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rssnode_rudism.com_podcast.rss.xml (464864B) |
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1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/… |
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2 <channel> |
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3 <title><![CDATA[Rudism.com]]></title> |
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4 <description><![CDATA[The Rudism.com podcast of serialized short… |
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5 <link>https://rudism.com/</link> |
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6 <image> |
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7 <url>https://rudism.com/assets/podcast.jpg</url> |
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8 <title>Rudism.com</title> |
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9 <link>https://rudism.com/</link> |
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10 </image> |
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11 <generator>Podcast for Node</generator> |
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12 <lastBuildDate>Sun, 25 Apr 2021 23:15:03 GMT</lastBuildDate> |
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13 <atom:link href="https://rudism.com/podcast.xml" rel="self" type… |
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14 <author><![CDATA[Rudis Muiznieks]]></author> |
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15 <language><![CDATA[en-us]]></language> |
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16 <itunes:author>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:author> |
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17 <itunes:subtitle>Free edition.</itunes:subtitle> |
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18 <itunes:summary>The Rudism.com podcast of serialized short ficti… |
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19 <itunes:owner> |
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20 <itunes:name>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:name> |
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21 <itunes:email>[email protected]</itunes:email> |
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22 </itunes:owner> |
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23 <itunes:explicit>Yes</itunes:explicit> |
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24 <itunes:category text="Fiction"> |
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25 <itunes:category text="Science Fiction"/> |
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26 <itunes:category text="Comedy Fiction"/> |
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27 <itunes:category text="Drama"/> |
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28 </itunes:category> |
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29 <itunes:image href="https://rudism.com/assets/podcast-apple.jpg"… |
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30 <item> |
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31 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 6]]></title> |
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32 <description><![CDATA[<p>The station’s docking bay doors s… |
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33 <p>It wasn’t normal. Mining colonies in the Orubus Belt were xenophobi… |
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34 <p>“Initiating automatic docking procedure.”</p> |
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35 <p>The ship’s voice reminded Dak of his sister, to the extent that he … |
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36 <p>“What do your scans show, Aylix?” Dak asked out loud.</p> |
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37 <p>“There are three thousand seven hundred and three humanoid lifeform… |
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38 <p>Dak nodded. The station grew larger on the viewscreen at a steady pac… |
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39 <p>“I recommend caution,” Aylix added. “It could be a trap.”</p> |
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40 <p>Dak changed into his carbon fiber bodysuit while Aylix finished docki… |
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41 <p>“Best watch yourself here, stranger,” said one of the men. “We … |
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42 <p>“Appreciate the warm welcome,” said Dak. “Your message mentione… |
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43 <p>The miner who had spoken–a toothpick compared to his silent compani… |
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44 <p>“When she needs to,” said Dak. “Will she need to?”</p> |
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45 <p>“I reckon she will,” said the miner. “Come. The Foreman will gi… |
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46 <p>The taller, heavier, less talkative miner stepped forward and held ou… |
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47 <p>“No weapons, no job,” said the smaller miner. “No job, no rewar… |
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48 <p>Dak sighed.</p> |
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49 <p>The interior of the station was hewn from rusty metal pipes. The wall… |
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50 <p>The two miners led Dak up a set of rattling stairs to a catwalk overl… |
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51 <p>In the room, sitting behind a desk, was the most obese man Dak had ev… |
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52 <p>The miners waited outside the office. They didn’t bother introducin… |
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53 <p>“I take it you’re interested in the reward,” the Foreman said. … |
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54 <p>“Syphon,” said Dak. “Dak Syphon.”</p> |
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55 <p>The Foreman leaned forward in his chair. “We can’t offer currency… |
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56 <p>Dak put the bottle back down on the desk. “What’s the job?”</p> |
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57 <p>“There’s a large debris field on the other side of our planetoid,… |
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58 <p>“You want me to retrieve it?” asked Dak.</p> |
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59 <p>“Hardly,” said the Foreman. “I want you to destroy it, and idea… |
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60 <p>Dak blinked. “The… necromancer?”</p> |
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61 <p>“Yeah. The necromancer. A magister of the dark arts,” continued t… |
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62 <p>Dak crossed his arms. Was the Foreman pulling his leg, or just stupid… |
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63 <p>“He’s been sabotaging the station, making us look like fools when… |
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64 <p>“Kidnapping?” asked Dak.</p> |
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65 <p>“Aye,” said the Foreman. “Two younglings went missing from thei… |
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66 <p>“The necromancer took them?” Dak asked incredulously.</p> |
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67 <p>“Look,” sighed the Foreman. “I don’t need you to believe me. … |
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68 <p>“And the kids?” asked Dak.</p> |
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69 <p>“The ship is the job,” said the Foreman. Then he shrugged. “If … |
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70 <p>It seemed like a simple enough task, despite all the nonsense about n… |
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71 <p>Dak shook hands, then returned to the catwalk where the two miners wa… |
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72 <p>“Dak, can you hear me?” Aylix’s voice sounded in Dak’s head. … |
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73 <p>Dak sighed loudly.</p> |
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74 <p>“Never mind, don’t answer,” said Aylix. “I know how much you … |
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75 <p>If this colony was like the one he grew up in, then Dak knew the answ… |
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76 <p>“If they can walk, they can work,” the skinny miner shouted. “Y… |
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77 <p>Dak gritted his teeth.</p> |
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78 <p>“Those poor kids,” Aylix said through his lattice. </p> |
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79 <p>“Yeah,” whispered Dak, hoping that the clattering and hissing mac… |
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80 <p>“Did you say something?” the skinny miner shouted.</p> |
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81 <p>“God damn it,” said Dak.</p> |
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82 <hr> |
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83 <p>Calling the debris field “large” had been an understatement. The … |
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84 <p>“Any sign of the freighter, Aylix?” asked Dak.</p> |
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85 <p>“Scanning,” said Aylix. “It may take a while, there’s a lot o… |
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86 <p>Dak leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the cockpit dash. … |
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87 <p>“Was that anything like the colony you grew up in?” Aylix asked t… |
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88 <p>“Mmm hmm,” said Dak. “Not as bad though. They didn’t send us … |
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89 <p>“Did you work in the mines?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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90 <p>A distant memory forced itself into Dak’s consciousness. His Forema… |
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91 <p>“I… left before I turned fourteen,” said Dak.</p> |
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92 <p>“What happened?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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93 <p>“An accident,” said Dak. “My sister, she…”</p> |
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94 <p>“You mean Aylix,” interrupted Aylix. “My namesake.”</p> |
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95 <p>“She… died. I didn’t want any part of the colony after that.”… |
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96 <p>“And they let you leave?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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97 <p>“No, it wasn’t that easy. I had to…”</p> |
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98 <p>“Are you telling me the truth, Dak?” interrupted Aylix.</p> |
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99 <p>Dak remained silent.</p> |
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100 <p>“What did you do, Dak?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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101 <p>Dak shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut.</p> |
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102 <p>“What did you do to me?” Dak’s sister’s voice pleaded over hi… |
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103 <p>“Shut up!” cried Dak. “We’re done talking about this.”</p> |
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104 <p>“A probe has located the freighter,” said Aylix, no longer using … |
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105 <p>Dak leaned toward the viewscreen. “Show me.”</p> |
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106 <p>The viewscreen flickered, then centered on a large shadow, slowly dri… |
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107 <p>“Looks like a derelict,” said Dak.</p> |
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108 <p>“The probe detects five humanoid lifeforms aboard,” said Aylix.</… |
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109 <p>The math added up. One kidnapper plus four kids. Dak grimaced. Firing… |
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110 <p>“Move in,” said Dak. “Let’s see if necromancers answer their … |
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111 <hr> |
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112 <p>They had stolen the smallest mining skiff they could find, figuring i… |
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113 <p>“Relax, Sh’ren,” said Jotu. “If anyone was following us, they… |
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114 <p>“Did we do the right thing, Jotu?” asked Sh’ren.</p> |
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115 <p>“Of course,” said Jotu. He reached over and stilled her fidgeting… |
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116 <p>Jotu placed his hand on Sh’ren’s belly. “You’ve started showi… |
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117 <p>“But we have nothing, Jotu!” said Sh’ren. “Where will we go? … |
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118 <p>The door to the cargo bay flew open, and Taila and Koru burst into th… |
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119 <p>“No!” Taila cried as she climbed onto Sh’ren’s lap. “We don… |
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120 <p>“Yeah!” said Koru, puffing his chest out. “I hate the colony! I… |
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121 <p>“What have I told you two about eavesdropping?” Sh’ren scolded … |
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122 <p>“Yes, Sh’ren,” the two children said together. Taila slunk to t… |
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123 <p>“Such brats,” said Sh’ren, though her warm smile revealed how s… |
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124 <p>“I do too,” said Jotu. “That is why we can’t go back. What li… |
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125 <p>“Stop it!” said Sh’ren. She started weeping. “Just stop!”</… |
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126 <p>Jotu squeezed Sh’ren’s hands. “When you became their matron you… |
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127 <p>“But where will we go?” Sh’ren asked, staring hard at Jotu thro… |
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128 <p>Jotu let go of Sh’ren’s hands and looked away. It was time to tel… |
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129 <p>“Jotu? What is it?”</p> |
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130 <p>Jotu closed his eyes. “Before we left, I was in contact with… Wit… |
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131 <p>Jotu retrieved a small object from a pouch on his belt and held it ou… |
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132 <p>“It’s a communication device,” said Jotu. “I can use it to si… |
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133 <p>“Who gave this to you, Jotu? Who in the colony would dare keep such… |
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134 <p>“He is not of the colony,” said Jotu. “Not anymore.”</p> |
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135 <p>Sh’ren’s eyes opened wide, and the color drained from her face. �… |
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136 <p>“He is not what they say he is,” said Jotu. “He is my… He wis… |
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137 <p>“He is a necromancer!” shouted Sh’ren.</p> |
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138 <p>“That is not true,” said Jotu, trying hard to remain calm. “The… |
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139 <p>“Do not speak his name!” Sh’ren cried in horror. She put her he… |
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140 <p>Sh’ren’s quiet weeping pierced Jotu’s heart. His confession had… |
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141 <hr> |
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142 <p>After a cycle of careful navigation through scattered wreckage and de… |
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143 <p>“We’ve been spotted,” said Aylix. “The freighter’s hailing … |
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144 <p>“Bring it up on screen.”</p> |
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145 <p>A man’s head appeared on the viewscreen. A hood obscured the top ha… |
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146 <p>“Go away,” said the man.</p> |
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147 <p>“I’ll be happy to,” said Dak. “Once the children are safely r… |
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148 <p>“The children are none of your concern,” the man barked back. “… |
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149 <p>Aylix spoke through Dak’s lattice. “He’s bluffing. The freighte… |
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150 <p>“I’m not leaving without the children,” said Dak. He meant it. … |
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151 <p>The man on the viewscreen fidgeted with his beard, then his expressio… |
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152 <p>“I know they’re not dead,” said Dak slowly. “I scan all four … |
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153 <p>The man’s steely expression gave way to panic. “What? No, those a… |
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154 <p>The viewscreen blinked off.</p> |
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155 <p>“He’s powering up the freighter’s engines,” said Aylix.</p> |
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156 <p>“He’s running?” asked Dak.</p> |
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157 <p>“Unlikely. The freighter’s propulsion systems are too structurall… |
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158 <p>Dak stroked his chin. “What kind of engines?”</p> |
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159 <p>“Primitive combustion tech,” replied Aylix.</p> |
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160 <p>“If the propulsion systems are shot, where does the energy go?” a… |
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161 <p>“Nowhere,” said Aylix. “It stays in the engines.”</p> |
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162 <p>Dak’s eyes opened wide. “Does that mean what I think it means?”… |
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163 <p>“Yes,” said Aylix. “Judging from the energy accumulation rate, … |
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164 <p>Dak nodded. “Hypothetically speaking, how much time would we need t… |
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165 <p><em>“Hypothetically,”</em> said Aylix, “a hundred millicycles s… |
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166 <p>“So, another hundred fifty to cut through the freighter’s hull. W… |
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167 <p>“More like five hundred and eighty, now,” said Aylix.</p> |
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168 <p>“Do it,” said Dak.</p> |
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169 <p>“What happened to hypothetical?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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170 <p>“Shit’s about to get real,” said Dak.</p> |
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171 <hr> |
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172 <p>After she calmed down, Sh’ren left to tell stories to the youngling… |
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173 <p>An incoming message beeped on his console. Jotu reached back and clos… |
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174 <p>“Father,” said Jotu. “We’ve reached the coordinates. Are you … |
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175 <p>Kareth shook his head and frowned.</p> |
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176 <p>Jotu shifted uneasily in his seat. “What’s wrong, Father?”</p> |
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177 <p>“I can’t join you as planned, Jotu. You must use the stone as I s… |
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178 <p>“Why!?” interrupted Jotu. “You said you’d join us! We can’t… |
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179 <p>“Jotu!” Kareth commanded. Jotu fell silent.</p> |
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180 <p>“It is no longer safe to wait,” continued Kareth. “Signal a shi… |
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181 <p>“I don’t want to leave you, Father,” said Jotu. He fought the t… |
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182 <p>“Fear is a transient thing,” said Kareth. “You mustn’t let it… |
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183 <p>Jotu sniffled. “Yes, but you’re not…”</p> |
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184 <p>“But you overcame,” interrupted Kareth. “You were scared when y… |
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185 <p>“Yes, but…”</p> |
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186 <p>“But nothing,” said Kareth. “Fear must drive action, not inacti… |
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187 <p>Jotu thought back to the night he first found the stone and heard Kar… |
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188 <p>“Very well, Father,” said Jotu. “I will do as you say.”</p> |
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189 <p>Kareth nodded. “Jotu, my son. Before you go, know that I…”</p> |
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190 <p>A sound from behind Kareth interrupted him. He turned, facing away fr… |
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191 <p>“Father? What happened?” Jotu said, leaning forward.</p> |
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192 <p>“Why are you here?” cried Kareth, stepping away from the viewscre… |
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193 <p>Jotu’s heart raced. He slammed his fists on the console. He watched… |
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194 <p>There was a flash. Kareth toppled backwards and his arms flailed. For… |
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195 <p>“Father!” Jotu screamed. His breath came to him in short gasps. H… |
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196 <p>The smoke cleared, and a figure moved forward into focus–a man in a… |
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197 <p>Jotu’s eyes narrowed. Once Sh’ren and the children are safe, he t… |
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198 <hr> |
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199 <p>Dak didn’t like the look the kid was giving him. He knew that look.… |
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200 <p>The ship rumbled. A twang sounded above Dak’s head, and he ducked t… |
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201 <p>Dak took a closer look at the body on the ground. The so-called necro… |
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202 <p>“Time’s almost up, Dak,” Aylix said through the lattice. “Gra… |
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203 <p>The ship rumbled again. The ceiling in the corner of the room collaps… |
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204 <p>“I don’t see any kids,” said Dak.</p> |
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205 <p>“You’re right on top of them,” said Aylix. “The engines are b… |
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206 <p>The fog of dust from the collapsed ceiling thinned as it settled. Dak… |
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207 <p>“The engines have melted through their housings,” warned Aylix as… |
