Chapter XXXI: If the Radiation Doesn’t Get You, The Mud Will ~J.C.

So with my plans decided I said my goodbyes and set off to find this professor bluebird fellow. “First I get saved by a fighter accompanied by a robot yoshi and a person very involved with his book, to my gear getting scattered, to trying to find a way off this doomed rock before it explodes. Hmmm I might be able to get some excitement out of this after all.” “I might as well try to get a good look of the area before I go wandering mindlessly around.”
I started climbing up a small ridge that looked like it would overlook the whole area. As I reached the top I saw a large forest and behind it a mountain range. “Well” I concluded to myself, “most caves are found in mountainous areas so going there first would be my best bet.” Just then something caught my eye, there were two bare spots in the forest. One was a large bare spot still smoking and the other was just a large area of dead trees. As I was trying to decide what bare spot to visit first some other detail caught my eye. The area that was composed of dead trees had a trench carved from outside the forest to the dead area. “That only leaves one possibility,” I quickly told myself. And with that I jumped down from the ledge and charged headfirst into the forest.
As I pushed the undergrowth out of my way I mumbled to myself “ It has to be my stuff. What other type of object could have made a trench like that in the ground?” “The thing that really confuses me is why would the center of the area be dead? Sure the impact of the pod would have knocked everything out of its path but what could’ve killed everything?” As I pushed the final bush out of my way I gasped, as I saw the answer to my question reveal itself. A small container with a symbol I knew all too well had been knocked open and its contents had spilled out. “Well that explains why all the plants are dead”, I told myself as I picked up one of the small objects. “ Most living things cant survive the radon emissions from uranium238 enriched rods.”
While I was picking up the rods and putting them into their radiation proof container I stumbled across a book more or less in one piece. “Instructions on the assembly of the Rad Particle Accelerator cannon” it read in big white letters. “Hmmmm another weapon of mass destruction my S.A.W.D.T. (science and weapons development team) cooked up. Looks like fun.” As I read further I found out that there were five main parts needed to construct the device. #1 Uranium238 enriched rods, #2 Blaster hull/outer shell, #3 Ion diffuser, #4 Acceleration chamber, And #5 The Charging chamber. “Well now that I know the components all I have to do is find them. But who knows how long that will take, most of my gear could be on the other side of the planet now.” “The best kind of action I could take now is to find that Prof. But first I have to make a pit stop and put these rods in my contain cube as to avoid anything else getting radon poisoning.
So soon I was on my way again and within a good twenty minutes I had made it out of the forest. The sight I saw was not a encouraging one. A giant mountainous expanse with caves dotting the massive rock formations. While I was pondering what to do next I heard something whizzing towards me. I turned just in time for a blob of mud to hit me in the face. “I’m dreadfully sorry, chap!” I heard someone say in the distance, but getting closer by the second. When I cleared the mud from my eyes I saw someone that I couldn’t describe with words. So I won’t try.
“Sorry bout that old boy,” he said. “I was getting bored so I just threw a ball of dirt that just happened to hit you.” “I noticed” I replied. “Well anyway everyone calls me C.R. and you’re welcome to do so as well.” Not wanting to be rude I told him “My name’s J.C. I’m currently looking for a bluebird who seems to have been holed up in a cave round these parts.” A bluebird huh?” replied C.R. “You could try that cave over there.” He pointed to a cave near the base of the mountain somewhat near the beginning of the forest. “And I’d advise you not to tell anyone about that weapon you are trying to assemble J.C. “Hey!” I shot back how’d you know bout th…. I started to question but when I turned around he was no longer there. “Weird” I commented. “ I’m going to follow his advice and not tell anyone bout the weapon, but how in the world did he know?” “He reminds me of one of those know all, see all type of people.” And as I ran towards the cave I didn’t know how close my guess really was about the mysterious person known as C.R.

(Don’t ask me why he went into first person for this chapter. ~Ed)