause containment to fail, and this thing will blow sky high." "Alex, tell the men to evacuate," said Ellie. I relayed the instructions to the men. Ellie took the knife and jammed it into Carrie's shoulder. She screamed in agony. "I'm going to keep doing this until the end," whispered Ellie, her face inches from Carrie's. "If we die, you will die in agony." Ellie began twisting the knife, digging it into Carrie's shoulder socket. "Ow! Stop! Stop! Aghh!" Carrie clutched her shoulder, and dropped to the floor, trying to escape Ellie. Ellie grabbed Carrie's foot, and plunged the knife into the ankle socket. Carrie screamed. Ellie didn't relent, digging the knife through the tendons and cartilage. Ellie grabbed Carrie by the neck, and threw her into a chair. Carrie screamed and cried, writhing in the chair, trying to hold her shoulder and ankle at the same time. Ellie produced some quick ties, and bound Carrie's arms and feet to the chair, making sure the ankle tie was extra tight. "Everyone has a breaking point," she told Carrie, waving the knife in front of her face. "You can't send someone to the breaking point, unless you've been there yourself. Listen to me!" She slapped Carrie hard. "Now we'll see what you're really made of. Not many people can survive this level of pain before their heart literally bursts. I'm going to try my best to keep you awake, all the way until the very end. Are you with me?" Carrie just howled and whimpered, struggling against her bonds. "What's the point of this," asked Misty. "Let's just end this and be done with it." Ellie looked up at us, then grinned at Carrie. "Fine. Looks like this is it then." She raised the knife, and Carrie squeezed her eyes. Ellie stopped, then looked at me. "No, you do it, Alex. She's done far more damage to you. Come over here." Ellie handed me the knife, and I approached Carrie, who struggled and writhed in her chair, gasping and whining with every breath. Her eyes found mine. I looked down at the knife, and then at the bound woman. Yes, I killed dozens of zombies today, but that was self-defense. This was a cold-blooded execution. Not that Carrie didn't deserve it. I looked around the room. Misty seemed a bit sickened. Julia simply stared at the drama with wide eyes. Ellie motioned me forward. I turned to Carrie again. "Alex, please," she begged. "You don't have to do this." "Why the hell would I spare your life," I asked her. "After everything you've done? All the people you've killed? All the lives you've ruined?" "Alex," she wheezed, "I can ch-change. I see that now. I've been b-bad, I've hurt people. I...I can b-be different. You s-said it's never too late. You said it. Is it too late?" I hesitated. "You want to change, Carrie? Then tell me, how do I end this? How do I destroy the Singularity Matrix without destroying the Earth?" "Let me go and I'll t-tell you," she said. "No. You tell me what I want to know without conditions. This change starts right now. Do the right thing." "Just fucking kill her," yelled Misty. "She's messing with your head!" I held up my hand for silence. Carrie struggled for a moment, perhaps an internal battle. She nodded to the side. "Over there. Your answer is over there." I looked around the room. I only saw a bookcase and a desk. At the top of the bookcase sat a large box. "Fuck," I screamed, not believing I hadn't thought of it. "That's it! The twin singularity." "Yes," agreed Carrie. "Why do you think I h-have it? If you put them together, they d-destroy each other. It's my 'other' insurance policy, if someone tries to s-steal the Matrix. But you don't have much t-time. You've got to add this one to the containment field." I glanced at the console which flashed red. "Ellie, we've got to move. Misty, take Julia up to the deck and get into a transport helicopter. I'll meet you there. Ellie, help me get Carrie up. She'll give me instructions as we walk. Everyone ready?" Misty gave me a big hug. "Be careful Alex, I don't trust her one bit." "Take care of Julia. I'll be up there as fast as I can." I gave Julia a hug and kiss too. Ellie cut Carrie's bonds and Carrie flopped to the floor in a fetal position. She tied Carrie's hands together in front of her, then tied a strap to it. "Move it," ordered Ellie. Carrie struggled to her feet, not able to put much weight on her damaged ankle, but the pain in her shoulder when yanked didn't give her much choice. We headed down the hall while Carrie explained the basics. I carried the heavy box with me. All I needed to do was place the box in a receptacle, set a timer, and at the end of the countdown one wall of the box would be breached and the singularity guided into the heart of the Matrix. From then, there was no telling what would happen. It might take microseconds, it might take months, but the two singularities would circle each other faster and faster until they merged and annihilated each other, releasing any residual energy, which might be substantial. "How substantial," I asked. Carrie waved her good arm. "Goodbye, London." We entered the Palace, a smoke-filled land of corpses. As we passed the center, Ellie gave Carrie a painful tug, causing her to fall. "Alex, do you have everything you need from her," Ellie asked me. I nodded. "Good. Now get up here, bitch!" She yanked Carrie up the stairs leading to the cage platform. "Alex," cried Carrie, "you said you would help me if I changed! Please, don't do this! I helped you!" "Shut up," growled Ellie. She pulled Carrie onto the platform, then threw her down onto the middle. She walked to the corner, and lowered the heavy steel cage over Carrie. "Let's go," said Ellie, waving to me, and the room filled with the sound of gunfire. I dove to the ground, rolling down the stairs. I pulled the gun off my back and looked around. Nearby I spotted a wounded Pirate looking around. Apparently he had been left for dead. I took careful aim, and discharged a round into his head. He dropped. I ran back up the stairs. Ellie lay on the stage, motionless. I ran to her, and knelt down. "Ellie," I cried. "Ellie, talk to me." Her eyes blinked. "Shit. I've been shot. I think it's fatal, Alex." I looked at her. A pool of blood formed behind her. One bullet pierced the upper right breast, the other through her leg. They both looked bad. She grabbed my jumpsuit and pulled me close. "Alex," she wheezed, the blood gurgling in her lungs, "you've got to finish this. But after that, I want you to have a good life. Misty is a really good person. She's strong and steady. You need to take care of her, but for goodness sake listen to her. Alex, I'm so sorry about how things turned out between us, but I'm truly happy for you now. Go live your life, be the best person you can be. Don't let me die for nothing." "Ellie," I cried as her eyes closed. I shook her. "Ellie, please, don't die! Ellie! The world still needs you! I still need you! Don't go!" She lay motionless on the stage. I stood up slowly. The woman who I spent night and day with for eight months of my life lay dead before me. I screamed. My earpiece crackled. "Alex, what's the status," called Misty. "We're loaded and ready." "Ellie's dead," I replied. "I'm heading for the Matrix now. Ross out." I picked up the heavy box. "Alex, let me out of here, please," begged Carrie, clinging to the bars of her cage. "Don't leave me here to die! Alex! Alex!" I kept moving. "You made this bed, Carrie, now sleep in it!" All I could think of was Ellie lying there. If not for Carrie, Ellie and I could still be together. Not that I wanted to go back, because I've found something greater in Misty, but still, I put Ellie's death on Carrie's head. Carrie responded with a stream of epithets and screams. I ran with the heavy package through the Palace and down through the flooded corridor leading to the Matrix. The water helped me carry the heavy load but impeded my progress. It also felt a bit warm, like a sauna. The Singularity Matrix stood only a couple feet above the top of the water. I found the receptacle for the box and placed it in there. I keyed in the transfer sequence, and set it for fifteen minutes. Given the rise of the water, I wasn't sure that was short enough, but we needed a chance to escape the blast. I swam back through the rising water, almost getting trapped at one point, then climbed the ladder of to the deck hatch. I instantly saw the lone Merlin helicopter in the middle of the deck. I ran over to it and hopped in. The British Naval airmen strapped me in, and I waved and blew a kiss to Misty, who had tears in her eyes. "We've got ten minutes to clear the blast zone," I shouted. "At least ten miles, twenty if you can. We need to be on the ground in a shelter by then." The helicopter lifted and headed towards Northwood. I studied my watch anxiously. "We're not going to make it," said the pilot, "I'm putting her down." We landed in a field near Harrow on the Hill. I grabbed Misty's hand and she grabbed Julia's, and we ran like madmen towards the train station. My watch beeped as we ran down the stairs, down as far as we could. I think you've heard what happened next. For a few minutes, nothing. We sat there panting and gasping for air. Then the ship began belching steam, not just from the cooling towers, but from every opening in the hull. The back of the ship began glowing, boiling the River Thames into huge clouds of steam. The glow grew brighter and brighter, until the entire ship detonated in a ball of white hot gas, sending a blazing mushroom cloud up into the sky and leveling all the surrounding structures, leaving a mile-wide crater in the Earth, slowly filling with water mixed from the Thames and backing up from the ocean. We could see the mushroom cloud from Harrow, but it didn't radiate dangerous radiation. The blast had vaporized everything. The river, the Tower of London, and the surrounding blocks. I held my loved ones tightly, knowing that somewhere in that cloud floated the ashes of Ellie and Carrie. Well I've got to rest now, I have another busy day tomorrow. Misty's been extremely supportive and understand of what I'm going through. I'll write up a little something tomorrow to let you know how we're doing and what our plans our. Talk to you soon. Posted: Saturday, November 29, 2008 @ 8:35 PM