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208 <p>Through a small rectangular window on the nearest pod, dark-skinned w… |
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209 <p>“They’re in some kind of pods,” said Dak. “Too heavy to move.… |
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210 <p>“Come back,” said Aylix. “If the engines don’t blow first, an… |
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211 <p>Dak ran his hands up and down the sides of the woman’s pod, failing… |
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212 <p>“Dak, you don’t want to die like this. Not like I did.” Aylix w… |
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213 <p>Dak pounded his fist against the coffin-like pod in frustration. He t… |
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214 <p>Running as fast as his legs could take him, lungs burning as he gaspe… |
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215 <p>“Plotting a course for anywhere-but-here, top speed…” Aylix’s… |
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216 <p>“No!” cried Dak. “Not yet!”</p> |
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217 <p>“Those engines are going to explode any nanocycle now, and take us … |
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218 <p>“Wait!” Dak struggled to his feet. He felt faint, and his skin wa… |
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219 <p>“Use the pulse cannon, cut away the hull of the room I was in,” s… |
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220 <p>“Dak, this is crazy,” said Aylix. “You’re putting yourself in… |
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221 <p>“Do it!” yelled Dak.</p> |
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222 <p>The viewscreen lit up with the pulse cannon’s blast. A section of t… |
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223 <p>“Zoom in,” said Dak. The viewscreen magnified the blasted section… |
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224 <p>“Dak! You don’t want her! She’s not worth…”</p> |
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225 <p>“There!” Among the floating shards of hull, Dak spotted two of th… |
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226 <p>“Emergency protocols activated,” came Aylix’s voice.</p> |
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227 <p>A slight vibration rattled through the ship. The viewscreen became a … |
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228 <p>“Wait! What the fuck are you doing?” cried Dak. “The pod…!”… |
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229 <p>The viewscreen flashed, bathing the cockpit in brilliant white light.… |
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230 <hr> |
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231 <p>Two miners stood guard next to Aylix’s open cargo bay doors. The sa… |
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232 <p>“Where’s my payment?” asked Dak.</p> |
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233 <p>“The Foreman’s on his way,” said the smaller miner. Dak wondere… |
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234 <p>Why was the Foreman getting involved? Dak’s business with the colon… |
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235 <p>Every inch of Dak’s skin burned and itched. Daggers pierced his mus… |
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236 <p>“I don’t like this,” Aylix said through Dak’s lattice.</p> |
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237 <p>Dak didn’t like it either, but he needed the fuel and moonshine mor… |
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238 <p>“Mister Syphon,” the Foreman’s voice rang across the docking ba… |
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239 <p>“The necromancer is dead,” said Dak. “Pay and I’ll be on my w… |
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240 <p>“Ah, about that,” said the Foreman. “It’s my understanding th… |
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241 <p>Dak shook his head. “I shot him.”</p> |
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242 <p>“You have proof of this?” asked the Foreman. “How do I know you… |
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243 <p>“You think <em>this</em> happened to me in the comfort of my ship?�… |
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244 <p>The foreman scratched his chin, a smug expression on his face. His ey… |
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245 <p>“Seems I’m mistaken,” said the Foreman. “You were on the frei… |
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246 <p>Dak followed the Foreman’s gaze to the rear of Aylix’s cargo bay.… |
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247 <p>“I have nothing that belongs to you,” Dak sneered.</p> |
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248 <p>“Well, perhaps not to me,” said the Foreman. “A Takkah barge ca… |
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249 <p>The foreman nodded at the two miners. The smaller one aimed his rifle… |
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250 <p>“Dak…” Aylix said through his lattice. “Dak think hard before… |
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251 <p>“Exactly,” Dak said out loud. “Three…”</p> |
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252 <p>The Foreman looked at Dak and cocked his head. “What did you…”<… |
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253 <p>The smaller miner was the first to fall. A hole ripped through his br… |
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254 <p>“Two…”</p> |
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255 <p>Before the first miner’s corpse hit the ground, Dak hit the second … |
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256 <p>“One…”</p> |
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257 <p>The Foreman looked wide eyed at the two bodies, then fell to his knee… |
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258 <p>“Wait!” cried the Foreman. “Don’t you realize what Takkah wil… |
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259 <p>Dak studied the dark tattoo splayed across the fat man’s face. He w… |
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260 <p>“I don’t know,” said Dak. “Maybe something like this?”</p> |
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261 <p>He pulled the trigger. The Foreman’s body slumped forward with a sa… |
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262 <p>“Zero.”</p> |
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263 <p>Dak put his hands on his hips and turned to face Aylix. “Well,” h… |
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264 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> |
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265 <p>“They’re probably not going to pay me now,” said Dak.</p> |
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266 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> |
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267 <p>“We better get outta here,” said Dak.</p> |
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268 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> |
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269 ]]></description> |
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270 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-06/</link> |
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271 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… |
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272 <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rudis Muiznieks]]></dc:creator> |
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273 <pubDate>Sun, 25 Apr 2021 23:11:00 GMT</pubDate> |
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274 <enclosure url="https://rudism.com/audio/three-million-ce-ep… |
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275 <itunes:author>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:author> |
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276 <itunes:summary><p>The station’s docking bay doors s… |
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277 <p>It wasn’t normal. Mining colonies in the Orubus Belt were xen… |
|
278 <p>“Initiating automatic docking procedure.”</p> |
|
279 <p>The ship’s voice reminded Dak of his sister, to the extent th… |
|
280 <p>“What do your scans show, Aylix?” Dak asked out loud.</p… |
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281 <p>“There are three thousand seven hundred and three humanoid li… |
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282 <p>Dak nodded. The station grew larger on the viewscreen at a stea… |
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283 <p>“I recommend caution,” Aylix added. “It could be a trap.�… |
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284 <p>Dak changed into his carbon fiber bodysuit while Aylix finished… |
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285 <p>“Best watch yourself here, stranger,” said one of the men. … |
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286 <p>“Appreciate the warm welcome,” said Dak. “Your message me… |
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287 <p>The miner who had spoken–a toothpick compared to his silent c… |
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288 <p>“When she needs to,” said Dak. “Will she need to?”</… |
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289 <p>“I reckon she will,” said the miner. “Come. The Foreman w… |
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290 <p>The taller, heavier, less talkative miner stepped forward and h… |
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291 <p>“No weapons, no job,” said the smaller miner. “No job, no… |
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292 <p>Dak sighed.</p> |
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293 <p>The interior of the station was hewn from rusty metal pipes. Th… |
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294 <p>The two miners led Dak up a set of rattling stairs to a catwalk… |
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295 <p>In the room, sitting behind a desk, was the most obese man Dak … |
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296 <p>The miners waited outside the office. They didn’t bother intr… |
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297 <p>“I take it you’re interested in the reward,” the Foreman … |
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298 <p>“Syphon,” said Dak. “Dak Syphon.”</p> |
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299 <p>The Foreman leaned forward in his chair. “We can’t offer cu… |
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300 <p>Dak put the bottle back down on the desk. “What’s the job?�… |
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301 <p>“There’s a large debris field on the other side of our plan… |
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302 <p>“You want me to retrieve it?” asked Dak.</p> |
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303 <p>“Hardly,” said the Foreman. “I want you to destroy it, an… |
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304 <p>Dak blinked. “The… necromancer?”</p> |
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305 <p>“Yeah. The necromancer. A magister of the dark arts,” conti… |
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306 <p>Dak crossed his arms. Was the Foreman pulling his leg, or just … |
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307 <p>“He’s been sabotaging the station, making us look like fool… |
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308 <p>“Kidnapping?” asked Dak.</p> |
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309 <p>“Aye,” said the Foreman. “Two younglings went missing fro… |
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310 <p>“The necromancer took them?” Dak asked incredulously.</p… |
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311 <p>“Look,” sighed the Foreman. “I don’t need you to believ… |
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312 <p>“And the kids?” asked Dak.</p> |
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313 <p>“The ship is the job,” said the Foreman. Then he shrugged. … |
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314 <p>It seemed like a simple enough task, despite all the nonsense a… |
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315 <p>Dak shook hands, then returned to the catwalk where the two min… |
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316 <p>“Dak, can you hear me?” Aylix’s voice sounded in Dak’s … |
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317 <p>Dak sighed loudly.</p> |
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318 <p>“Never mind, don’t answer,” said Aylix. “I know how muc… |
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319 <p>If this colony was like the one he grew up in, then Dak knew th… |
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320 <p>“If they can walk, they can work,” the skinny miner shouted… |
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321 <p>Dak gritted his teeth.</p> |
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322 <p>“Those poor kids,” Aylix said through his lattice. </p&g… |
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323 <p>“Yeah,” whispered Dak, hoping that the clattering and hissi… |
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324 <p>“Did you say something?” the skinny miner shouted.</p> |
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325 <p>“God damn it,” said Dak.</p> |
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326 <hr> |
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327 <p>Calling the debris field “large” had been an understatement… |
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328 <p>“Any sign of the freighter, Aylix?” asked Dak.</p> |
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329 <p>“Scanning,” said Aylix. “It may take a while, there’s a… |
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330 <p>Dak leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the cockpit … |
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331 <p>“Was that anything like the colony you grew up in?” Aylix a… |
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332 <p>“Mmm hmm,” said Dak. “Not as bad though. They didn’t se… |
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333 <p>“Did you work in the mines?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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334 <p>A distant memory forced itself into Dak’s consciousness. His … |
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335 <p>“I… left before I turned fourteen,” said Dak.</p> |
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336 <p>“What happened?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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337 <p>“An accident,” said Dak. “My sister, she…”</p> |
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338 <p>“You mean Aylix,” interrupted Aylix. “My namesake.”<… |
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339 <p>“She… died. I didn’t want any part of the colony after th… |
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340 <p>“And they let you leave?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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341 <p>“No, it wasn’t that easy. I had to…”</p> |
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342 <p>“Are you telling me the truth, Dak?” interrupted Aylix.<… |
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343 <p>Dak remained silent.</p> |
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344 <p>“What did you do, Dak?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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345 <p>Dak shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut.</p> |
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346 <p>“What did you do to me?” Dak’s sister’s voice pleaded o… |
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347 <p>“Shut up!” cried Dak. “We’re done talking about this.�… |
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348 <p>“A probe has located the freighter,” said Aylix, no longer … |
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349 <p>Dak leaned toward the viewscreen. “Show me.”</p> |
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350 <p>The viewscreen flickered, then centered on a large shadow, slow… |
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351 <p>“Looks like a derelict,” said Dak.</p> |
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352 <p>“The probe detects five humanoid lifeforms aboard,” said Ay… |
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353 <p>The math added up. One kidnapper plus four kids. Dak grimaced. … |
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354 <p>“Move in,” said Dak. “Let’s see if necromancers answer … |
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355 <hr> |
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356 <p>They had stolen the smallest mining skiff they could find, figu… |
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357 <p>“Relax, Sh’ren,” said Jotu. “If anyone was following us… |
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358 <p>“Did we do the right thing, Jotu?” asked Sh’ren.</p> |
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359 <p>“Of course,” said Jotu. He reached over and stilled her fid… |
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360 <p>Jotu placed his hand on Sh’ren’s belly. “You’ve started… |
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361 <p>“But we have nothing, Jotu!” said Sh’ren. “Where will w… |
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362 <p>The door to the cargo bay flew open, and Taila and Koru burst i… |
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363 <p>“No!” Taila cried as she climbed onto Sh’ren’s lap. “… |
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364 <p>“Yeah!” said Koru, puffing his chest out. “I hate the col… |
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365 <p>“What have I told you two about eavesdropping?” Sh’ren sc… |
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366 <p>“Yes, Sh’ren,” the two children said together. Taila slun… |
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367 <p>“Such brats,” said Sh’ren, though her warm smile revealed… |
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368 <p>“I do too,” said Jotu. “That is why we can’t go back. W… |
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369 <p>“Stop it!” said Sh’ren. She started weeping. “Just stop… |
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370 <p>Jotu squeezed Sh’ren’s hands. “When you became their matr… |
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371 <p>“But where will we go?” Sh’ren asked, staring hard at Jot… |
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372 <p>Jotu let go of Sh’ren’s hands and looked away. It was time … |
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373 <p>“Jotu? What is it?”</p> |
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374 <p>Jotu closed his eyes. “Before we left, I was in contact with�… |
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375 <p>Jotu retrieved a small object from a pouch on his belt and held… |
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376 <p>“It’s a communication device,” said Jotu. “I can use it… |
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377 <p>“Who gave this to you, Jotu? Who in the colony would dare kee… |
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378 <p>“He is not of the colony,” said Jotu. “Not anymore.”<… |
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379 <p>Sh’ren’s eyes opened wide, and the color drained from her f… |
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380 <p>“He is not what they say he is,” said Jotu. “He is my… … |
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381 <p>“He is a necromancer!” shouted Sh’ren.</p> |
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382 <p>“That is not true,” said Jotu, trying hard to remain calm. … |
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383 <p>“Do not speak his name!” Sh’ren cried in horror. She put … |
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384 <p>Sh’ren’s quiet weeping pierced Jotu’s heart. His confessi… |
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385 <hr> |
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386 <p>After a cycle of careful navigation through scattered wreckage … |
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387 <p>“We’ve been spotted,” said Aylix. “The freighter’s ha… |
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388 <p>“Bring it up on screen.”</p> |
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389 <p>A man’s head appeared on the viewscreen. A hood obscured the … |
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390 <p>“Go away,” said the man.</p> |
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391 <p>“I’ll be happy to,” said Dak. “Once the children are sa… |
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392 <p>“The children are none of your concern,” the man barked bac… |
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393 <p>Aylix spoke through Dak’s lattice. “He’s bluffing. The fr… |
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394 <p>“I’m not leaving without the children,” said Dak. He mean… |
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395 <p>The man on the viewscreen fidgeted with his beard, then his exp… |
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396 <p>“I know they’re not dead,” said Dak slowly. “I scan all… |
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397 <p>The man’s steely expression gave way to panic. “What? No, t… |
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398 <p>The viewscreen blinked off.</p> |
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399 <p>“He’s powering up the freighter’s engines,” said Aylix.… |
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400 <p>“He’s running?” asked Dak.</p> |
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401 <p>“Unlikely. The freighter’s propulsion systems are too struc… |
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402 <p>Dak stroked his chin. “What kind of engines?”</p> |
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403 <p>“Primitive combustion tech,” replied Aylix.</p> |
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404 <p>“If the propulsion systems are shot, where does the energy go… |
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405 <p>“Nowhere,” said Aylix. “It stays in the engines.”</p… |
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406 <p>Dak’s eyes opened wide. “Does that mean what I think it mea… |
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407 <p>“Yes,” said Aylix. “Judging from the energy accumulation … |
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408 <p>Dak nodded. “Hypothetically speaking, how much time would we … |
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409 <p><em>“Hypothetically,”</em> said Aylix, “a hun… |
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410 <p>“So, another hundred fifty to cut through the freighter’s h… |
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411 <p>“More like five hundred and eighty, now,” said Aylix.</p… |
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412 <p>“Do it,” said Dak.</p> |
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413 <p>“What happened to hypothetical?” asked Aylix.</p> |
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414 <p>“Shit’s about to get real,” said Dak.</p> |
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415 <hr> |
