Tuesday 24 March 2009

Communal Psychic Part 3

In the Dinas Sewers. It is pitch black and the walls creak and drip with moisture. Shift, in the guise of a rat is scurrying down a pipe.

SHIFT: Sqeyke! I know you’re down here. I need your help.

She scuttles towards a crevice in the wall from which a low snuffling noise is emerging.

SQEYKE: I’m not in.

SHIFT: Come out right now, or I’ll eat you.

SQEYKE: You really know how to charm a fella. You’re not in season are you?

SHIFT: I’ll season you in a minute. And then eat you and enjoy it.

SQEYKE: Alright, I’m coming, keep your tail on.

A fat grey rat squeezes itself through the wall and perches on the edge of the pipe. He starts to clean his whiskers, which are long and dark and droop, sort of like a handlebar moustache.

SHIFT: I want information.

SQEYKE: Who doesn’t?

SHIFT: Look, I need some information on a character who goes by the name of “Antihero.” Do you have anything for me or don’t you?

SQEYKE: I may do, I may not. What’s in it for me?

SHIFT: I won’t eat you.

SQEYKE: You wouldn’t eat me anyway. I’m a rat. Full of diseases.

SHIFT: How about a Mars Bar?

Sqeyke squeaks with excitement.

SQEYKE: You’re on! What do you need to know?

SHIFT: Who is the Antihero?

SQEYKE: Big man, metal suit. Thinks he’s better than other humans. Total arsehole.

SHIFT: What are his powers?

SQEYKE: Powers? Hard to say.

Sqeyke casually scratches his ear.

SHIFT: A finger-of-Twix hard-to-say, or do you just not know?

SQEYKE: I can find out. For two fingers of Twix.

SHIFT: You’ll get fat.

SQEYKE: Good. Anything else?

SHIFT: Where can I find him?

SQEYKE: He moves around a lot. He was up north, where the tunnel rats converge with the water rats. But that was a few hours ago.

SHIFT: Then that’ll be a good place to start.

SQEYKE: Don’t forget my chocolate. Usual drop-off point.

SHIFT: You’ll have it once I’ve chased this lead. It’s time for a bit of hunting…

She bears her little rat teeth and her eyes glitter.

SQEYKE: No cats in the sewer. You know the rules.

SHIFT: No cat would be seen dead down here.

SQEYKE: That’s not true. I’ve seen several.

SHIFT: I’m going above-ground for this one anyway.

SQEYKE: Good hunting. And don’t forget my chocolate!

Shift whips around and scuttles back down the pipe and up onto the surface. Sqeyke continues to lurk on his pipe, his beady eyes following her exit.

SQEYKE: Squeak?

A host of glistening eyes appear, dotted around the tunnel. A cacophony of squeaking greeted his question.

SQEYKE: Squeak.

….

In da Pit. Lyric and Wraith are in the garage of Super-Amazing Transportation Devices.

WRAITH: You’re not getting me on that thing.

LYRIC: It’s the fastest thing in here.

WRAITH: I’m not getting on any vehicle held together by the quality of your syntax.

LYRIC: You’ve never questioned things I’ve made before.

WRAITH: Why can’t we just take the car?

LYRIC: Because that’s boring.

WRAITH: At least we won’t be dead.

LYRIC: You won’t be dead if we take the bike and we’ll be there much faster.

WRAITH: Are you sure about that?

LYRIC: Come on, trust me!

WRAITH: If we die, I’m entirely blaming you.

LYRIC: Fair enough.

Lyric sweeps onto the bike in a stylish manner and pulls on a crash helmet.

WRAITH: If we aren’t going to die, then why the padded hat?

LYRIC: Because it looks cool.

Wraith reluctantly climbs aboard the bike. Lyric hands him another helmet.

WRAITH: This’ll never fit over my hair.

LYRIC: Stop complaining.

Wraith pulls the helmet on. His hair blocks out the visor.

WRAITH: I can’t see.

LYRIC: Good, good. Let’s go!

He kicks the bike into life and roars out of the garage of Super-Amazing-Transportation-Devices.



In da Pit. Chronal and Finesse are busy on the computers.


A phone rings.

FINESSE: I’ll get it.

SHIFT (via phone): Hello!

FINESSE: How are you!

SHIFT: I’m ok! How are you!

FINESSE: I’m fine!

SHIFT: Oh, good! Look, I’ve got something on the Antihero. The rats place him on the edge of the city a few hours ago. I’m about to head there now.

FINESSE: Brilliant! Anything else?

SHIFT: Apparently it’s a man in a metal suit. Big ego. Not very evident powers. At least, the rats didn’t recognise what he could do.

FINESSE: Do you need some back up?

SHIFT: Nah, it’ll take to long. Plus others will mess up the scent. I’ll keep you informed.

FINESSE: Ok, let me know the minute you have anything.

SHIFT: Laters.

The phone cuts dead.

FINESSE: Did you get all that Chronal?

CHRONAL: Yep, I’ve made a list.

FINESSE: Brilliant. Armoured villain is it? That adds a new spin onto what his powers are likely to be.