Nuclear Thanksgiving Part III Julia collapsed in the middle of the pathway in grief, unable to continue. She sobbed uncontrollably. Misty and I knelt down next to her. "Please, Julia, we've got to keep moving," said Misty softly, stroking her back. "Rod's gone," she bawled. "Come on," I said, looking around, "it's not safe here." Ellie knelt down. "Have you guys never been in combat before? Let me talk to her. You keep guard." We stood up and surveyed the area. We were just at the end of the path, in a corner with no exits if zombies attacked. "Julia, Rod was a very brave man," said Ellie. "He sacrificed himself for you. He did it so you could keep up the fight, because he knew you have the strength to do it. If Rod were with us right now, what would he say to you?" Julia sniffed and rubbed her knees. "I don't know." "What would he want us to do?" "He'd, he'd--" she gasped a few times, her breathing ragged. "He'd want us to kill Queen Carrie," she said finally, looking up at Ellie. "What about you? What do you want?" Julia scratched the ground with one hand, picking up some fallen leaves and throwing them. "I--I want her dead. I want everyone on that ship dead!" A grim smile flooded Ellie's face. "And we're killers, right? We're here to kill. Nothing else. We will avenge Rod's death. At all costs." Julia started nodding, a determined look grew on her visage. "Yes. Kill. Or be killed." "We kill our enemies without mercy or hesitation," continued Ellie. "As long as there's an ounce of life in our bodies we continue the fight. We're warriors, and the world will tremble beneath our fists." Julia made two fists with her hands and rose to her feet. "Yes. No mercy, no prisoners. All our enemies will die. Their screams of death will be our sweetest music." Ellie stood up with her, smiling. "I think she's good now." "Splendid," mumbled Misty, shaking her head. We crossed back over to Thames Street, only encountering the occasional zombie. After a few minutes, a new sound filled the air. The zombie growls and hisses began transforming in cries and wailing. One zombie appeared, a man with useless crumpled arms at his side, his body covered with blood. He walked a bit, then stopped at a corpse. "Mary," he cried, trying to manipulate his broken arms, "what have I done? Argh!" He flopped down next to the corpse. As we passed, he wailed, "please, help me, we've been in a wreck or something. My wife is all torn up, I don't think she's breathing! Please! Hey!" We kept moving. More and more of the zombies began waking up from their nightmare, begging us for help, crying for the dead. From a distance, we began hearing the wail of sirens fill the night as ambulances from outlying areas descended on the city. A helicopter floated by, shining a light on various streets. In the distance, I spotted the remains of the Tower Bridge. "Come on, just a couple blocks now." We came upon the Tower of London, an ancient and majestic site the held England's prized Crown Jewels. Underneath the approach to the Tower Bridge we spotted a group of people, and proceeded slowly. We breathed a great sigh of relief to find the Chinese and British operatives gathering, checking their supplies. Considerably fewer made it than had set out, the zombies had taken a toll among these men as well. They led us over to a corner where we found Cmdr. Jeffries and General Tam sitting on the ground. Jeffries' head was bandaged, and Tam's arm was in a sling. "God, I thought we'd lost you," said the Commander. "We barely survived ourselves. Bloody zombies. Where's Portman?" "He didn't make it," said Misty. "But he died a true British hero. He sacrificed himself so we could go on." The men distributed some energy bars and bottles of water. I walked over to the side, and peered out over the River Thames. A short distance away sat the Queen Carrie 1, with no lights or activity, a small column of steam rising from the cooling towers. That meant the Matrix was still too hot to enter. "We have some time," I told the officers. "Maybe an hour. Then they might be able to fire it again safely. But they might be able to set it off at any time, so it's best that we move fast." "We've got to disable it, at least the controls," said Ellie. We huddled around a laptop with a schematic of the ship. "If we could get back to the power junction here, we could do it," I noted, pointing to the sabotaged room. "You know, where you blew the power that day." "I didn't do that," said Ellie. "I've been up in those rafters the whole time, except to occasionally steal food. I was as surprised as anyone when that happened. Maybe it really was an accident, or one of the pirates was making a power play." Cmdr Jeffries spoke. "Then let's get you aboard. You'll have ten minutes to disable it, then the main assault begins, whether it's down or not. You've got five minutes to prepare. Good luck." Ellie led us over to a small tent they had erected. "You stay out here, and get this suit on. They'll help you." A Chinese officer assisted me in donning a black wetsuit. I had never worn a scuba outfit before. He placed the snorkel and regulator on my head, and strapped the tanks and a pack full of weapons to my back. I practiced breathing for a minute. The ladies emerged from the tent, similarly garbed. Julia seemed to struggle with the weight. "There's fifteen minutes of air in there," they said. They led us down to the water, and placed big flippers on our feet. Julia hesitated at the edge, fearful of the black water. "It's okay, Julia," said Ellie. "You're a warrior. You can fight this. Just breath nice and easy." She splashed some water on the girl. "See? You can't even feel it." Julia dipped one foot and than another into the water. We walked out until our heads submerged. Julia breathed quickly and thrashed for a second, but Ellie helped her relax. We started swimming towards the boat, guided by a directional watch on Ellie's arm. I could barely see Misty next to me in the murky water. We all held hands, forming a line. We popped up near the bow of the ship. A few ropes dangled down from above. "We shot these ropes over the ship a couple hours ago," explained Ellie. "They're anchored over by the dock." She pulled out her pack, and removed a few metal items which she placed on the rope. One by one she fastened us to the ropes, then spoke into a device on her wrist. The ropes tightened, and slowly we rose out of the water. We hung like fish on hooks for a while. "We've shot out every camera we could spot on the deck," explained Ellie, "but they may had replaced them or put guards up there. Doing great, Julia. A true warrior." The rope slowed as we reached the deck. Ellie produced a night-vision telescope with a bending sight to look around corners. She studied the deck for a minute. "All clear," she said. The rope yanked us the final ten feet and plopped us onto the deck. "We have ten minutes from now," said Ellie, clicking a button on her wrist. We quickly removed the scuba gear. Now I see why the women dressed in a tent, we all only wore underwear underneath our suits. Misty pulled out some black jumpsuits from her back. We donned them quickly, then attired ourselves with weapons. Julia pulled out the vest Ellie had provided her, the only one of us with any kind of protection. It felt good to have a shotgun strapped my back again. Ellie applied dark pigment to our faces so we couldn't be easily spotted. We ran down the length of the deck, huddling low and keeping to the darkest areas. We discovered our designated hatch. I pulled it open while Ellie held her weapon, but the hatch lay unguarded. "I don't like this," said Ellie. We proceeded along gangplanks and walkways, not encountering any Pirates. "Five minutes," whispered Ellie as we approached the power station. Ellie used her scope to look around the corner. She produced a small package of darts and a blow tube. A couple puffs later, and the guards fell to the ground, constricting in a painful rictus as the nerve toxin coursed through their system. We stepped over them as they spasmed. We entered the control room, and I jumped over to a console. "Okay," I said, "I can pull up internal security footage." "Let's blow the lights at T-minus-ten seconds," said Ellie. I pulled up a view of the Palace. Carrie addressed the Pirate crew, and I turned up the speaker so all could here. "This night will mark a new era in the history of Mankind," she declared. "We have destroyed the City of London. Their defenses have proven useless against us. As we speak, they sit in fearful masses, counting their dead and broken. The entire United Kingdom is on her knees, begging for mercy. We will show her none. We will first collect the treasures of the Tower of London, then we will raid museums, historical archives, and the local banks until all the treasures of England are ours. Nothing can stop us." Xyllan came over and whispered in her ear. "In ten minutes we'll be able to fire the Matrix again, destroying any stragglers or idiotic commando units in the area. Then we pillage. I want to see fires! I want flames! I want the world to never forget this night. This city will burn when we're done. Now get yourselves ready. London is ours!" The men cheered, brandishing weapons and holding up bottles of liquor. The four of us checked our weapons. Ellie counted down from five. "...three, two, one, hit it." I flipped over the switches to power down the boat, leaving just the power for the Matrix containment field. In a moment, the floor of room shook, followed by a muted concussion. Ellie's team had blown holes in the sides of the boat and poured into the ship. We put on night-vision goggles and I led the team back towards the bow, to reunite with Ellie's team. As we approached the cabin section, we started hearing the echoes of gunfire, sporadic bursts of noise. Ellie listened to a headset. "They're pinned down, let's go." We quickened our pace, running through the pitch-black corridors. The floor seemed a bit slanted. "Ellie, are we sinking? That's not good." "Just the bow," she said. "The Matrix should be safe. The ship won't sink far." "Great." We arrived at the scene of the fighting. We had no armor, just the thin jumpsuits. Ellie peered around the corner with her scope. She withdrew her rifle, then blazed away around the corridor. The gunfire ceased. She led us over the corpses and we met up with her unit which she talked to in Chinese. They led us over to the Palace door, which they lined with explosives. Ellie pushed us back. "Fire in the hole!" came the order, and a huge concussion knocked us off our feet. In moments, the ship filled with noise as Ellie's team charged through the breach in the wall. They had knocked a hole ten feet wide in the solid lead wall of the Palace. Tracers whizzed everywhere and I saw her team get cut down like weeds. Then a number of them fired grenades into the Palace, and the whole room lit up like the Fourth of July, raining shrapnel and carnage down everywhere. The rest of her team charged through, and Ellie waved us along. We slid down over to the kitchen area, while Ellie's team fought inch by inch against the Pirates. I pointed along the Palace floor. "Look," I cried. Two hatches had opened, allowing the Pirates to flee. Among them went Ellie and Xyllan. "After Carrie," ordered Ellie, instructing her team to cover us. Fires spread throughout the Palace, lighting it up in a deadly glow and filling the room with smoke. Some Pirates still put up resistance, but by and large most of them surrendered. Ellie's team began chasing the men escaping towards the stern. We crawled over the debris, and reached the doorway. A guard stood just beyond it and fired at us. Ellie threw a knife at him and he fell with the knife cutting through his neck. Ellie yanked it out and wiped it off. We moved slowly through the corridors of the cabin section, wary of any traps. A set of emergency lights lit the area, so we could remove our cumbersome goggles. Ellie picked off a couple more guards. We crept through the halls, weapons drawn. We had traversed one floor of cabins and started down the next. We hadn't gone very far when I heard a yelp behind me. "Drop your weapons," screamed Xyllan, holding Julia in front of him in a bear hug. She struggled against him as he held a giant paw against her face. "Now! Or I'll wring her little neck and rape her corpse." Ellie nodded at us. We disarmed, throwing our rifles, pistols, and knives on the ground. "Throw them in there, then lock the door from the inside and close it." We complied, pushing them into a cabin and locking the weapons out of reach. "You're so tough with a little girl," said Ellie, pushing Misty and I behind her. "You think you can take on a real woman?" Xyllan laughed deeply. "You four have been nothing but trouble since you first came aboard. I should have killed you when I first saw you. Now I'll finish the job." He slammed poor Julia against the wall with both hands, and she dropped motionless