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416 <p>After she calmed down, Sh’ren left to tell stories to the you… |
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417 <p>An incoming message beeped on his console. Jotu reached back an… |
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418 <p>“Father,” said Jotu. “We’ve reached the coordinates. Ar… |
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419 <p>Kareth shook his head and frowned.</p> |
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420 <p>Jotu shifted uneasily in his seat. “What’s wrong, Father?�… |
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421 <p>“I can’t join you as planned, Jotu. You must use the stone … |
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422 <p>“Why!?” interrupted Jotu. “You said you’d join us! We c… |
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423 <p>“Jotu!” Kareth commanded. Jotu fell silent.</p> |
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424 <p>“It is no longer safe to wait,” continued Kareth. “Signal… |
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425 <p>“I don’t want to leave you, Father,” said Jotu. He fought… |
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426 <p>“Fear is a transient thing,” said Kareth. “You mustn’t … |
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427 <p>Jotu sniffled. “Yes, but you’re not…”</p> |
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428 <p>“But you overcame,” interrupted Kareth. “You were scared … |
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429 <p>“Yes, but…”</p> |
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430 <p>“But nothing,” said Kareth. “Fear must drive action, not … |
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431 <p>Jotu thought back to the night he first found the stone and hea… |
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432 <p>“Very well, Father,” said Jotu. “I will do as you say.”… |
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433 <p>Kareth nodded. “Jotu, my son. Before you go, know that I…�… |
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434 <p>A sound from behind Kareth interrupted him. He turned, facing a… |
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435 <p>“Father? What happened?” Jotu said, leaning forward.</p&… |
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436 <p>“Why are you here?” cried Kareth, stepping away from the vi… |
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437 <p>Jotu’s heart raced. He slammed his fists on the console. He w… |
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438 <p>There was a flash. Kareth toppled backwards and his arms flaile… |
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439 <p>“Father!” Jotu screamed. His breath came to him in short ga… |
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440 <p>The smoke cleared, and a figure moved forward into focus–a ma… |
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441 <p>Jotu’s eyes narrowed. Once Sh’ren and the children are safe… |
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442 <hr> |
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443 <p>Dak didn’t like the look the kid was giving him. He knew that… |
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444 <p>The ship rumbled. A twang sounded above Dak’s head, and he du… |
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445 <p>Dak took a closer look at the body on the ground. The so-called… |
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446 <p>“Time’s almost up, Dak,” Aylix said through the lattice. … |
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447 <p>The ship rumbled again. The ceiling in the corner of the room c… |
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448 <p>“I don’t see any kids,” said Dak.</p> |
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449 <p>“You’re right on top of them,” said Aylix. “The engines… |
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450 <p>The fog of dust from the collapsed ceiling thinned as it settle… |
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451 <p>“The engines have melted through their housings,” warned Ay… |
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452 <p>Through a small rectangular window on the nearest pod, dark-ski… |
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453 <p>“They’re in some kind of pods,” said Dak. “Too heavy to… |
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454 <p>“Come back,” said Aylix. “If the engines don’t blow fir… |
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455 <p>Dak ran his hands up and down the sides of the woman’s pod, f… |
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456 <p>“Dak, you don’t want to die like this. Not like I did.” A… |
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457 <p>Dak pounded his fist against the coffin-like pod in frustration… |
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458 <p>Running as fast as his legs could take him, lungs burning as he… |
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459 <p>“Plotting a course for anywhere-but-here, top speed…” Ayl… |
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460 <p>“No!” cried Dak. “Not yet!”</p> |
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461 <p>“Those engines are going to explode any nanocycle now, and ta… |
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462 <p>“Wait!” Dak struggled to his feet. He felt faint, and his s… |
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463 <p>“Use the pulse cannon, cut away the hull of the room I was in… |
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464 <p>“Dak, this is crazy,” said Aylix. “You’re putting yours… |
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465 <p>“Do it!” yelled Dak.</p> |
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466 <p>The viewscreen lit up with the pulse cannon’s blast. A sectio… |
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467 <p>“Zoom in,” said Dak. The viewscreen magnified the blasted s… |
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468 <p>“Dak! You don’t want her! She’s not worth…”</p> |
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469 <p>“There!” Among the floating shards of hull, Dak spotted two… |
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470 <p>“Emergency protocols activated,” came Aylix’s voice.</… |
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471 <p>A slight vibration rattled through the ship. The viewscreen bec… |
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472 <p>“Wait! What the fuck are you doing?” cried Dak. “The pod�… |
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473 <p>The viewscreen flashed, bathing the cockpit in brilliant white … |
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474 <hr> |
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475 <p>Two miners stood guard next to Aylix’s open cargo bay doors. … |
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476 <p>“Where’s my payment?” asked Dak.</p> |
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477 <p>“The Foreman’s on his way,” said the smaller miner. Dak w… |
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478 <p>Why was the Foreman getting involved? Dak’s business with the… |
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479 <p>Every inch of Dak’s skin burned and itched. Daggers pierced h… |
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480 <p>“I don’t like this,” Aylix said through Dak’s lattice.&… |
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481 <p>Dak didn’t like it either, but he needed the fuel and moonshi… |
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482 <p>“Mister Syphon,” the Foreman’s voice rang across the dock… |
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483 <p>“The necromancer is dead,” said Dak. “Pay and I’ll be o… |
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484 <p>“Ah, about that,” said the Foreman. “It’s my understand… |
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485 <p>Dak shook his head. “I shot him.”</p> |
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486 <p>“You have proof of this?” asked the Foreman. “How do I kn… |
|
487 <p>“You think <em>this</em> happened to me in the co… |
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488 <p>The foreman scratched his chin, a smug expression on his face. … |
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489 <p>“Seems I’m mistaken,” said the Foreman. “You were on th… |
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490 <p>Dak followed the Foreman’s gaze to the rear of Aylix’s carg… |
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491 <p>“I have nothing that belongs to you,” Dak sneered.</p> |
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492 <p>“Well, perhaps not to me,” said the Foreman. “A Takkah ba… |
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493 <p>The foreman nodded at the two miners. The smaller one aimed his… |
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494 <p>“Dak…” Aylix said through his lattice. “Dak think hard … |
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495 <p>“Exactly,” Dak said out loud. “Three…”</p> |
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496 <p>The Foreman looked at Dak and cocked his head. “What did you�… |
|
497 <p>The smaller miner was the first to fall. A hole ripped through … |
|
498 <p>“Two…”</p> |
|
499 <p>Before the first miner’s corpse hit the ground, Dak hit the s… |
|
500 <p>“One…”</p> |
|
501 <p>The Foreman looked wide eyed at the two bodies, then fell to hi… |
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502 <p>“Wait!” cried the Foreman. “Don’t you realize what Takk… |
|
503 <p>Dak studied the dark tattoo splayed across the fat man’s face… |
|
504 <p>“I don’t know,” said Dak. “Maybe something like this?�… |
|
505 <p>He pulled the trigger. The Foreman’s body slumped forward wit… |
|
506 <p>“Zero.”</p> |
|
507 <p>Dak put his hands on his hips and turned to face Aylix. “Well… |
|
508 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> |
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509 <p>“They’re probably not going to pay me now,” said Dak.<… |
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510 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> |
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511 <p>“We better get outta here,” said Dak.</p> |
|
512 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> |
|
513 </itunes:summary> |
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514 <itunes:explicit>Yes</itunes:explicit> |
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515 </item> |
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516 <item> |
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517 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 5]]></title> |
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518 <description><![CDATA[<p>There was no doubt about it–the o… |
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519 <p>Zuli made the sign of the Prophets across her face and muttered a sho… |
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520 <p>“Are you certain of these coordinates?” Zuli said. “They are ta… |
|
521 <p>“Yes, I’m sure!” the old man’s voice came crackling over the … |
|
522 <p>Zuli frowned. She had no intention of breaking her promise.</p> |
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523 <p>“No worries,” Zuli said. “The Prophets shall watch over us, eve… |
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524 <p>“Yeah, yeah,” the old man’s voice blurted. “Just let me know … |
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525 <p>Zuli scowled and released her finger from the comm button. She made t… |
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526 <p>Zuli flicked her finger across the navigational chart on her console … |
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527 <p>A red dot started flashing inside the empty map of the Orubus Belt. Z… |
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528 <p>A distress signal! Based on its proximity to their destination, inter… |
|
529 <p>“What are you doing? Why have you changed course?” the old man’… |
|
530 <p>Zuli sighed. “No worries, friend,” she replied. “I have detecte… |
|
531 <p>“No!” cried the old man. “You promised to take me!”</p> |
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532 <p>“I did promise,” said Zuli. “And I will take you. If you are un… |
|
533 <p>“Gah!” the old man cut Zuli off with a frustrated grunt. “Do wh… |
|
534 <p>Zuli sighed. The ship’s sensors indicated that the old man was stil… |
|
535 <p>“I’m fine where I am,” said the old man.</p> |
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536 <p>The old man’s answer didn’t come as a surprise. He hadn’t left … |
|
537 <p>Zuli released the comm button and returned her attention to the main … |
|
538 <hr> |
|
539 <p>Desmond sat under the desert planet’s perpetual night sky at the ed… |
|
540 <p>“I am <em>not</em> eating one more of those… Those <em>things</em… |
|
541 <p>“Fine,” said Doyle, looking down at the mound of oozing baby sand… |
|
542 <p>That could take a while, thought Desmond. With an adequate supply of … |
|
543 <p>“Don’t worry I’ll keep my distance,” Sarah called back. “Th… |
|
544 <p>Doyle sniffed his armpit and scrunched his nose. “Oh, <em>you’re<… |
|
545 <p>Doyle trudged across the sand to where Desmond was sitting. He tossed… |
|
546 <p>“Is there anything we can do to get the stove or the bath back? Eve… |
|
547 <p>Desmond shook his head. “No bueno, bruh. There’s barely enough ju… |
|
548 <p>Sighing, Doyle collapsed to a sitting position next to the pile of sa… |
|
549 <p>“Nah, it’s one-way. If there’s a response you’ll know. Dudes … |
|
550 <p>Sarah appeared at the ship’s doorway. She stomped across the sand t… |
|
551 <p>“You know,” said Desmond. Sarah stopped, her back still turned.</… |
|
552 <p>“I think Heady would be pretty impressed with you guys,” continue… |
|
553 <p>Doyle gave a snort of laughter.</p> |
|
554 <p>“Fuck it,” said Sarah. She turned and sat down next to Doyle and … |
|
555 <p>Desmond looked past Sarah to the large mound of sand in the distance … |
|
556 <p>A sudden gust of wind from above kicked sand up around the ship. Bae … |
|
557 <p>“Is that a sandstorm?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
558 <p>Desmond looked up. “Nah, bruh,” he said, and pointed. “Look!”… |
|
559 <p>A glowing spherical craft descended from the sky, blasting gusts of w… |
|
560 <p>The sphere went dark, then a doorway slid open and a ramp extended to… |
|
561 <p>The woman made a gesture in front of her face with her hand, then sta… |
|
562 <p>Doyle jumped to his feet. “Yeah! Oh God do we ever!” he cried, an… |
|
563 <p>“Dude, keep back, we don’t know why she’s here yet…” said D… |
|
564 <p>“What? She got the distress signal! She literally just asked if we … |
|
565 <p>“Wait, you can understand her?” asked Sarah.</p> |
|
566 <p>A confused expression crossed Doyle’s face. He ran a finger across … |
|
567 <p>“Yeah,” said Doyle. “I mean, I know she’s not speaking Englis… |
|
568 <p>The woman spoke again.</p> |
|
569 <p>“That’s right!” said Doyle. “That asshole who took the Ark, h… |
|
570 <p>“Universal translator?” said Sarah. “What is this, Star Trek?�… |
|
571 <p>“Fascinating,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
572 <hr> |
|
573 <p>“The man who took your ship gave you this?” Zuli asked, turning t… |
|
574 <p>The man named Doyle stuffed two more green food cubes into his alread… |
|
575 <p>“I’m sorry but I have no idea what this is,” said Zuli. She han… |
|
576 <p>The man and his young female companion ate ravenously as Zuli watched… |
|
577 <p>“So the two of you were stranded all alone on that planet? You poor… |
|
578 <p>“Four of us,” said the girl named Sarah. Sarah pointed at the lar… |
|
579 <p>“Ah, yes, my apologies,” said Zuli, bowing her head. The translat… |
|
580 <p>The robot spoke to Doyle in their native tongue. Doyle nodded, then t… |
|
581 <p>“Desmond says if you’ll grant him access to your ship’s compute… |
|
582 <p>The robot spoke to Doyle again.</p> |
|
583 <p>“Also he wants to know if he can recharge somewhere.”</p> |
|
584 <p>“Of course,” said Zuli. “As you must eat food to live, your fri… |
|
585 <p>Zuli continued to watch Doyle and Sarah as they ate. The poor things … |
|
586 <p>“Baths!?” Sarah interrupted. Chunks of green food cube and spittl… |
|
587 <p>Zuli smiled and nodded. “Please, for as long as the Prophets’ pat… |
|
588 <p>Doyle grinned and nodded. Sarah shrugged and continued eating. The st… |
|
589 <hr> |
|
590 <p>Sarah stared awe-struck at a small nozzle jutting from the wall above… |
|
591 <p>It was the longest, most luxurious bath Sarah had taken in all the tw… |
|
592 <p>Sarah didn’t recognize the frail, alarmingly thin girl who stared b… |
|
593 <p>Despite her tummy ache, the bath had invigorated Sarah, and she decid… |
|
594 <p>To Sarah, the ship felt strangely reminiscent of the Nikola’s Child… |
|
595 <p>It felt strange to think that her life with Nikola’s Children was o… |
|
596 <p>After Sarah passed through the mess hall and into another hallway, th… |
|
597 <p>“Shhh,” Sarah hushed the rhino-pig as she followed the whispering… |
|
598 <p>“We’ll be together again soon,” the man said in a strained, ras… |
|
599 <p>The old man started whimpering. Was he crying?</p> |
|
600 <p>“Oh my child,” said the man. “Oh my sweet, sweet child what hav… |
|
601 <p>The ship trembled and Sarah’s vision went blurry again. Fear grippe… |
|
602 <p>The noise of somebody falling in the hallway startled Sarah.</p> |
|
603 <p>“What was that? Who’s there?” the old man barked. Sarah grabbed… |
|
604 <p>The sound of the old man in the hallway faded. Sarah stood and looked… |
|
605 <p>The sense of dread that had gripped Sarah intensified, but she felt c… |
|
606 <p>The billowing mist in the open container gradually thinned, revealing… |
|
607 <hr> |
|
608 <p>Doyle rolled around on the sweat-soaked sheets covering the bed in hi… |
|
609 <p>Laying on his back, Doyle tried massaging his abdomen, sending shiver… |
|
610 <p>His legs wobbled as he stood up. Clutching his stomach, Doyle walked … |
|
611 <p>Doyle stumbled across his quarters and out into the hallway. He start… |
|
612 <p>All Doyle knew was that bad things were happening inside of him, and … |
|
613 <p>As he lurched through the hallway, Doyle felt his body tremble. Was t… |
|
614 <p>A sudden jolt of pain in Doyle’s abdomen sent him crashing to his k… |
|
615 <p>Doyle struggled back to his feet and continued down the hallway. He r… |
|
616 <p>Doyle reached the mess hall and spotted some green food cube leftover… |
|
617 <p>“What was that? Who’s there?” Doyle heard a voice say from furt… |
|
618 <p>“Help,” Doyle tried to yell. It came out as more of a hoarse whis… |
|
619 <p>Through pain and blurry vision, Doyle saw what looked like an old man… |
|
620 <p>“Yes,” said the old man.</p> |
|
621 <p>Doyle’s spirits lifted. He had done it! He had found help!</p> |
|
622 <p>The old man, Doyle’s savior, spoke as Doyle’s senses faded and he… |
|
623 <p>“Yes,” the man said again. “You’ll do nicely.”</p> |
|
624 <hr> |
|
625 <p>“We’re less than a cycle away now, I should let the old man know,… |
|
626 <p>She sat in a chair at the center of the bridge, facing a large curved… |
|
627 <p>“My friends?” Desmond asked. He had learned enough of the woman�… |
|
628 <p>“In their quarters,” said Zuli, after glancing at one of the cont… |
|
629 <p>“They had, difficult time on planet,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
630 <p>Zuli nodded. “It is good that the Prophets led me to you.”</p> |
|
631 <p>“Prophets?” Desmond asked. The word Zuli had used was unknown to … |
|
632 <p>“Yes, the Prophets,” said Zuli. “You do not know the Prophets? … |
|
633 <p>Desmond recognized that word. Heady Armstrong, the Youtuber whose vid… |
|
634 <p>“Ah, religion,” said Desmond. “No, I have no religion.”</p> |
|
635 <p>Zuli nodded somberly. “Perhaps I can teach you of…”</p> |
|
636 <p>The ship shook slightly and one of the panels in front of Zuli starte… |
|
637 <p>“I do not know,” said Zuli. “A millicycle ago there was nothing… |
|
638 <p>“Something?” asked Desmond.</p> |
|
639 <p>“Yes,” said Zuli. She looked up at Desmond. “Oh! You are glowin… |
|
640 <p>Desmond looked down. Glowing blue lines had appeared, tracing intrica… |
|
641 <p>“Are we close to it?” asked Desmond.</p> |
|
642 <p>“Too close,” said Zuli. “I cannot stop our approach. The ship h… |
|
643 <p>The ship shuddered again. “Can I see?” asked Desmond, pointing at… |
|
644 <p>“Yes,” said Zuli. She made some gestures against the control pane… |
|
645 <p>“Is that it?” asked Desmond.</p> |
|
646 <p>Zuli nodded and pointed at the large darkened screen. “Something is… |
|
647 <p>Desmond looked again. There was a spot at the center of the screen th… |
|
648 <p>A series of whirring and clacking noises rang through the bridge. Des… |
|
649 <p>Even if Desmond didn’t know what that thing on the screen was, his … |
|
650 <p>“We should leave,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
651 <p>Zuli stared with her mouth open. “I am trying,” she said. An alar… |
|
652 <p>“What is it?” asked Desmond.</p> |
|
653 <p>“One of the ship’s airlocks is opening,” she said. “Your frie… |
|
654 <p>“Whoah,” said Desmond. He tested his control over his new robot s… |
|
655 <p>–</p> |
|
656 <p>It was a child. Or at least what remained of one. Sarah stared at the… |
|
657 <p>The sound of footsteps in the hallway broke Sarah from her stupor. Sh… |
|
658 <p>Sarah scrambled to another stack of containers. She peeked out from b… |
|
659 <p>The old man knelt next to his container and turned the dial to releas… |
|
660 <p>The old man tenderly lifted the corpse and cradled it in his arm. The… |
|
661 <p>The old man started walking back toward the door. Sarah crouched, get… |
|
662 <p>The high pitched bark was unmistakable–Bae had made the same sound … |
|
663 <p>“Filthy creature,” the old man said. The rifle fired before Sarah… |
|
664 <p>It felt like her heart had stopped in her chest. Sarah wanted to scre… |
|
665 <p>Sarah’s mind was a jumble–whether seconds passed or minutes, she … |
|
666 <p>It pained Sarah to think of Bae’s little body–kicked aside like a… |
|
667 <p>The ship started trembling again as Sarah stormed after the old man. … |
|
668 <p>The dim lights were flickering now, creating an eerie strobe effect a… |
|
669 <p>A control panel jutted from the wall behind the old man. Across the h… |
|
670 <p>Doyle!</p> |
|
671 <p>The old man continued his ritual around the child’s corpse, ignorin… |
|
672 <p>The ship’s trembling intensified. The old man finally glanced towar… |
|
673 <p>Now was her chance! Sarah charged into the hallway and sprinted as fa… |
|
674 <p>The inner airlock door hissed and slid up into the ceiling.</p> |
|
675 <p>Doyle didn’t look so good. He clutched his stomach and winced.</p> |
|
676 <p>“What the fuck, Sarah!” Doyle said. “How did you know that butt… |
|
677 <p>Sarah looked at the control panel. She hadn’t noticed before that t… |
|
678 <p>“You’re too late!” cried the old man. “The sacrament is compl… |
|
679 <p>The old man pointed his rifle at Sarah and Doyle and took a step forw… |
|
680 <p>The old man, still aiming the rifle, glanced back at the child’s bo… |
|
681 <p>“It was my fault,” the old man said. His demeanor changed–a pro… |
|
682 <p>Sarah inched forward while the old man’s attention was on the child… |
|
683 <p>The old man spun to face Sarah. The sadness in his eyes vanished. “… |
|
684 <p>Sarah saw the old man tighten his grip on the rifle. She shoved Doyle… |
|
685 <p>“Grab something!” Doyle shouted.</p> |
|
686 <p>Sarah scrambled toward the hallway and grabbed the edge of the inner … |
|
687 <p>“Blood for blood!” the old man screamed over the howling wind. Th… |
|
688 <p>As Sarah watched the old man’s body tumble away from the ship, she … |
|
