Welcome to Arstotza
Jan 19, 2014 7:18:51 GMT
Post by megalixir on Jan 19, 2014 7:18:51 GMT
[HUNT]
She came to slowly, creaking her eyes open as one would a door in the dead of night. Light, at first harsh and oppressing, became more gentle, softer as her eyes grew used to the brightness. Colors became shapes, showing the outline of what looked like a cement floor. She pulled herself up to a sitting postion, placing a hand on her head as she shook away the daze of unconciousness that overtook her. Her head was pounding, as if she'd been asleep for hours.
A wave of current events hit her, suddenly rousing her out of her hazy half-awake state to full alertness. Questions zoomed to the forfront of her mind. Where was she? How did she get here? She reached back, grasping at a metal object behind her and pulling it upright, before gripping the side and hefting herself into it. A wheelchair. Shaking her head on last time, she took her first good look around. The area she was in resembled what she could only assume was a sewer, with large circular passageways and concrete walkways running along the sides. In the center, where you'd normally expect to see sewage filled water, instead flowed a strange substance she'd never before seen. While it moved and flowed just like a liquid, the water appeared to be made entirely out of neon green numbers. In particular, ones and zeroes. The flowed past in a digital pixelated manner which seemed entirely otherworldly. Rolling herself closer to the side, she hesitantly leaned over and poked it with a finger. The texture was odd, less like a liquid and more like a mass of solids, as if a river of pellets were flowing past her. She put her hand to her forehead again, trying to remember how she'd gotten here.
"Come on, think Serenity think." She paused. Serenity, that was her name. Closing her eyes again and concentrating, she began to remember the events that had lead to this.
----
"They see me rollin', they hatin', patrolin' and tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty...."
The sound of singing came from a very well dressed woman with sandy blonde hair, she was the very picture of poise and serenity, which was why it was so jarring to see her singing that song aloud as she made her way through the park.
The song she sang originated from a pair of earbuds, one in each ear and plugged to an I-phone which rested on the arm of her chair. There was the second surprise, as the woman wasn't walking along the path like everyone else, but rather rolling in a shiny chrome wheelchair. Seeing a person with disabilities wasn't exactly an uncommon sight, but seeing one in a bright chrome wheelchair with spinning platinum rims rapping aloud in japan of all places was what you might call a tad strange. This was Serenity Wheeler; unknown to many one of the single most wealthy people in that square block at the moment, heading for her first meeting at the japanese news network Sankaku channel, which she had just been named CEO of earlier that week. She wasn't here for business, oh no, she'd asked Jarvis to let her have a moment to appreciate the lovely scenery of this country, which was rich girl code for 'go shopping'.
She passed a shop filled with a few handmade soveniers, tourist bait no doubt, but not something she was interested in. No, Serenity was a very wealthy, very high class woman, and since she was staying her for quite awhile, she was going to make sure she would be doing so in comfort. Screeching her wheels to a hault, she turned and smiled at the massive gift that sat on the other side of the glass of the shop. Quickly pushing open the door and waving aside an elderly japanese man near the door, she made her way to the back of the shop, staring at her prize. It was enormous, and shiny, made even more impressive by her no-doubt beautiful reflection on it's surface. A 70 inch, plasma wide screen TV.
"Yes....this will do nicely, I'll have Jarvis carry it to the hotel." Reaching for her phone, she didn't notice the lights flicker over her head, nor the slight pulsing of the television screen that stood before her. What she did notice, however, was her phone, which was no longer a phone at all.
"Hey! What gives! I know I had my phone here, not this....power ranger toy! Oh if someone stole it on that plane I will be very displeased!"
The girl gave a surprisingly feminine "Eep!" as the TV in front of her abruptly turned on. Only static filled the screen, and she quickly composed herself.
"Oh ha ha, good one. Pull a prank on the foreign lady, just wait until I buy out this shop and level it into a parking lot!" she yelled vaguely at the front of the shop, aware they likely couldn't understand a word she was saying. She gave another yelp as the TV flickered again, about to vent her frustration before she looked back at the screen. Replacing the normal static was now an amazingly detailed picture.
"Oh my, this must be a very high end television. It almost looks real..." She reached forward to touch the screen, and reached, and reached, before finally realizing her hand was a foot past where the screen should normally be. Recoiling almost instantly, she looked at her hand, then back at the TV. Once more, this time slowly, she reached forward, amazed as her arm passed right through the barrier of where the screen should have been. It wasn't a TV, it was almost like a window.
"What is this...some kind of trick TV? Is there a room back here?"
Her curiousity overcoming her mild fear, she pressed forward, leaning until she couldn't anymore. She could see clouds, and a sun, and a field of green.