on the floor like a rag doll. Misty screamed but I held her back. Ellie crouched like a tiger, and Xyllan stepped over Julia's body, beckoning to Ellie. A low growl purred from Ellie's throat. She sprang, slamming her hands into his throat, pounding her elbows into his ribs. Xyllan picked her up by the throat and threw her to land heavily at our feet. He chuckled a bit and rubbed his neck. "That's all you got?" Ellie rose, looking up at us, rage contorting her face. Her hair had broken free, pouring down her face, dripping with perspiration. She flung herself at the man, who caught her, slamming her into the wall, punching her face with his fist, then throwing her gut into his knee. Ellie fell to the ground, writhing in pain, clutching her abdomen. "God, Alex," breathed Misty, clutching me. Ellie started crawling towards us, but the giant landed on her back, driving an elbow into her kidneys. Ellie howled with pain. He flipped her over, and slammed her face with his fist until blood flowed from her mouth and nose. "Get off her," I cried, jumping after him. He caught me by the neck, and threw a knee into my gut. He tossed me down the hall, gasping for air. "You want some," he shouted at Misty, who shrank and shook her head. With one hand he ripped away Ellie's jumpsuit. "Now I'll make her a real woman." Ellie fought weakly, whimpering in pain. "First I will break this bitch once and for all. Then I will rape the little girl, ripping her insides apart, then you can watch me take your whore, Ross. Then I will tear you apart limb by limb until you beg for your death. Or maybe I'll just rip off your dick and let you live, unable to perform again. You'll never forget this moment as long as you live." We heard a small pop, and Xyllan's face grew blank. He swayed, then fell directly on top of Ellie. Behind him stood Julia, the small pistol Ellie gave her in her hand. "No mercy, no prisoners," she said, blood soaking her head from a cut on her scalp. A wisp of smoke seeped out of the barrel of the weapon. Blood poured out of the hole in Xyllan's head. Misty and I sprang over, and pushed with all our strength to roll the dead man off of Ellie. We helped her sit up. She pulled a tooth out of her mouth. "Dammit, not another one." She looked at the dead man, and rage filled her eyes. "Aaah!" She began beating on the corpse like a zombie, pounding it with her fists and kicking him with her feet. Her breath grew ragged and raw. She screamed Russian epithets at him. Finally spent, she turned to Julia, who still held the gun. Julia extended a bloody hand to the girl, and embraced her. "Warriors to the end," she told her. "Warriors to the end," repeated the girl. "No mercy, no prisoners." Ellie rose to her feet, blood flowing down her face. She held her ribs in pain, possibly suffering from a few cracked bones. "And you guys didn't want to bring her. She's a fighter, through and through. Come on, let's bust down this door and get our weapons back. We've got a war to finish. There's a bitch on this boat who still needs to die." Posted: Saturday, November 29, 2008 @ 12:30 PM

Nuclear Thanksgiving Part II Ellie led us out to a back alley where a number of British convoys lay waiting for us. A number of British and Chinese soldiers stood together conversing. When they spotted us, they began jumping into the vehicles. "So Ellie," I asked, "what's the deal with the Chinese and British? Why are they cooperating now?" "Well, after that assault deep into China, the two governments almost began World War Three. When you began sinking Chinese freighters, the Chinese relented, hoping the British could help. In return, the British have allowed our small of commandos here so we can assault the ship. Yes, this assault will be an entirely Chinese operation, with the Brits just here for support. We take care of our own." We hopped into the vehicle. Cmdr. Jeffries jumped in too. "You think I'd miss this," he asked. "What's with the kid," he said, motioning towards Julia. "She's an expert in infiltration and commando tactics," responded Ellie quickly, "and an integral part of my team." Jeffries huffed, and turned around. Julia stuck her tongue out at him. We hadn't gone more than a half a mile before traffic came to a halt. "What's going on," I asked. I heard a dull rumbling, like a clap of thunder. Jeffries listened on his headset. We all had donned combat helmets with earphones. Julia could barely see out of hers, it covered so much of her head. "They're shelling the city," he said. "Mortars, we think. Our snipers can't get an angle on them. The residents are panicking and trying to flee, many on foot." The convoy stopped completely. Even with our police escort, the gridlock was complete. "Come on," said Ellie, "let's go on foot. We'll make better time, and it's only a few miles." We jumped out of our transport. A couple dozen black-clad Chinese followed us. We picked our way through the back streets of London. We came into a park known as Coram's Fields which contained a number of soccer fields and recreational facilities. It also contained a number of mounted policemen who blew whistles at us. We ran a block, but then a SWAT team cornered us with drawn rifles. "Get down! Down, now!" "Shit!" cried Ellie. "Come on, this way." We headed for an alley, but another SWAT group ran in and cornered us. "Hands up, let's see them." "We're the good guys," I cried. "We're heading towards the attack! We can stop it." "Shut up." The shoved us up against the wall, and started disarming us. "What's this," said one man, finding my liquor bottle. "You're no fighters, you're thieves!" He smashed the bottle on the ground. The other men did the same thing with the other packs. "You idiots," I cried. The man hit me hard in the back of the legs, sending me to my knees. "Alex," shouted Misty. Then I heard it. The sound Jeffries had warned me about. A rising wail filled the air. Carrie was about to engage the zombie ray! Ellie slammed her foot into her captors heel then spun her elbow in his throat. She grabbed his rifle out of the air and let it rip on full automatic into the other SWAT members. "Come on, grab your shit and run for it," she yelled, "fifty seconds!" We ran down the street as fast as our feet could fly. "There!" We ran into a bar, and Ellie fired her rifle into the ceiling. "Whisky, now! 30 seconds." The barkeep just stood there so Ellie jumped over the bar and began throwing us bottles. I started chugging mine as fast as I could, Misty and Rod did the same. Fortunately Julia still had her bottle, and she too drank it. I coughed and sputtered and retched but I somehow managed to drink most of it. The floor felt cold against my head. My ears rang, and my vision swam, the room spun in big circles. Car alarms and horns filled the air. My head felt tight, painful, aching. I looked at the ground and the other people struggling to get up. I felt a rage building inside me. I wanted to hurt someone. I wanted kill, to rip someone apart, feel their blood and bones in my mouth, to tear their flesh apart. A wave of nausea washed over me and I felt the whole room spin. I tried to get up but I couldn't. "M--m--misty," I mumbled. She lay in front of me, trying to rise, a confused look on her face. I didn't see anyone else on our team. Her face started to contort, she bared her teeth and glared at me, breathing quickly. "Ahh!" She jumped me, snapping at my throat. I held her arms and then got behind her, holding my arms under hers and behind her neck in a full Nelson. "Misty, please! It's Alex. Misty, you've got to come out of it! You can fight it!" She struggled and struggled against me as I called her name. With a great push, she freed herself and faced me. Behind her rose Ellie, a rifle in her hand. Misty jumped and Ellie fired. "No!" I cried as Misty landed in my arms. "Ellie, what the hell did you do!!" I felt Misty's body convulsing against me. "Misty!" Ellie shot again, this time over my shoulder. The other patrons of the bar had awakened, and the more sober ones attacked each other. I felt Misty, searching for the bullet hole. "Alex, I didn't shoot her," cried Ellie. "She's just coming out of it. Now put her down and help me fight!" I looked at Misty's face, now dull and unfocused. "Alex, Alex," she said quietly. "What's happening?" I hugged her, then put her down. I had trouble focusing on the attacking zombies. The room still spun, and they seemed to be multiplying into twos. Rod pulled himself off the floor. "Julia's still out," he said. We shot all the zombies in the bar. Misty had crawled over to Julia to try to revive her. "Julia, baby, come on, get up." The girl stirred, but couldn't seem to wake up fully. I felt close to passing out myself. "Here," said Ellie, passing us out some pills. "This may not make you sober, but it will wake you up, and counter some of the effects. Hurry up." Outside, a number of zombies roamed around the streets. They attacked each other, gnawing on each other and beating their heads. I could hear the cracking of bones as they used every ounce of madness in their attack. Misty coaxed Julia to take the pill. As we stood guard, I started feeling better, and more alert. My head stopped spinning, and I could focus again. Julia got up, and gasped at the sight of all the dead bodies. "You still ready for this," asked Misty, and Julia nodded. "I'm not afraid," she said, even though we could all see her trembling. "Let's go." She started leaning hard to the left and Misty propped her up. We peered out the door. For the moment all the zombies in range seemed occupied. "We've got to move fast," said Ellie, "before they can reload the zombie ray." We started scampering down the street, stepping around the mutilated bodies and pools of blood. Screams and growls came from all the buildings surrounding us. Piles of damaged and steaming cars littered the street, some with zombies inside beating senselessly against the windows, unable to manipulate a simple door handle. As we approached one car, the window busted open, and the bloodied zombie crawled out on broken arms. It spotted us and started ambling towards us, but Ellie felled it with a single shot to the head. A thick drizzle settled in on us. "Is the weather always like this," I asked aloud. "Where do you think I got my name," replied Misty. "Apparently moments after I was born, my dad looked outside and said, 'it sure is misty out there,' and my mom loved it. It wasn't even a name on their short list." "I'm sorry," I responded. "Nah, it's better than 'Choon-Hee' which was their original choice. Shit, look up there." A group of zombies seemed to be milling about. "Why aren't they attacking anyone," I wondered. "Are they recovering." A woman began running down the street, somehow not zombified. The group spotted her and began chasing her. She screamed and ran harder, but tripped over a body and went down. Instantly the group pounced on her, and in moments I could see fingers and entrails raining out from her body. Momentarily satisfied, the group stood back up, surveying the street. "They're forming packs? This is not good," said Ellie. "Come on, before they spot us." We slipped around a corner, trotting towards the river. Either the pill Ellie handed me began wearing off, or the alcohol continued to flood into my system, because I started feeling a bit drunk again. It became hard to run in a straight line. Julia bumped into me and we both fell down into the wet street. "Hee hee," she giggled, her eyes a bit glazed. She started speaking in incomprehensible Tagalog, singing something. She wrapped her arms around Rod who helped us up. "Rod," she started saying, "Rod, Rod, Rod." "Fight it," said Ellie, not looking so steady herself. "Behind you!" A group of about 5 zombies charged us. Ellie fired on them, missing our heads by inches. The last one dropped right at our feet. "Dammit," she cried, "I can't fucking shoot straight. We've gotta get sober! And those were all the pills I had." We began to lean on each other for support, like a group of drunk partiers. Misty started singing, "As I walk through, this wicked world." "Ssh!" said Ellie. "Wait...I know this one," I said. "Um..." Misty continued, "searching for light in the darkness of insanity." Rod picked it up. "I ask myself, is all hope lost? Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?" "Guys, knock it off," hissed Ellie. We all joined in, "And each time I feel like this inside, there's just one thing I want to know: What's so funny 'bout Peace, Love, and Understanding? What's so funny 'bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?" The last lines we shouted out into the gathering night. Ellie blasted at oncoming zombies. "As I walk on, through troubled times, my spirit gets so downhearted sometimes." We shouted the next lines: "Where are the strong?? Who are the trusted? Where is the harmony? Sweet harmony?" "Shut the fuck up," screamed Ellie. "Look behind you!" We turned around to find about thirty zombies closing in on us. We clumsily reach for our weapons, almost knocking each other down. I tried firing but nothing happened. I fiddled with the safety and released it. At about ten feet distance, I emptied my gun into the oncoming screaming mass. In a moment, they all lay down on the ground. Then slowly, they started picking themselves up. "Head shots," yelled Ellie, firing down the street at another approaching group. I reloaded my gun, and this time took careful aim, dropping them one at a time. The assault seemed to clear my head a bit. "Move it," we're about a block away from the river now." We sprinted down the street as the rain increased. The zombie ray had knocked out all power to London, but the suburbs still lit the clouds enough for us to see. Ellie didn't want us to use headlamps. At last we made the river, and started heading East towards the remains of the Tower bridge. We saw no signs of British or Chinese forces, except some abandoned military vehicles and some corpses that could have been soldiers. Hard to tell in the dim light. We made decent progress, then we came to the Blackfriars Bridge underpass. Ellie switched on a small light to see through the impenetrable darkness. Julia pressed close to us. We passed through the first one without incident, but under the second bridge we heard some rustling. Ellie held up her hand. "Lights," she whispered, and we turned them on. Surrounding us were dozens of faces, peering out from the dark. Only now do I remember hearing that some zombies just like to lie in wait, springing on unsuspecting prey. As one the horde screamed and jumped out at us. As one we opened fire with everything we had, completely surrounded. We formed a ring with Julie in the middle. Inside the tunnel, the sound of guns deafened us, and the only light came from the muzzle flashes of our guns. I shot at all the faces I could see. My gun clicked, and I stepped into the ring to reload, coming out again to fire. Still they came, some with missing limbs, some with holes in their heads but not completely dead, most with blood pouring out of their bodies. The carnage was unbelievable. The pavement pooled with their blood. "This way," shouted Ellie. We walked our little ring East, trying to get out of the tunnel. The way beyond seemed clear. My gun emptied again, but before I could reload, one of the zombies snatched it from me, and I stood face to face with a crazed man reaching for my throat. I whipped out a pistol and shot him between the eyes. One of them jumped towards me. I shot this one too, but his momentum carried him into me and knocked me and Julia down. Rob turned to help us up, but two zombies grabbed his waist and pulled him away. I heard him screaming somewhere in the dark. "Rod!" screamed Julia. "Rod! Someone help Rod!" I shot into the darkness, hoping to hit something and save Rod. We shot like crazy, beating off the zombies for a moment, and climbing over the bodies to find Rod. We discovered him crumpled in the corner, bleeding from a dozen places, a knife in his hand. "You good," I asked him, and he nodded. He screamed when he tried to put weight on his foot. Ellie knelt down and felt it. "Broken. Come on, help him." Misty and I put his arms around our shoulders, and carried him out of the tunnel. We hadn't gone fifty yards when Julia screamed. A huge horde of zombies ran towards us, down from White Lion Hill. "Give me your guns and leave me here," said Rod. I'll fight them off, you run. The river walk looks clear." It looked like every zombie in the city converged on our position. "No!" screamed Julia. "We can make it." Rod sat down painfully, and held Julia's hand. "Julia, I have to. It's the only way. You can't carry me. I'll be alright. I want you to live. Please. Now go, before they spot you." "Come on, Julia, please," begged Misty. "It's the only way." Julia tore herself away from Rod. We handed him a pile of everything that could fire a bullet, and ran down the river walk. In a moment, we heard firing from behind us. Rod shot and shot, and then, silence. Only the screams of the zombies filled the night. Posted: Friday, November 28, 2008 @ 11:19 PM

Nuclear Thanksgiving Part I I've been saying all along, and I'm repeating it now: I am not a terrorist. Yes, I am involved. I participated. It's because I've been trying to stop it, to prevent these kinds of things from happening. Yes, maybe there were times where I could have just run away, thrown up my hands and refused to be a part. Last year I had the excuse that I didn't really know what was going on. This time...I don't know. I never wanted to see anyone hurt, so I've been doing my best to prevent the ultimate disaster: the destruction of the entire planet. And yesterday, that almost happened. So let's go back to yesterday morning, and I'll try to explain the day's horrific events as best I can. Misty and Julia had crawled into a bed and huddled together, trying to warm up and get some rest. Rod found another bed to lay down in, after taking a quick shower. My mind raced a mile a minute. The only thing I really wanted to do at that point was to jump on a plane and return to San Francisco and try to return to some kind of a normal life. I finally lay down next to Misty, but no sooner had I closed my eyes when a hand began shaking me. Ellie stood over me, now dressed in her black SWAT-type outfit, her hair pulled back in a tight pony tail. She motioned me to follow her, and leave the others to rest. I looked at my watch, and couldn't believe I had slept half a day. It was already after noon. She led me to a room where I met Cmdr. Jeffries, General Tam, and a few other military types. They all greeted me warmly. Ellie started. "Alex, tell them what you think the condition of the ship is at the moment." I cleared my throat. "Right now they're stuck. If you keep the river low, they can't move. However, they are able to maintain enough coolant aboard to power the zombie ray. I'm surprised they haven't used it yet." "Bollix," said Jeffries. "This damn rain will cause the flood gates to fail and the river will rise again. How long does it take before they can re-fire?" I shook my head. "It only takes a few minutes for the Matrix to cool down enough to fire again. But they'll need to reload the coolant tank. They were working on cutting an alternative intake system, but that may take a while. Remember, cooling this thing is like cooling down a nuclear explosion, it take an enormous amount of water. Not only that, they have to evacuate the entire ship into the Palace and stay there while the Matrix cools before they can resume work. They may be waiting for the river to rise before they act." Ellie and Jeffries exchanged a look. "Alex," she asked, "did you find a way to destroy the singularity? What are our options?" I sighed. "You might as well try to destroy the Sun. The only way I can think of is to shoot it off into outer space, out of the Solar System. You'd have to shoot the whole containment system, which weighs several tons. Remember though, if the containment system loses power, even for a moment, the Earth is doomed. The singularity could swallow the whole world." Ellie asked, "so our best bet is to seize control of the ship, and keep the Matrix powered up at all times?" I nodded. Something nagged at the back of my head though. "That's like living with gun to your head, never knowing when it will go off, because given enough time, it probably will. And talk about your tempting terrorist targets. After what Carrie's done with it, there's not a country in the world who wouldn't want to capture this power." "Then it's set," said Jeffries. "We must take the boat at all costs." "Well," I reminded them, "if you back them into a corner, they may panic. Fire it without coolant, blow the whole thing sky high, and then who knows what the Singularity will do after the meltdown." "That's where you and your team comes in," said Ellie. "We need you to get in there and shut it down safely, and prevent them from scuttling the whole thing." I sprang up and raised my hands. "No. No. No way. We are not going back there. We have been putting our lives on the line for far too long. I'll give you all the information you need, but I am not stepping foot on that goddamn boat ever again." Ellie stood up. "Can you all excuse us for a minute?" She waited while the others filed out of the room. After the door shut she put a hand on my shoulder. "Please Alex, sit down and talk to me." I grudgingly sat down and put my head in my hands. "I am so damn tired, Ellie. My life has been put on hold now for a year. And the last few weeks, my life could have ended at any moment. It's not fair. We've suffered so much, and I just can't do it any more. I just want Misty and Julie and I to go somewhere and be safe and happy." Ellie sat quietly for a moment, then breathed heavily. "So you really like Misty. Do you love her?" I nodded. Ellie lifted my chin and caught my gaze. "Then listen to me, Alex. If you want love, and if you want happiness, then you need to be willing to sacrifice everything for it. I know you're tired, I know you're scared, I know you've done everything asked of you and more. We need your help. You know Carrie better than anyone, you know the Matrix better than anyone. I'll be there with you, I'll make sure no one gets hurt. I know I've let you down in the past, and I truly regret that. I've had a lot of time to think in the last few days, stuck up in that machinery room. One thing I've realized is that I, too, have been stuck in a rut, not being the person I want to be, fooling myself into thinking I could escape myself. Ever since I first met you I've been running away from myself. I swear that if we get through this, I'm going to start making things right. We need to do this, you and me. We need to make our stand, do what's right, and blowing fucking Carrie Park away. Are you with me?" I looked at her for a moment. I've been running, too. Ever since the day that I was involved in ruining Carrie's life, way back in High School. I ran from that responsibility, I ran away from dealing with the Infinitae incident, and I've been running away from dealing with the Singularity Matrix and preventing the destruction of the world. "Okay," I said