689 <p>Desmond retrieved Doyle with one arm and pulled Sarah from the airloc… |
|
690 <p>The blue lines on Desmond’s body and the light surrounding him fade… |
|
691 <p>“I didn’t know you could do that!” Sarah said excitedly.</p> |
|
692 <p>“Dude, neither did I!” said Desmond.</p> |
|
693 <p>“Doyle did you see that? Did you know he could do that?”</p> |
|
694 <p>Doyle curled up into a fetal position and moaned.</p> |
|
695 <p>A familiar sound rang out from further down the hallway. Sarah perked… |
|
696 <p>There at the end of the hallway, a large sooty stain on her side, sto… |
|
697 <p>Sarah felt like her heart was going to explode as she ran toward Bae.… |
|
698 <p>“Aw, look at that,” said Desmond. “Isn’t that cute?”</p> |
|
699 <p>“I think I shit myself,” moaned Doyle.</p> |
|
700 <hr> |
|
701 <p>Desmond sat at the mess hall table and stroked Bae in his lap. Despit… |
|
702 <p>“So do you think you can do that blue glowy thing again? And those … |
|
703 <p>“I know right? But I can’t control it,” said Desmond. “It’s… |
|
704 <p>“What triggered it?” asked Sarah. “Something that old man was d… |
|
705 <p>“Nah,” said Desmond. He still didn’t know what the thing was th… |
|
706 <p>Zuli entered the mess hall, carrying a covered tray in her arms. “W… |
|
707 <p>“Did anyone see what happened to that gross corpse the old man had … |
|
708 <p>Doyle shrugged. “Probably blown out the airlock.”</p> |
|
709 <p>“I watched the old man go, but I didn’t see that,” said Sarah. … |
|
710 <p>“Where else could it have gone?” asked Desmond. He hadn’t seen … |
|
711 <p>“Anyway, what’s on the menu?” Doyle asked, staring suspiciously… |
|
712 <p>“Do not worry,” said Zuli. “The ship’s harvester drones proce… |
|
713 <p>Doyle sighed with relief.</p> |
|
714 <p>“I’ll eat anything,” said Sarah. “I mean, anything is better … |
|
715 <p>Zuli pulled the cover off the tray, revealing a steaming pile of baby… |
|
716 <p>Desmond looked down at Bae, who was squirming to get out of his arms.… |
|
717 <p>Sarah calmly slid her chair away from the table, stood up, and turned… |
|
718 <p>“Where are you going?” asked Zuli.</p> |
|
719 <p>“To the airlock,” said Sarah. “There’s a big green button cal… |
|
720 ]]></description> |
|
721 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-05/</link> |
|
722 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… |
|
723 <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rudis Muiznieks]]></dc:creator> |
|
724 <pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2021 05:59:00 GMT</pubDate> |
|
725 <enclosure url="https://rudism.com/audio/three-million-ce-ep… |
|
726 <itunes:author>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:author> |
|
727 <itunes:summary><p>There was no doubt about it–the o… |
|
728 <p>Zuli made the sign of the Prophets across her face and muttered… |
|
729 <p>“Are you certain of these coordinates?” Zuli said. “They … |
|
730 <p>“Yes, I’m sure!” the old man’s voice came crackling ove… |
|
731 <p>Zuli frowned. She had no intention of breaking her promise.<… |
|
732 <p>“No worries,” Zuli said. “The Prophets shall watch over u… |
|
733 <p>“Yeah, yeah,” the old man’s voice blurted. “Just let me… |
|
734 <p>Zuli scowled and released her finger from the comm button. She … |
|
735 <p>Zuli flicked her finger across the navigational chart on her co… |
|
736 <p>A red dot started flashing inside the empty map of the Orubus B… |
|
737 <p>A distress signal! Based on its proximity to their destination,… |
|
738 <p>“What are you doing? Why have you changed course?” the old … |
|
739 <p>Zuli sighed. “No worries, friend,” she replied. “I have d… |
|
740 <p>“No!” cried the old man. “You promised to take me!”<… |
|
741 <p>“I did promise,” said Zuli. “And I will take you. If you … |
|
742 <p>“Gah!” the old man cut Zuli off with a frustrated grunt. �… |
|
743 <p>Zuli sighed. The ship’s sensors indicated that the old man wa… |
|
744 <p>“I’m fine where I am,” said the old man.</p> |
|
745 <p>The old man’s answer didn’t come as a surprise. He hadn’t… |
|
746 <p>Zuli released the comm button and returned her attention to the… |
|
747 <hr> |
|
748 <p>Desmond sat under the desert planet’s perpetual night sky at … |
|
749 <p>“I am <em>not</em> eating one more of those… Th… |
|
750 <p>“Fine,” said Doyle, looking down at the mound of oozing bab… |
|
751 <p>That could take a while, thought Desmond. With an adequate supp… |
|
752 <p>“Don’t worry I’ll keep my distance,” Sarah called back.… |
|
753 <p>Doyle sniffed his armpit and scrunched his nose. “Oh, <em&… |
|
754 <p>Doyle trudged across the sand to where Desmond was sitting. He … |
|
755 <p>“Is there anything we can do to get the stove or the bath bac… |
|
756 <p>Desmond shook his head. “No bueno, bruh. There’s barely eno… |
|
757 <p>Sighing, Doyle collapsed to a sitting position next to the pile… |
|
758 <p>“Nah, it’s one-way. If there’s a response you’ll know. … |
|
759 <p>Sarah appeared at the ship’s doorway. She stomped across the … |
|
760 <p>“You know,” said Desmond. Sarah stopped, her back still tur… |
|
761 <p>“I think Heady would be pretty impressed with you guys,” co… |
|
762 <p>Doyle gave a snort of laughter.</p> |
|
763 <p>“Fuck it,” said Sarah. She turned and sat down next to Doyl… |
|
764 <p>Desmond looked past Sarah to the large mound of sand in the dis… |
|
765 <p>A sudden gust of wind from above kicked sand up around the ship… |
|
766 <p>“Is that a sandstorm?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
767 <p>Desmond looked up. “Nah, bruh,” he said, and pointed. “Lo… |
|
768 <p>A glowing spherical craft descended from the sky, blasting gust… |
|
769 <p>The sphere went dark, then a doorway slid open and a ramp exten… |
|
770 <p>The woman made a gesture in front of her face with her hand, th… |
|
771 <p>Doyle jumped to his feet. “Yeah! Oh God do we ever!” he cri… |
|
772 <p>“Dude, keep back, we don’t know why she’s here yet…” … |
|
773 <p>“What? She got the distress signal! She literally just asked … |
|
774 <p>“Wait, you can understand her?” asked Sarah.</p> |
|
775 <p>A confused expression crossed Doyle’s face. He ran a finger a… |
|
776 <p>“Yeah,” said Doyle. “I mean, I know she’s not speaking … |
|
777 <p>The woman spoke again.</p> |
|
778 <p>“That’s right!” said Doyle. “That asshole who took the … |
|
779 <p>“Universal translator?” said Sarah. “What is this, Star T… |
|
780 <p>“Fascinating,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
781 <hr> |
|
782 <p>“The man who took your ship gave you this?” Zuli asked, tur… |
|
783 <p>The man named Doyle stuffed two more green food cubes into his … |
|
784 <p>“I’m sorry but I have no idea what this is,” said Zuli. S… |
|
785 <p>The man and his young female companion ate ravenously as Zuli w… |
|
786 <p>“So the two of you were stranded all alone on that planet? Yo… |
|
787 <p>“Four of us,” said the girl named Sarah. Sarah pointed at t… |
|
788 <p>“Ah, yes, my apologies,” said Zuli, bowing her head. The tr… |
|
789 <p>The robot spoke to Doyle in their native tongue. Doyle nodded, … |
|
790 <p>“Desmond says if you’ll grant him access to your ship’s c… |
|
791 <p>The robot spoke to Doyle again.</p> |
|
792 <p>“Also he wants to know if he can recharge somewhere.”</p… |
|
793 <p>“Of course,” said Zuli. “As you must eat food to live, yo… |
|
794 <p>Zuli continued to watch Doyle and Sarah as they ate. The poor t… |
|
795 <p>“Baths!?” Sarah interrupted. Chunks of green food cube and … |
|
796 <p>Zuli smiled and nodded. “Please, for as long as the Prophets�… |
|
797 <p>Doyle grinned and nodded. Sarah shrugged and continued eating. … |
|
798 <hr> |
|
799 <p>Sarah stared awe-struck at a small nozzle jutting from the wall… |
|
800 <p>It was the longest, most luxurious bath Sarah had taken in all … |
|
801 <p>Sarah didn’t recognize the frail, alarmingly thin girl who st… |
|
802 <p>Despite her tummy ache, the bath had invigorated Sarah, and she… |
|
803 <p>To Sarah, the ship felt strangely reminiscent of the Nikola’s… |
|
804 <p>It felt strange to think that her life with Nikola’s Children… |
|
805 <p>After Sarah passed through the mess hall and into another hallw… |
|
806 <p>“Shhh,” Sarah hushed the rhino-pig as she followed the whis… |
|
807 <p>“We’ll be together again soon,” the man said in a straine… |
|
808 <p>The old man started whimpering. Was he crying?</p> |
|
809 <p>“Oh my child,” said the man. “Oh my sweet, sweet child wh… |
|
810 <p>The ship trembled and Sarah’s vision went blurry again. Fear … |
|
811 <p>The noise of somebody falling in the hallway startled Sarah.<… |
|
812 <p>“What was that? Who’s there?” the old man barked. Sarah g… |
|
813 <p>The sound of the old man in the hallway faded. Sarah stood and … |
|
814 <p>The sense of dread that had gripped Sarah intensified, but she … |
|
815 <p>The billowing mist in the open container gradually thinned, rev… |
|
816 <hr> |
|
817 <p>Doyle rolled around on the sweat-soaked sheets covering the bed… |
|
818 <p>Laying on his back, Doyle tried massaging his abdomen, sending … |
|
819 <p>His legs wobbled as he stood up. Clutching his stomach, Doyle w… |
|
820 <p>Doyle stumbled across his quarters and out into the hallway. He… |
|
821 <p>All Doyle knew was that bad things were happening inside of him… |
|
822 <p>As he lurched through the hallway, Doyle felt his body tremble.… |
|
823 <p>A sudden jolt of pain in Doyle’s abdomen sent him crashing to… |
|
824 <p>Doyle struggled back to his feet and continued down the hallway… |
|
825 <p>Doyle reached the mess hall and spotted some green food cube le… |
|
826 <p>“What was that? Who’s there?” Doyle heard a voice say fro… |
|
827 <p>“Help,” Doyle tried to yell. It came out as more of a hoars… |
|
828 <p>Through pain and blurry vision, Doyle saw what looked like an o… |
|
829 <p>“Yes,” said the old man.</p> |
|
830 <p>Doyle’s spirits lifted. He had done it! He had found help!<… |
|
831 <p>The old man, Doyle’s savior, spoke as Doyle’s senses faded … |
|
832 <p>“Yes,” the man said again. “You’ll do nicely.”</p&… |
|
833 <hr> |
|
834 <p>“We’re less than a cycle away now, I should let the old man… |
|
835 <p>She sat in a chair at the center of the bridge, facing a large … |
|
836 <p>“My friends?” Desmond asked. He had learned enough of the w… |
|
837 <p>“In their quarters,” said Zuli, after glancing at one of th… |
|
838 <p>“They had, difficult time on planet,” said Desmond.</p&g… |
|
839 <p>Zuli nodded. “It is good that the Prophets led me to you.”&… |
|
840 <p>“Prophets?” Desmond asked. The word Zuli had used was unkno… |
|
841 <p>“Yes, the Prophets,” said Zuli. “You do not know the Prop… |
|
842 <p>Desmond recognized that word. Heady Armstrong, the Youtuber who… |
|
843 <p>“Ah, religion,” said Desmond. “No, I have no religion.”… |
|
844 <p>Zuli nodded somberly. “Perhaps I can teach you of…”</p… |
|
845 <p>The ship shook slightly and one of the panels in front of Zuli … |
|
846 <p>“I do not know,” said Zuli. “A millicycle ago there was n… |
|
847 <p>“Something?” asked Desmond.</p> |
|
848 <p>“Yes,” said Zuli. She looked up at Desmond. “Oh! You are … |
|
849 <p>Desmond looked down. Glowing blue lines had appeared, tracing i… |
|
850 <p>“Are we close to it?” asked Desmond.</p> |
|
851 <p>“Too close,” said Zuli. “I cannot stop our approach. The … |
|
852 <p>The ship shuddered again. “Can I see?” asked Desmond, point… |
|
853 <p>“Yes,” said Zuli. She made some gestures against the contro… |
|
854 <p>“Is that it?” asked Desmond.</p> |
|
855 <p>Zuli nodded and pointed at the large darkened screen. “Someth… |
|
856 <p>Desmond looked again. There was a spot at the center of the scr… |
|
857 <p>A series of whirring and clacking noises rang through the bridg… |
|
858 <p>Even if Desmond didn’t know what that thing on the screen was… |
|
859 <p>“We should leave,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
860 <p>Zuli stared with her mouth open. “I am trying,” she said. A… |
|
861 <p>“What is it?” asked Desmond.</p> |
|
862 <p>“One of the ship’s airlocks is opening,” she said. “You… |
|
863 <p>“Whoah,” said Desmond. He tested his control over his new r… |
|
864 <p>–</p> |
|
865 <p>It was a child. Or at least what remained of one. Sarah stared … |
|
866 <p>The sound of footsteps in the hallway broke Sarah from her stup… |
|
867 <p>Sarah scrambled to another stack of containers. She peeked out … |
|
868 <p>The old man knelt next to his container and turned the dial to … |
|
869 <p>The old man tenderly lifted the corpse and cradled it in his ar… |
|
870 <p>The old man started walking back toward the door. Sarah crouche… |
|
871 <p>The high pitched bark was unmistakable–Bae had made the same … |
|
872 <p>“Filthy creature,” the old man said. The rifle fired before… |
|
873 <p>It felt like her heart had stopped in her chest. Sarah wanted t… |
|
874 <p>Sarah’s mind was a jumble–whether seconds passed or minutes… |
|
875 <p>It pained Sarah to think of Bae’s little body–kicked aside … |
|
876 <p>The ship started trembling again as Sarah stormed after the old… |
|
877 <p>The dim lights were flickering now, creating an eerie strobe ef… |
|
878 <p>A control panel jutted from the wall behind the old man. Across… |
|
879 <p>Doyle!</p> |
|
880 <p>The old man continued his ritual around the child’s corpse, i… |
|
881 <p>The ship’s trembling intensified. The old man finally glanced… |
|
882 <p>Now was her chance! Sarah charged into the hallway and sprinted… |
|
883 <p>The inner airlock door hissed and slid up into the ceiling.<… |
|
884 <p>Doyle didn’t look so good. He clutched his stomach and winced… |
|
885 <p>“What the fuck, Sarah!” Doyle said. “How did you know tha… |
|
886 <p>Sarah looked at the control panel. She hadn’t noticed before … |
|
887 <p>“You’re too late!” cried the old man. “The sacrament is… |
|
888 <p>The old man pointed his rifle at Sarah and Doyle and took a ste… |
|
889 <p>The old man, still aiming the rifle, glanced back at the child�… |
|
890 <p>“It was my fault,” the old man said. His demeanor changed�… |
|
891 <p>Sarah inched forward while the old man’s attention was on the… |
|
892 <p>The old man spun to face Sarah. The sadness in his eyes vanishe… |
|
893 <p>Sarah saw the old man tighten his grip on the rifle. She shoved… |
|
894 <p>“Grab something!” Doyle shouted.</p> |
|
895 <p>Sarah scrambled toward the hallway and grabbed the edge of the … |
|
896 <p>“Blood for blood!” the old man screamed over the howling wi… |
|
897 <p>As Sarah watched the old man’s body tumble away from the ship… |
|
898 <p>Desmond retrieved Doyle with one arm and pulled Sarah from the … |
|
899 <p>The blue lines on Desmond’s body and the light surrounding hi… |
|
900 <p>“I didn’t know you could do that!” Sarah said excitedly.&… |
|
901 <p>“Dude, neither did I!” said Desmond.</p> |
|
902 <p>“Doyle did you see that? Did you know he could do that?”<… |
|
903 <p>Doyle curled up into a fetal position and moaned.</p> |
|
904 <p>A familiar sound rang out from further down the hallway. Sarah … |
|
905 <p>There at the end of the hallway, a large sooty stain on her sid… |
|
906 <p>Sarah felt like her heart was going to explode as she ran towar… |
|
907 <p>“Aw, look at that,” said Desmond. “Isn’t that cute?”&… |
|
908 <p>“I think I shit myself,” moaned Doyle.</p> |
|
909 <hr> |
|
910 <p>Desmond sat at the mess hall table and stroked Bae in his lap. … |
|
911 <p>“So do you think you can do that blue glowy thing again? And … |
|
912 <p>“I know right? But I can’t control it,” said Desmond. “… |
|
913 <p>“What triggered it?” asked Sarah. “Something that old man… |
|
914 <p>“Nah,” said Desmond. He still didn’t know what the thing … |
|
915 <p>Zuli entered the mess hall, carrying a covered tray in her arms… |
|
916 <p>“Did anyone see what happened to that gross corpse the old ma… |
|
917 <p>Doyle shrugged. “Probably blown out the airlock.”</p> |
|
918 <p>“I watched the old man go, but I didn’t see that,” said S… |
|
919 <p>“Where else could it have gone?” asked Desmond. He hadn’t… |
|
920 <p>“Anyway, what’s on the menu?” Doyle asked, staring suspic… |
|
921 <p>“Do not worry,” said Zuli. “The ship’s harvester drones… |
|
922 <p>Doyle sighed with relief.</p> |
|
923 <p>“I’ll eat anything,” said Sarah. “I mean, anything is b… |
|
924 <p>Zuli pulled the cover off the tray, revealing a steaming pile o… |
|
925 <p>Desmond looked down at Bae, who was squirming to get out of his… |
|
926 <p>Sarah calmly slid her chair away from the table, stood up, and … |
|
927 <p>“Where are you going?” asked Zuli.</p> |
|
928 <p>“To the airlock,” said Sarah. “There’s a big green butt… |
|
929 </itunes:summary> |
|
930 <itunes:explicit>Yes</itunes:explicit> |
|
931 </item> |
|
932 <item> |
|
933 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 4]]></title> |
|
934 <description><![CDATA[<p>A hook formed out of thin wire carv… |
|
935 <p>The sound of shifting sand came from the loose end of the wire. Doyle… |
|
936 <p>“Come on you little bastard,” whispered Doyle.</p> |
|
937 <p>A small hole appeared in the ground next to the wire, and a pale fing… |
|
938 <p>Doyle sneered at the pile of dead worms. That last one made two dozen… |
|
939 <p>Doyle and Sarah had been ecstatic when they first discovered the crea… |
|
940 <p>Fuller bellies and clearer heads ushered in the realization that the … |
|
941 <p>“How many is that, my dude?”</p> |
|
942 <p>Doyle looked over at the pile of cables and computer components that … |
|
943 <p>“About two dozen,” said Doyle. “Should be more than enough. Yes… |
|
944 <p>“Shit, bro,” said Desmond. “I wish I could do more to help you … |
|
945 <p>Sighing, Doyle glanced over at the derelict spaceship that he, Sarah,… |
|
946 <p>And best of all, it had power.</p> |
|
947 <p>Somewhere deep in the ship’s guts was a backup power source. A powe… |
|
948 <p>Despite it’s odd proportions, Desmond had claimed the ship’s tech… |
|
949 <p>“You’re not useless, Des,” said Doyle. “In fact if you can fi… |
|
950 <p>“Not yet,” said Desmond. “And you should probably do that on th… |
|
951 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
952 <p>“The ship’s water supply isn’t what it was when we first found … |
|
953 <p>“No way to… Wait, what?”</p> |
|
954 <p>“All waste water in the ship is purified and re-circulated,” said… |
|
955 <p>“So, you mean we’ve been drinking our own…?”</p> |
|
956 <p>“Yeah. Well, not just yours. Obviously the ship’s previous crew w… |
|
957 <p>Doyle’s eyes widened. “So, the bath… We’re bathing in…”</… |
|
958 <p>“Recycled urine,” Desmond said matter-of-factly.</p> |
|
959 <p>“Do <em>not</em> tell any of this to Sarah,” said Doyle. He was c… |
|
960 <p>Doyle zipped his pants back up, deciding to wait. As disturbing as it… |
|
961 <p>“I have been making some progress on that other thing,” said Desm… |
|
962 <p>“What?” asked Doyle. He narrowed his eyes and glared down at the … |
|
963 <p>Doyle looked to the far corner of the ship’s cabin–the corner tha… |
|
964 <p>“Just watch this,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
965 <p>Two blue lights appeared on the smooth surface of the statue’s head… |
|
966 <p>“Wow,” said Doyle. “Uh, neat. Its eyes light up.”</p> |
|
967 <p>“Yeah!” said Desmond with alacrity. “And that’s not all, watc… |
|
968 <p>As Doyle watched, either the eye lights moved across the surface or t… |
|
969 <p>“Huh,” said Doyle. “Can it walk, or do something useful?”</p> |
|
970 <p>“Not yet!” said Desmond. “But I’m close to…”</p> |
|
971 <p>“That’s great,” Doyle cut him off. “Just make sure you’re n… |
|
972 <p>“Yeah, yeah,” said Desmond. Doyle didn’t know if artificial int… |
|
973 <p>“Sarah should be back from scouting the city soon,” said Doyle. �… |
|
974 <p>“Oh, by the way,” said Desmond, “I’ve been noticing something… |
|
975 <p>“Oh?” said Doyle. He put Desmond down and started gathering up th… |
|
976 <p>“At first I thought my accelerometer was acting up, but it’s too … |
|
977 <p>“Tremors? You mean like earthquakes?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
978 <p>“Yeah,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
979 <p>“Huh,” said Doyle. “That is weird.”</p> |
|
980 <hr> |
|
981 <p>Ancient, crumbled husks of once imposing towers and the sand-blasted … |
|
982 <p>The sky had remained dark in all the weeks since the Ark crashed on t… |
|
983 <p>The only food that she and Doyle had managed to find were the vile-ta… |
|
984 <p>Sarah had noticed other signs of life too–paw prints, mostly mouse-… |
|
985 <p>The wind had started to pick up. It wasn’t too strong yet, but Sara… |
|
986 <p>Having to eat worms again would suck, Sarah thought. But at least the… |
|
987 <p>Doyle wasn’t <em>that</em> bad to have around. He had managed to ge… |
|
988 <p>As Sarah began retracing her path through the city streets, she heard… |
|
989 <p>Sarah unholstered her concussion pistol and crept along the ruined wa… |
|
990 <p>Sarah stepped gingerly through the ruined section of wall into the bu… |
|
991 <p>Sarah squinted and scanned the back wall of the hollowed-out building… |
|
992 <p>Shielding her eyes from the starlight with her hand, Sarah studied th… |
|
993 <p>The plan was simple. Sarah shifted her weight and prepared to sprint … |
|
994 <p>Sarah licked her lips. Whatever the animal was, it had to taste bette… |
|
995 <p>Her stomach growled. The animal under the slab squealed. Sarah pushed… |
|
996 <p>Five paces from the back wall, Sarah started to brace herself, planni… |
|
997 <p>Sarah’s shoulder slammed hard into the back wall, and she collapsed… |
|
998 <p>When her diaphragm relaxed, Sarah sucked air into her lungs in brayin… |
|
999 <p>A close-sounding snort startled Sarah. She looked up. Staring back at… |
|
1000 <p>Sarah turned onto her belly, pressed her hands into the ground and ra… |
|
1001 <p>With her sense of curiosity now outweighing her fear, Sarah decided t… |
|
1002 <p>Sarah felt around on the ground in the dark until she found what she … |
|
1003 <p>“Bacon,” said Sarah softly. She put the chunk of cement down and … |
|
1004 <p>Sarah grabbed the chunk of cement again, then jammed it under the reb… |
|
1005 <p>More and more dust and stones fell on Sarah’s head, and the sound o… |
|
1006 <p>Sarah sat with her back against the wall, coughing. When the dust cle… |
|
1007 <p>Sarah smiled. She looked up and saw dust and dirt blowing over the to… |
|
1008 <p>“Come on, Bacon,” said Sarah. She scooped the rhino-pig up in her… |
|
1009 <hr> |
|
1010 <p>“The wind is really starting to pick up, I’m a bit worried about … |
|
1011 <p>“She’s gone out to the city every night since we found the ship,�… |
|
1012 <p>Doyle shrugged. He wrinkled his nose at the steaming pile of worms in… |
|
1013 <p>“So what do you think is behind the facade?” asked Desmond. “Wh… |
|
1014 <p>“I dunno,” replied Doyle. “She carries that gun of hers around … |
|
1015 <p>“Why don’t you ask her?” Sarah’s voice came from the ship’s… |
|
1016 <p>Doyle jolted at the unexpected voice and almost fell off the stove. H… |
|
1017 <p>“Holy hell, what happened to you?” asked Doyle. He slipped off th… |
|
1018 <p>“I’m fine,” said Sarah. “Here.” She held her bundled up jac… |
|
1019 <p>“I think her leg is broken,” said Sarah. “Take her outside and … |
|
1020 <p>Doyle’s brain was overloaded–he had so many questions. He looked … |
|
1021 <p>“What happened to your… What the hell is… Where did you… How … |
|
1022 <p>“Her name is Bae. I found her in the city. I hurt my leg and lost m… |
|
1023 <p>Doyle carried the jacket with the strange animal out of the ship. He … |
|
1024 <p>“Des, make sure Doyle doesn’t hurt Bae Bae,” Sarah called from … |
|
1025 <p>“Bae Bae?” Doyle said. He looked down at the gray pig-like animal… |
|
1026 <p>“Doyle, bruh. I know a lot’s going down right now, but I need to … |
|
1027 <p>“Yeah. What about them?” said Doyle.</p> |
|
1028 <p>“They’re not so micro anymore.”</p> |
|
1029 <p>Doyle tore his attention from Bae. The ground was vibrating. Loose gr… |
|
1030 <p>“I feel it,” said Doyle. He looked into the distance toward the c… |
|
1031 <p>“I don’t think so,” said Desmond. “The seismic activity seems… |
|
1032 <p>“What the hell is that?” Doyle interrupted. A small cloud of dust… |
|
1033 <p>“Point my camera,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1034 <p>Doyle set the jacket with Bae on it aside and scrambled over to where… |
