Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 18:38:35 CDT From: Matt Blah Subject: The Book - 6 Salutations!! Matt here, as most of you know =) (BTW I'm not Matt in the story) If you've ever read a Nifty Story before, you know the rules, and can skip on down to the asterisks (that's the *'s for you newbies).... Since you're reading this, I can assume you've never read any of my stories or any of the others at Nifty, which is odd, since this is part of a series... Oh well, if you happen to be underage, I cannot condone your reading of this. If this type of material is illegal in the area you currently _are_, I cannot condone your reading of this. If you do not like this type of material, why are you here? Wacko!! Sorry if I sound a bit prudish by this, but it's standard procedure. Personally, I could care less if you're underage or it's illegal, so long as you enjoy it (and _don't get caught!). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sorry, even if you've read my story before, you're still not exempt from my own "personal thoughts and musing..." LOL I see I caught your attention with that "cliff-hanger" even though I personally (personal thoughts and musings, remember?) don't think it was that suspenseful... Oh well, ya'll seemed to like it, so here's the next part! (P.S. as always, I'm sorry it took so long for me to post this... my life has recently taken a turn for the more hectic, *chuckle*) Then again, who are you to demand that I finish by this time or that? Who are _you_ to set my schedule? I'm my own person! You can't tell me what to do! LOL Just kidding with ya, folks =P Just in one of my funky moods!! Okay, on to the story! -------- The Book -------- Chapter 7 : Loss & Revelations (Just so you know...) Last "episode..." ~~Diddlydoo! Diddlydoo! Diddlydoo! Diddlydoo!~~ (always wanted to do that... =P ) "Well, hear this, then," Judas 2 said, becoming impatient, "When we incarnated ourselves into these new bodies, we left the Gate unprotected, counting on the protections we laid upon it to protect it from tampering." "Obviously, someone broke through our protections," Matthias (2) said, with a rueful chuckle. "We don't know what's happening, exactly, and all we can do is wait." Judas blinked once, then stood straighter, "Wait for what happens next? That's all we can do about this?" "Afraid so.." the voice came from behind them all. The four whirled, and stepped back in astonishment. ~~Diddlydoo! Diddlydoo! Diddlydoo! Diddlydoo!~~ "Oblivion! What is this?!" Judas (2) said angrily. "Why, _my lord_, didn't you know?" the figure's sneer was harsh, and tinged with a feeling of contempt. Oblivion, when it chose, could appear as whatever it wished, but it's basic form, the one it most prefered, was one of an ever-wavering black mist. Here, Oblivion chose to manifest itself as more of a negative zone, where no color was, and one which pulled light into itself. "Just what are you planning, Oblivion?" Matt said roughly. "Oh my, I do believe I'm seeing double," it chuckled in response. "Could you please put yourselves back together? I dislike being so outnumbered." Matt and Matthis looked at each other, and to Judas (1)'s amazement, embraced each other. A blinding flash of light followed, and where two stood, now stood one. "Now you, Judas, if you please... or should I say Judases?" Oblivion said with a chuckle. "We cannot," Judas (2) replied, "Your tampering has left this one," he indicated Judas (1), "Without his memories. Without them-" "You can't Merge." Oblivion spat with disgust. "Very well, since this one has no memories, there is no real need for him anyways. He can just watch..." "Enough of this," Judas (2) said, "Explain yourself!" "Why, _my lord_, you need only command me and it shall be done!" the sarcasm was so thick Judas stepped back at the affrontery. "What's the matter with you?" Judas (2) asked, genuinely puzzled. "Oh, just a little thing, merely a trifle," it began, its voice thick with feigned happiness, "It concerns the fact that YOU TRIED TO DESTROY ME!!!" "What?" Judas (2) stepped back in surprise, Matt just looked at Oblivion in contempt, and Judas (1) just stared blankly. "You left me in the world of Magick!" it snarled, angered further by Judas' blank stare. "I begged you to move me into the world of Science! I begged, pleaded, tried everything to get your attention! You left me there! My Powers havee been reduced to mere shadows!" Judas (2) looked at Oblivion, his expression a caricature of conflicting sympathy and confusion. "Well, now you're going to pay," Oblivion drawled idly, its voice dropping to a dangerous tone, "I used the last of my Powers to break your protections on the Rift, now _I_ hold all the strings." The two Judases and Matt looked in horror as Oblivion reached within itself and pulled out a small emblem of a phoenix at its rebirth. The talisman was made of pure Mithril, and coated with ambrosia so that it glowed a brilliant orange red, like a dying flame. Oblivion held the talisman high, and before any could move to stop it, it shattered the object with a blast of pure Force. Oblivion smiled in triumph, "Anything that is Created can be destroyed," it remarked philosophically. Oblivion laughed malevolently at the shocked looks on its audience. "You see?!" it cried, "Now, your Merge will occur on _my_ terms!" "What good will that do you?!" asked Judas (1), slowly reanimating from his shock. "I have just decided that the two realities shall Merge, yes, in that much I will let it stay the same," Oblivion began, "But I don't think that I shall let the two alternates of each living creature combine..." all three (Judas 1/2 and Matt) gasped "But that will-" began a panicked Matt. "Yes," hissed Oblivion, its voice soft and eager, "Lead to chaos. Utter chaos as Science meets Magick and a war breaks out." "And you will reap the harvest," said Judas (1), comprehension dawning, "In the face of such catastrophe, people will lose their faith as the gods will be unable to intervene. They will turn to you, Oblivion, and worship you by not worshipping another!" "So, so, exactly so," chortled Oblivion, "For not having your memories, you certainly are quick." "I won't let you!" cried Judas (2), "Countless lives will be lost!" "I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice here..." teased Oblivion, gesturing towards their surroundings, "You have no way out of here." "As long as I live I will oppose this!" Judas (2) cried. He Reached for Earth and Fire, and Weaved a staff from the strands. Brandishing the staff, he lunged at Oblivion. Oblivion, taken aback by the attack, was struck in the chest, and fell back a pace before it Pulled the staff into itself, absorbing it entirely. It laughed at the dumbfounded look on Judas' face. "Have you forgotten? You have lost a great deal of your Power, _ex_-master." Oblivion reached with a hand and grabbed Judas by the shoulder. Judas recoiled in pain, and with a muttered Word sent Oblivion flying backwards further into the mists. He glanced at his shoulder, finding upon it a brand of Oblivion, where his cloak had been burned away and his flesh scorched slightly. Matt stood, paralyzed by what was happening, wanting to help, but not entirely sure how. Judas (2)'s eyes glazed over, and he toppled. Matt decided then and there that Judas (2) needed his help more and cradled the unconscious one in his arms. Judas looked around with wild eyes to see where Oblivion had gone. His hands glowed with Pure Magick, and with a gesture he Called a barrier around himself and the two crouching nearby. Without warning Oblivion leapt from the mists and slammed against the barrier. Inches apart, Oblivion smiled a toothless grin at Judas through the transparent barrier, and took down the shield after a moment of effort. It reached for Judas once more, but Judas, anticipating this attack, flipped back. While Judas was still airborn, he Called into being a myriad of small daggers of light, and as he fell to the floor he sent them all winging towards the still reaching Oblivion. They impacted on its side, and before it could absorb them, dissipated back into the air. Oblivion clutched its side, and Manifested a suit of armor about itself. It stood up straighter, and Manifested a spear which it wielded with perfect proficiency. The spear was part spear, part axe, with a curved blade that could be stabbed with or swung with. Judas, in response, Called forth twin swords, made of glittering Adamantium, with a Moonstone in each handle. He swung them around once, to test their weight, and crouching in a fighting position, gestured that Oblivion should take the first move. Oblivion did so, and in earnest, thrusting its spear directly towards Judas, who parried it with one sword and swung out with the other, cleaving into Oblivion's side, who didn't even flinch. Oblivion retracted its spear with inhuman speed and swung its wicked blade sideways. Judas parried it again, but this time with both swords, leaving no possibilty of a counterattack. Oblivion then whirled about, swinging at Judas from the opposite direction this time. Judas brought his swords up to block it, but with the momentum from the swing he couldn't block the entire force of the blow- -The spear cleaved into Judas' side... Judas gasped in shock and pain and Oblivion laughed at its victory. But Judas pulled the spear out, and Reaching for Water, had it healed in a matter of moments. Oblivion stared in shock, and reached for its spear, which Judas kicked away. "I may have lost some of my Power, but not all." Judas said smugly. Oblivion stood for a moment, then tried to flee. Judas swung with his swords, the first cleaving into Oblivion's side, the second into its neck. Oblivion fell to its knees, and Judas pulled the swords out quickly, before Oblivion could absorb them. Oblivion collapsed onto the misty floor. "Damn," it muttered, "All those attempts, all failed." "What attempts?" asked Judas, looming over Oblivion. "The man with Ardanas, the lizardman, the man out of the theater, all were my agents, all were out to destroy you, all failed me, even as I have failed now..." Oblivion gave a gasping breath, then fell silent. Judas, believing Oblivion dead or weakened, walked to where Matt sat with his alterego. "What happened to him?" he asked with concern. "I don't know," Matt began, "He just collap- LOOK OUT!!" Oblivion had risen from the mists when Judas had turned his back. Now Oblivion grabbed Judas by the arms, and Judas howled in agony and Oblivion burned his outsides. Matt stared, helpless to act, frozen in terror, as Oblivion gradually absorbed Judas. Judas struggled to break free of Oblivion's grasp, but his grip was unmovable. Judas Reached for the elements, but Oblivion had his Powers blocked. Judas opened his mouth to utter a Word of Power, but the agony choked the word in his throat. Oblivion finally had Judas all the way within itself, and gave a laugh, "Now his Powers shall be mine," it chortled, full of satisfaction. "You monster!" sobbed Matt, tears streaming down his face. "Oh, don't be so sullen!" Oblivion said, obviously not at all discomfited by the tears, "You have another one right there!" it pointed to the unconscious Judas still in Matt's arms. "Now, to see my whole new worl--" Oblivion began, but broke off. There was a flash of light within itself, and suddenly the light burst free of Oblivion's pull. The light hovered in the air for a moment, then darted to the prone Judas, evading Oblivion's grabs at it. The light flickered once above Judas, then it expanded, covering Judas entirely, then vanished into Judas' skin. "Damnit!" Oblivion swore. "His Power somehow escaped me!" "As long as Judas lives, even if it is not entirely him, his Powers will belong to no one but himself!" Matt cried defiantly. "I can fix that," began Oblivion menacingly. "Can you?" it was Judas, who rose from Matt's arms and faced Oblivion on his feet, "You had some trouble with half my Power, in a state where I was weakened. Care for a rematch?" Oblivion stared blankly for a moment, then laughed, "Don't mock me!" it gasped, "You have no memories, you have no way to use that "Power" you have!" Judas, in response, Called a ball of Force, that fluctuated between the elements, and held it before himself. He focused, and the Force became 4 shards of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. "Is that so?" he asked with a soft non-laugh. Oblivion muttered a curse, then backed off slowly, "I may not be a match for you now, but in time, once the wars begin, I will be more than a match for you, and I shall rule the worlds!" it vanished into the mists. "No!" cried Matt, "How are we going to get out of here?" Judas looked around carefully. "We should actually be within the Rift itself, no?" he asked. "I believe so.." began Matt, "But the Rift should be closing with the Merge!" "That... could be a problem," Judas said with a slightly panicked smile. "What can we do?" asked Matt, fearful of the answer. Judas was silent for a moment, then abruptly brightened, which in turn brightened the frightened Matt. Judas held out his hand, "Nothing is ever lost," he said in a somber tone, "What has been destroyed, shall now be Recreated." a glowing light gathered in his outstretched hand, and as it grew brighter, a figure slowly began to be outlined in the glow. An emblem of a phoenix, in the process of rebirth, made of Mithril and coated with Ambrosia, appeared in his hands. Judas brandished the talisman, and a portal in the mist opened. Judas got close, then gestured for Matt to go ahead. "B-beloved?" he said, faltering slightly as he did so. Matt smiled a little, knowing that Judas must have had his memories restored. "You don't have to call me that, you know..." he said as he stepped through into the One Realm. "I know," said Judas impishly, "But I might as well get used to it." Judas followed Matt into the Realm, scared of what they might find. In the Realm, they found everything was as they left it, but instead of a world combined, the world was still entirely Science. "Why hasn't the Merging occured?" Matt asked, peering around. "There should be some fighting, screaming, or looting or something!" In response, Judas held up the talisman. "I believe we have delayed Oblivion's plans," he said slowly, "By recreating this, we have regained some control over the Merge." "But not all?" asked Matt, noting his careful omission, "We can only delay it?" "Unfortunately yes," replied Judas ruefully, "The Merge will occur, that nobody has control over anymore, but Oblivion has already deposed the original plan of Merging, and in our weakened states, we cannot change it back." "So what does this little delay do for us?" Matt asked, his voice betraying his despair. "It gives us breathing time," Judas said, his own expression resigned, "And a chance to deal with the Merge on our own terms... nothing more." "It's enough," Matt said, placing his hand upon Judas' shoulder. Judas looked at Matt's hand, and blushed. "I... remember what we were to each other," he began, stuttering slightly, "But I don't know..." "I do." Matt interrupted, with a kiss. Judas began to pull back, purely out of surprise, but after a splitsecond, returned the kiss with as much passion as he dared. Matt broke off the kiss, reluctantly, and Judas looked at him, his eyes containing both relief and disappointment. "I know," Matt sighed, "I want it too, but this is all happening so fast, we need to take it slow." "But you.." began Judas, thoroughly confused. "I know, I didn't mean to kiss you.. but with the Merge coming closer, the last thing we need to do is complicate things with a love affair..." Judas heaved a sigh, a sigh of such reluctance that it made Matt's heart race with excitement. "That's true..." was all he said. Judas moved closer to Matt and rested his head upon the taller boy's shoulder. "Can we go to sleep now?" he asked, his voice a pleading tone. "Yes, I believe we've both earned a little R&R..." said Matt with a chuckle. The two went up to Judas' room, on the unspoken decision to sleep in the same bed as they had not before. Without words again, Matt and Judas stripped to their boxers. As they began to remove their boxers, they looked at each other, blushed furiously, and kept them on. Matt lay in bed, and Judas literally crawled onto bed next to him, the day's activities catching up with them with a vengeance. Judas slept with his head atop Matt's shoulder. Matt stayed up a little later then Judas, sleepily combing Judas' silken hair, and gazing at the ceiling. The next morning Judas awoke to Matt looking down upon him. Judas suddenly recoiled from Matt, who got a hurt look on his face. "What's the matter?" Matt asked, reaching for Judas. "What happened last night?!" asked Judas frantically, seeing himself and Matt in nothing but boxers. "What do you mean?" asked a bewildered Matt, "We just slept! Do you remember anything that happened yesterday?!" Judas got a blank look on his face for a moment, then blinked once. As comprehension dawned, he got an apologetic look on his face. "Matt, I'm so sorry, I didn't remember anything..." he apologized. Matt rose from the bed and gave Judas a warm hug, "It doesn't matter." he comforted, "What happened? Did you have a bad dream?" "No dream," Judas retorted, a bit harshly, "I was just really tired, deep sleep does that to me sometimes." "Oh..." Matt replied, pulling away from Judas slowly. "Aw, damn," Judas said, "I'm sorry, I'm really not a morning person..." Matt wouldn't look Judas in the eyes. Judas, in desperation, planted a soft kiss upon Matt's lips. Matt flinched, then smiled broadly at Judas. Judas smiled back, then sobered quickly. "What? What is it?" Matt queried, looking deep into Judas' eyes, which were an uncharacteristic brown (if you can remember his normal eye-color, kudos to you!). "What are we going to do about the Merge?" he asked in a very small voice. "We seek outside help," Matt said firmly, "We don't have to do this alone. The other of the Hundred are bound to have noticed something amiss, and if they value their existences, they will help us." "A good idea," Judas began dryly, "But how are we going to get in touch with the others of the Hundred?" "We consult a psychic!" "Here in the world of Science?" Judas said incredulously, "Good luck finding a genuine one!" Matt laughed, "Of course not! We go back to the Realm of Magick!" Judas just looked at Matt as if he had grown another head. "How will we do that?" he asked, genuinely not knowing. "This!" Matt said triumphantly, brandishing the phoenix emblem. "With this, we have free travel between the planes, according to my memories!" Judas blinked once, then shook his head, "I'm sorry, my memories are still a bit jumbled up after being swallowed by Oblivion..." Matt just looked at Judas soberly. "Are you sure you're alright?" "I'm fine, I'm fine," Judas reassured him, "Let's get going!" Matt held the talisman up, and spoke the three Words of Opening. The air before them shimmered, and a portal gaped open, showing them the now familiar sight of their quarters back at High Tower. The two took a deep breath as one, and jumped through the portal. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ "What do you mean, 'you're fired?'" the voice was hoarse with disbelief. "I'm sorry, Rheanna, but the clients don't like being told unhappy futures!" the fat, balding man of 60 years replied. "Ben, when have I been wrong?" pleaded the young woman. She was scarcely an adult, a young girl of merely 19 years. She was very traditionally attractive, having long red hair, which was eerily straight and thick. Her face was triangular with large luscious lips and a small button-like nose. She had no real known heritage, being a mix of various ethnicities, which accounted for her unusual hair and beautiful purple eyes. Having run away from an abusive father, she now earned her living as a phone psychic and a Clairvoyant at a small Boutique. "You haven't, Rheanna, but that's the problem!" Ben replied, half-pleading with the young woman. Ben had acted nearly as a surrogate father to the young girl he had found on his doorstep, but now, with so many complaints, he could no longer afford to employ her. "How is that a problem?" demanded Rheanna, becoming impatient. "It's unnatural!" exclaimed Ben, grasping one of the few clumps of hair left on his scalp, "Clients hear you tell them what misfortunes await them, and lo and behold, every thing you say comes true! They are calling it witchcraft!" "Fine." Rheanna said, after a moment of thought, her voice cold and betraying no emotion other than deadly anger. "But let me tell you _your_ fortune, Ben Pritt." as she spoke, she walked towards Ben, who backed away, fear splashing across his features. "You will die, a miserable, broke man, and only the vermin who dwell in your house shall mourn the loss. Your children will be glad that you're gone, your wife will remarry within a month of your death, and your miserable remains will be left along by the carrions because it will be too foul even for them to touch!" with that, Rheanna froze, her eyes suddenly springing forth with tears. "Oh no... Ben... what have I done?!" she shrieked, as Ben's face became stark with utter fear. He gave her a _look_ that said, "Witch!" and he retreated to his office. Rheanna whirled about, and ran from the studios, ignoring the protests of bowled over people who stood in her way. She hadn't meant to See that. When she first met Ben, his fate was a happy one, he would die an old and rich man, and his wife would never remarry, and all who knew him would mourn the loss. As with all times, her bitterness at her unhappy childhood twisted the vision of all she Read, and now, the only man who treated her with any kindness was doomed to a horrible end. Her tears flowed faster now, as she ran down the street, lithely dodging the pedestrians, until she reached her home, luckily only 2 blocks away. She slammed the door shut behind her, and sank to a fetal position against the door. Her Gift had always ruined her life. In school, the other children avoided her, because anyone who got on her bad side immediately had a bad accident, usually involving broken limbs. At home, a temper tantrum at her mother had caused her mother to be slammed into by an 18-wheeler. Her father, who knew of these things, treated her harshly, and try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to use her Power against him, determined to never use it again... ... Then her father began drinking... He physically and verbally abused her, and often she sported black eyes or cuts. Finally, when one day her father was very drunk, he tried groping after her, and threatened sexual abuse... ... She was gone within one hour... For weeks she wandered, looking for shelter, food, anything at all. Finally, her wanderings brought her, weak with hunger and ill with a flu, to the door of Ben Pritt. Not only did Ben not turn her away, he cared for her, and he and his wife let her stay at their home for the 2 weeks it took her to get better. Then Ben had offered Rheanna a job as a phone psychic, "It's a sweet deal!" he had said, "All you have to do, is tell these people what they _want_ to hear!" The next day she began, and for a time she was truly happy. She had a good paying job, she had an apartment of her own, and adopted family in Ben and his wife Mary. Then, the nightmares began. They always involved her, and there was always a dark force, searching for her, and she always awoke just before the eyes turned to her directly. For 3 weeks the dreams plagued her every night and made her days filled with dread of the Darkness... Then like an angel, Gary came into her life. Gary was kind, Gary was handsome, Gary was charming, Gary swept Rheanna off her feet. Gary took away the dreams, and his touch sent chills down Rheanna's spine. He had confessed his love to her, she had confessed his love for him, and the two moved in together. Then, 3 weeks after moving in, Rheanna came with the news that she was pregnant... Gary had been delighted, and being a "gentleman" he proposed to her. She accepted... The night after he proposed, Gary drugged her drink, robbed her blind as she slept, and left town... Since then, she began drinking... heavily... She had a friend at the tele-psychic building who supplied her with it. Ben tried consoling her, Mary tried to convince her is wasn't her fault, but all of this meant nothing. She had had everything, then had it taken away... again... To top it off, the nightmares returned. Because of all this, lately, against her own wishes, whomever she Read, the fate altered for the worse. She'd tried to combat her depression and bitterness, but to no avail. Every caller, without fail, had his or her destiny altered for the worse. Now, she had lost her job, she had condemned Ben to a horrendous fate, and she didn't know what to do. She crouched there, crying, for the better part of an hour, until a buzzing sound from her bed reminded her that she was going to be late for her night job at the Boutique. The very thought of doing any Reading, however, made her sick to her stomach. She heaved a great sigh, and checked her finances. Since being robbed by Gary 3 months ago, she had accumulated $1023.45. She did a little mental calculations, and decided that it would be a great time to leave this town. She called the Boutique, and quit her job... /=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\ Judas rubbed eyes bleary with fatigue. He turned to where Matt sat, seemingly infatiguable in their search for a true psychic. "What are you on?" he asked, finally, with a spark of tired humor. Matt just smiled at him, "Call it neccessity, then." he replied with a giggle, "We _have_ to find this psychic, and quickly." The two had searched all of Faerun over the course of the day, using their own Talents to scan for full-blown psychics, or potential psychics. After 12 hours, Judas was ready to call it quits. The two now sat at the foot of High Tower, after having Scanned all the inhabitants, and all of them turning up null. "How is it, that in a world of such Mysticism, that there are absolutely _no_ psychics?" he asked in exasperation. "Psychic's are not of Magick.." Matt said, almost apologetic, "Psionics are purely by chance, it's just we assumed wrongly that in a world of Magick, psionics would be much more identifiable." Matt heaved a sigh, but nodded his head in agreement. There was a silence, as the two pondered what to do. "Well, we haven't explored _all_ of this world yet," Matt said finally, "Faerun is just one continent, we still have a whole world to find a psychic that suits our purposes." Judas groaned, "A _whole_ world....." Suddenly, Matt clutched his chest. "What?! What is it?!" Judas asked, panicked. "The emblem!" Matt reached into his shirt, and pulled out the phoenix, which was glowing even brighter than before. Dangling it from the string, Matt watched as it twisted and turned and writhed like a living thing. Suddenly, it pointed eastward, straight eastward, the string became as if it were of lead, and utterly unmoving. Matt experimentally turned the talisman, only to have it redirect itself sternly towards the east. "I believe we're supposed to go that way..." Matt said with a rueful chuckle. Judas simply sighed in response, and whistled for Draecon. "Argh." was all Judas said. Matt sighed in sympathy, and reached over and massage Judas' shoulders. Judas sighed in content, and leaned back. It had been a hard day. They had flown nearly 3 hours following the emblem, and it had finally led them to a small village of Dwarves, a rare one that was built above ground. The citizens there did not know what High Tower was, not being citizens of Faerun, and had resisted any questions Judas had asked. Three hours of negotiations on his feet, for the Dwarves would not let them sit, had left Judas stiff, aching, and with a very unhappy expression, but also with permission to explore the quaint village. The two walked carefully to each hut, and Judas Scanned the occupants, as they watched him do so with curiousity and no little hostility. When all turned up with nil in the way of potential and Power, Judas turned to Matt with an aggravated expression. "Why did the damn thing point to this place?" he demanded, forgetting that Matt really had no more idea than Judas did. "I don't know, maybe it wasn't directing us to a psychic!" Matt replied, pulling out the emblem again. The emblem still glowed, but now it pointed straight downwards. Matt pulled it up to his fact to look at it, and studied it for a moment. "Your memory must really be bad," Matt chuckled at Judas, "You didn't remember this inscription here." Judas, a little putoff by that remark, looked over Matt's shoulder and peered at the phoenix. Across the phoenix's tailfeathers there were some ingraved words. "Sensor to Merge." Judas read aloud. "Does that mean..." "A herald to the Merge is coming!" Matt finished, his light expression sobering immediately. "Everyone!" boomed Judas in Power-amplified tones, "You are in danger, leave this village immediately, please!" Everyone shuffled out of their huts and looked at Judas with curiousity. "Did you hear me?!" he cried, "Get going!" They just stared blankly. There was a moment of disorientation for all, as vision blurred for a moment, and suddenly everything blacked out for a nanosecond... ...As vision cleared for all, there was a collective gasp. Where a small straw and mud village once stood, there was now a stretch of a strange gray substance, surrounded by beautiful green pastures. "A-a r-road?" stammered Judas in disbelief. In the middle of the road was a strange metal object, roughly rectangular in shape, color red with strange circular objects on the front and back. "A car!" exclaimed Matt. A young woman, of around 20 years, stepped out. She had beautiful long red hair, and strikingly violet eyes. "What the hell is going on here?!" she demanded, a wild look in her eyes. "~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~" Thus ends Part 6, Chapter 7, folks! Aw, forget fixing it, I'm too lazy! Sorry folks, you'll just have to cope! Questions? Comments? Oh, that sounds so impersonal... If you... Loved my story, feel free (but not obligated) to write me and tell me what you think! Hated my story, you are obligated to write to me and let me know what I did wrong so I don't do it again! Have any ??'s on my story, you are obligated to write to me and give me a chance to clear things up for you! Are sorta indifferent..... you are obligated to write to me and tell me how to change you so that you love my story! e-mail (mine) = kaiser_cain@hotmail.com Please do not use my addy inappropriately =) Later! Matt