quietly. "Let's do this. I want this thing ended." Ellie grabbed my hands, and then hugged me. "We'll get through this. We have to. And then we'll figure out a way to get our lives back." After bringing back the brass and discussing a few things, we called Misty and Rod back to the planning room. They seemed a bit groggy but at least somewhat rested. I took Misty aside for a moment. "You're okay with going back to the ship," I asked her. "I don't love the idea, but I'll do whatever it takes to stop that monster," she stated. "You're not afraid we could all die?" "Terrified. But Alex, I didn't volunteer for this whole thing to back out at the end. I need to see this thing through. I owe it to my country. Don't you feel like we need to do this?" "You know," I said, "I never volunteered for any of this. From the first moment, I've been manipulated, lied to, and forced into these situations. I've never had a choice. This has all been thrust onto me." Misty looked at me for a moment, and took my hands. "Well, Alex, I'm sorry for that. I know you're not an agent, I know it's not your responsibility to deal with all this. I'm so grateful for everything you've done. You've carried yourself so well, even in your darkest moments. I think you simply are underestimating yourself. You've been there for me and Julia and Rod so many times, and we owe you our lives. We can never repay you for what you've done. You're a special person, you really are. We're counting on you now. I know you can do it, I know that deep inside you're brave and noble and ready to deal with whatever comes. I love you Alex, and if I'm going into the bowels of Hell there's no one else I'd want at my side." I think that was the moment it finally struck me: this was a do-or-die time, for everyone. No more plotting and planning, no more watching and waiting. We had to strike, we had to conclude it. This might be the final moments of all mankind. Everything had to be put on the table, nothing held back. "I love you too, Misty, and there's no one else I'd rather be with at the gates of Hell. Well, let's descend into Hell then. I'm ready." We hugged, and I kissed her for a moment. The team discussed a few more things, and finally Ellie said, "we leave in 20 minutes, at 1530. I'll have your gear sent to your room." We returned to the room and ate a quick meal. I wished it had been turkey and stuffing instead of chicken and rice but it was filling. Ellie arrived after a few minutes and sat with us. "How is everyone feeling? Are we ready to go?" We nodded. "I want to go too," said Julia, eyeing our equipment. "Julia," said Misty, "it's too dangerous. I want to keep you safe." "No! I don't want to leave you. I want to go with you. I'm not afraid," insisted the girl. "Julia, we've got to keep you safe. They can protect you here. I don't want you in danger any more." "NO!" shrieked the girl, looking around. "Don't leave me here, please! I do whatever you say, just don't leave me. Please." Tears streamed down her face and she clutched Misty's shirt. "Alex, can you talk to her," asked Misty, turning to me. "Julie," I said, "we're doing this for you, so you can have a life, so everyone can have a life. We just want what's best for you." "NO!" She screamed. "No, no, NOOOO!" She shrieked in such a high pitch I thought my ears would bleed. "Hold it," shouted Ellie. "Everyone listen to me. Julia, dear, would you rather be dead than be without Alex and Misty?" The girl nodded emphatically. "You want to be part of a family? You want to be with Alex and Misty forever? Do you love them like parents?" Julia nodded. "Yes, yes, they are so good to me. They are the best people I know." Ellie announced, "then I say she comes along." Julia squealed and shook Misty's arm. "Please, please Miss Misty?" "Are you daft," cried Misty, jumping to her feet. Ellie rose slowly to face her. "She's about the same age I was when I started down this path. She's got as much at stake as anyone. If her choice is to stand and fight with us, I'd be hypocritical to not support that. And you two. What exactly is your plan for her? She has no home, no family. What are you going to do when this is all over? She needs a family. She needs support. Do you guys want to be together? Do you want to be a family? Let's get it all out on the table." Misty turned to face me. I looked at her and at Julia. Misty seemed speechless. "Yes," I said. "If Misty will have me, after all we've been through, then I want us to be a family. What do you say, Misty?" Her mouth moved, searching for words, and then looked around the room. "Alex, are you saying what I think you're saying?" I looked around as well. Rod and Ellie and Julia nodded at me. "Yes, yes. Misty, I want us to be together. Forever. I want us to be a family, and I want Julia to be our adopted daughter. I don't think I'd want to go on living without you two, you've made me become a much better person than I would have been otherwise. Misty, you're my whole world." I took a deep breath, then got down on one knee. "Misty, will you be my wife? Will you marry me?" Misty grabbed her face for a moment. "Oh, Alex. Yes. Yes, I'll be your wife. Yes, I'll marry you." I got up and we embraced, as tears filled both our eyes. Even Ellie wiped away a tear. "Okay," said Ellie, "we're running late. Let me grab some equipment for Julia. You guys are now officially a family, and you're going to live and die as a family." "Hold on," said Misty. "One last thing. I want you and Rod to be Julia's Godparents, just in case anything happens." They both agreed heartily. Ellie grabbed some clothes and returned momentarily. She talked to Julia as she dressed her. "Now Julia, I want you to stay close to Alex and Misty at all times. If you hear any guns, get as close to the ground as you can, and make yourself small. Hide under something solid. If Misty and Alex are dead, and you're afraid of being captured, there's a small gun in your back pocket they don't know about. Just put it to your head and pull the trigger. I promise you won't feel a thing. Here's a knife, some flashlights, a radio, energy bars, some flares, and a map. I don't think you'll need most of that stuff. Oh, and here is your bottle of liquor. If you hear an air-raid siren, it means that we think they're about to set off the zombie ray. Drink it as fast as you can. I put a bunch of sweetener in it so hopefully you can do it." "Thank you Miss Ellie," she said, feeling all the little pockets in her bullet-proof vest. "What if I get scared? What if I freeze up like I did jumping into the river?" Ellie smiled and hugged the girl. "It's okay to be scared. I'm scared all the time. I know you're a very brave girl, otherwise you couldn't have survived what you did. Look at everything you went through. Most kids would have fallen apart. I think you might be a little like me. A fighter. Are you ready?" Julia nodded. "Okay everyone," Ellie announced. "It's time to go save the world. Let's go." I took Misty's hand and squeezed it, then Julia came over and hugged both of us. One way or another we were going to see this thing through. Posted: Friday, November 28, 2008 @ 3:08 PM

Escape from QC1 Okay. So much has gone on, you'll have to bear with me. Just so you know, a lot of what I've posted up until now hasn't exactly happened as I've described them. Some of it is to protect the innocent, some because I knew interested parties follow this blog, and some because I only found out the real reasons later. Let me catch you up with what is really going on. I think things will become obvious as I type this. We slowly passed the burning wreckage of the British destroyers. I think in the annals of history, this attack will stand up alongside Pearl Harbor or the defeat of the Spanish Armada as one of the worst single day's destruction of naval equipment. We cruised up the River Thames, slowly passing by hamlets and docks. A squad of pirates manned the machine guns on the deck, and had fun picking off whoever came into view, shooting up boats and buildings and vehicles. After about ten miles the river grew narrower. We needed to reduce our speed to a bare crawl. Xyllan called off the shooting since crowds of people began lining the shores to sneak a peek at us. A couple news helicopters hovered around, keeping a respectful distance. Even further away lurked fighter jets, waiting for some kind of opening we supposed. We could take down anything within visual range but we continued to take pot shots at the shore areas. A small contingent of pleasure craft trailed us up the river. We wound around the sweeping curves of the river, keeping to the deepest shipping channel. We sunk any ship daring to come too close. I have to admit the amount of death and destruction we dealt on that river was unparalleled. The entire river became a column of smoking ruins behind us. We passed through the Thames Barrier, a structure designed to control water flow through the river. They apparently hadn't thought to close the structure. As we passed, we blasted a couple of the gates so they couldn't trap us. Shortly after passing the barrier, we passed by the Millennium Dome, a large retail complex. Throngs of people gathered on shore at this point, and a few began firing at us. We stopped our assault to conserve ammunition. We had a more powerful way to kill these Londoners. We cruised around a couple more bends, gawking like sightseers at the beautiful and stoic structures of London. In front of us stood the Tower (London) Bridge, and right beyond that, the Tower of London, holding one of the greatest treasure collections known to man, all for the taking. The entire bridge lit up at once, and we heard the impact of shells and mortars hitting our outer hull. "Return fire," called Carrie, and a couple of rockets burst off of our deck, impacting at the base of the Tower, exploding in huge balls of light. As the smoke cleared, we spotted gaping holes in the support structure of the Bridge. As we watched, the structure began crumbling brick by brick in a slow motion disintegrating. The middle deck fell first, then the towers crumpled in on themselves, and finally the outer deck collapsed into the river. As I watched, my board filled up red. "Power loss! Emergency shutdown initiated. We're losing coolant to the Matrix, we've got to shut it off or we could blow!" "What?" Carried jumped over and pushed me away from the console. "What the hell? What's the fuck is happening?" She clicked around frantically, then pounded the table. "Dammit, we're sitting ducks now!" Fortunately there was no concomitant power loss. I looked outside. "I think I know what's going on. They're lowering the water level. We don't have enough clearance on our input manifold, or maybe it's become clogged up. We don't have enough coolant." Without describing the details of a raving madman, let's just say the next few minutes were not enjoyable. Carrie flipped out. She went ape shit. Finally Xyllan had enough sense to go up and slap her. "Shut up," he growled, hitting her right in the mouth. "Enough! Let's focus on fixing the issue. We'll cut a new intake if we have to. We just need to do it before the British Marines storm the ship. We'll bring water aboard in buckets if we have to. Besides, they can't keep back the water forever, this is the rainy part of the year. Come on, let's get moving." We first had to wait until the Matrix cooled, which took considerably longer since only a trickle of water emerged from the intake. Night sets in early this time of year, so London became a cheery mass of lights. Some people had already put out Christmas decorations. I didn't have much time to appreciate it, since I was scanning for enemy activity. I couldn't see much, but enough shadows seemed to move to indicate something. We finally accessed the Matrix to find the cooling system completely clogged with a fine silt. We ran a few lines over the edge of the top deck and drew in water to start cleaning the mess, and some other pumps to carry the dirty water overboard. We had a small holding tank where we could store a bit of water, enough for maybe a zap or a couple minutes of propulsion. Not enough for sustained operations. A bit after midnight, I got accidentally doused in cleaning solution. I scuttled back to my room to get changed and wash off the somewhat corrosive cleaner. After I entered the cabin, I saw a small sticky note under the keyboard. It read, "C-21. 