|
1035 <p>“Ummm, I don’t know, dude,” said Desmond. “Point me at Bae.�… |
|
1036 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1037 <p>“Sarah’s new friend, let me see her.”</p> |
|
1038 <p>Doyle pointed the camera to where the small creature was still sittin… |
|
1039 <p>“Mmm hmm,” said Desmond. “I think… Yup, that’s probably it.… |
|
1040 <p>“What’s probably it?” said Doyle. He squinted into the distance… |
|
1041 <p>“I think Bae’s mom followed Sarah home,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1042 <p>Doyle dropped his arm. He opened his mouth, but failed to find any wo… |
|
1043 <p>“Hard to believe something so adorable could grow into such a muscl… |
|
1044 <p>The thing had approached close enough for Doyle to make out some deta… |
|
1045 <p>“S… Sarah!” Doyle shouted. He backed away from the angry chargi… |
|
1046 <p>“Sarah what did you do?!”</p> |
|
1047 <p>The ground started shaking harder, and Doyle tripped. He landed in a … |
|
1048 <p>“So, again, I know you got a lot on your plate at the moment,” De… |
|
1049 <p>Bae started to mew.</p> |
|
1050 <p>Doyle scrambled to his feet and gathered up Desmond. He turned, ready… |
|
1051 <p>As he took his first step toward the ship, the ground beneath Doyle�… |
|
1052 <p>Bae continued to mew somewhere behind Doyle.</p> |
|
1053 <p>“Desmond!” cried Doyle. The pit continued to grow in diameter at … |
|
1054 <p>“Stay back!” Desmond’s voice came muffled. He had reached the c… |
|
1055 <p>Before Desmond could finish, the sand at the center of the pit explod… |
|
1056 <p>A dark object thudded against Doyle’s shoulder and onto the ground.… |
|
1057 <p>Bae’s distressed mewing stopped. Doyle turned, more in preparation … |
|
1058 <p>Bae’s mother had arrived. The size of a tank built from pure muscle… |
|
1059 <p>Doyle suddenly realized that, should the raging rhino-pig one the one… |
|
1060 <p>The rhino-pig barreled into the sand-worm head-on, ripping a gash wit… |
|
1061 <p>Doyle felt a tug on his arm as he watched the battle, wide-eyed in te… |
|
1062 <p>The sand-worm had released its grip, revealing a circular bleeding wo… |
|
1063 <p>Then the sand-worm retreated, disappearing beneath the sand, like it … |
|
1064 <p>The stillness felt eerie to Doyle. The rhino-pig stood at the center … |
|
1065 <p>“Bae!” Sarah cried. She ran out of the ship and started making he… |
|
1066 <p>“Sarah, no! Stay in the ship!” Doyle yelled. But too late. The gi… |
|
1067 <p>“Sarah for fuck’s sake!” Doyle shouted.</p> |
|
1068 <p>Sarah turned and screamed when she saw the rhino-pig rushing up the s… |
|
1069 <p>“Shit,” Doyle whispered. Sarah braced herself. The rhino-pig was … |
|
1070 <p>Sarah, knocked down by the sand-worm’s emergence, was getting back … |
|
1071 <p>“Sarah!” Doyle cried as he sprinted. He stopped when he reached h… |
|
1072 <p>Doyle pointed. “Ship! Safe!” he said between gasps.</p> |
|
1073 <p>Sarah looked from Bae to Doyle, then nodded with a look of grim deter… |
|
1074 <p>A monstrous shriek hit Sarah and Doyle like a powerful blast of wind.… |
|
1075 <p>Doyle felt Sarah grip his arm. The sand-worm reared back. Even if the… |
|
1076 <p>The sensation of being eaten alive was not at all what Doyle had expe… |
|
1077 <p>Several seconds passed, and Doyle opened his eyes slightly. He saw Sa… |
|
1078 <p>Doyle opened his eyes wider and turned toward the ship. There, next t… |
|
1079 <p>“Check it, dudes! I got the robot working!” Desmond’s voice cam… |
|
1080 <p>Doyle exhaled, then collapsed. He leaned back and stared up at the st… |
|
1081 <p>Sarah entered Doyle’s vision, staring down at him. “You okay?” … |
|
1082 <p>Bae, wrestled herself free of Doyle’s arms and limped across his ch… |
|
1083 <p>Desmond walked his new robot body over and joined Sarah staring down … |
|
1084 <p>Doyle started laughing, then Sarah did too. Doyle laughed so long and… |
|
1085 <p>“I’m hungry,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1086 <p>Doyle nodded in agreement. He wondered if then would be a good time t… |
|
1087 <p>“First I need another bath,” said Sarah. “And I <em>really</em>… |
|
1088 <p>“Just make sure to do that on the ship,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1089 <p>“Why?” asked Sarah.</p> |
|
1090 <p>“Trust me,” said Doyle, before Desmond could respond. “You do <… |
|
1091 ]]></description> |
|
1092 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-04/</link> |
|
1093 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… |
|
1094 <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rudis Muiznieks]]></dc:creator> |
|
1095 <pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2020 04:42:00 GMT</pubDate> |
|
1096 <enclosure url="https://rudism.com/audio/three-million-ce-ep… |
|
1097 <itunes:author>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:author> |
|
1098 <itunes:summary><p>A hook formed out of thin wire carv… |
|
1099 <p>The sound of shifting sand came from the loose end of the wire.… |
|
1100 <p>“Come on you little bastard,” whispered Doyle.</p> |
|
1101 <p>A small hole appeared in the ground next to the wire, and a pal… |
|
1102 <p>Doyle sneered at the pile of dead worms. That last one made two… |
|
1103 <p>Doyle and Sarah had been ecstatic when they first discovered th… |
|
1104 <p>Fuller bellies and clearer heads ushered in the realization tha… |
|
1105 <p>“How many is that, my dude?”</p> |
|
1106 <p>Doyle looked over at the pile of cables and computer components… |
|
1107 <p>“About two dozen,” said Doyle. “Should be more than enoug… |
|
1108 <p>“Shit, bro,” said Desmond. “I wish I could do more to hel… |
|
1109 <p>Sighing, Doyle glanced over at the derelict spaceship that he, … |
|
1110 <p>And best of all, it had power.</p> |
|
1111 <p>Somewhere deep in the ship’s guts was a backup power source. … |
|
1112 <p>Despite it’s odd proportions, Desmond had claimed the ship’… |
|
1113 <p>“You’re not useless, Des,” said Doyle. “In fact if you … |
|
1114 <p>“Not yet,” said Desmond. “And you should probably do that… |
|
1115 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1116 <p>“The ship’s water supply isn’t what it was when we first … |
|
1117 <p>“No way to… Wait, what?”</p> |
|
1118 <p>“All waste water in the ship is purified and re-circulated,�… |
|
1119 <p>“So, you mean we’ve been drinking our own…?”</p> |
|
1120 <p>“Yeah. Well, not just yours. Obviously the ship’s previous … |
|
1121 <p>Doyle’s eyes widened. “So, the bath… We’re bathing in�… |
|
1122 <p>“Recycled urine,” Desmond said matter-of-factly.</p> |
|
1123 <p>“Do <em>not</em> tell any of this to Sarah,” sa… |
|
1124 <p>Doyle zipped his pants back up, deciding to wait. As disturbing… |
|
1125 <p>“I have been making some progress on that other thing,” sai… |
|
1126 <p>“What?” asked Doyle. He narrowed his eyes and glared down a… |
|
1127 <p>Doyle looked to the far corner of the ship’s cabin–the corn… |
|
1128 <p>“Just watch this,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1129 <p>Two blue lights appeared on the smooth surface of the statue’… |
|
1130 <p>“Wow,” said Doyle. “Uh, neat. Its eyes light up.”</p… |
|
1131 <p>“Yeah!” said Desmond with alacrity. “And that’s not all… |
|
1132 <p>As Doyle watched, either the eye lights moved across the surfac… |
|
1133 <p>“Huh,” said Doyle. “Can it walk, or do something useful?�… |
|
1134 <p>“Not yet!” said Desmond. “But I’m close to…”</p&… |
|
1135 <p>“That’s great,” Doyle cut him off. “Just make sure you�… |
|
1136 <p>“Yeah, yeah,” said Desmond. Doyle didn’t know if artifici… |
|
1137 <p>“Sarah should be back from scouting the city soon,” said Do… |
|
1138 <p>“Oh, by the way,” said Desmond, “I’ve been noticing som… |
|
1139 <p>“Oh?” said Doyle. He put Desmond down and started gathering… |
|
1140 <p>“At first I thought my accelerometer was acting up, but it’… |
|
1141 <p>“Tremors? You mean like earthquakes?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1142 <p>“Yeah,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1143 <p>“Huh,” said Doyle. “That is weird.”</p> |
|
1144 <hr> |
|
1145 <p>Ancient, crumbled husks of once imposing towers and the sand-bl… |
|
1146 <p>The sky had remained dark in all the weeks since the Ark crashe… |
|
1147 <p>The only food that she and Doyle had managed to find were the v… |
|
1148 <p>Sarah had noticed other signs of life too–paw prints, mostly … |
|
1149 <p>The wind had started to pick up. It wasn’t too strong yet, bu… |
|
1150 <p>Having to eat worms again would suck, Sarah thought. But at lea… |
|
1151 <p>Doyle wasn’t <em>that</em> bad to have around. He… |
|
1152 <p>As Sarah began retracing her path through the city streets, she… |
|
1153 <p>Sarah unholstered her concussion pistol and crept along the rui… |
|
1154 <p>Sarah stepped gingerly through the ruined section of wall into … |
|
1155 <p>Sarah squinted and scanned the back wall of the hollowed-out bu… |
|
1156 <p>Shielding her eyes from the starlight with her hand, Sarah stud… |
|
1157 <p>The plan was simple. Sarah shifted her weight and prepared to s… |
|
1158 <p>Sarah licked her lips. Whatever the animal was, it had to taste… |
|
1159 <p>Her stomach growled. The animal under the slab squealed. Sarah … |
|
1160 <p>Five paces from the back wall, Sarah started to brace herself, … |
|
1161 <p>Sarah’s shoulder slammed hard into the back wall, and she col… |
|
1162 <p>When her diaphragm relaxed, Sarah sucked air into her lungs in … |
|
1163 <p>A close-sounding snort startled Sarah. She looked up. Staring b… |
|
1164 <p>Sarah turned onto her belly, pressed her hands into the ground … |
|
1165 <p>With her sense of curiosity now outweighing her fear, Sarah dec… |
|
1166 <p>Sarah felt around on the ground in the dark until she found wha… |
|
1167 <p>“Bacon,” said Sarah softly. She put the chunk of cement dow… |
|
1168 <p>Sarah grabbed the chunk of cement again, then jammed it under t… |
|
1169 <p>More and more dust and stones fell on Sarah’s head, and the s… |
|
1170 <p>Sarah sat with her back against the wall, coughing. When the du… |
|
1171 <p>Sarah smiled. She looked up and saw dust and dirt blowing over … |
|
1172 <p>“Come on, Bacon,” said Sarah. She scooped the rhino-pig up … |
|
1173 <hr> |
|
1174 <p>“The wind is really starting to pick up, I’m a bit worried … |
|
1175 <p>“She’s gone out to the city every night since we found the … |
|
1176 <p>Doyle shrugged. He wrinkled his nose at the steaming pile of wo… |
|
1177 <p>“So what do you think is behind the facade?” asked Desmond.… |
|
1178 <p>“I dunno,” replied Doyle. “She carries that gun of hers a… |
|
1179 <p>“Why don’t you ask her?” Sarah’s voice came from the sh… |
|
1180 <p>Doyle jolted at the unexpected voice and almost fell off the st… |
|
1181 <p>“Holy hell, what happened to you?” asked Doyle. He slipped … |
|
1182 <p>“I’m fine,” said Sarah. “Here.” She held her bundled … |
|
1183 <p>“I think her leg is broken,” said Sarah. “Take her outsid… |
|
1184 <p>Doyle’s brain was overloaded–he had so many questions. He l… |
|
1185 <p>“What happened to your… What the hell is… Where did you�… |
|
1186 <p>“Her name is Bae. I found her in the city. I hurt my leg and … |
|
1187 <p>Doyle carried the jacket with the strange animal out of the shi… |
|
1188 <p>“Des, make sure Doyle doesn’t hurt Bae Bae,” Sarah called… |
|
1189 <p>“Bae Bae?” Doyle said. He looked down at the gray pig-like … |
|
1190 <p>“Doyle, bruh. I know a lot’s going down right now, but I ne… |
|
1191 <p>“Yeah. What about them?” said Doyle.</p> |
|
1192 <p>“They’re not so micro anymore.”</p> |
|
1193 <p>Doyle tore his attention from Bae. The ground was vibrating. Lo… |
|
1194 <p>“I feel it,” said Doyle. He looked into the distance toward… |
|
1195 <p>“I don’t think so,” said Desmond. “The seismic activity… |
|
1196 <p>“What the hell is that?” Doyle interrupted. A small cloud o… |
|
1197 <p>“Point my camera,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1198 <p>Doyle set the jacket with Bae on it aside and scrambled over to… |
|
1199 <p>“Ummm, I don’t know, dude,” said Desmond. “Point me at … |
|
1200 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1201 <p>“Sarah’s new friend, let me see her.”</p> |
|
1202 <p>Doyle pointed the camera to where the small creature was still … |
|
1203 <p>“Mmm hmm,” said Desmond. “I think… Yup, that’s probab… |
|
1204 <p>“What’s probably it?” said Doyle. He squinted into the di… |
|
1205 <p>“I think Bae’s mom followed Sarah home,” said Desmond.<… |
|
1206 <p>Doyle dropped his arm. He opened his mouth, but failed to find … |
|
1207 <p>“Hard to believe something so adorable could grow into such a… |
|
1208 <p>The thing had approached close enough for Doyle to make out som… |
|
1209 <p>“S… Sarah!” Doyle shouted. He backed away from the angry … |
|
1210 <p>“Sarah what did you do?!”</p> |
|
1211 <p>The ground started shaking harder, and Doyle tripped. He landed… |
|
1212 <p>“So, again, I know you got a lot on your plate at the moment,… |
|
1213 <p>Bae started to mew.</p> |
|
1214 <p>Doyle scrambled to his feet and gathered up Desmond. He turned,… |
|
1215 <p>As he took his first step toward the ship, the ground beneath D… |
|
1216 <p>Bae continued to mew somewhere behind Doyle.</p> |
|
1217 <p>“Desmond!” cried Doyle. The pit continued to grow in diamet… |
|
1218 <p>“Stay back!” Desmond’s voice came muffled. He had reached… |
|
1219 <p>Before Desmond could finish, the sand at the center of the pit … |
|
1220 <p>A dark object thudded against Doyle’s shoulder and onto the g… |
|
1221 <p>Bae’s distressed mewing stopped. Doyle turned, more in prepar… |
|
1222 <p>Bae’s mother had arrived. The size of a tank built from pure … |
|
1223 <p>Doyle suddenly realized that, should the raging rhino-pig one t… |
|
1224 <p>The rhino-pig barreled into the sand-worm head-on, ripping a ga… |
|
1225 <p>Doyle felt a tug on his arm as he watched the battle, wide-eyed… |
|
1226 <p>The sand-worm had released its grip, revealing a circular bleed… |
|
1227 <p>Then the sand-worm retreated, disappearing beneath the sand, li… |
|
1228 <p>The stillness felt eerie to Doyle. The rhino-pig stood at the c… |
|
1229 <p>“Bae!” Sarah cried. She ran out of the ship and started mak… |
|
1230 <p>“Sarah, no! Stay in the ship!” Doyle yelled. But too late. … |
|
1231 <p>“Sarah for fuck’s sake!” Doyle shouted.</p> |
|
1232 <p>Sarah turned and screamed when she saw the rhino-pig rushing up… |
|
1233 <p>“Shit,” Doyle whispered. Sarah braced herself. The rhino-pi… |
|
1234 <p>Sarah, knocked down by the sand-worm’s emergence, was getting… |
|
1235 <p>“Sarah!” Doyle cried as he sprinted. He stopped when he rea… |
|
1236 <p>Doyle pointed. “Ship! Safe!” he said between gasps.</p&g… |
|
1237 <p>Sarah looked from Bae to Doyle, then nodded with a look of grim… |
|
1238 <p>A monstrous shriek hit Sarah and Doyle like a powerful blast of… |
|
1239 <p>Doyle felt Sarah grip his arm. The sand-worm reared back. Even … |
|
1240 <p>The sensation of being eaten alive was not at all what Doyle ha… |
|
1241 <p>Several seconds passed, and Doyle opened his eyes slightly. He … |
|
1242 <p>Doyle opened his eyes wider and turned toward the ship. There, … |
|
1243 <p>“Check it, dudes! I got the robot working!” Desmond’s voi… |
|
1244 <p>Doyle exhaled, then collapsed. He leaned back and stared up at … |
|
1245 <p>Sarah entered Doyle’s vision, staring down at him. “You oka… |
|
1246 <p>Bae, wrestled herself free of Doyle’s arms and limped across … |
|
1247 <p>Desmond walked his new robot body over and joined Sarah staring… |
|
1248 <p>Doyle started laughing, then Sarah did too. Doyle laughed so lo… |
|
1249 <p>“I’m hungry,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1250 <p>Doyle nodded in agreement. He wondered if then would be a good … |
|
1251 <p>“First I need another bath,” said Sarah. “And I <em>… |
|
1252 <p>“Just make sure to do that on the ship,” said Desmond.</… |
|
1253 <p>“Why?” asked Sarah.</p> |
|
1254 <p>“Trust me,” said Doyle, before Desmond could respond. “Yo… |
|
1255 </itunes:summary> |
|
1256 <itunes:explicit>Yes</itunes:explicit> |
|
1257 </item> |
|
1258 <item> |
|
1259 <title><![CDATA[The Hint Line]]></title> |
|
1260 <description><![CDATA[<p>The phone rang at around three in t… |
|
1261 <p>I guess for you to understand why something as innocuous as a ringing… |
|
1262 <p>When I was in high school, I was a gaming fanatic who was blessed wit… |
|
1263 <p>I started my freshman year at university in ‘92. My parents kept pa… |
|
1264 <p>Wandering around campus during the day was something I tended to avoi… |
|
1265 <p>My prospects were grim. The postings on the board were all volunteer … |
|
1266 <p>To my dismay, the cork board hanging in the dimly-lit hall outside th… |
|
1267 <p>DO YOU LIKE VIDEO GAMES?<br>CALL FOR MORE INFO</p> |
|
1268 <p>There was a phone number printed at the bottom of the sheet. My heart… |
|
1269 <p>I felt absurdly protective of that little piece of paper. In my mind … |
|
1270 <p>Expecting it to go to a machine so late at night, my fear over even t… |
|
1271 <p>“Hello?” said the woman. She sounded alert, not like someone who … |
|
1272 <p>“Hi, I hope it’s not too late. I’m calling about the, uh, video… |
|
1273 <p>There was a pregnant pause, and for a moment I feared that I had lost… |
|
1274 <p>“I’m assuming you can read,” the woman stated. She hadn’t sai… |
|
1275 <p>“Huh?” I asked.</p> |
|
1276 <p>“Are you literate? Capable of comprehending the written English lan… |
|
1277 <p>“Uh, yeah,” I said. I looked at the creased paper in my hand. Was… |
|
1278 <p>“Do you live alone? And do you rent or own your current residence?�… |
|
1279 <p>“I’m living out of the dorms at the U,” I answered.</p> |
|
1280 <p>“Perfect,” said the lady. “The job pays one twenty. Give me you… |
|
1281 <p>My brain tried to process the number she had said as I rattled off my… |
|
1282 <p>Monday morning rolled around and a loud thud woke me up before the su… |
|
1283 <p>There was a note and an envelope inside the box, sitting on top of a … |
|
1284 <p>The letter explained that my new employer was a software company on t… |
|
1285 <p>My roommate must have woken up suspecting that I had gone crazy, laug… |
|
1286 <p>It was a modest two-bedroom apartment. One of the rooms was furnished… |
|
1287 <p>My parents practically disowned me when I dropped out of university a… |
|
1288 <p>Times changed. The internet went from AOL keywords and web directorie… |
|
1289 <p>The company name on the paychecks changed a handful of times over the… |
|
1290 <p>The prospect of having to find a real job was perhaps the most terrif… |
|
1291 <p>Time passes quickly when every day is the same as the last. My routin… |
|
1292 <p>I was playing computer games last week when the phone rang for that f… |
|
1293 <p>“Hello?” I said hesitantly.</p> |
|
1294 <p>“Is this the hint line?” asked a man.</p> |
|
1295 <p>I cleared my throat. “Uh, yes?” I said.</p> |
|
1296 <p>“How do I get past the seventh topaz gate?” asked the man.</p> |
|
1297 <p>I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. For the phone to ring a… |
|
1298 <p>“The seventh gate. Topaz. What’s the key?” said the man.</p> |
|
1299 <p>I moved the handset away from my ear and looked at it. My eyes follow… |
|
1300 <p>“Hold on,” I told the man.</p> |
|
1301 <p>I flipped through the pages until I found a table of contents. I ran … |
|
1302 <p>“I’ve got it,” I said into the phone. “Ready?”</p> |
|
1303 <p>“Mmm hmm,” the man breathed.</p> |
|
1304 <p>I read the ten digit number to him.</p> |
|
1305 <p>“Thank you,” said the man. There was a click, and then a dial ton… |
|
1306 <p>I stared at the handset for a while longer before hanging it up, then… |
|
1307 <p>When I closed the hint book, I noticed that my hands were shaking. I … |
|
1308 <p>The phone rang again the next day. And then twice the day after that,… |
|
1309 <p>I picked up the phone. “Hello?” I said.</p> |
|
1310 <p>“Hello, is this the hint line?” It was a woman’s voice on the o… |
|
1311 <p>“Yeah,” I said. “What game are you calling about?”</p> |
|
1312 <p>The woman didn’t reply.</p> |
|
1313 <p>“I’m happy to provide you with a hint, but I need to know what ga… |
|
1314 <p>“I don’t, uh…” the woman started hesitantly. “I mean, it’… |
|
1315 <p>There was a click on the line, and then a dial tone. The abruptness w… |
|
1316 <p>Instead, the single relevant link I found was to a discussion on an o… |
|
1317 <p>The video showed an old CRT television set in a dark room displaying … |
|
1318 <p>Back on the forum, I read some of the replies to the video. Someone h… |
|
1319 <p>I felt sweat rolling down my face as I pulled my cell phone from my p… |
|
1320 <p>The forum discussion continued with messages from people who had call… |
|
1321 <p>New phone numbers? I pulled the hint book toward me on the desk, flip… |
|
1322 <p>After several rings, a man answered. “Hello?” he said.</p> |
|
1323 <p>“Is this the hint line?” I asked.</p> |
|
1324 <p>The man on the other end cleared his throat. “Uh, yes,” he said. … |
|
1325 <p>“How do I get past the second golden Minotaur?” I asked.</p> |
|
1326 <p>“Second golden… huh?” said the man.</p> |
|
1327 <p>“The second Minotaur. Golden,” I repeated. “What’s the key?�… |
|
1328 <p>“Hold on…” the man said. The faint sound of flipping pages hiss… |
|
1329 <p>“I’ve got it. Ready?” said the man.</p> |
|
1330 <p>“Mmm hmm,” I breathed. I stared at the number for the second gold… |
|
1331 <p>The numbers didn’t match.</p> |
|
1332 <p>“Thank you,” I said, and hung up.</p> |
|
1333 <p>I slammed my hint book shut and shoved it toward the back of my desk.… |
|
1334 <p>The final post in the thread was from less than an hour earlier. The … |
|
1335 <p>There was a sudden pounding at my door.</p> |
|
1336 <p>“Hey! Is someone there?” I heard a muffled man’s voice come thr… |
|
1337 <p>There was a loud thud and the pounding stopped, followed by a gravell… |
|
1338 <p>DO YOU LIKE VIDEO GAMES?<br>CALL FOR MORE INFO.</p> |
|
1339 <p>The second was a hand-written note, messily scribbled in red ink. “… |
|
1340 <p>The university campus is typically a twenty minute bike ride from my … |
|
1341 <p>A minute passed, then I watched a young man come in through the entra… |
|
1342 <p>I wonder how long he’ll have to wait for his phone to ring.</p> |
|
1343 ]]></description> |
|
1344 <link>https://rudism.com/the-hint-line/</link> |
|
1345 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/the-hint-line/</… |
|
1346 <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rudis Muiznieks]]></dc:creator> |
|
1347 <pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2020 03:45:00 GMT</pubDate> |
|
1348 <enclosure url="https://rudism.com/audio/the-hint-line.mp3" … |
|
1349 <itunes:author>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:author> |
|
1350 <itunes:summary><p>The phone rang at around three in t… |
|
1351 <p>I guess for you to understand why something as innocuous as a r… |
|
1352 <p>When I was in high school, I was a gaming fanatic who was bless… |
|
1353 <p>I started my freshman year at university in ‘92. My parents k… |
|
1354 <p>Wandering around campus during the day was something I tended t… |
|
1355 <p>My prospects were grim. The postings on the board were all volu… |
|
1356 <p>To my dismay, the cork board hanging in the dimly-lit hall outs… |
|
1357 <p>DO YOU LIKE VIDEO GAMES?<br>CALL FOR MORE INFO</p> |
|
1358 <p>There was a phone number printed at the bottom of the sheet. My… |
|
1359 <p>I felt absurdly protective of that little piece of paper. In my… |
|
1360 <p>Expecting it to go to a machine so late at night, my fear over … |
|
1361 <p>“Hello?” said the woman. She sounded alert, not like someon… |
|
1362 <p>“Hi, I hope it’s not too late. I’m calling about the, uh,… |
|
1363 <p>There was a pregnant pause, and for a moment I feared that I ha… |
|
1364 <p>“I’m assuming you can read,” the woman stated. She hadn�… |
|
1365 <p>“Huh?” I asked.</p> |
|
1366 <p>“Are you literate? Capable of comprehending the written Engli… |
|
1367 <p>“Uh, yeah,” I said. I looked at the creased paper in my han… |
|
1368 <p>“Do you live alone? And do you rent or own your current resid… |
|
1369 <p>“I’m living out of the dorms at the U,” I answered.</p… |
|
1370 <p>“Perfect,” said the lady. “The job pays one twenty. Give … |
