Chapter
XXIII: Semblance of a Plot ~Kyanosa
Kyanosa's first instinct when he saw Mr.
Very Pale again was to continue screaming like crazy, but he decided that such an decision was undignified and thus an objectionable course
of action for a person in a position as prestigious his. That and the fact that
he was busy chewing on his book, trying to get it to say more than it had been.
It was a dang good thing, too, if viewed in the long-term. Yelling might have
scared off Mr. Very Pale, but there was also the disticnt possibility that Mr.
Birdguy Scientist might have seen it fit to leave as well.
Names, he reminded himself, I have to start remembering names.
Before Kyanosa could spit out his book, Mazzic,
stepped forward and looked the two over, since the previous encounter had moved
too quickly for anybody but Mecha Vector to figure out. The pale guy was taller
than both of them, dressed in a red robe, and had thick glasses which glaringly
showed his eyes as they followed Kaia around. The other had similar fashion
sense, but was shorter and sported a white lab coat. Oh, and he was a bluebird
anthro. That's pretty important.
"Hello." The bird spoke first, apparently less amazed at the group
than the group was at him. Good thing he had decided to go with
More black stares ensued. After a good thirty seconds, Kyanosa looked over the
group and suddenly remembered that he and Mecha were the only present living
(God knows what ghosts were following them around) veterans of the whole
Havering thing, and only Kyanosa had the book. "We're on Zolott." He
beamed proudly.
"Good. Of what star system is Zolott a part?"
"We're on Zolott." He beamed proudly.
"Mmhm. Anything else?"
"We're on Zolott." He beamed proudly.
Mazzic smacked Kyanosa. "It might be in your best interests to remind him
that we're all going to die."
"Oh, right, death and all." He beamed proudly.
The Professor tilted his head. "Would somebody care to elucidate?"
Kaye spoke up, because she knew what that word meant. "Apparently, this
planet is going to explode sometime in the near future, and there's no way
off."
"Very interesting. Well, I would be pleased to
offer any assistance that I can. A portion of my extensive equipment was
inadvertantly transported to this planet in addition to myself. I trust nobody
would be adverse to a slight sidetrack?"
"We're on Zolott." He beamed proudly.
"Will you silence your perpetual ramblings, you insufferable excuse for a
twit!" Everybody looked at Eugene, who had even managed a quick fist shake
somewhere in that rant. He looked back, blushed, and slid behind a tree.
Oddly enough, he had managed to jolt Kyanosa out of his beaming trance.
"What kind of equipment do you have exactly?"
The Professor turned back to him. "I will not know for certain until I
return to the cave in which it is, but I am certain that is is enough for a
rudimentary transportation device."
"That's the problem." He opened his book to the last page and handed
it to the Professor. "There's no way to get past that energy field."
Oedipus sighed. "And trust me, there's no way to teleport through it
either." Nubi nodded in assent.
He read the text, stroking his...um...whatever passed for a chin on birds.
"Still, I believe that, given the proper power sources and materials, I
could fashion a method to leave." There was general cheering from the
group, or at least the members who were still listening. "What would be on
this planet that we could salvage for supplies?"
"Since Zolott is a ramshackle collection of various portions of myriad
worlds, the logical assumption would be that the majority of elements and other
materials can be found with relative ease somewhere on or just under its
surface, if not a part of the planet itself then stored inside one of the
structures ripped from their respective original settings."
This time, everybody outright gaped. Mazzic turned to the others. "You
guys heard that too, right?"
Kaye shook her head. "Heard what? I didn't hear anything."
Pyrina looked at him. "Maybe somebody here is a ventriloquist?"
Mazzic grabbed the back of Kyanosa's head and moved it around, getting a look
at all sides. "No intercom system hooked up. Lemme check inside his
mouth."
"How about everybody shuts up, aye?" Kyanosa pushed Mazzic's arm
away.
"Your analysis has considerable validation." The Professor nodded.
"I will return to my cave and take inventory." He reached into his
coat and pulled out a small metal box, which he handed to Kyanosa. "This
is one of a number of handheld radios I found in my initial perusal of my
immediate mechanics. I thought it advisable to carry one in case somebody lost
found my current headquarters. It will allow us to speak with each other
regardless of range or energy interferences."
Mazzic glared. "How come he gets it?"
"It's a reward for getting my head examined my you,
Mister Light Fingers." Kyanosa looked it over, then
handed it to Mazzic. "In retrospect, you have pockets and I don't."
The Professor nodded at them. "I will contact you momentarily, once I have
had the opportunity to decide what of my supplies will be most relevant to the
task at hand." He walked away, presumably towards his cave. The rest of
the group shrugged at each other (all at once, it looked really cool) and
shuffled off, hoping that they would soon find some direction in their trip.
Five minutes later,
He shook his head and walked after them.