0200. Bring anyone whom you want to keep alive." I stared at the paper for a second. Ellie. I didn't hesitate, I knew what I had to do. I quickly washed off the cleaner and redressed, pocketing a few guns and knives I had stashed around. I went to the control room where Rod monitored the enemy activity. I walked over to him and looked over his shoulder. "Here, I think I see the problem," I said, and started typing on his keyboard: "0150 at Gate C" then I quickly erased it. He nodded subtly at me. "Got it. Thanks, Alex. How's the cleanup coming?" "Slow. Probably will need a few more hours. I'm going to need a drink. A big bottle of booze will do." "I'll bring you a couple," he said, nodding. "I'll bring some for everyone." He emphasized the last word just a bit. "Yes, everyone," I replied. "We'll all drink. Bring a lighter too, I might light something." The next hour and a half passed agonizingly slowly. I checked my watch almost every minute. Fortunately the progress on the silt removal proceeded just as slowly, forcing us to send men down into the intake tubes to shovel them out. I don't think this ship had been designed for river travel. At 0145 I wandered back into the Palace. I walked over to the Pirate camp, a mass of tents set out on the floor of the Palace. "Where are the prisoners," I asked the nearest guard, "it's time for their punishment." He pointed me to a tent with another guard snoozing right outside. I slipped inside, and found two lumps under sleeping bags. I crept to the smaller one and cupped my hand over her mouth. "Julia, wake up, but be quiet. Ssh. It's Captain Ross." She struggled for a second, but when she heard my name she relaxed. "Captain Ross! You've come back! I knew you would." She threw her small arms around my neck and hugged me with her wrists tied together. "Ssh. Misty! Wake up! It's time to go." She stirred and her eyes grew wide. "You! What the fuck are you doing in here you fuckin--" "Ssh! Jesus Christ! We're leaving. Let's go." "I'm not going back to your bloody cabin, not after--" I placed my hands on her shoulders and looked right at her in earnest. "No. We're leaving. We've got about eight minutes, so shut up and get moving." Misty's mouth gaped open. "Yes, yes, sorry. What about these ropes?" She held up her hands which were bound in thick hemp strands. "I'll get them off as soon as we clear the Palace. I need to gag you too. I just want it to look bad for you. We need to hurry. I won't make it tight. Julia, you ready?" I tied another rope around their wrists. "I'm going to yank it a bit. Sorry." The women glared at me. "Move it," I shouted, pulling them out of the tent. The guard startled and fell off his chair. "Where you takin them," he asked, pushing his dreadlocks out of his haggard face. "It's payback time for these whores." I took out my knife and waved it in Misty's face. "You don't want to see what I'm going to do to them. You can go now, they won't be coming back. Now move it bitches, or the end will be drawn out and painful." They did a credible job resisting me as I dragged them out of the Pirate camp. As we cleared the area, I motioned to them to hurry, and we trotted over to C Lock, under the movie wall. We slid through and I closed the door behind me. I grabbed my knife again and the women backed off, fear in their eyes. I grabbed Misty's wrists and cut away her bonds, then Julia's. Misty yanked off her gag and spoke. "Alex, that was the most humiliating thing I've ever--" "Save it, we're not clear yet. Rod! Where the hell are you?" Rod came puffing down the hall, a large clinking sack on his back. "Sorry. This booze is heavy. What the hell is this for?" I shook my head. "I have no fucking clue. We have about 3 minutes. You have the schematic?" Rod whipped out his handheld PDA. "Right here." We raced along gangplanks and machinery, avoiding the mechanical apparatus of the SMD and the workers clearing out the silt from the Drive. We crawled up into the underdeck, where a lot of the control surfaces were housed during idle. These surfaces kept the ship from breaking apart at high speeds. "C-21, just up there," pointed Rod. There were spots where we crawled on our hands and knees, scraping off skin. If I hadn't lost so much weight at Kastle Klingon I doubt I would have fitted. At some points we literally pushed Rod along. I smelled it before I saw it. Scents reminiscent of a distillery greeted me, as well as unwashed human bodies. We emerged into a small room littered with stacked but empty liquor bottles and neat piles of trash. We looked around. We heard a sound from above, and a body slid down a control wing and plopped onto the floor of the room. For a minute it lay there, then started moving. I rolled the body over. "Holy shit! Ellie!" Julia screamed and grabbed Misty. "The wild woman from the cage!" I kneeled down next to the body and helped her sit up. "Ellie, are you hurt? What's wrong?" "Hey, Alex," she slurred. "Glad you could make it." She lazily raised a hand and then her eyes went back and she swooned in my arms. "She's bloody pissed," exclaimed Rod. I shook Ellie's chin and slapped it a bit. "Ellie! Wake up! What the hell?" Her eyes fluttered open. "Alex. I've missed you." Her alcoholic breath washed over me. "Ellie! What the hell is going on? Why are you so drunk? Are we getting off this boat or not?" "Getting off? Boat? Oh...oh! Shit! Help me up, hurry. God, I'm so wasted." I did my best but she could barely stand straight. "Has she been here the whole time," asked Misty, surveying the amount of trash lying around. "What the...how the bloody hell did she survive?" Ellie reached for an unopened bottle of booze and waved it at Misty, barely able to stand up straight. "This. It stops the zombie ray. Drink enough, and instead of waking up a mindless zombie, you wake up...drunk! I thought you guys would use the weapon tonight, so I drank a whole bunch." Ellie slumped against me, reeking of alcohol and lack of bathing. "I found tapes of the trials," she continued. "The only people left alive and relatively unscathed were the drunks. I put two and two together. I've been living on nothing but a steady diet of booze since I escaped. Now, let's get outta here before our ride leaves. Hold on." She pushed along the wall, grabbed a bucket, and emptied her stomach into it. "Sorry," she said, wiping her mouth, "but I feel so much better now." "I'm gonna gag," cried Misty, holding her mouth. "Let's get out of here. Stat." Ellie waved a hand. "Leave the booze over there, in case I need to come back. Right up there is the hatch. You just push it, fall through, and hit the water. Does everyone know how to swim?" "Top breaststroker at Oxford," replied Misty. Rod nodded as well. "I don't know, I don't know," cried Julia, "I hate water." "You come from an island nation, surrounded by water," I exclaimed, but Julia shrank up against Misty. "Okay, okay. Let's do this. Misty, you sound like the strongest swimmer, so you go first, then Rod. Then I'll help Julia through. Ellie next, and don't forget she's so drunk she'll need help. I'll be right after her." Ellie helped us crawl up the retracted wing over to the hatch. I pressed it, and sure enough the locking mechanism had failed. All I could see was black water about fifty feet down, like a five story drop. "There are frogmen down there," said Ellie, flashing a small light and receiving a reply. "They'll guide you to their raft. It's black and without searchlights your camera shouldn't pick it up." I saw the little lights blinking down below. If I didn't know what to look for I'd say there were reflections from streetlights. Ellie signalled, and Misty slid out the hatch. In a second I heard a small splash. Leaning out, we could see the all-clear signal. Then Rod took the plunge, and they flashed success. "No, no, no," whimpered Julia, crawling away from the edge. "Come on, you can do it. We're getting off this boat, and never coming back. Julia, this is the only way." "I'm scared," she cried. "Please don't make me, please, please, please." I reached out to try to shove her but she grabbed my arm with a death grip. "Please don't make me," she cried, holding her head down like a dog. "It's okay," I said softly. "Misty's down there. She won't let anything happen to you. I promise." "Oh, fuck this," said Ellie and literally put a foot on me and shoved us both out. For a moment I experienced sheer panic as my body felt weightless out over the inky blackness of the River Thames. Julia screamed a piercing howl, then we hit the water like fish dropping on pavement. I instantly lost Julia, and the frigid November waters of the river struck me like a million spears into my body. I instinctively started grabbing for the surface, not even knowing which direction it lay. It took what seemed an eternity, but finally my head broke the water. "Julia," I screamed. "Julia!" A couple figures moved in the water, men with black scuba gear and underwater lights. In a moment they brought Julia to the surface, lifeless and limp. The water next to me exploded. For a moment I thought we were being attacked until I realized Ellie had just dropped in. The men dragged Julia onto the raft, and she seemed very still. I swam towards them, quickly losing feeling in my extremities, my heart literally bursting in my chest. "Here, Alex," called Misty from the raft. They helped me in, and then the men delivered a shivering Ellie. On the other side of the raft, the men worked feverishly on Julia, one wrapping his arms around her and performing a modified Heimlich maneuver, the other checking her vitals. They then laid her down and started CPR, chest compressions and rescue breaths. Another man provided us with blankets. Misty clutched my arm so tightly I thought she might crack my wrist bones. For what seemed an eternity they worked on her. I began pulling on my wet hair and praying. Ellie put her arms around both of us as we watched the spectacle. "What was I thinking," I muttered, "what the hell?" A trickle of water spurt out of Julia mouth, then a torrent. She began coughing and gasping violently. The men signaled the others, and the divers began pushing our raft away from the boat and towards the Northern shore. We scooted as close as we could to Julia, and called to her, "it's okay, we'll be safe soon, hang in there." The men wrapped her in every blanket they could, we even gave her ours. In a few minutes we reached the northern shore of the river. A few men helped us out of the raft, and placed Julia in a stretcher. They hustled us into the back of a waiting van, and the van took off just as the door closed. We all huddled together for warmth. Misty kneeled next to the stretcher. "Julia, hang in there. We're going to get you better. Julia? Julia! Alex, she's not responding!" Ellie squatted