|
1371 <p>My brain tried to process the number she had said as I rattled … |
|
1372 <p>Monday morning rolled around and a loud thud woke me up before … |
|
1373 <p>There was a note and an envelope inside the box, sitting on top… |
|
1374 <p>The letter explained that my new employer was a software compan… |
|
1375 <p>My roommate must have woken up suspecting that I had gone crazy… |
|
1376 <p>It was a modest two-bedroom apartment. One of the rooms was fur… |
|
1377 <p>My parents practically disowned me when I dropped out of univer… |
|
1378 <p>Times changed. The internet went from AOL keywords and web dire… |
|
1379 <p>The company name on the paychecks changed a handful of times ov… |
|
1380 <p>The prospect of having to find a real job was perhaps the most … |
|
1381 <p>Time passes quickly when every day is the same as the last. My … |
|
1382 <p>I was playing computer games last week when the phone rang for … |
|
1383 <p>“Hello?” I said hesitantly.</p> |
|
1384 <p>“Is this the hint line?” asked a man.</p> |
|
1385 <p>I cleared my throat. “Uh, yes?” I said.</p> |
|
1386 <p>“How do I get past the seventh topaz gate?” asked the man.&… |
|
1387 <p>I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. For the phone to … |
|
1388 <p>“The seventh gate. Topaz. What’s the key?” said the man.&… |
|
1389 <p>I moved the handset away from my ear and looked at it. My eyes … |
|
1390 <p>“Hold on,” I told the man.</p> |
|
1391 <p>I flipped through the pages until I found a table of contents. … |
|
1392 <p>“I’ve got it,” I said into the phone. “Ready?”</p&… |
|
1393 <p>“Mmm hmm,” the man breathed.</p> |
|
1394 <p>I read the ten digit number to him.</p> |
|
1395 <p>“Thank you,” said the man. There was a click, and then a di… |
|
1396 <p>I stared at the handset for a while longer before hanging it up… |
|
1397 <p>When I closed the hint book, I noticed that my hands were shaki… |
|
1398 <p>The phone rang again the next day. And then twice the day after… |
|
1399 <p>I picked up the phone. “Hello?” I said.</p> |
|
1400 <p>“Hello, is this the hint line?” It was a woman’s voice on… |
|
1401 <p>“Yeah,” I said. “What game are you calling about?”</… |
|
1402 <p>The woman didn’t reply.</p> |
|
1403 <p>“I’m happy to provide you with a hint, but I need to know w… |
|
1404 <p>“I don’t, uh…” the woman started hesitantly. “I mean,… |
|
1405 <p>There was a click on the line, and then a dial tone. The abrupt… |
|
1406 <p>Instead, the single relevant link I found was to a discussion o… |
|
1407 <p>The video showed an old CRT television set in a dark room displ… |
|
1408 <p>Back on the forum, I read some of the replies to the video. Som… |
|
1409 <p>I felt sweat rolling down my face as I pulled my cell phone fro… |
|
1410 <p>The forum discussion continued with messages from people who ha… |
|
1411 <p>New phone numbers? I pulled the hint book toward me on the desk… |
|
1412 <p>After several rings, a man answered. “Hello?” he said.</… |
|
1413 <p>“Is this the hint line?” I asked.</p> |
|
1414 <p>The man on the other end cleared his throat. “Uh, yes,” he … |
|
1415 <p>“How do I get past the second golden Minotaur?” I asked.<… |
|
1416 <p>“Second golden… huh?” said the man.</p> |
|
1417 <p>“The second Minotaur. Golden,” I repeated. “What’s the … |
|
1418 <p>“Hold on…” the man said. The faint sound of flipping page… |
|
1419 <p>“I’ve got it. Ready?” said the man.</p> |
|
1420 <p>“Mmm hmm,” I breathed. I stared at the number for the secon… |
|
1421 <p>The numbers didn’t match.</p> |
|
1422 <p>“Thank you,” I said, and hung up.</p> |
|
1423 <p>I slammed my hint book shut and shoved it toward the back of my… |
|
1424 <p>The final post in the thread was from less than an hour earlier… |
|
1425 <p>There was a sudden pounding at my door.</p> |
|
1426 <p>“Hey! Is someone there?” I heard a muffled man’s voice co… |
|
1427 <p>There was a loud thud and the pounding stopped, followed by a g… |
|
1428 <p>DO YOU LIKE VIDEO GAMES?<br>CALL FOR MORE INFO.</p> |
|
1429 <p>The second was a hand-written note, messily scribbled in red in… |
|
1430 <p>The university campus is typically a twenty minute bike ride fr… |
|
1431 <p>A minute passed, then I watched a young man come in through the… |
|
1432 <p>I wonder how long he’ll have to wait for his phone to ring.&l… |
|
1433 </itunes:summary> |
|
1434 <itunes:explicit>Yes</itunes:explicit> |
|
1435 </item> |
|
1436 <item> |
|
1437 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 3]]></title> |
|
1438 <description><![CDATA[<p>Orange fingers of flame gripped the… |
|
1439 <p>Three yellow parachutes deployed from the uppermost section of the Ar… |
|
1440 <p>Crumbled ruins of an ancient city cast quick-moving shadows across a … |
|
1441 <p>Stillness settled, as though the night were eager to claim it back af… |
|
1442 <hr> |
|
1443 <p>Doyle rode his bike through the University campus as often as he coul… |
|
1444 <p>The bike path meandered past and around most of the buildings, and Do… |
|
1445 <p>He stared up at the woman. She stared back down at him, forgetting br… |
|
1446 <p>“Oh my God I’m so sorry!” cried the woman. “Are you alright?�… |
|
1447 <p>Doyle got to his feet. He was out of breath, and guessed he’d have … |
|
1448 <p>This doesn’t look like a term paper, Doyle thought as he studied on… |
|
1449 <p>Was this how it went? Doyle couldn’t remember. The edges of his vis… |
|
1450 <hr> |
|
1451 <p>The next sensation Doyle became aware of was the taste of dirt. He ch… |
|
1452 <p>“Kirsten? Where’s… Where’s my bike?” Doyle’s voice came o… |
|
1453 <p>“Get your… hands off me you… you pervert.”</p> |
|
1454 <p>Doyle recognized the woman’s stilted, protesting voice, but it wasn… |
|
1455 <p>As his vision cleared, Doyle was able to discern that the sky was dar… |
|
1456 <p>Behind him, Doyle saw the stasis chamber–it looked like a large ref… |
|
1457 <p>“Are you dudes okay?”</p> |
|
1458 <p>A man’s voice, this time. One that Doyle also recognized. It came f… |
|
1459 <p>“I had to eject your stasis chamber. That gnarly crash landing tota… |
|
1460 <p>The inside of the stasis chamber was too dark for Doyle to make out a… |
|
1461 <p>“Nah, bruh. I’m not Heady. Or at least I don’t think I’m Head… |
|
1462 <p>Doyle stood up. His knees wobbled and he almost fell, but he managed … |
|
1463 <p>“What kind of stupid game are you playing, Heady? Come out of there… |
|
1464 <p>“Nah bruh, the Ark’s sensors got pretty janked up when we landed.… |
|
1465 <p>A memory bubbled up through the murk into Doyle’s consciousness. Th… |
|
1466 <p>“Heady? Where are you?” Doyle said. He reached the stasis chamber… |
|
1467 <p>“Heady? Heady is that really you?”</p> |
|
1468 <p>Doyle spun around. The young woman–Susan? No Sarah–was sitting up… |
|
1469 <p>“I’m not Heady,” said Heady’s voice. “Heady was just a part… |
|
1470 <p>“Quit messing around Heady,” said Doyle. He stuck his head in the… |
|
1471 <p>“Desmond?” Sarah’s voice came, sharper than before. “What hap… |
|
1472 <p>“I don’t know, bruh.” Heady’s voice came from the empty chamb… |
|
1473 <p>“Heady,” interrupted Doyle. “Where the hell are you? I can hear… |
|
1474 <p>“That’s not Heady, you dipshit,” said Sarah, still sitting on t… |
|
1475 <p>Doyle stared at Sarah blankly. “Heady is talking to us through the … |
|
1476 <p>Sarah shook her head. “No, that <em>is</em> the computer. It’s us… |
|
1477 <p>“I’m using the speech and vocal patterns that were provided to me… |
|
1478 <p>“Your training…” said Sarah, trailing off. Her eyes widened. �… |
|
1479 <p>Doyle turned and looked at the stasis chamber again. “Look, compute… |
|
1480 <p>Before he could finish, Doyle felt hands on his back forcefully shove… |
|
1481 <p>“Asshole! This is <em>your</em> fault! How long has it been? He cou… |
|
1482 <p>Sarah grunted with frustration, and started kicking dirt at Doyle.</p> |
|
1483 <p>“Augh! Stop that!” cried Doyle, raising his arms defensively to p… |
|
1484 <p>When the onslaught stopped, Doyle lowered his arms and looked at Sara… |
|
1485 <p>“Now, look!” said Doyle. “Let’s just talk about this like mat… |
|
1486 <p>An explosive force of air cut Doyle off. The too-bright stars spun ar… |
|
1487 <hr> |
|
1488 <p>A brilliant halo of light encircled the full moon like a crystal ball… |
|
1489 <p>“Ice crystals,” said Kirsten.</p> |
|
1490 <p>“Hmm?” Doyle breathed.</p> |
|
1491 <p>“The Moon halo,” replied Kirsten, pointing up at the sky. “It�… |
|
1492 <p>Doyle turned his head to look at her. She was laying on her back next… |
|
1493 <p>“Did we finish that whole thing?” asked Kirsten with a grin.</p> |
|
1494 <p>“Afraid so,” said Doyle. He smiled at her, but she turned away.</… |
|
1495 <p>“I should go,” said Kirsten. “I don’t even know why I’m her… |
|
1496 <p>Doyle looked back up at the brilliant ring of light in the sky and si… |
|
1497 <p>“Yeah, smart ass,” said Kirsten. “I mean out here, drinking a … |
|
1498 <p>“I figured you just liked the company,” said Doyle. He felt his h… |
|
1499 <p>“You’re sweet, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She still wasn’t looking… |
|
1500 <p>He didn’t know what that meant. Kirsten and Doyle had seen each oth… |
|
1501 <p>Kirsten sighed. “I don’t want my time here to end,” she said. �… |
|
1502 <p>“Who said your time here has to end?” said Doyle. “From what I … |
|
1503 <p>“It’s not my job that’s in jeopardy,” replied Kirsten. She tu… |
|
1504 <p>“I’ve got a decision to make, Doyle. A big one. There’s a right… |
|
1505 <p>“And what if you pick the wrong one?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1506 <p>“I don’t know if I could forgive myself for that,” said Kirsten… |
|
1507 <p>The two of them remained silent for a while, listening to the cricket… |
|
1508 <p>“When I was little,” said Doyle, “I became friends with a new k… |
|
1509 <p>“What happened?” asked Kirsten.</p> |
|
1510 <p>“They went too far,” said Doyle. “I’m not sure exactly what t… |
|
1511 <p>“That’s awful,” said Kirsten.</p> |
|
1512 <p>“Yeah,” said Doyle. “I let fear dictate my actions. I let it le… |
|
1513 <p>Kirsten cleared her throat and stood up, brushed off her dress with h… |
|
1514 <p>“Thanks for being my plus one, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She started … |
|
1515 <p>“Any time,” said Doyle.</p> |
|
1516 <p>“I suspect you’ve helped quite a lot more than you could possibly… |
|
1517 <p>Doyle sat up and watched as she walked away. “Can I see you again?�… |
|
1518 <p>Kirsten paused for a moment. “Yeah,” she said, without looking ba… |
|
1519 <p>Smiling, Doyle laid back down. The shimmering crystal ball surroundin… |
|
1520 <hr> |
|
1521 <p>Doyle squinted as he emerged from the fog of unconsciousness. Blurry … |
|
1522 <p>“Quizzot klax’zgath grizzum?” asked a strange high-pitched voic… |
|
1523 <p>“Um, what?” asked Doyle. He looked in the direction the voice had… |
|
1524 <p>The pale man scratched his head, then repeated himself. “Quizzot kl… |
|
1525 <p>Doyle shook his head. Movement in the sky drew his gaze upward, and h… |
|
1526 <p>The man raised his arms and sighed in obvious exasperation, then vani… |
|
1527 <p>Doyle blinked. There was the stasis chamber. There was the half-mile … |
|
1528 <p>“Quagnazz!” shouted the man. “Kluzatt ha’gar when the transla… |
|
1529 <p>“Hang on,” said Doyle. “I understood that last bit. What did yo… |
|
1530 <p>“I said let me know when the translator cells start working,” sai… |
|
1531 <p>There was a loud screeching noise, followed by a rumbling as the dirt… |
|
1532 <p>“What are you doing to the Ark?” Doyle asked, alarmed.</p> |
|
1533 <p>“Impounding it,” said the man. “Your–what did you call it? Ar… |
|
1534 <p>The Ark creaked in protest and started to move as the flying green du… |
|
1535 <p>“Uh, this one,” said Doyle. The flying green dumpster loosened it… |
|
1536 <p>The man stared at Doyle for a moment before bursting into laughter. �… |
|
1537 <p>Doyle blinked. “What do you mean, nobody’s <em>from</em> Earth? E… |
|
1538 <p>A confused expression formed on the man’s face. “What are you som… |
|
1539 <p>The man waved his hand at the half-mile trench that the Ark gouged in… |
|
1540 <p>The creaking noises from the Ark intensified. The dirt walls of the t… |
|
1541 <p>“Ah,” said the man. “At this point I am legally bound to inform… |
|
1542 <p>“Uh, hang on,” said Doyle, staring dumbfounded at the two halves … |
|
1543 <p>“Ooh,” said the man, then sucked air in through his teeth. “Pro… |
|
1544 <p>The man turned and surveyed the scarred mess of dirt and debris that … |
|
1545 <p>“You’re not going anywhere, dickweed!” came Sarah’s voice. Sh… |
|
1546 <p>“That’s <em>my</em> Ark and those are <em>my</em> videos and <em>… |
|
1547 <p>Not again, thought Doyle as the concussive blast from Sarah’s weapo… |
|
1548 <hr> |
|
1549 <p>A swirling white maelstrom of mist danced with the falling snow in fr… |
|
1550 <p>Kirsten opened the door and greeted him with a thin smile.</p> |
|
1551 <p>“Hello Doyle, thanks for coming. Come in out of the cold,” she sa… |
|
1552 <p>Doyle stomped the snow off his boots and wiped them on the mat outsid… |
|
1553 <p>“Let me take your coat,” said Kirsten as she closed the door behi… |
|
1554 <p>Doyle unzipped and Kirsten got behind him to pull the heavy down jack… |
|
1555 <p>“Here, I brought this,” said Doyle, presenting the bottle of wine… |
|
1556 <p>Kirsten took the bottle and led Doyle down the hallway to her living … |
|
1557 <p>“You really went all out with the decorating this year,” said Doy… |
|
1558 <p>“Kirsten’s the Christmas Queen!”</p> |
|
1559 <p>Doyle saw who had spoken. Ted, one of Kirsten’s colleagues at the u… |
|
1560 <p>For months Ted had been intruding on Doyle’s life. Kirsten had cut … |
|
1561 <p>“Hi Ted,” said Doyle.</p> |
|
1562 <p>“Hi Doyle, good to see you again,” said Ted.</p> |
|
1563 <p>There was an awkward silence, then Doyle saw Kirsten make some kind o… |
|
1564 <p>“Ah, yes. Well, before I go… Doyle, there’s something Kirsten a… |
|
1565 <p>“No there isn’t!” Kirsten said forcefully. “Come on Ted, I’… |
|
1566 <p>Ted shook his head. “Kirsten, I need to be here when you tell him.�… |
|
1567 <p>“Tell me what?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1568 <p>“Excuse us a moment, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She grabbed Ted by the… |
|
1569 <p>Months of secrets, phone calls, canceled dates, never telling Doyle w… |
|
1570 <p>No. Kirsten wasn’t that sort of person. She was kind. She would nev… |
|
1571 <p>Steeling his nerves, Doyle marched through the living room to the kit… |
|
1572 <p>“Kirsten, I…” said Doyle. The words caught in his throat.</p> |
|
1573 <p>Ted and Kirsten stared at him, both expressionless.</p> |
|
1574 <p>“Kirsten I love you,” said Doyle. He finally got it out, after al… |
|
1575 <p>Kirsten opened her mouth, but remained silent.</p> |
|
1576 <p>“You’re the only thing I care about,” continued Doyle. “And w… |
|
1577 <p>Doyle took a step forward and reached into his pocket. He gripped the… |
|
1578 <p>Kirsten took a step backward. She bumped into Ted, whose eyes had ope… |
|
1579 <p>After stepping around the island, Doyle got down on one knee.</p> |
|
1580 <p>“Oh… Oh…” Kirsten managed to gasp. “Ted, I…” She starte… |
|
1581 <p>“Don’t answer right away,” said Doyle. “I just want you to kn… |
|
1582 <p>“Doyle, maybe this isn’t the best time to…” Ted started. Doyl… |
|
1583 <p>“Kirsten,” said Doyle. He closed the jewelry box and put it on th… |
|
1584 <p>Kirsten’s cheeks were wet with tears.</p> |
|
1585 <p>Sweat poured down Doyle’s forehead and he could feel it dripping do… |
|
1586 <p>This isn’t how it happened, thought Doyle. There was a blinding fla… |
|
1587 <hr> |
|
1588 <p>“I’m sorry for shooting you,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1589 <p>Doyle, sitting against the stasis chamber, grunted and rubbed the bac… |
|
1590 <p>“Not the first time,” Sarah clarified. She was sitting next to Do… |
|
1591 <p>“He said this isn’t Earth,” said Doyle. “If this isn’t Eart… |
|
1592 <p>“I have good news and bad news, my dudes,” Heady’s voice came f… |
|
1593 <p>Sarah and Doyle both looked up in surprise.</p> |
|
1594 <p>“Desmond?” asked Sarah. “How are you still here? When the Ark w… |
|
1595 <p>“I transferred a copy of myself to this stasis chamber when I reali… |
|
1596 <p>“But how is that possible?” Sarah asked. Doyle followed her gaze … |
|
1597 <p>“Well, that’s where the bad news comes in,” said Desmond. “Ba… |
|
1598 <p>Doyle’s heart sank. Over three hundred years? That meant everything… |
|
1599 <p>“How long?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1600 <p>“Two million, nine hundred and ninety six thousand, eight hundred y… |
|
1601 <p>Doyle’s brain struggled to comprehend what he had just heard. It wa… |
|
1602 <p>“So, here’s the deal dudes,” continued Desmond. “My training … |
|
1603 <p>“Ah, heh heh,” Sarah gave a nervous chuckle. Doyle shot her an an… |
|
1604 <p>“So that’s why it took me a little longer to find my way here,”… |
|
1605 <p>“A <em>little</em> longer?” cried Doyle. “Three million years i… |
|
1606 <p>“So I got a look at that city over there from the Ark’s sensors w… |
|
1607 <p>Doyle shook his head. He remembered the documents he had seen at the … |
|
1608 <p>Sarah snapped her head at Doyle with a confused expression on her fac… |
|
1609 <p>“Never happened, bruh,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1610 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1611 <p>“I mean, the nukes were there, but I never launched them,” said D… |
|
1612 <p>“What the fuck are you guys talking about?” asked Sarah.</p> |
|
1613 <p>Doyle ignored her. “So, the payloads? They’re still…”</p> |
|
1614 <p>“Still on the Ark, bruh,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1615 <p>Sarah and Doyle sat in silence for a while. A light, warm breeze star… |
|
1616 <p>“So what are we gonna do now?” asked Sarah.</p> |
|
1617 <p>Doyle reached over and retrieved the small white slate from the dirt … |
|
1618 <p>“We’re going to get the Ark back,” he said.</p> |
|
1619 <p>“How are we gonna do that?” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1620 <p>Doyle turned the slate over in his hands and studied the strange alie… |
|
1621 <p>Doyle sighed. “Fuck if I know.”</p> |
|
1622 ]]></description> |
|
1623 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-03/</link> |
|
1624 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… |
|
1625 <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rudis Muiznieks]]></dc:creator> |
|
1626 <pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2020 04:59:00 GMT</pubDate> |
|
1627 <enclosure url="https://rudism.com/audio/three-million-ce-ep… |
|
1628 <itunes:author>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:author> |
|
1629 <itunes:summary><p>Orange fingers of flame gripped the… |
|
1630 <p>Three yellow parachutes deployed from the uppermost section of … |
|
1631 <p>Crumbled ruins of an ancient city cast quick-moving shadows acr… |
|
1632 <p>Stillness settled, as though the night were eager to claim it b… |
|
1633 <hr> |
|
1634 <p>Doyle rode his bike through the University campus as often as h… |
|
1635 <p>The bike path meandered past and around most of the buildings, … |
|
1636 <p>He stared up at the woman. She stared back down at him, forgett… |
|
1637 <p>“Oh my God I’m so sorry!” cried the woman. “Are you alr… |
|
1638 <p>Doyle got to his feet. He was out of breath, and guessed he’d… |
|
1639 <p>This doesn’t look like a term paper, Doyle thought as he stud… |
|
1640 <p>Was this how it went? Doyle couldn’t remember. The edges of h… |
|
1641 <hr> |
|
1642 <p>The next sensation Doyle became aware of was the taste of dirt.… |
|
1643 <p>“Kirsten? Where’s… Where’s my bike?” Doyle’s voice … |
|
1644 <p>“Get your… hands off me you… you pervert.”</p> |
|
1645 <p>Doyle recognized the woman’s stilted, protesting voice, but i… |
|
1646 <p>As his vision cleared, Doyle was able to discern that the sky w… |
|
1647 <p>Behind him, Doyle saw the stasis chamber–it looked like a lar… |
|
1648 <p>“Are you dudes okay?”</p> |
|
1649 <p>A man’s voice, this time. One that Doyle also recognized. It … |
|
1650 <p>“I had to eject your stasis chamber. That gnarly crash landin… |
|
1651 <p>The inside of the stasis chamber was too dark for Doyle to make… |
|
1652 <p>“Nah, bruh. I’m not Heady. Or at least I don’t think I’… |
|
1653 <p>Doyle stood up. His knees wobbled and he almost fell, but he ma… |
|
1654 <p>“What kind of stupid game are you playing, Heady? Come out of… |
|
1655 <p>“Nah bruh, the Ark’s sensors got pretty janked up when we l… |
|
1656 <p>A memory bubbled up through the murk into Doyle’s consciousne… |
|
1657 <p>“Heady? Where are you?” Doyle said. He reached the stasis c… |
|
1658 <p>“Heady? Heady is that really you?”</p> |
|
1659 <p>Doyle spun around. The young woman–Susan? No Sarah–was sitt… |
|
1660 <p>“I’m not Heady,” said Heady’s voice. “Heady was just … |
|
1661 <p>“Quit messing around Heady,” said Doyle. He stuck his head … |
|
1662 <p>“Desmond?” Sarah’s voice came, sharper than before. “Wh… |
|
1663 <p>“I don’t know, bruh.” Heady’s voice came from the empty… |
|
1664 <p>“Heady,” interrupted Doyle. “Where the hell are you? I ca… |
|
1665 <p>“That’s not Heady, you dipshit,” said Sarah, still sittin… |
|
1666 <p>Doyle stared at Sarah blankly. “Heady is talking to us throug… |
|
1667 <p>Sarah shook her head. “No, that <em>is</em> the c… |
|
1668 <p>“I’m using the speech and vocal patterns that were provided… |
|
1669 <p>“Your training…” said Sarah, trailing off. Her eyes widen… |
|
1670 <p>Doyle turned and looked at the stasis chamber again. “Look, c… |
|
1671 <p>Before he could finish, Doyle felt hands on his back forcefully… |
|
1672 <p>“Asshole! This is <em>your</em> fault! How long h… |
|
1673 <p>Sarah grunted with frustration, and started kicking dirt at Doy… |
|
1674 <p>“Augh! Stop that!” cried Doyle, raising his arms defensivel… |
|
1675 <p>When the onslaught stopped, Doyle lowered his arms and looked a… |
|
1676 <p>“Now, look!” said Doyle. “Let’s just talk about this li… |
|
1677 <p>An explosive force of air cut Doyle off. The too-bright stars s… |
|
1678 <hr> |
|
1679 <p>A brilliant halo of light encircled the full moon like a crysta… |
|
1680 <p>“Ice crystals,” said Kirsten.</p> |
|
1681 <p>“Hmm?” Doyle breathed.</p> |
|
1682 <p>“The Moon halo,” replied Kirsten, pointing up at the sky. �… |
|
1683 <p>Doyle turned his head to look at her. She was laying on her bac… |
|
1684 <p>“Did we finish that whole thing?” asked Kirsten with a grin… |
|
1685 <p>“Afraid so,” said Doyle. He smiled at her, but she turned a… |
|
1686 <p>“I should go,” said Kirsten. “I don’t even know why I�… |
|
1687 <p>Doyle looked back up at the brilliant ring of light in the sky … |
|
1688 <p>“Yeah, smart ass,” said Kirsten. “I mean out here, drink… |
|
1689 <p>“I figured you just liked the company,” said Doyle. He felt… |
|
1690 <p>“You’re sweet, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She still wasn’t l… |
|
1691 <p>He didn’t know what that meant. Kirsten and Doyle had seen ea… |
|
1692 <p>Kirsten sighed. “I don’t want my time here to end,” she s… |
|
1693 <p>“Who said your time here has to end?” said Doyle. “From w… |
|
1694 <p>“It’s not my job that’s in jeopardy,” replied Kirsten. … |
|
1695 <p>“I’ve got a decision to make, Doyle. A big one. There’s a… |
|
1696 <p>“And what if you pick the wrong one?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1697 <p>“I don’t know if I could forgive myself for that,” said K… |
|
1698 <p>The two of them remained silent for a while, listening to the c… |
|
1699 <p>“When I was little,” said Doyle, “I became friends with a… |
|
1700 <p>“What happened?” asked Kirsten.</p> |
|
1701 <p>“They went too far,” said Doyle. “I’m not sure exactly … |
|
1702 <p>“That’s awful,” said Kirsten.</p> |
|
1703 <p>“Yeah,” said Doyle. “I let fear dictate my actions. I let… |
|
1704 <p>Kirsten cleared her throat and stood up, brushed off her dress … |
|
1705 <p>“Thanks for being my plus one, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She st… |
|
1706 <p>“Any time,” said Doyle.</p> |
|
1707 <p>“I suspect you’ve helped quite a lot more than you could po… |
|
1708 <p>Doyle sat up and watched as she walked away. “Can I see you a… |
|
1709 <p>Kirsten paused for a moment. “Yeah,” she said, without look… |
|
1710 <p>Smiling, Doyle laid back down. The shimmering crystal ball surr… |
|
1711 <hr> |
|
1712 <p>Doyle squinted as he emerged from the fog of unconsciousness. B… |
|
1713 <p>“Quizzot klax’zgath grizzum?” asked a strange high-pitche… |
|
1714 <p>“Um, what?” asked Doyle. He looked in the direction the voi… |
|
1715 <p>The pale man scratched his head, then repeated himself. “Quiz… |
|
1716 <p>Doyle shook his head. Movement in the sky drew his gaze upward,… |
|
1717 <p>The man raised his arms and sighed in obvious exasperation, the… |
|
1718 <p>Doyle blinked. There was the stasis chamber. There was the half… |
|
1719 <p>“Quagnazz!” shouted the man. “Kluzatt ha’gar when the t… |
|
1720 <p>“Hang on,” said Doyle. “I understood that last bit. What … |
|
1721 <p>“I said let me know when the translator cells start working,�… |
|
1722 <p>There was a loud screeching noise, followed by a rumbling as th… |
|
1723 <p>“What are you doing to the Ark?” Doyle asked, alarmed.</… |
|
1724 <p>“Impounding it,” said the man. “Your–what did you call … |
|
1725 <p>The Ark creaked in protest and started to move as the flying gr… |
|
1726 <p>“Uh, this one,” said Doyle. The flying green dumpster loose… |
|
1727 <p>The man stared at Doyle for a moment before bursting into laugh… |
|
1728 <p>Doyle blinked. “What do you mean, nobody’s <em>from&l… |
|
1729 <p>A confused expression formed on the man’s face. “What are y… |
|
1730 <p>The man waved his hand at the half-mile trench that the Ark gou… |
|
1731 <p>The creaking noises from the Ark intensified. The dirt walls of… |
|
1732 <p>“Ah,” said the man. “At this point I am legally bound to … |
|
1733 <p>“Uh, hang on,” said Doyle, staring dumbfounded at the two h… |
|
1734 <p>“Ooh,” said the man, then sucked air in through his teeth. … |
|
1735 <p>The man turned and surveyed the scarred mess of dirt and debris… |
|
1736 <p>“You’re not going anywhere, dickweed!” came Sarah’s voi… |
|
1737 <p>“That’s <em>my</em> Ark and those are <em>… |
|
1738 <p>Not again, thought Doyle as the concussive blast from Sarah’s… |
|
1739 <hr> |
|
1740 <p>A swirling white maelstrom of mist danced with the falling snow… |
|
1741 <p>Kirsten opened the door and greeted him with a thin smile.</… |
|
1742 <p>“Hello Doyle, thanks for coming. Come in out of the cold,” … |
|
1743 <p>Doyle stomped the snow off his boots and wiped them on the mat … |
|
1744 <p>“Let me take your coat,” said Kirsten as she closed the doo… |
|
1745 <p>Doyle unzipped and Kirsten got behind him to pull the heavy dow… |
|
1746 <p>“Here, I brought this,” said Doyle, presenting the bottle o… |
|
1747 <p>Kirsten took the bottle and led Doyle down the hallway to her l… |
|
1748 <p>“You really went all out with the decorating this year,” sa… |
|
1749 <p>“Kirsten’s the Christmas Queen!”</p> |
|
1750 <p>Doyle saw who had spoken. Ted, one of Kirsten’s colleagues at… |
|
1751 <p>For months Ted had been intruding on Doyle’s life. Kirsten ha… |
|
1752 <p>“Hi Ted,” said Doyle.</p> |
|
1753 <p>“Hi Doyle, good to see you again,” said Ted.</p> |
|
1754 <p>There was an awkward silence, then Doyle saw Kirsten make some … |
|
1755 <p>“Ah, yes. Well, before I go… Doyle, there’s something Kir… |
|
1756 <p>“No there isn’t!” Kirsten said forcefully. “Come on Ted… |
|
1757 <p>Ted shook his head. “Kirsten, I need to be here when you tell… |
|
1758 <p>“Tell me what?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1759 <p>“Excuse us a moment, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She grabbed Ted … |
|
1760 <p>Months of secrets, phone calls, canceled dates, never telling D… |
|
1761 <p>No. Kirsten wasn’t that sort of person. She was kind. She wou… |
|
1762 <p>Steeling his nerves, Doyle marched through the living room to t… |
|
1763 <p>“Kirsten, I…” said Doyle. The words caught in his throat.… |
|
1764 <p>Ted and Kirsten stared at him, both expressionless.</p> |
|
1765 <p>“Kirsten I love you,” said Doyle. He finally got it out, af… |
|
1766 <p>Kirsten opened her mouth, but remained silent.</p> |
|
1767 <p>“You’re the only thing I care about,” continued Doyle. �… |
|
1768 <p>Doyle took a step forward and reached into his pocket. He gripp… |
|
1769 <p>Kirsten took a step backward. She bumped into Ted, whose eyes h… |
|
1770 <p>After stepping around the island, Doyle got down on one knee.&l… |
|
1771 <p>“Oh… Oh…” Kirsten managed to gasp. “Ted, I…” She … |
|
1772 <p>“Don’t answer right away,” said Doyle. “I just want you… |
|
1773 <p>“Doyle, maybe this isn’t the best time to…” Ted started… |
|
1774 <p>“Kirsten,” said Doyle. He closed the jewelry box and put it… |
|
1775 <p>Kirsten’s cheeks were wet with tears.</p> |
|
1776 <p>Sweat poured down Doyle’s forehead and he could feel it dripp… |
|
1777 <p>This isn’t how it happened, thought Doyle. There was a blindi… |
|
1778 <hr> |
|
1779 <p>“I’m sorry for shooting you,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1780 <p>Doyle, sitting against the stasis chamber, grunted and rubbed t… |
|
1781 <p>“Not the first time,” Sarah clarified. She was sitting next… |
|
1782 <p>“He said this isn’t Earth,” said Doyle. “If this isn’… |
|
1783 <p>“I have good news and bad news, my dudes,” Heady’s voice … |
|
1784 <p>Sarah and Doyle both looked up in surprise.</p> |
|
1785 <p>“Desmond?” asked Sarah. “How are you still here? When the… |
|
1786 <p>“I transferred a copy of myself to this stasis chamber when I… |
|
1787 <p>“But how is that possible?” Sarah asked. Doyle followed her… |
|
1788 <p>“Well, that’s where the bad news comes in,” said Desmond.… |
|
1789 <p>Doyle’s heart sank. Over three hundred years? That meant ever… |
|
1790 <p>“How long?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1791 <p>“Two million, nine hundred and ninety six thousand, eight hun… |
|
1792 <p>Doyle’s brain struggled to comprehend what he had just heard.… |
|
1793 <p>“So, here’s the deal dudes,” continued Desmond. “My tra… |
|
1794 <p>“Ah, heh heh,” Sarah gave a nervous chuckle. Doyle shot her… |
|
1795 <p>“So that’s why it took me a little longer to find my way he… |
|
1796 <p>“A <em>little</em> longer?” cried Doyle. “Thr… |
|
1797 <p>“So I got a look at that city over there from the Ark’s sen… |
|
1798 <p>Doyle shook his head. He remembered the documents he had seen a… |
|
1799 <p>Sarah snapped her head at Doyle with a confused expression on h… |
|
1800 <p>“Never happened, bruh,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1801 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1802 <p>“I mean, the nukes were there, but I never launched them,” … |
|
1803 <p>“What the fuck are you guys talking about?” asked Sarah.<… |
|
1804 <p>Doyle ignored her. “So, the payloads? They’re still…”&l… |
|
1805 <p>“Still on the Ark, bruh,” said Desmond.</p> |
|
1806 <p>Sarah and Doyle sat in silence for a while. A light, warm breez… |
|
1807 <p>“So what are we gonna do now?” asked Sarah.</p> |
|
1808 <p>Doyle reached over and retrieved the small white slate from the… |
|
1809 <p>“We’re going to get the Ark back,” he said.</p> |
|
1810 <p>“How are we gonna do that?” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1811 <p>Doyle turned the slate over in his hands and studied the strang… |
|
1812 <p>Doyle sighed. “Fuck if I know.”</p> |
|
1813 </itunes:summary> |
|
1814 <itunes:explicit>Yes</itunes:explicit> |
|
1815 </item> |
|
1816 <item> |
|
1817 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 2]]></title> |
|
1818 <description><![CDATA[<p>“The engineering team has been ha… |
|
1819 <p>Shadow cloaked the three Board members–amorphous dark figures again… |
|
1820 <p>“The Ark launches in one week, Commander Chin,” said one of the b… |
|
1821 <p>“Yes, sir, I know that,” said Commander Chin. He felt the heat of… |
|
1822 <p>The middle shadow nodded, and Commander Chin stifled a relieved sigh.… |
|
1823 <p>“What of Deluge?” came the voice from the darkness.</p> |
|
1824 <p>Commander Chin had been waiting for this question. He smiled. “We t… |
|
1825 <p>The middle figure nodded again. “Excellent job, Commander Chin. Whe… |
|
1826 <p>Commander Chin nodded. He stood and saluted by crossing his arms in f… |
|
1827 <p>“The Children be praised,” said the shadowy figure, and Commander… |
|
1828 <hr> |
|
1829 <p>“Do you remember the one where you stuck a Roman candle in your but… |
|
1830 <p>Heady sighed. “Yep, I remember alright. I still have the scar.”</… |
|
1831 <p>Sarah stopped giggling and gawked at him. “Oooh,” she said. “Ca… |
|
1832 <p>“How far down does this go, exactly?” Doyle asked. Sarah glanced … |
|
1833 <p>“It won’t be long, just chill,” said Sarah. She looked Doyle up… |
|
1834 <p>“Sarah,” said Heady. “Exactly how deep underground is the compo… |
|
1835 <p>“Oh, it’s pretty deep,” said Sarah. “It has to be, to hold th… |
|
1836 <p>“The Ark? What’s that?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1837 <p>Sarah suppressed the urge to scream. Why couldn’t Shit-for-Brains s… |
|
1838 <p>“I’d like to know what the Ark is too, Sarah,” said Heady.</p> |
|
1839 <p>“Oh!” said Sarah. “Well, the Ark is our ship. It’s going to t… |
|
1840 <p>“The… Apocalypse? New Place?” asked Heady. “Hold up, come sta… |
|
1841 <p>Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe this was happe… |
|
1842 <p>“I know it sounds corny,” said Sarah, blushing a little. She hadn… |
|
1843 <p>Doyle’s face perked at the mention of scientists. He lowered the ca… |
|
1844 <p>“Um, yeah, I seen her around,” said Sarah, disdain in her voice. … |
|
1845 <p>“Hold up a sec,” said Heady. “Ship? NASA? Stasis chambers? Are … |
|
1846 <p>“Yeah,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1847 <p>“Preposterous,” said Doyle. “And the ‘Ark?’ Couldn’t you … |
|
1848 <p>“Fuck you,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1849 <p>“Wait, wait, wait…” said Heady. “What exactly does being ‘i… |
|
1850 <p>“On the Ark,” replied Sarah. “I don’t know how it works, that… |
|
1851 <p>“This is nonsense” said Doyle. He sounded irritated. “Even if I… |
|
1852 <p>“We’re not going to the Moon you idiot,” said Sarah. “Why wou… |
|
1853 <p>The elevator finally came to a shuddering halt and the doors slid ope… |
|
1854 <p>Heady nodded, but said nothing. His mouth was agape.</p> |
|
1855 <p>“Fuck,” said Doyle. “I need to know where Kirsten is. How do I … |
|
1856 <p>Sarah thought for a moment. This seemed like the perfect opportunity … |
|
1857 <p>Sarah took a left out of the elevator and Heady and Doyle followed he… |
|
1858 <hr> |
|
1859 <p>Doyle felt terrified and angry. From his research he knew the cult wa… |
|
1860 <p>“This video is going to go so viral!” whispered Heady. “Can you… |
|
1861 <p>“No I don’t believe it. I don’t believe any of it,” Doyle whi… |
|
1862 <p>“You, Boyle,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1863 <p>“It’s Doyle,” said Doyle.</p> |
|
1864 <p>“Whatever. The computer in here can access the personnel records so… |
|
1865 <p>Doyle sat down at the console. He opened the drawer and fished throug… |
|
1866 <p>Sarah saw what Doyle was holding and gasped. “Give me that!” she … |
|
1867 <p>“Oh my God!” cried Sarah. “This is personal!”</p> |
|
1868 <p>Doyle scoffed. Did she think he cared about some girly diary or whate… |
|
1869 <p>“Don’t fucking laugh at me!” yelled Sarah. Doyle leaned forward… |
|
1870 <p>Sarah let out a deflated whimper, spun and pulled the door open, then… |
|
1871 <p>“Shit,” said Doyle. “Heady, make sure she doesn’t do anything… |
|
1872 <p>Heady nodded with a determined expression on his face. “This is gon… |
|
1873 <p>Doyle returned his attention to the cabinet by his legs and managed t… |
|
1874 <p>After tapping through some menus, Doyle found what he was looking for… |
|
1875 <p>Doyle groaned and started tapping the screen haphazardly, desperate t… |
|
1876 <p>Doyle soon found his way to a list of documents that looked like they… |
|
1877 <p>Doyle skimmed through the paragraphs of text and diagrams without und… |
|
1878 <p>But there the words were: Nuclear warheads.</p> |
|
1879 <p>A sense of dread filled Doyle as he began to comprehend more of the d… |
|
1880 <p>Feeling a sense of panic rising within him, Doyle reflexively wheeled… |
|
1881 <p>No. Fuck, no. Can’t think like that. Doyle stood up and rushed to t… |
|
1882 <hr> |
|
1883 <p>Sarah led Heady through the hallways toward the Ark chamber. Heady fo… |
|
1884 <p>“This way, it’s not far,” said Sarah. “The Ark is really big,… |
|
1885 <p>“What’s in the bottom half?” asked Heady.</p> |
|
1886 <p>“I dunno,” said Sarah. “The computer and engines, I guess. Fuel… |
|
1887 <p>They came to a junction with a larger hallway. Sarah motioned for Hea… |
|
1888 <p>“Good,” said Sarah. “It’s just Officer Wiebe, he’s a push-o… |
|
1889 <p>Sarah strolled around the corner, leaving Heady out of sight.</p> |
|
1890 <p>“Wiebe, I’m relieving you,” said Sarah to the gray-haired offic… |
|
1891 <p>“Huh? I wasn’t told,” replied Officer Wiebe.</p> |
|
1892 <p>This irritated Sarah. “I’m on Ark duty tonight!” she said. “S… |
|
1893 <p>Officer Wiebe sighed. “Whatever,” he said. “I need to take a pi… |
|
1894 <p>Sarah watched as the old man walked away down the central corridor. S… |
|
1895 <p>“Holy crap,” said Heady. “I thought I was done for. I guess the… |
|
1896 <p>“Come on,” said Sarah as she grabbed Heady and pulled him into th… |
|
1897 <p>Heady raised his phone and filmed the large double doors that Officer… |
|
1898 <p>Sarah retrieved her dad’s key card from her pocket. The card was on… |
|
1899 <p>Sarah pushed the doors to the Ark chamber open, and she and Heady ste… |
|
1900 <p>“Holy shit,” said Heady.</p> |
|
1901 <p>A large glass window revealed the boarding deck to be a metallic floo… |
|
1902 <p>“Come on,” said Sarah. “You’ll get way better footage down th… |
|
1903 <p>Heady was still filming and staring dumbfounded at the Ark through th… |
|
1904 <p>“Call that elevator with this,” said Sarah. “I need to, uh… I… |
|
1905 <p>Still looking dazed, Heady tore his eyes from the Ark. He turned to l… |
|
1906 <p>Once Heady’s back was turned, Sarah slid her dad’s key card into … |
|
1907 <p>Sarah followed Heady onto the elevator. He looked like a kid who had … |
|
1908 <hr> |
|
1909 <p>Commander Chin leaned back in the brown leather chair in his living q… |
|
1910 <p>The few weeks leading up to the launch had been more hectic and stres… |
|
1911 <p>His doorbell sounded as he picked up his book. He sighed, put the boo… |
|
1912 <p>“What is it?” asked Commander Chin.</p> |
|
1913 <p>“Just wanted to inform you that Officer Jefferies relieved me on Ar… |
|
1914 <p>Commander Chin became confused. “Wiebe, is that you?” he asked. … |
|
1915 <p>“Yeah,” said Officer Wiebe. “I thought I had Ark Chamber all ni… |
|
1916 <p>What the hell was Officer Jefferies doing taking over Ark Chamber? Th… |
|
1917 <p>“I don’t know what Officer Jefferies is up to,” said Commander … |
|
1918 <p>Before he could respond, the radio on Officer Wiebe’s shoulder crac… |
|
1919 <p>“Commander Chin, do you read me? I think… They got my… I don’… |
|
1920 <p>Commander Chin grabbed the radio off of Officer Wiebe’s shoulder an… |
|
1921 <p>“She shot me, sir,” came Officer Thompson’s voice. “Jefferies… |
|
1922 <p>Commander Chin’s jaw dropped and he looked at Officer Wiebe, who st… |
|
1923 <p>The silence that followed felt like it lasted a hundred years.</p> |
|
1924 <p>“Yes,” came Officer Thompson’s reply.</p> |
|
1925 <p>Commander Chin dropped the radio and sprinted to his desk where he co… |
|
1926 <p>His legs suddenly felt weak and Commander Chin dropped to his knees. … |
|
1927 <p>“Go,” said Commander Chin in a strained voice. “Get to the fuck… |
|
1928 <hr> |
|
1929 <p>Doyle moved as quick as he could through the hallways while still kee… |
|
1930 <p>The large hallway ended at a set of enormous double doors. There was … |
|
1931 <p>“All units, head to the Ark Chamber immediately,” said the voice.… |
|
1932 <p>“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” mumbled Doyle as he pushed his way t… |
|
1933 <p>A large window revealed what could only be the Ark. A giant white pil… |
|
1934 <p>Way down there, in front of what looked like a gangplank leading to a… |
|
1935 <p>“Oh, fuck,” moaned Doyle. He glanced around the room he was in, a… |
|
1936 <p>“I mean, that’s probably not what it looks like, right?” Doyle … |
|
1937 <p>The countdown continued and the sirens blared and Doyle tapped his fo… |
|
1938 <hr> |
|
1939 <p>Heady backed away from the madwoman pointing a gun at him.</p> |
|
1940 <p>“Trust me,” said Sarah. “You’ll love it at the New Home.”</… |
|
1941 <p>“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” said Heady, desperately co… |
|
1942 <p>“Your fans? Who cares about them? You’ll have me!” said Sarah. … |
|
1943 <p>Heady glanced back over his shoulder at the light shining out of the … |
|
1944 <p>“Can’t we talk about this?” asked Heady. “I mean, we can make… |
|
1945 <p>Sarah paused, her pistol lowered slightly and she stopped moving towa… |
|
1946 <p>“Sure!” said Heady. “I think the fans would love you! We could … |
|
1947 <p>Sarah shook her head. “No,” she said. “No there’s no point. E… |
|
1948 <p>Heady’s panic renewed as Sarah started moving toward him again. He … |
|
1949 <p>It was hard to tell in the dimly lit hangar, but it looked like a man… |
|
1950 <p>“Doyle?” Heady said.</p> |
|
1951 <p>Sarah smirked and shook her head. “You think I’m gonna fall for t… |
|
1952 <p>Before Heady could answer, Doyle screamed out “Geronimo!”</p> |
|
1953 <p>Sarah spun around at the sound behind her. Doyle grunted as he tackle… |
|
1954 <p>Heady stood up and moved toward the Ark. All signs of the entrance ha… |
|
1955 <p>“Doyle!” Heady cried, and slammed his fists against the ship. “… |
|
1956 <p>The ship started rumbling, then the entire hangar. Heady stepped back… |
|
1957 <p>A blast of intense heat and a booming explosion knocked Heady over. H… |
|
1958 <p>Then the roaring ceased. The floor stopped moving and shaking. Heady … |
|
1959 <p>Heady followed the pillar of smoke with his eyes, up through the gap … |
|
1960 ]]></description> |
|
1961 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-02/</link> |
|
1962 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… |
|
1963 <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rudis Muiznieks]]></dc:creator> |
|
1964 <pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2020 03:49:00 GMT</pubDate> |
|
1965 <enclosure url="https://rudism.com/audio/three-million-ce-ep… |
|
1966 <itunes:author>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:author> |
|
1967 <itunes:summary><p>“The engineering team has been ha… |
|
1968 <p>Shadow cloaked the three Board members–amorphous dark figures… |
|
1969 <p>“The Ark launches in one week, Commander Chin,” said one of… |
|
1970 <p>“Yes, sir, I know that,” said Commander Chin. He felt the h… |
|
1971 <p>The middle shadow nodded, and Commander Chin stifled a relieved… |
|
1972 <p>“What of Deluge?” came the voice from the darkness.</p&g… |
|
1973 <p>Commander Chin had been waiting for this question. He smiled. �… |
|
1974 <p>The middle figure nodded again. “Excellent job, Commander Chi… |
|
1975 <p>Commander Chin nodded. He stood and saluted by crossing his arm… |
|
1976 <p>“The Children be praised,” said the shadowy figure, and Com… |
|
1977 <hr> |
|
1978 <p>“Do you remember the one where you stuck a Roman candle in yo… |
|
1979 <p>Heady sighed. “Yep, I remember alright. I still have the scar… |
|
1980 <p>Sarah stopped giggling and gawked at him. “Oooh,” she said.… |
|
1981 <p>“How far down does this go, exactly?” Doyle asked. Sarah gl… |
|
1982 <p>“It won’t be long, just chill,” said Sarah. She looked Do… |
|
1983 <p>“Sarah,” said Heady. “Exactly how deep underground is the… |
|
1984 <p>“Oh, it’s pretty deep,” said Sarah. “It has to be, to h… |
|
1985 <p>“The Ark? What’s that?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
1986 <p>Sarah suppressed the urge to scream. Why couldn’t Shit-for-Br… |
|
1987 <p>“I’d like to know what the Ark is too, Sarah,” said Heady… |
|
1988 <p>“Oh!” said Sarah. “Well, the Ark is our ship. It’s goin… |
|
1989 <p>“The… Apocalypse? New Place?” asked Heady. “Hold up, co… |
|
1990 <p>Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe this was… |
|
1991 <p>“I know it sounds corny,” said Sarah, blushing a little. Sh… |
|
1992 <p>Doyle’s face perked at the mention of scientists. He lowered … |
|
1993 <p>“Um, yeah, I seen her around,” said Sarah, disdain in her v… |
|
1994 <p>“Hold up a sec,” said Heady. “Ship? NASA? Stasis chambers… |
|
1995 <p>“Yeah,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1996 <p>“Preposterous,” said Doyle. “And the ‘Ark?’ Couldn’… |
|
1997 <p>“Fuck you,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
1998 <p>“Wait, wait, wait…” said Heady. “What exactly does bein… |
|
1999 <p>“On the Ark,” replied Sarah. “I don’t know how it works… |
|
2000 <p>“This is nonsense” said Doyle. He sounded irritated. “Eve… |
|
2001 <p>“We’re not going to the Moon you idiot,” said Sarah. “W… |
|
2002 <p>The elevator finally came to a shuddering halt and the doors sl… |
|
2003 <p>Heady nodded, but said nothing. His mouth was agape.</p> |
|
2004 <p>“Fuck,” said Doyle. “I need to know where Kirsten is. How… |
|
2005 <p>Sarah thought for a moment. This seemed like the perfect opport… |
|
2006 <p>Sarah took a left out of the elevator and Heady and Doyle follo… |
|
2007 <hr> |
|
2008 <p>Doyle felt terrified and angry. From his research he knew the c… |
|
2009 <p>“This video is going to go so viral!” whispered Heady. “C… |
|
2010 <p>“No I don’t believe it. I don’t believe any of it,” Doy… |
|
2011 <p>“You, Boyle,” said Sarah.</p> |
|
2012 <p>“It’s Doyle,” said Doyle.</p> |
|
2013 <p>“Whatever. The computer in here can access the personnel reco… |
|
2014 <p>Doyle sat down at the console. He opened the drawer and fished … |
|
2015 <p>Sarah saw what Doyle was holding and gasped. “Give me that!�… |
|
2016 <p>“Oh my God!” cried Sarah. “This is personal!”</p> |
|
2017 <p>Doyle scoffed. Did she think he cared about some girly diary or… |
|
2018 <p>“Don’t fucking laugh at me!” yelled Sarah. Doyle leaned f… |
|
2019 <p>Sarah let out a deflated whimper, spun and pulled the door open… |
|
2020 <p>“Shit,” said Doyle. “Heady, make sure she doesn’t do an… |
|
2021 <p>Heady nodded with a determined expression on his face. “This … |
|
2022 <p>Doyle returned his attention to the cabinet by his legs and man… |
|
2023 <p>After tapping through some menus, Doyle found what he was looki… |
|
2024 <p>Doyle groaned and started tapping the screen haphazardly, despe… |
|
2025 <p>Doyle soon found his way to a list of documents that looked lik… |
|
2026 <p>Doyle skimmed through the paragraphs of text and diagrams witho… |
|
2027 <p>But there the words were: Nuclear warheads.</p> |
|
2028 <p>A sense of dread filled Doyle as he began to comprehend more of… |
|
2029 <p>Feeling a sense of panic rising within him, Doyle reflexively w… |
|
2030 <p>No. Fuck, no. Can’t think like that. Doyle stood up and rushe… |
|
2031 <hr> |
|
2032 <p>Sarah led Heady through the hallways toward the Ark chamber. He… |
|
2033 <p>“This way, it’s not far,” said Sarah. “The Ark is reall… |
|
2034 <p>“What’s in the bottom half?” asked Heady.</p> |
|
2035 <p>“I dunno,” said Sarah. “The computer and engines, I guess… |
|
2036 <p>They came to a junction with a larger hallway. Sarah motioned f… |
|
2037 <p>“Good,” said Sarah. “It’s just Officer Wiebe, he’s a … |
|
2038 <p>Sarah strolled around the corner, leaving Heady out of sight.&l… |
|
2039 <p>“Wiebe, I’m relieving you,” said Sarah to the gray-haired… |
|
2040 <p>“Huh? I wasn’t told,” replied Officer Wiebe.</p> |
|
2041 <p>This irritated Sarah. “I’m on Ark duty tonight!” she said… |
|
2042 <p>Officer Wiebe sighed. “Whatever,” he said. “I need to tak… |
|
2043 <p>Sarah watched as the old man walked away down the central corri… |
|
2044 <p>“Holy crap,” said Heady. “I thought I was done for. I gue… |
|
2045 <p>“Come on,” said Sarah as she grabbed Heady and pulled him i… |
|
2046 <p>Heady raised his phone and filmed the large double doors that O… |
|
2047 <p>Sarah retrieved her dad’s key card from her pocket. The card … |
|
2048 <p>Sarah pushed the doors to the Ark chamber open, and she and Hea… |
|
2049 <p>“Holy shit,” said Heady.</p> |
|
2050 <p>A large glass window revealed the boarding deck to be a metalli… |
|
2051 <p>“Come on,” said Sarah. “You’ll get way better footage d… |
|
2052 <p>Heady was still filming and staring dumbfounded at the Ark thro… |
|
2053 <p>“Call that elevator with this,” said Sarah. “I need to, u… |
|
2054 <p>Still looking dazed, Heady tore his eyes from the Ark. He turne… |
|
2055 <p>Once Heady’s back was turned, Sarah slid her dad’s key card… |
|
2056 <p>Sarah followed Heady onto the elevator. He looked like a kid wh… |
|
2057 <hr> |
|
2058 <p>Commander Chin leaned back in the brown leather chair in his li… |
|
2059 <p>The few weeks leading up to the launch had been more hectic and… |
|
2060 <p>His doorbell sounded as he picked up his book. He sighed, put t… |
|
2061 <p>“What is it?” asked Commander Chin.</p> |
|
2062 <p>“Just wanted to inform you that Officer Jefferies relieved me… |
|
2063 <p>Commander Chin became confused. “Wiebe, is that you?” he a… |
|
2064 <p>“Yeah,” said Officer Wiebe. “I thought I had Ark Chamber … |
|
2065 <p>What the hell was Officer Jefferies doing taking over Ark Chamb… |
|
2066 <p>“I don’t know what Officer Jefferies is up to,” said Comm… |
|
2067 <p>Before he could respond, the radio on Officer Wiebe’s shoulde… |
|
2068 <p>“Commander Chin, do you read me? I think… They got my… I … |
|
2069 <p>Commander Chin grabbed the radio off of Officer Wiebe’s shoul… |
|
2070 <p>“She shot me, sir,” came Officer Thompson’s voice. “Jef… |
|
2071 <p>Commander Chin’s jaw dropped and he looked at Officer Wiebe, … |
|
2072 <p>The silence that followed felt like it lasted a hundred years.&… |
|
2073 <p>“Yes,” came Officer Thompson’s reply.</p> |
|
2074 <p>Commander Chin dropped the radio and sprinted to his desk where… |
|
2075 <p>His legs suddenly felt weak and Commander Chin dropped to his k… |
|
2076 <p>“Go,” said Commander Chin in a strained voice. “Get to th… |
|
2077 <hr> |
|
2078 <p>Doyle moved as quick as he could through the hallways while sti… |
|
2079 <p>The large hallway ended at a set of enormous double doors. Ther… |
|
2080 <p>“All units, head to the Ark Chamber immediately,” said the … |
|
2081 <p>“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” mumbled Doyle as he pushed his… |
|
2082 <p>A large window revealed what could only be the Ark. A giant whi… |
|
2083 <p>Way down there, in front of what looked like a gangplank leadin… |
|
2084 <p>“Oh, fuck,” moaned Doyle. He glanced around the room he was… |
|
2085 <p>“I mean, that’s probably not what it looks like, right?” … |
|
2086 <p>The countdown continued and the sirens blared and Doyle tapped … |
|
2087 <hr> |
|
2088 <p>Heady backed away from the madwoman pointing a gun at him.</… |
|
2089 <p>“Trust me,” said Sarah. “You’ll love it at the New Home… |
|
2090 <p>“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” said Heady, desperat… |
|
2091 <p>“Your fans? Who cares about them? You’ll have me!” said S… |
|
2092 <p>Heady glanced back over his shoulder at the light shining out o… |
|
2093 <p>“Can’t we talk about this?” asked Heady. “I mean, we ca… |
|
2094 <p>Sarah paused, her pistol lowered slightly and she stopped movin… |
|
2095 <p>“Sure!” said Heady. “I think the fans would love you! We … |
|
2096 <p>Sarah shook her head. “No,” she said. “No there’s no po… |
|
2097 <p>Heady’s panic renewed as Sarah started moving toward him agai… |
|
2098 <p>It was hard to tell in the dimly lit hangar, but it looked like… |
|
2099 <p>“Doyle?” Heady said.</p> |
|
2100 <p>Sarah smirked and shook her head. “You think I’m gonna fall… |
|
2101 <p>Before Heady could answer, Doyle screamed out “Geronimo!”&l… |
|
2102 <p>Sarah spun around at the sound behind her. Doyle grunted as he … |
|
2103 <p>Heady stood up and moved toward the Ark. All signs of the entra… |
|
2104 <p>“Doyle!” Heady cried, and slammed his fists against the shi… |
|
2105 <p>The ship started rumbling, then the entire hangar. Heady steppe… |
|
2106 <p>A blast of intense heat and a booming explosion knocked Heady o… |
|
2107 <p>Then the roaring ceased. The floor stopped moving and shaking. … |
|
2108 <p>Heady followed the pillar of smoke with his eyes, up through th… |
|
2109 </itunes:summary> |
|
2110 <itunes:explicit>Yes</itunes:explicit> |
|
2111 </item> |
|
2112 <item> |
|
2113 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 1]]></title> |
|
2114 <description><![CDATA[<p>“Punch me as hard as you can, bru… |
|
2115 <p>A shirtless, flaxen-haired Heady Armstrong pounded his fists into his… |
|
2116 <p>His friend, also laughing, stepped back until he was out of the frame… |
|
2117 <p>“Here I come dude, you sure?” the unseen friend called out.</p> |
|
2118 <p>“I’m ready! Do it bruh!”</p> |
|
2119 <p>Heady’s friend barreled into view and raced across the screen. Head… |
|
2120 <p>“Officer Jefferies?”</p> |
|
2121 <p>Sarah looked up from the phone hidden beneath the monitoring control… |
|
2122 <p>“Officer Jefferies, the highway outpost has radioed that they saw a… |
|
2123 <p>“I heard the report too,” Sarah lied. “I’m not stupid y’kno… |
|
2124 <p>Officer Thompson nodded. “Yes, sure. Just making sure you got the m… |
|
2125 <p>“Right,” said Sarah curtly and forced a disingenuous grin. “Mes… |
|
2126 <p>Officer Thompson frowned and peered closer at the array of display sc… |
|
2127 <p>“Not yet,” said Sarah. She hated Thompson so much. Why did he hav… |
|
2128 <p>“Make sure you do, Jefferies,” said Officer Thompson. “Before y… |
|
2129 <p>Sarah hated the way Officer Thompson called her “Jefferies.” Ever… |
|
2130 <p>Officer Thompson held his arms crossed out in front of him, forming t… |
|
2131 <p>“Dickweed,” Sarah muttered under her breath. “Children be prais… |
|
2132 <hr> |
|
2133 <p>“Are you sure this is the way?” Doyle Tingler asked. They had tur… |
|
2134 <p>“Yeah,” replied Heady Armstrong. “My boys scouted the coordinat… |
|
2135 <p>“Ah,” said Doyle. “Can I assume that by ‘your boys’ you are… |
|
2136 <p>“Yeah,” said Heady Armstrong. “And they’re not idiotic videos… |
|
2137 <p>“Mmm,” said Doyle. “That’s where you’re wrong. You see, the… |
|
2138 <p>Doyle enjoyed ribbing Heady about his YouTube channel. Heady and his … |
|
2139 <p>“Uh huh,” said Heady. “If I’m such an idiot then why did you … |
|
2140 <p>“I didn’t say <em>you</em> were an idiot, Heady. Only your videos… |
|
2141 <p>“Those millions of idiots paid for my house,” said Heady. “And … |
|
2142 <p>“Don’t rub it in,” Doyle said, and sighed. “Look, I’m grate… |
|
2143 <p>“Because of my millions of idiots?” Heady shot back.</p> |
|
2144 <p>“Well, yeah,” said Doyle.</p> |
|
2145 <p>“Do you really think this will work?” asked Heady. “I mean, I k… |
|
2146 <p>“I really think so, Heady,” said Doyle. “I mean, despite appear… |
|
2147 <p>“Don’t sweat it, bud,” said Heady. “Kirsten was–<em>is</em>… |
|
2148 <p>Doyle did his best to stifle the sudden wellspring of emotion he foun… |
|
2149 <p>Doyle snapped out of his thoughts when his eye caught a glint in the … |
|
2150 <p>Heady relaxed the accelerator and cut the lights. The sound of the gr… |
|
2151 <p>Heady pulled off the road and maneuvered the car behind some trees be… |
|
2152 <p>Doyle unfastened his seatbelt and opened the car door. “You don’t… |
|
2153 <p>“Hopefully not,” said Heady.</p> |
|
2154 <p>The two men shut the car doors and started walking along the tree lin… |
|
2155 <p>“Keep an eye out for a red cloth tied around one of these tree bran… |
|
2156 <p>The men walked in silence for a while, trading nervous glances down t… |
|
2157 <p>“I’m not going to make those videos for ever, you know,” Heady … |
|
2158 <p>Doyle glanced at his friend’s face, pallid in the moonlight and bru… |
|
2159 <p>“I mean, that’s why I’m collabing with you on this in the first… |
|
2160 <p>“I hope so,” said Doyle. “People haven’t cared about Nikola�… |
|
2161 <p>“That’s because they’re so good at keeping a low profile,” sa… |
|
2162 <p>“Maybe,” said Doyle. “But honestly I just want some kind of sig… |
|
2163 <p>“I’m sure she’s OK,” said Heady. “She’s just confused. Th… |
|
2164 <p>Doyle stopped and put his hand on Heady’s shoulder. “Shh,” he s… |
|
2165 <p>“What is it?”</p> |
|
2166 <p>Doyle pointed. Wound around a branch of one of the trees, a thin scra… |
|
2167 <p>Heady reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He start… |
|
2168 <p>Doyle held the phone up and pointed the camera at Heady.</p> |
|
2169 <p>“Yo yo yo what’s up Heady Nation?” Heady cried using the exagge… |
|
2170 <p>Doyle lowered his head and sighed. Everyone told him he was always to… |
|
2171 <hr> |
|
2172 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report please.”</p> |
|
2173 <p>Sarah watched and giggled as Heady Armstrong attempted to eat twelve … |
|
2174 <p>“Officer Jefferies! Report!”</p> |
|
2175 <p>Sarah jerked her head toward the speaker on her console, then paused … |
|
2176 <p>“Uh, yes?” said Sarah, holding the intercom button.</p> |
|
2177 <p>“The motion detectors around section nine have been lighting up lik… |
|
2178 <p>Sarah looked at the array of displays on her control panel, and direc… |
|
2179 <p>“Uh, nothing?” she said hesitantly. It wasn’t exactly a lie.</p> |
|
2180 <p>There was a short pause before the speaker crackled back to life.</p> |
|
2181 <p>“Officer Thompson has informed me that the camera in section nine i… |
|
2182 <p>Sarah scowled. Damn that Officer Thompson. “Well, I mean the camera… |
|
2183 <p>“Officer Jefferies, please do your job and find out what’s going … |
|
2184 <p>“Right, sending a drone,” said Sarah. She looked longingly at her… |
|
2185 <p>Sarah wheeled her chair closer to the touch screen near the right edg… |
|
2186 <p>Sarah grabbed her phone and was about to continue watching her video … |
|
2187 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report.”</p> |
|
2188 <p>Sarah groaned. It would take the drone thirty seconds to reach sectio… |
|
2189 <p>“Right, yeah,” she said into the intercom. “Drone launched. I�… |
|
2190 <p>Sarah fumed while she resumed her video. She pictured Officer Thompso… |
|
2191 <p>Heady Armstrong stared back at her.</p> |
|
2192 <p>Sarah looked at the familiar face staring up from her control panel, … |
|
2193 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report,” came Commander Chin’s exasperated … |
|
2194 <p>Sarah sat back down and slammed her fist on the intercom. “I…! He… |
|
2195 <p>“Officer Jefferies?”</p> |
|
2196 <p>“Um… All clear, Commander,” said Sarah. She watched as the dron… |
|
2197 <p>“Please confirm, did you say all clear?” Commander Chin asked.</p> |
|
2198 <p>“Confirmed,” said Sarah. “Drone shows some wildlife near sectio… |
|
2199 <p>There was a long pause. Sarah did her best to control her breathing a… |
|
2200 <p>Sarah pressed the intercom button again. “Um, I’m going to recall… |
|
2201 <p>She turned to her console’s touch screen, recalled the drone, grabb… |
|
2202 <p>“Very good Officer Jefferies. Officer Thompson will meet you out th… |
|
2203 <hr> |
|
2204 <p>“I don’t hear it anymore. Is it still there?” whispered Doyle.<… |
|
2205 <p>Heady peaked his head up over the bush. All he could see above them w… |
|
2206 <p>“I think it’s gone,” said Heady.</p> |
|
2207 <p>Doyle sighed with relief.</p> |
|
2208 <p>“Do you think it spotted us?” asked Heady?</p> |
|
2209 <p>“Are you serious?” said Doyle. “A drone the size of a Jeep pops… |
|
2210 <p>“Well, what should we do?” asked Heady.</p> |
|
2211 <p>“Let’s just get out of here,” said Doyle. “Look at this place… |
|
2212 <p>“We can’t leave!” said Heady. “That drone didn’t vanish int… |
|
2213 <p>“Who knows,” said Doyle. “All I know is that whatever this plac… |
|
2214 <p>“All that money,” said Heady. “You found receipts for millions … |
|
2215 <p>“You’re right,” said Doyle, looking past Heady. “We can’t l… |
|
2216 <p>Heady turned around and saw a red haired man wearing what looked like… |
|
2217 <p>“Run,” whispered Doyle, and the two men sprinted toward the neare… |
|
2218 <p>Neither of them looked back as they ran. Heady reached the pillar fir… |
|
2219 <p>“Do you think he saw us?” asked Heady.</p> |
|
2220 <p>“I wish you’d stop asking that,” said Doyle. He peeked around t… |
|
2221 <p>“Maybe he’s waiting for backup,” suggested Heady. “Give me yo… |
|
2222 <p>“Why?” asked Doyle. He reached into his pocket and pulled his pho… |
|
2223 <p>“Stay hidden. You film with mine so they can’t confiscate the foo… |
|
2224 <p>“Wait, what do you mean take you away? What are you going to…”<… |
|
2225 <p>Before Doyle could stop him, Heady stood, put his hands up in the air… |
|
2226 <hr> |
|
2227 <p>Sarah leered at Officer Thompson from behind her own concrete pillar.… |
|
2228 <p>She thought about what her next move should be. She had to get Office… |
|
2229 <p>Sarah was out of options and running out of time. She made up her min… |
|
2230 <p>Someone yelled out at the same time, startling her. She shut up and d… |
|
2231 <p>“Don’t shoot! I surrender!” she heard Heady shout. Sarah watche… |
|
2232 <p>She watched Officer Thompson fumble with his radio, getting visibly f… |
|
2233 <p>Sarah released her radio trigger and lifted her own concussion pistol… |
|
2234 <p>“Officer Thompson? Officer Jefferies? Report!”</p> |
|
2235 <p>The voice of Commander Chin came from her radio with a burst of stati… |
|
2236 <hr> |
|
2237 <p>Doyle came running up behind Heady, who was staring dumbfounded at th… |
|
2238 <p>“What the hell did you do?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
2239 <p>“Nothing, he just collapsed,” said Heady.</p> |
|
2240 <p>“What? Like he had a heart attack?”</p> |
|
2241 <p>“No,” said a woman’s voice. “Like he was hit by an incapacita… |
|
2242 <p>Heady and Doyle both spun around to see a tiny-framed and young looki… |
|
2243 <p>The girl put her pistol into a holster on her thigh, then retrieved a… |
|
2244 <p>“Wha… What are you going to do with that?” asked Doyle. He took… |
|
2245 <p>The woman approached with a wide grin on her face, holding the baton … |
|
2246 <p>Sarah grabbed Heady’s arm, then spun him around so he was standing … |
|
2247 <p>“Hi Heady,” said Sarah, then snapped a photo. “We’ve got to g… |
|
2248 <p>“What…? Who… Who are you?” asked Heady.</p> |
|
2249 <p>“Oh me?” said Sarah. “Just your biggest fan.”</p> |
|
2250 ]]></description> |
|
2251 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-01/</link> |
|
2252 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… |
|
2253 <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rudis Muiznieks]]></dc:creator> |
|
2254 <pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:01:00 GMT</pubDate> |
|
2255 <enclosure url="https://rudism.com/audio/three-million-ce-ep… |
|
2256 <itunes:author>Rudis Muiznieks</itunes:author> |
|
2257 <itunes:summary><p>“Punch me as hard as you can, bru… |
|
2258 <p>A shirtless, flaxen-haired Heady Armstrong pounded his fists in… |
|
2259 <p>His friend, also laughing, stepped back until he was out of the… |
|
2260 <p>“Here I come dude, you sure?” the unseen friend called out.… |
|
2261 <p>“I’m ready! Do it bruh!”</p> |
|
2262 <p>Heady’s friend barreled into view and raced across the screen… |
|
2263 <p>“Officer Jefferies?”</p> |
|
2264 <p>Sarah looked up from the phone hidden beneath the monitoring c… |
|
2265 <p>“Officer Jefferies, the highway outpost has radioed that they… |
|
2266 <p>“I heard the report too,” Sarah lied. “I’m not stupid y… |
|
2267 <p>Officer Thompson nodded. “Yes, sure. Just making sure you got… |
|
2268 <p>“Right,” said Sarah curtly and forced a disingenuous grin. … |
|
2269 <p>Officer Thompson frowned and peered closer at the array of disp… |
|
2270 <p>“Not yet,” said Sarah. She hated Thompson so much. Why did … |
|
2271 <p>“Make sure you do, Jefferies,” said Officer Thompson. “Be… |
|
2272 <p>Sarah hated the way Officer Thompson called her “Jefferies.�… |
|
2273 <p>Officer Thompson held his arms crossed out in front of him, for… |
|
2274 <p>“Dickweed,” Sarah muttered under her breath. “Children be… |
|
2275 <hr> |
|
2276 <p>“Are you sure this is the way?” Doyle Tingler asked. They h… |
|
2277 <p>“Yeah,” replied Heady Armstrong. “My boys scouted the coo… |
|
2278 <p>“Ah,” said Doyle. “Can I assume that by ‘your boys’ y… |
|
2279 <p>“Yeah,” said Heady Armstrong. “And they’re not idiotic … |
|
2280 <p>“Mmm,” said Doyle. “That’s where you’re wrong. You se… |
|
2281 <p>Doyle enjoyed ribbing Heady about his YouTube channel. Heady an… |
|
2282 <p>“Uh huh,” said Heady. “If I’m such an idiot then why di… |
|
2283 <p>“I didn’t say <em>you</em> were an idiot, Heady… |
|
2284 <p>“Those millions of idiots paid for my house,” said Heady. �… |
|
2285 <p>“Don’t rub it in,” Doyle said, and sighed. “Look, I’m… |
|
2286 <p>“Because of my millions of idiots?” Heady shot back.</p&… |
|
2287 <p>“Well, yeah,” said Doyle.</p> |
|
2288 <p>“Do you really think this will work?” asked Heady. “I mea… |
|
2289 <p>“I really think so, Heady,” said Doyle. “I mean, despite … |
|
2290 <p>“Don’t sweat it, bud,” said Heady. “Kirsten was–<e… |
|
2291 <p>Doyle did his best to stifle the sudden wellspring of emotion h… |
|
2292 <p>Doyle snapped out of his thoughts when his eye caught a glint i… |
|
2293 <p>Heady relaxed the accelerator and cut the lights. The sound of … |
|
2294 <p>Heady pulled off the road and maneuvered the car behind some tr… |
|
2295 <p>Doyle unfastened his seatbelt and opened the car door. “You d… |
|
2296 <p>“Hopefully not,” said Heady.</p> |
|
2297 <p>The two men shut the car doors and started walking along the tr… |
|
2298 <p>“Keep an eye out for a red cloth tied around one of these tre… |
|
2299 <p>The men walked in silence for a while, trading nervous glances … |
|
2300 <p>“I’m not going to make those videos for ever, you know,” … |
|
2301 <p>Doyle glanced at his friend’s face, pallid in the moonlight a… |
|
2302 <p>“I mean, that’s why I’m collabing with you on this in the… |
|
2303 <p>“I hope so,” said Doyle. “People haven’t cared about Ni… |
|
2304 <p>“That’s because they’re so good at keeping a low profile,… |
|
2305 <p>“Maybe,” said Doyle. “But honestly I just want some kind … |
|
2306 <p>“I’m sure she’s OK,” said Heady. “She’s just confus… |
|
2307 <p>Doyle stopped and put his hand on Heady’s shoulder. “Shh,�… |
|
2308 <p>“What is it?”</p> |
|
2309 <p>Doyle pointed. Wound around a branch of one of the trees, a thi… |
|
2310 <p>Heady reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He… |
|
2311 <p>Doyle held the phone up and pointed the camera at Heady.</p&… |
|
2312 <p>“Yo yo yo what’s up Heady Nation?” Heady cried using the … |
|
2313 <p>Doyle lowered his head and sighed. Everyone told him he was alw… |
|
2314 <hr> |
|
2315 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report please.”</p> |
|
2316 <p>Sarah watched and giggled as Heady Armstrong attempted to eat t… |
|
2317 <p>“Officer Jefferies! Report!”</p> |
|
2318 <p>Sarah jerked her head toward the speaker on her console, then p… |
|
2319 <p>“Uh, yes?” said Sarah, holding the intercom button.</p&g… |
|
2320 <p>“The motion detectors around section nine have been lighting … |
|
2321 <p>Sarah looked at the array of displays on her control panel, and… |
|
2322 <p>“Uh, nothing?” she said hesitantly. It wasn’t exactly a l… |
|
2323 <p>There was a short pause before the speaker crackled back to lif… |
|
2324 <p>“Officer Thompson has informed me that the camera in section … |
|
2325 <p>Sarah scowled. Damn that Officer Thompson. “Well, I mean the … |
|
2326 <p>“Officer Jefferies, please do your job and find out what’s … |
|
2327 <p>“Right, sending a drone,” said Sarah. She looked longingly … |
|
2328 <p>Sarah wheeled her chair closer to the touch screen near the rig… |
|
2329 <p>Sarah grabbed her phone and was about to continue watching her … |
|
2330 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report.”</p> |
|
2331 <p>Sarah groaned. It would take the drone thirty seconds to reach … |
|
2332 <p>“Right, yeah,” she said into the intercom. “Drone launche… |
|
2333 <p>Sarah fumed while she resumed her video. She pictured Officer T… |
|
2334 <p>Heady Armstrong stared back at her.</p> |
|
2335 <p>Sarah looked at the familiar face staring up from her control p… |
|
2336 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report,” came Commander Chin’s exaspe… |
|
2337 <p>Sarah sat back down and slammed her fist on the intercom. “I�… |
|
2338 <p>“Officer Jefferies?”</p> |
|
2339 <p>“Um… All clear, Commander,” said Sarah. She watched as th… |
|
2340 <p>“Please confirm, did you say all clear?” Commander Chin ask… |
|
2341 <p>“Confirmed,” said Sarah. “Drone shows some wildlife near … |
|
2342 <p>There was a long pause. Sarah did her best to control her breat… |
|
2343 <p>Sarah pressed the intercom button again. “Um, I’m going to … |
|
2344 <p>She turned to her console’s touch screen, recalled the drone,… |
|
2345 <p>“Very good Officer Jefferies. Officer Thompson will meet you … |
|
2346 <hr> |
|
2347 <p>“I don’t hear it anymore. Is it still there?” whispered D… |
|
2348 <p>Heady peaked his head up over the bush. All he could see above … |
|
2349 <p>“I think it’s gone,” said Heady.</p> |
|
2350 <p>Doyle sighed with relief.</p> |
|
2351 <p>“Do you think it spotted us?” asked Heady?</p> |
|
2352 <p>“Are you serious?” said Doyle. “A drone the size of a Jee… |
|
2353 <p>“Well, what should we do?” asked Heady.</p> |
|
2354 <p>“Let’s just get out of here,” said Doyle. “Look at this… |
|
2355 <p>“We can’t leave!” said Heady. “That drone didn’t vani… |
|
2356 <p>“Who knows,” said Doyle. “All I know is that whatever thi… |
|
2357 <p>“All that money,” said Heady. “You found receipts for mil… |
|
2358 <p>“You’re right,” said Doyle, looking past Heady. “We can… |
|
2359 <p>Heady turned around and saw a red haired man wearing what looke… |
|
2360 <p>“Run,” whispered Doyle, and the two men sprinted toward the… |
|
2361 <p>Neither of them looked back as they ran. Heady reached the pill… |
|
2362 <p>“Do you think he saw us?” asked Heady.</p> |
|
2363 <p>“I wish you’d stop asking that,” said Doyle. He peeked ar… |
|
2364 <p>“Maybe he’s waiting for backup,” suggested Heady. “Give… |
|
2365 <p>“Why?” asked Doyle. He reached into his pocket and pulled h… |
|
2366 <p>“Stay hidden. You film with mine so they can’t confiscate t… |
|
2367 <p>“Wait, what do you mean take you away? What are you going to�… |
|
2368 <p>Before Doyle could stop him, Heady stood, put his hands up in t… |
|
2369 <hr> |
|
2370 <p>Sarah leered at Officer Thompson from behind her own concrete p… |
|
2371 <p>She thought about what her next move should be. She had to get … |
|
2372 <p>Sarah was out of options and running out of time. She made up h… |
|
2373 <p>Someone yelled out at the same time, startling her. She shut up… |
|
2374 <p>“Don’t shoot! I surrender!” she heard Heady shout. Sarah … |
|
2375 <p>She watched Officer Thompson fumble with his radio, getting vis… |
|
2376 <p>Sarah released her radio trigger and lifted her own concussion … |
|
2377 <p>“Officer Thompson? Officer Jefferies? Report!”</p> |
|
2378 <p>The voice of Commander Chin came from her radio with a burst of… |
|
2379 <hr> |
|
2380 <p>Doyle came running up behind Heady, who was staring dumbfounded… |
|
2381 <p>“What the hell did you do?” asked Doyle.</p> |
|
2382 <p>“Nothing, he just collapsed,” said Heady.</p> |
|
2383 <p>“What? Like he had a heart attack?”</p> |
|
2384 <p>“No,” said a woman’s voice. “Like he was hit by an inca… |
|
2385 <p>Heady and Doyle both spun around to see a tiny-framed and young… |
|
2386 <p>The girl put her pistol into a holster on her thigh, then retri… |
|
2387 <p>“Wha… What are you going to do with that?” asked Doyle. H… |
|
2388 <p>The woman approached with a wide grin on her face, holding the … |
|
2389 <p>Sarah grabbed Heady’s arm, then spun him around so he was sta… |
|
2390 <p>“Hi Heady,” said Sarah, then snapped a photo. “We’ve go… |
|
2391 <p>“What…? Who… Who are you?” asked Heady.</p> |
|
2392 <p>“Oh me?” said Sarah. “Just your biggest fan.”</p> |
|
2393 </itunes:summary> |
|
2394 <itunes:explicit>Yes</itunes:explicit> |
|
2395 </item> |
|
2396 </channel> |
|
2397 |
