Decided to change the font for those of you who were having trouble reading it with the original. For anyone who wants to read it with the original font, all you have to do is copy+paste into your word processor, and set the font to Papyrus.
“Hurry up Trudy!
They’ll leave without us.” Toby was almost dancing in her doorway. He was
almost as anxious as she was to get out into the open. The walls were stifling,
and she was pretty sure she had developed a case of claustrophobia over the
past years. “Come on,” he whined again.
“Shut up you
goof, they won’t open the hatch unless everyone is there.” She just finished
putting the rest of her clothes in a duffle bag. She couldn’t help but notice the
scars on her skin. They were more noticeable now that she was finally getting
out. She wondered if she could find a way to cover them up before she took off
to find Jake. Then she realized that her face was covered in the deformities. She
slung the bag over her shoulder and pushed Toby out of the way. “Come on, let’s
go, or ‘they’ll leave without us’!” She tried to put as much sarcasm in that as
possible.
Toby, now forced
to follow her, made a face and mimicked what she just said. She turned just in
time to see him finish and punched him in the shoulder. Hard. He rubbed the
spot and glared at her. “You better hope that doesn’t bruise.”
“Yeah? Or what?
You gonna shove something down my shirt?”
“I could do
that.”
“That’d be the
last thing you ever do, brainiac.” Her mood had definitely improved ever since
she stepped out of Director Hendrix’s office. She had known before she left
that she was on the list. She could still feel the sweat dripping down her
back.
The office was one of the nicer rooms in the
complex. The walls were covered with walnut paneling and several bookshelves
were arranged for easy access. She noticed some authors she remembered from
grade school, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, Mark Twain. She probably would
never read those. Too many big words and characters she would never really
understand. The director himself sat behind his desk, his computer casting a
faint light on his features.
His beady brown eyes seemed to watch her over his
plump cheeks, and he kept twirling the end of his thick mustache like some 20th
century evil villain. “Sit, please.” Trudy did as instructed and sat with her
back stiff. His constant stare made him seem taller than a Na’vi, and he did
have the power to revoke her request. “So, you want to get out of her just as
bad as everyone else, eh?”
“Yes sir,” she said. She was scared, oh yes, but she
wouldn’t show it to this walrus of a man. “I belong in the open, not cooped up
underground like some ant.” She clutched a fistful of her pants, recently
cleaned and ironed for just this occasion. “I am also qualified for security
detail. I have weapons certifications to prove it.”
“Yes,” Hendrix said, “I’m well aware of your
military past. It’s your future I’m worried about. It would be very unfortunate
if you were to be injured in the jungle.” He stood and lit a cigar that he took
from its box on his desk. The stench was almost a relief, something other than
recycled air. “However, you do prove a point. We have a limited amount of
security personnel here. You would be an invaluable asset on the trip. That’s why
I’m letting you go.”
Trudy exhaled. She didn’t know that she had been
holding her breath, but now that the worst was over, she could rest easy.
That was three
days ago. She really was happy it was over. Hendrix may hold no true power over
her, but he was a very intimidating man. “Were you nervous in front of Hendrix,”
she asked Toby.
“Are you
kidding?” Toby shook his head and smiled. “Who wasn’t? Hell, I want out of her
just as bad as the next guy. I’m just glad that I got chosen.”
“You sound like
it was some religious act of god that he chose you.”
“Who’s to say it
wasn’t?”
“Oh god,” she
said, “don’t throw your religious crap at me again.”
“What did I say?”
Toby was one of the only Christians in the complex. They all got together every
Sunday and read their bibles and prayed. They usually kept it quiet in the
commons, so no one really cared what they did.
The doorway to
the outside was coming up. Her heart began to beat a little faster with every
step. She grabbed her mask, hanging on her belt, and slid it over her face.
“Listen up
people,” the lead officer was saying, “Out there is hell. Don’t fall behind,
don’t go off alone, and don’t take off your masks.” He opened the door to the air lock and went
in. It was small, so it only held a few people at a time. It wasn’t long before
her turn came up, and she stepped over the ridge hesitantly. Toby was there and
he gave her a reassuring pat on the back. There was a hiss and she felt the
pressure change as oxygen was pumped out, and the toxic atmosphere was pumped
in. She took a deep breath through her exo-pack, just to make sure it was
working. The stale, recycled air greeted her nostrils.
The outer door
opened and she stepped out. Everyone who had gone before her were loading up
the jeeps and buggies in a giant garage. There was also a large trailer hitched
to a truck. There were supplies strapped down to the flatbed, probably building
materials for their camp. Trudy had finagled her way into getting herself a
buggy with Toby. Nobody would think anything of it, they were practically like
a brother and sister. She dumped her duffle in the basket on the back and
climbed in the driver seat. It wasn’t the same as her Samson, but it would do.
Toby climbed in behind her and sat down. “Can I see your license and
registration,” he asked.
Trudy gave him
what he asked. A fist in the air with just one finger raised. “How’s that work
for ya?”
“Looks legitimate,”
he said with a laugh, “proceed then.”
She hit the
ignition and it roared to life. Her foot tapped the gas pedal and the rev of
the engine vibrated the entire frame. “Oh yeah, I’m gonna like this.” Toby
laughed at her from the back.
They had to wait
for everyone else to get packed up. It only took a few minutes but those few
minutes seemed like an eternity to her. The start up of each vehicle was like a
choir: pleasant to the ear. The vehicles moved into a single file line in front
of the metal door. Someone pushed a button somewhere and the doors slid open
with a squeal. She revved her engine again and heard others do the same.
Everybody was anxious to get on the way.
With a honk of
the horn, the lead jeep peeled out and headed off into the jungle. Everyone
else felt the air of the situation and did almost the same thing. Trudy did,
but she added a yell of triumph to it. With a squeal of the tires, she took off
after the buggy in front of her. The uneven terrain reminded her of turbulence in
the air, but this had an almost rhythmic feel to it.
The greenery was
a welcome sight. The gray walls had long ago become eyesore, and the bio-lab
was starting to become too familiar. The randomness of the forest was something
she could enjoy. She couldn’t wait for night to fall. She had never really been
outside when it was night, only seeing what the windows would let her, and
whatever the plants in the lab had shown her. She almost felt giddy, like one
of the scientists.
The convoy drove
at full speed for a few hours, dipping and diving under giant roots of trees
and through small creeks and rivers. The shrubbery flew by in a green blur and
the rocks she couldn’t see jolted her through her harness and rattled her
teeth. Every now and then she let loose a laugh of pure joy. This was great. Finally,
she was free, no walls to hold her, no ceiling that kept her grounded. This was
how she was meant to live her life.
Eventually the
fun had to end though. The buggy in front of her slowed down, forcing her to do
the same. The rest of the convoy came
into view then, all parked in a circle at the base of one of Pandora’s great
trees. Its roots gave them 180 degrees of protection, probably why the lead had
chosen this as their base of operations. She parked the buggy and cut the
engine. She just sat there for a while, taking in the fact that she was free. Some
of the security officers and scientist started to take the materials off of the
flatbed. There was only a limited amount of light left, and they had to get the
camp up and going.
She unstrapped
her harness and climbed out of her seat. Toby was already there and waiting for
her, her duffle bag slung over his shoulder. “Come on,” he said, “let’s go
help. The faster we get this done, the quicker we eat.”
“Of course,” she
said, “you’re a man. Food is constantly on your brain.”
There is only one problem......you cant write it as fast as I can read it.
Posted by: RBingley | 01/29/2010 at 08:04 AM