down next to the girl and checked her. "She's alive, but she has hypothermia. Look at her lips. Help me get these wet clothes off of her. We need to warm her up." We quickly stripped the poor girl naked under her blankets. "These blankets won't work," griped Ellie. "We need warm body heat. Forget it, you two. Misty and I will do it. Misty, grab some blankets and take off your clothes." "Yes, yes." In a minute, Misty and Ellie had stripped butt naked and crawled under a blanket, holding Julia between them with their shared warmth. Rod and I just tried to be cool about everything. My vision of escaping the boat never included naked women. Ellie and Misty's heads peeked out from under the blanket as the van jostled around London's streets. "I think I'm almost sober again," said Ellie, then turned to Misty. "Don't rub her. Just concentrate on warming her core. Keep the cold blood out for now." "Where are we headed," I asked. "Chinese embassy. It's not far." My dealings with the Chinese have not gone well. "Ellie, I'm not entering Chinese custody again, not after everything I've been through. Just drop us off somewhere." "Alex," she said from under the blanket, "it will be fine. You won't be in custody. No interrogations. You have my word. You can leave any time, but I hope you'll stay long enough to help us figure out how to end this crisis." Misty spoke. "I want British representation at any talks that may occur. We have the most to lose, after all." The two women glared at each other, practically nose to nose, and judging from the lumps under the blankets, they had wrapped an arm around each other. Ellie relented. "Done. She's a tough one, Alex. And I feel so lesbian right now." Misty snorted. "Oh you're a funny gal. Hold on, I think Julia's moving. Give her some air." They rearranged themselves and Julia's head poked out. She looked around the van, then at Misty and Ellie. Her fingers crept out of the blanket and she pushed it up, looking down. Her eyes grew wide, and a bit of color touched her cheek, but her lips remained dark blue and her normally tan face a ghostly pale. "Whaa!" Julia flipped herself over under the blanket. "Julia, it's alright, we're trying to warm you up," said Misty. "Nothing funny. The guys didn't see anything, you've been under the blanket the whole time." Julia peeked one eye out towards me. "You didn't see me?" I held up my hands. "Not an inch. We're just trying to keep you warm." "Haven't been looking," said Rod. "We're just keeping you alive. You've had quite an ordeal." Julia looked at Ellie. "You're really warm. Sorry Miss Misty." She spooned her body up close against Ellie. "My sister would do this sometimes during storms, just hold me and keep me safe," she whispered, closing her eyes, just to rest. Ellie held her tightly. "She's so sweet," she told Misty who nodded enthusiastically. "But you need to feed her more. She's all skin and bones." The van slowed down, and we heard some echoes, like we were in a parking structure. Then we heard men's voices. The van backed up and parked. The doors opened, and a handful of Chinese medics greeted us. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, pointing to the pile of wet clothes. The medics nodded, and whistled for clean clothes to be brought. In a minute, we handed the women some sweat pants and shirts and closed the door for their privacy. Rod and I just changed in front of everyone, on the side of the van. In moments the five of us stood together and hugged. A lot of color had returned to Julia's cheeks, and I gave her a great big hug, followed by Rod. Julia started crying, overcome with emotions. A familiar face greeted us. "General Tam, you're back," I said to the small Chinese man. He bowed to me. "What are your orders," he asked Ellie. She stretched and rubbed her face. "We need food. I haven't eaten anything solid in a week. Then get me Commander Jeffries on the line, Royal Marines. We're setting up a meeting. Let's find a suite to relax in. And I want every staff member issued a fifth of Scotch immediately. If I give the order, they are to drink it as fast as possible. And I mean in 60 seconds. Guys, come on, it's time to finish this thing." Ellie provided us the nicest stateroom in the entire complex, where we immediately collapsed on the beds and couches. I found a computer and began typing this in. In a little while, we're going to meet with Jeffries and his staff. We have to take out the ship before it becomes fully operational again. It may be our last chance to stop this threat. If things don't go well, this may be the last time you hear from me. For the Americans out there, especially my Dad and my brother Brad, have a nice Thanksgiving. It may be your last. But I promise I'll try to be there next year. Posted: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 @ 10:30 PM

Strange Dream I had the weirdest dream last night. They had given me something to help me sleep through the night, but I guess it made me pretty delirious. Someone started shaking me and saying "Alex, Alex, wake up." The lights in the Palace had been dimmed so we could sleep. I tried opening my eyes, but I could only make out a faint shape next to me. "Misty? Is that you?" The figure seemed to be swathed in some kind of headscarf and body dress like a burqa or something. I couldn't ready see the face under the hood. "Ssh. Listen to me Alex. I need to speak to you." Now I knew I was dreaming. I heard the distinct tone of Ellie's voice. I reached out and felt the figure. Definitely a woman. And for some strange reason I smelled a wave of alcohol. It reminded me of the day Ellie and I met, in a bar down in San Fransisco. I had just lost my job and I was drowning my sorrows in a bottle of Jack Daniels, when this incredibly beautiful woman sits down next to me and asks if she could share the bottle. The night ended at my apartment and the rest is shall we say "history." I was shaken again. "Huh? Wha? Leave me alone, I'm trying to sleep." Stupid drunk nurses. I made a half-hearted attempt to roll over, dreaming about my days with Ellie. A cold hand slapped me in the face. "Wake the fuck up," came the voice of Ellie. I groaned loudly. What the hell? This was not a good dream so far. I just wanted to sleep. "Time's running out, Alex. We've got to find a way to destroy the Matrix. We can't allow Carrie to destroy the rest of the world's economy and governments." I lay there for a while. I thought about the time Ellie and I went backpacking in the Sierras. I felt the cool breezes blowing through the fragrant pine trees, the strong sun on our backs. I remembered how we laid a blanket out and did what came naturally. I wondered if I would ever have that opportunity with Misty. Ahh, Misty. So different from Ellie. No she doesn't have the knock-out body that Ellie does, or the drop-dead good looks, but she has a quiet honesty about her that I really appreciate. I always know where I stand with her, and we communicate really well. Ellie always seemed mysterious and distant, and frankly she's pretty frightening. Misty's just like-- "Dammit Alex, what the hell did they give you? Listen to me if you can, I need to get out of here. I found a way off this boat. Up in the airfoil machinery. There's a loose hatch up there. If we're really heading for London, then I have an escape plan. When I send you a message, head for hatch C-21. Bring only what you can carry, but make sure everyone has a bottle of strong liquor with them. You heard me right. Liquor, something strong. OK, I gotta go. Good luck." I swear I felt something on my hand, then a squeeze. This morning they came to change my dressings, not a pleasant experience. The doctor came and pronounced me fit enough to get out of bed, although I would still need to check in a couple times a day to change the dressings. Every movement felt painful, but they finally were able to remove the morphine drip. I told Misty about my crazy dream. "So, dreaming about Ellie," she said in a mock-jealous voice. "Why don't you dream about me? And what the hell is the liquor about? Was Ellie a drunk or something?" "Yeah, at times," I admitted. "She did have a penchant for stiff drinks and partying. Crazy, isn't it?" Misty helped me get dressed into some loose-fitting pirate garb, something that wouldn't scratch my burns. I felt a bit weak but I could walk on my own. "Julia made you a special 'Captains Breakfast'" she told me. The memories of the dream fading away into the mists of the night, I raised my hand to scratch my head and I saw it. As plain as day, not in my handwriting, on the palm on my right hand were the letters "C-21." What the hell? Was it some drunk nurse messing with my head? Did I somehow write this? I quickly rubbed it off, and didn't mention it to anyone. There's no way Ellie could be alive on this boat. It's just not possible. Posted: Sunday, November 23, 2008 @ 11:01 AM

Monster Julia screamed like she had seen a ghost. The clock read 3:23 AM. Misty and I jumped out of the tiny cot we shared to see what had frightened the hysterical girl. She had been having occasional nightmares since she started sleeping on a mat in our doorway but this seemed much worse. She pointed a finger at the door. I checked it and looked around the hallway, and saw nothing. Julia whimpered, "I saw her. I saw the Monster. She came in here, with a knife. A bloody knife." "What," asked Misty, "what monster? What are you chattering about?" "The--The monster from the cage. The wild woman. She came her to kill us!" She threw herself into Misty's arms. We exchanged a look. "Ellie," I asked, "Ellie's escaped? Shit. This is not good." "Are you sure it wasn't a dream," wondered Misty. "No, no, it was real. She was here. She had a big knife and she was going to kill us!" I felt doubtful, until I noticed the blood. A spot here and there on the floor, and a smear on the door. Still wet. Shit. "Hurry, give me something to clean this with," I called to Misty, who grabbed some rags from the costume pile. It took a long time to settle Julia down. She wanted to crawl onto the tiny cot with us, but the two of us barely fit as it was. "You sleep on the floor," insisted Misty at last to me. I could see by the stern look in her eye that arguing was pointless. She didn't put her foot down often, preferring a calmer, reasoning approach, but when she did then that was that. We didn't really sleep much after that, and then a couple hours later came a pounding on the door. I opened it, and Carrie and Xyllan and a couple pirate crewmen stormed into the room. Xyllan caught me and slammed me up against a wall, nearly crushing my windpipe. Another man dragged Rod in as well and held him up against the wall. "What the hell's going on," I gasped. Carrie strode into the room, without her usual thick makeup and her hair tied up in some knot. She wore a simple white nightgown. "I'll ask you one time, Ross. Did you help Ellie escape?" She peered past Xyllan's thick arm. "What? What are you talking about?" The pressure on my throat increased. "That bitch has escaped," Carrie screamed. "I want some fucking answers!" "Leave him alone," cried Misty, sheltering Julia. "We've been in here all night! That stupid bitch broke in here a couple hours ago and scared Julia half to death. Instead of threatening us, you should be out looking for her." Carrie turned to face Misty. Her snarl transformed into a cold smile. "Say, Nguyen. How much do you really know about Elena Galistina, and your friend Alex here? You do realize they have a bit of a past, don't you?" Misty nodded, scowling. "You do know they once lived together, slept