There was a sudden clang as she felt her chair tilt forward. Leaning back, she tried to reverse, but gravity had a different plan. The entire world seemed to tilt 90 degrees in an instant as she realized she was sideways, flipping head over heels as she fell into the TV, screaming like a little girl and holding onto her wheelchair for dear life.
-----
Serenity opened her eyes, gasping. She'd...fallen into a TV. In a random shop in japan, and ended up here.
"Well....at least I know I'm having a lucid dream now, I wonder if I'll fly next, or maybe shoot lasers from my ass, that would be fun." She deadpanned, her tone dry as a raisin in the Sahara.
"Oh you're not dreamin' Shawty, otherwise that chair of yours wouldn't have hurt so much."
Had her legs worked, she would have leapt nearly a foot into the air at that startling remark, but as it was she managed a short yelp.
"Where did that come from!? Who said that!?"
"Down here Shawty."
Leaning forward and peering under her wheelchair, Serenity was greated by the sight of a slimey green gelatinous creature waving a stubby nub like limb at her. "Hi!"
"Waaah!" Backpedalling herself, Serenity rolled out of her chair, smacking her head on the ground and ending up in quite the uncooth position with her legs splayed out, her backside in the air, and head sideways on the pavement.
"Calm down Shawty, I ain't gonna bite or nothin'"
Serenity pushed her legs aside, uprighting herself and rubbing her head before getting mad. "Wait a second, this is my dream, why am I scared of you? Go away you creepy dream monster!"
"I already told you, this isn't a dream. Go ahead, pinch yourself, I'll wait"
Giving the creature an odd look, Serenity gave herself a good pinch, not feeling a thing. Then, realizing she'd pinched her thigh, did so again on the side of her arm. This time, she felt it, giving a short "Ow!"
"See? What did I tell ya, real as can be."
Serenity once again got mad. "Well what if this is just a very lucid dream huh? What if you're just part of my dream trying to convince me it's real so I don't realize it's a dream and wake up and thus end your dream existance by proxy."
The creature didn't miss a beat, responding in stride. "Well if that were the case, why would I tell you to pinch yourself and risk proving this was a dream if I was in fact a dream."
Serenity's argument came to a grinding hault. "Well....that's because you want me to...think that...you want me to....what are we talking about again?"
The creature shrugged. "Eh, nevermind. More importantly, where did you come from?"
Serenity put her hand on her hips. "Excuse me? Do you know who you're talking too? You should at least introduce yourself before asking a lady where she came from."
The creature nodded. "Whatever you say Shawty, the names Numemon, virus type and connoisseur of all things disgusting, disturbing and disease-filled!" He gave a bow, as if he'd just introduced royalty, prompting a glare from the woman.
"Ehem, I am Serenity Wheeler. Multimillionare and current CEO of Sankaku Channel."
The slug seemed unimpressed. "Uhuh...well, I don't know what any of that is, but I must say Shawty you are one fiiiine piece of work."
Serenity gave a somewhat disgusted look. "Hah, such uncooth scum, but you may prove useful, tell me repulsive slug creature, do you know of a way out of this filthy place."
Numemon nodded. "You betcha Shawty, the closest exit should lead to the Binary Archipelago, I think it was..."
Serenity cut him off. "Very well slug creature, you are now my slave. Now push my chair, we're going to this Archipelago. It's bound to be far more habitable than this place."
"Sure thang Shawty, just as long as you promise to take a little dip once we get to the beach." The Numemon rubbed his hands together, eagerly imagining how the woman would look in a bathing suit. Serenity cringed but begrudgingly agreed, seeing few other options to lead her out of this place. Numemon rolled her chair over as she hefted herself back into the seat, fixing her hair and composing herself.
"Uh..um...are you really leaving here?" A voice said. Prompting Serenity to turn around.
There, another strange creature had appeared, peeking around the corner. This one resembled, quite frankly, a turd. It had spindly arms wrapped with leather straps, a mouth which nearly split its entire body in half. Contrast to it's appearence, it was a brilliant shiny silver color, almost like her wheelchair.
"Oh good grief, more freakish creatures. What do you want?" She complained, tired of the strangeness by now.
"I was just..well...um...please take me with you!" It bowed it's head, placing it's arms together in a pleading gesture.
Serenity sighed. "...Very well, never say I'm not hospitible. Now what do you call yourself?"
The creature bounced happily. "Oh thank you! I hate this horrible place! Oh, and you can call me PlatinumSukamon!"
Serenity shook her head. "No no, that's far too long. I think I'll call you...Bling."
The newly christened Bling pondered for a moment, before nodding. "Bling, I like it!"
Serenity nodded. "Good because I have no intentions of changing it. Now, repulsive slug creature, lead us to this Archipelago."
"Whatever you say Shawty~" Numemon said, licking his lips.
The trio headed out, away from the digital slums and onto an adventure none of them realized would be far greater than they bargained for.