CHRONAL: I’m cross-referencing it now.

The two of them set about their work again with new vigour.



At a Den of Iniquity. Lyric and Wraith pull up on the swish motorbike and park near the entrance. Wraith immediately jumps off and takes off his helmet.


WRAITH: Urgh. Never again.

LYRIC: Come on, it’s not that bad!

WRAITH: It’s not exactly an inconspicuous way to arrive.

LYRIC: And you love the inconspicuous.

WRAITH: It comes with the territory.

They enter the Den. It is dingy and ominous looking. They approach the dark, sinister bar. It is being manned by a tall, baleful man.

LYRIC: Do you find yourself using more adjectives than necessary in here?

They reach the bar. The baleful man glares at them.

LYRIC: We need information.

BALEFUL BARKEEP: ‘M no grass.

WRAITH: ‘M Batman.

BALEFUL BARKEEP: (growling) What?

LYRIC: The Antihero. What do you know?

BALEFUL BARKEEP: I don’t know nothing.

Lyric puts a wad of cash on the bar.

LYRIC: Antihero. Anything?

The Baleful Barkeep pockets the cash and scribbles something on a piece of tissue. Lyric pockets it quickly and signals to Wraith to leave. They walk back out into the overbearingly sinister street.

LYRIC: Destination: run-down factory. Better call it in.



In da Pit. The phone rings.

CHRONAL: Hello?

LYRIC (via telephone): We’ve got a location.

CHRONAL: That was quick.

LYRIC: I know a Baleful Barkeep. And he knows everything else.

FINESSE: Let’s mobilise the team. Shift will be out of contact for a while, so we’ll have to make do with the five of us.

LYRIC: Scribblers Assemble!

FINESSE: You know, I think you like saying that more than I do.



On the edge of Dinas City, where the river runs close to the sewer. Shift, in the form of a bloodhound, is sniffing the ground. Eventually she picks up a scent and begins to track.

VOICE: Time to hunt.

Shift continues to track, getting faster and faster, her breath snuffling against the ground.

VOICE: I have you now.

Shift pauses and whines, looking all around herself. She transforms back into human, crouching low to the ground.

VOICE: I have you now.

Shift shivers and flails, as if trying to shake off swarms of parasites. With a ear-splitting scream, she collapses backwards onto the ground.

SHIFT: I have you now.

Shift slowly stands up, rotating and flexing her muscles. She looks down at her hands and smiles, a vicious gleam in her eye.

SHIFT: Now it’s my turn.

To be continued...

4 comments:

Quoth the Raven said...

Ooh, sinister cliff-hanger ending get! You've got to love the old posession plot twist.

List the Second:

1. My, what sinister rats. And that's not an everyday kind of sentence.

2. Wraith being blinded by his helmet so much love for Wraith being blinded by his helmet it is awesome and made of win. And I haven't laughed quite that hard in quite a while. Also, I fully intend to draw that with my shiny new pens.

3. Hello! Hello, how are you? I'm okay, how are you? I'm fine! Oh, good! We are such Bassaleg nerds. Also not an everyday kind of sentence.

4. Ooh, armour! I love armour!

5. They enter the Den. It is dingy and ominous looking. They approach the dark, sinister bar. It is being manned by a tall, baleful man.

LYRIC: Do you find yourself using more adjectives than necessary in here?


I laughed, loudly, out-loudly and above all, adjectivally.

6. BALEFUL BARKEEP: ‘M no grass.

WRAITH: ‘M Batman.


The thing is, in real life, even if we upgraded this situation to included guns, goons and Probable Death, you know he'd totally still say that. Your handling of Wraith in this story is an absolute joy to read, I love it.

7. What a remarkably melodramatic way to be posessed, mind. I mean, really. Flailing, screaming AND falling over backwards? That's all the cliches, right there. Although, maybe Shift is simply feeling a little bit unnoticed, since in the last portion despite her standing right behind him Chronal deleted her private sororital correspondance without even asking her. I'd try something desperate after that.

Woohoo! You're churning out this story at a fair clip. I do hope you'll keep it up. Well, not exactly, since by the sound of it that would involve you mainlining granulated coffee and finishing at about half five tomorrow afternoon; but I hope you finish in the next few days. Rest assured I will be bugging you to write more every second I'm near you until it's finished.

Blossom said...

Well keen on this! Lovethe portrayal of Wraith - great to see him having a little more dialogue and such a scary cliffhanger ending! I'm so excited there's going to be a possession story!! Although, funny you've yet again managed to write yourself out really early!! ha ha! Cool that Amity's way of getting info is to call everyone she knows! :-)

Steffan said...

This is great! As has been mentioned several times, brilliant Wraith work. Scribblers banter is when Scribblers is at its best, I feel, so I love all the Lyric-Wraith stuff.

Also loved (and shamelessly stole for Personal Pronoun) the idea of the Scribblers researching villains' profiles.

Jom said...

LYRIC: Scribblers Assemble!

FINESSE: You know, I think you like saying that more than I do.

I do!

I love the idea that Wraith and Lyric function like a grumpy odd-couple.

More animals for Shift to network with! Brillo Pads.