together, fucked together?" Misty stared at me for a moment. "We didn't discuss details." Carrie's smile broadened. "And you know that he and I have a past, too, don't you dear? That we've been...intimate." Misty shook her head. "I doubt that. Maybe in your twisted brain..." She shot a look over at me and I couldn't hide my guilt. "Alex...no..." "So you might not trust him or believe him as much as you would like to. Are you sure you have no idea where this Ellie could be? Are you sure he doesn't still have feelings for her? How well do you really know Alex?" Misty seemed a bit speechless. I mean, it's not like she's told me all of her past. And frankly, sleeping with Carrie is a memory I'd rather forget. She finally found some words to spit out through her set jaw. "What Alex has done in the past doesn't concern me. But I believe him when he says he hasn't seen her or helped her escape." Carrie studied our faces for a moment, then held out a finger. "If I find that any of you have been working with her..." Her eyes fell on Julia. "Then this little bitch going back to Xyllan and the rest of his crew to do what they please. That's after you all walk the plank. You're all confined to quarters until further notice." They departed, but not after Xyllan buried his fist into my ribs, sending me to the floor gasping for air. Julia and Rod helped me back up as Misty sat on the cot, her hands gripping the rail, staring darkly at floor. "Misty, I--" "Don't you talk to me," she hissed. "How could you? With her? That woman is pure evil." "I...I...it was a huge mistake. Ellie had just left me--" "You used to date the Monster," said Julia, incredulous. "Ellie is not a monster," I cried. "Queen Carrie is the monster. She tricked both of us, got us to separate from each other, tricked me into sleeping with her, kinda, then threw me away like yesterday's garbage. It was a real confusing time. And it all ended with me getting sent to Kastle Klingon. Carrie is like a cancer, corrupting everything she touches. Look at us! We're like rats on this godforsaken ship, now she has us at each other's throats like the zombies she creates. Misty, I'm sorry I haven't told you everything, but there are some things I'm deeply ashamed of and I just want to bury those things. Please, it was one of the worst nights of my life, and if I had to do it all over again, I would have run screaming from her." Misty glared at the floor for a moment, then shot a look at me with her deep, dark eyes. "Okay, Alex. I knew something was up between you two. What the bollux is wrong with you? God, sometimes...ugh. One of these days, you need to figure out what your life is about. First a Communist agent, then a megalomaniacal monster. You have some taste in women." "I'm hoping I'm doing better now," I said quietly. I sat on the cot next to her, clasping her hand gently. "I know I've made my share of mistakes, real doozies. Ellie, well, she wasn't always the monster in the cage. She just came out of nowhere and bowled me over so hard I couldn't think. I'd never been with anyone like her. She hid the monster really well. Now I know it was all a lie. She tried, I think, to change her life but she just couldn't. Misty, I'm with you now, and you're all I think about. When I think about what I went through, I just shiver. Without you I don't think I would have made it through that camp. I might have saved you a couple of times, but really, it's been you who saved me." Okay corny but I really mean it. Misty sighed. "Someone had to. I guess I never understood how a guy like you could end up at a place like that. Most of the inmates were near-criminals, hackers running from the mob and the lot. You seemed a lot different, like you had some kind of cross to bear." "Well I hope I've paid my repentance. Although this boat to hell might suggest otherwise. Misty, I'm so sorry you had to find this out from Carrie. Can you forgive a stupid Yankee?" Misty looked at me for a moment, then a slight smile crossed her lips. "Oh, fine, Ross. You Colonials still have so much to learn. Let's let the past be the past." We hugged for a moment, then the Klaxon sounded. We scrambled like madmen, tailed by our guards, and rushed into the Palace. Almost as soon as we crossed the threshold, the men closed the heavy leaden bulkhead door behind us. Carrie stood up where the cage had been, now raised back up off the ground. She held a microphone. "Good, everyone's here," she stated, staring in our direction. "As you know, the bitch Elena Galistina, my pet for the last week, somehow escaped in the middle of the night. We've checked the tapes, and there's no sign of her leaving the ship. She somehow slipped out of her chains, then managed to bend some bars to escape. It doesn't appear at the moment that she had any assistance, and I thank you for that. However, we have to assume that she's loose on the ship. I want every corner of this ship searched, top to bottom, bow to stern. I want a full accounting of every person aboard this boat. There's a million dollars to the first person who spots her, no questions asked. Five million if she's captured, dead or alive. Now go! Get your asses moving! Ross, get over here." She has changed back into a Napoleonic getup with a heavy wool overcoat. "Keep him away from us," I warned her as we approached, and she waved Xyllan off. In the rush I had left my weapons behind. "Come on," she said simply, while consulting some kind of hand-held computer. We trooped behind her back to the living quarters. She led us to a cabin, where a guard greeted us. Carrie pointed to me. "Go in and look. You two probably don't want to go in there," she finished, gesturing to Misty and Julia. I walked in slowly, wary of a trap. I also puked at the sight. A man had been carved up neatly, a gag in his mouth, and his eye bulging out and staring straight up. It was obvious from first sight he had been filleted while still alive. Parts of him were sticking out of other places where they shouldn't be. I held a hand to my mouth, practically running out of the room, coughing and gagging. Carrie walked up to my face. "We've already found 3 more like this. Your friend is on a revenge spree. Why do you think she came to your room, with a knife? Seeing the two of you prancing around, holding hands, kissing, while she's tied up like a dog? How do think that makes her feel? Especially a vicious killer like her? The two of you carrying on even makes me feel a little sick sometimes. This has got to stop. We can't have a killer running free. If we don't find her soon, I'm going to have to take drastic measures." "What do you want from me," I asked. "I have no idea where she could be. Frankly if it were me, I'd jump off the ship, rather than have a bunch of mad Pirates after me. She's probably finished with her kills, and she's gone." Carrie shook her head. "She's not done. After all, I'm still alive. Therefore she's still on this boat. Okay, lets get back to the Palace." For a few hours we sat up in the control room, watching security footage and live feeds of all parts of the ship. We had nothing. All told six men had died, all with connections to Ellie in the past, all some of most abusive men on the ship. No one felt sorry to see them go. They only felt scared for their own lives. I finally found the tape of Ellie's escape, and noticed it had been edited slightly. With a little digging, I uncovered the edited-out part. Apparently around two in the morning, some highly drunken pirates approached the cage. The taunted the mostly naked women, and for a while she sat still, but then stood up and removed the rest of her clothes, standing completely naked. I will say with all due respect to Misty, that Ellie has one of the most spectacular bodies known to man. She began her hooker routine, beckoning them and blowing them kisses, exposing her body in erotic ways. Now as I've mentioned, Pirates are perhaps the least disciplined of all men, so these had no compunction about disobeying orders and raising the cage. They raised it about three feet, enough to slip under. I slipped in an earpiece so I could hear the audio. "Ohh," she said seductively as the men advanced, "I'm so hot. I want to do so much with you two, but these chains, they just get in the way. I can't really bend like you'd like." "We can't take off them chains, we'd get a whippin," said the first, a tall skinny man. "Yeah," said the other, a short, squat guy. "And you could escape." "Me? I just want some fun! God, you're like the sexiest pirates. Mmm. Hey, you could just lower the cage, then take off the chains! Think of what it would be like, both of you inside me." "Ssshit...brother, get the damn key." He leaned over to grab Ellie but she pushed him away gently. "Nah ah ahh...not until you get the key. Please? I'll let you do whatever you want to me." Ellie licked her lips and fondled her breasts. "Hurry the fuck up," the tall man called to his companion. "Found it," he called, running back and clambering into the cell. "Ohh, let me see, I'm going to fuck you so hard..." She held our her hand and rubbed the short man's chest, swinging her hips seductively while nibbling on a finger. The tall guy shouted as the short one handed Ellie the key, "you fuckhead! You didn't lower the--" He never finished the sentence as Ellie's hand crushed his windpipe in a devastating karate chop. She kicked the other man in the teeth with her bare foot, sending him falling heavily into the cage. She worked the key in the lock, and in a moment the chains crashed to the floor. The tall man lay writhing on the floor, gasping for air. She came up behind him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and shouted up into the air, "this one's for you, Alex! You're next!" She whipped her arms around, snapping the man's neck like a chicken's. She hastily removed the corpse's clothes as the body lay twitching on the ground and dressed herself. The other man started to stir. Ellie scooted under the stairs and hit the button to lower the cage. The edge lowered directly across the man's throat. Ellie ran off camera. I sat, watching the man struggle for a couple minutes then lay still. I switched off the video. "Nice, isn't it," said a voice behind me, causing me to nearly jump out of my seat. "Have you seen it," I asked Carrie. "Do you believe me when I say I wasn't involved?" "No. Not really. But it won't matter in a few minutes, because after that you'll have no one left but me to help you with your miserable life. If we can't find her, well, we'll eliminate that bitch the hard way. Hit the warning!" The Klaxon sounded, this time for the Singularity Pulse Warning. All the searchers streamed back into the Palace, and Carrie made sure they had a good count, with no more missing people. All the bulkheads were secure, and they made a cursory search of the Palace, but Ellie escaped detection. I prayed she hid behind some drapes or something, but I don't think she was in here. Carrie gave the signal, and a tiny speck of gaseous matter puffed into the Matrix containment field, sending off a mind-blowing electro-magnetic pulse. If Ellie hadn't escaped the ship, she'd be converted into a screeching zombie, beating herself into a bloody pulp. "Good," said Carrie once the Matrix returned to normal. "Go do another search, and bring me back her broken body." The crew searched and searched, but turned up nothing. Ellie had escaped. Carrie set a course for the Horn of Africa, deep in the heart of Pirate Central, and we turned the matrix up to maximum capacity. Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 @ 10:38 PM