The MSTed Generation Part 3
By Cadet McNally
The Next Generation Part 3
The Makshini
By Krazy Sam
“What is this being?” Glenn asked, his eyes narrowing.
“There once was a being called Lavos,” Lana explained.
Harry: (singing) Come listen to my story 'bout a being named Lavos. A poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed...
“There’s another being like him,” Sari continued.
Harry: (Sari voice) Or was it 'There's another doing like him...?'
“She destroyed my city,” Tavi added. Glenn’s eyes widened in anger.
“NO!” He shouted, pounding a black gloved fist onto
All: Maro.
the desk. “We killed Lavos long ago! There is no way that there is another being like him!” He turned his back and faced one of the torches.
Harry: (Glenn voice) AhhhhHhhh!! My face!! AHHAHHHAHHHHHHH! IT' S BURNING!!
“Father, I should help them,” Elena uttered bravely.
“No, Elena,” Glenn replied, shaking his head, “if your mother were alive, she wouldn’t want you going along on what is certain to be a death mission.”
Harry: (Glenn voice) Besides, you don't have life insurance yet...
“But Mother isn’t alive,” Elena objected, “besides, we need to kill the beast!”
“Elena,” Glenn said, raising his voice.
Nick: 'