dp.6
MEGAZONE 23
"Character is what you are in the dark."
--Lord John Whorfin
The last tap had gone in that afternoon. The newly-
pilfered DECstation 5200, overthruster, was linked to the net
with an illegal Ethernet and powered by a tap from the
reactor in Washburn which was also extremely illegal; what
none of the NukeEng students realized was that the reactor
was no longer a puny Uranium-235 10-kilowatt reactor. Now it
was a radium-reinforced fission unit capable of powering a
Valkyrie fighter in sustained combat. (As if any Valkyrie
pilot would go into combat powered by a fission reactor.
Yeah, right.)
No one in the NE department noticed any difference; all
the extra power was going to power overthruster and an
assembly line.
From his headquarters in the (sub^5)basement of Alden
Hall, Largo watched as the last vid display went to static.
"DAMN! They're better than I thought. No," he reconsidered
hastily, "they're just lucky. Next time I won't
underestimate them," Largo sneered. "Entropy! Do you have
any ideas?"
"We could create more Boomers. Or perhaps some Invid,"
Entropy, aka Larry Foard, suggested, looking up from his
DECstation 5200.
"No! We must develop a better battle plan. These
Wedge Rats seemed to be skilled in repelling direct attacks.
We must try subterfuge. We will undermine their efforts to
stop us by striking at their weak points," Largo ranted.
"I don't know. I don't really have much against them.
After all, I am considered to be a Wedge Rat too," Larry
protested.
"Silence! I am paying you well! After all, it was you
who brought me to this world. You and your gweeping! If you
hadn't hacked your `overthruster' into `itsnotmygoddamn-
planetunderstandmonkeyboy' and started playing with clucomp I
would have never existed in this reality! But since I'm here
I might as well flex my muscles and take control of this
worthless campus. Once I control Whoopie Tech I'll be able
to use its resources to build the army I will need to control
the world," Largo euthusiastically decried. His face
darkened to an evil sneer as he finished with, "And now...you
know too much."
"So, what are the weak points you spoke of?" Larry
asked, utterly unconcerned.
"Their emotions! They actually care for each other. We
must find a way to drive a wedge between these Wedge Rats.
We must find a way to destroy this...Dirty Pair and use this
to destroy the Rats emotionally," Largo declared. "The loss
of those two women will deprive them of a good deal of their
combat skill as well..."
"Wedge between Wedge Rats? Sheesh!" Larry mumbled.
"What was that?"
"I said, `whatever'...I suppose it's up to me to find a
way to do this, right?"
"Of course. That is what I pay you for!"
"Fine, so leave me alone and let me get to work." With
this Entropy bent over the keyboard to overthruster and began
hacking the source to clucomp. "This may take a while."
Ben crawled into his sleeping bag, never more grateful
in his life for a warm, semi-comfortable place to sleep.
(Just lucky it was his turn for the bed.) He was quite
surprised, then, to be awakened a few seconds later by Kei,
who was crawling in beside him.
"What," he inquired curiously, "are you doing?"
"It's cold on the floor--you've got room," she replied.
Ben tried desperately to keep his head from spinning; he
needed all the brainpower he could muster at three-thirty in
the Oh my God, what are we doing up this late 'ning to figure
out what was going on. Could it be that this incredibly
beautiful girl from the inside of a hard disk found him--
short, squat him--attractive somehow? The very thought was
inconceivable. Women thought of him as a friend, a
confidant, a non-threatening male presence--never as an
object of romance.
It was at that moment that she shifted closer; before
they had been in the same sleeping bag, but separate, and the
balance on the narrow college bed was somewhat precarious.
Now she had shifted closer; all along them, there was
contact. Kei had removed her invisible polycarbonate-
laminate body armor; all that stood between them was his
clothing and her 3WA uniform. If he hadn't've been so bone-
tired, Ben would've found that unbearably exciting.
As it was, he did nothing but fall extremely asleep.
That was ok, so did Kei.
<<Save A Prayer, Duran Duran>>
Zoner led Yuri into NY8XW305 (well, that was the license
plate on the door; actually it was Ellsworth 7). Logan was
sleeping on the fold-a-couch in the living room. Apparently
he had anticipated being thrown out of the room by Zoner
again and decided he didn't want to be awakened again.
"Are you OK?" Yuri asked, concerned.
"Well, I have contusions, lacerations, two broken ribs,
and my entire body hurts, but other than that I'm just
F-I-N-E," Zoner intoned solemnly.
"Fine?"
"No, F-I-N-E: Fucked-up, Insecure, Neurotic, and
Emotional," Zoner answered. Yuri chuckled.
"Well, your sense of humor isn't hurt."
"That's about the only thing that isn't."
"Oh, really," Yuri said, a mischievous grin spreading
across her face.
"Uh, Yuri. What are you thinking?"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"MMgggaazznn, thht yoo???" Logan muttered.
"No, you're dreaming," Zoner whispered.
"KK..." Logan mumbled and rolled over.
"Let's go upstairs before we wake him up," Zoner said,
waving his arm toward the staircase.
"Okay," Yuri said, that same infuriating grin on her
face.
Yuri led the way up to Zoner's room. Once inside Yuri
closed the door and locked it.
"Ummm, Yuri. I may be naive, but I'm not stupid. What
exactly are you planning?" Zoner asked after noticing her
locking the door.
"Well, I wanted to tell you that you were great out
there today."
"And for this you needed to lock the door?" The reality
of the situation was slowly dawning on him.
"Well, no. But I also wanted to tell you that, well,
that I'm attracted to you."
Zoner took a step back. "Ah, right. Sure. Listen,
you're a fictional character and I'm a screwed up college
super-sophomore. I don't think this is gonna to work."
"Why not? You don't find me attractive?" Yuri asked,
mildly annoyed.
"Hey, whoa. I never said that. Of course I do. You're
interesting, beautiful, and being with you is certainly never
boring," Zoner defended.
"So, what's the problem?" Yuri asked again, walking over
to Zoner.
"I don't know. I was never one to just jump into a
relationship. This is moving a little too quick, my head is
spinning. I almost DIED tonight. Now, I don't care about
death. It doesn't scare me. But I don't want to die just
yet," Zoner emphatically stated.
"So I'm a hazard to be avoided?" Yuri asked, apparently
insulted.
"No, no, no. I don't know what I mean. I guess I'm
just surprised. Kei, well, I would sort of expect this from
Kei, which reminds me, I wonder what--no, I don't wanna
know," he said, lapsing briefly into It's-late-I'm-tired-I'm-
talking-faster-than-I-think mode before recovering and
continuing with, "She seems to move pretty quick, but I guess
coming from you it sort of surprised me. Especially since
you're so beautiful and this school has a male to female
ratio of about 5 to 1. You could have just about anyone you
wanted. So why me?" Zoner asked.
"Well, you don't run away when you see us for one, even
though you know about our past. Second, you're interesting.
I enjoy talking to you. You're a nice guy."
"Ouch! Nice GuyTM! That's almost as bad as having a
great personality!"
"I was about to say that," Yuri mumbled.
"And could you really handle being my SO? I'm Joe
Average when it comes to looks. I'm overweight and out of
shape. You always seem to go for, well, for.."
"Hunks?" Yuri ventured.
"Yeah, hunks," Zoner continued. "So, are you still
interested in me?"
"Yes. There should be much more to a relationship than
looks. I LIKE you. You actually talk to me and are
interested in what I say. You like me for who I am, not just
for my body."
"Well, I like that too," Zoner jabbed.
"Oh, really," Yuri said, that smile returning. "So,
let's see if I can make you forget your injuries."
"Wait a minute, Yuri, I--mmmpphhh--" Zoner's response
was cut off as Yuri kissed him full on the lips.
"Do you still have cold feet?" Yuri asked, a twisted
little grin on her face.
"Well, actually yes, but I think that's because the
window is open," Zoner joked.
"Oh, come here," Yuri said, pulling Zoner towards the
bunk.
Ben awoke at ten-fourteen the next morning, having had
the most bizarre dream of his life. Giant 'bots, lasers,
motorcycles, and God only knows what else. It was all a
purple haze.
A finger tapped him on the shoulder; he rolled a bit and
peeled his protesting eyes open. His vision got as close to
focused as it ever got without his glasses; Kei was propped
up on an elbow, grinning at him in that annoying way that
morning people do. Even with his unfocused vision and the
fact that she apparently had also just awakened, she was
beautiful; Ben was immediately quite conscious of what hell
he looked like in the morning, and immediately tried to slip
down into the bag again.
"Stop that," Kei chided him. "What're you hiding for?"
"I look like hell," Ben replied.
"Not to me you don't."
"Oh, come on." Ben surfaced, a tad of defensive ire
arising inside him. "Don't pull this routine with me; I've
been down this path before. You could have any guy you
want--don't try and make me think you find me attractive.
I'm not that stupid."
Kei looked hurt. "Why would I lie to you?"
"I don't know, but it's been done to me before. I'm
very familiar with the concept of cruelty."
"I do find you attractive," she said. "You're a very
special guy. For one thing, you don't scream and run the
instant you see us on the horizon, like most men."
"Yeah, well, I'm for certain not the kind of..."
"Hunk?"
"Yeah, whatever...I'm not the kind of guy you usually
look for."
"Let me let you in on a little secret. Huge, muscular
hunks are always either one of three things. Unmercifully
stupid, taken, or gay. You are obviously none of the above."
"Yeah, well, be that as it may, I'll believe this
particular bit of weirdness when I see it."
"You honestly don't believe me? Fine! I'll prove it to
you."
And with that, she grabbed his head and planted an
ardent kiss on him.
When she released him a minute and a half later, he let
out a small "gaaah?" and slumped back on the pillow.
"You see?" she said to him. "I could have any man I
want, you said so yourself. So why would I have wasted
something like that on someone I didn't find attractive?
Wow, you're paranoid."
"No," he said weakly, "I'm not Paranoid. Jen's
Paranoid. I'm Gryphon."
"What? I'm confused now."
"No, you're not Confused. Rob Crocker's Confused.
You're Kei."
"Gweeps," Kei said, shrugging, and kissed him again.
"Wait a second," he said, pushing her gently aside.
"This is... wrong."
"Why is it wrong? We're both mature individuals--you're
eighteen, I'm nineteen--we can make our own decisions. I
like you, you like me, where's the problem?"
"You're not nineteen, Kei...you're four days old. You
were created out of thin air on Wednesday, I'm still not sure
how...what I am sure of is that I'm the one who did it. I'm
your creator, for God's sake."
"So? Where's the harm? There's nothing genetic
involved, no precedent...I'm attracted to you, hard as that
may seem for you to believe, and you're quite apparently
attracted to me...so why not?"
He put on his glasses for a second and looked at her;
focused, she was even more beautiful. His senses reeled.
"Can't see me? Are you nearsighted?" He nodded. She
took his glasses and laid them on the trunk. "Guess I'll
have to get closer then."
"Kei--"
"Shh," she silenced him with a fingertip's touch to his
lips. "Don't worry about it. We're here, it's working, it's
right. Don't argue with it--you're only arguing with
yourself if you do that." She smiled a cockeyed little grin.
"So let's...experiment, shall we?"
<<Get Up, R.E.M.>>
He didn't make it to many afternoon Wedgely things that
day.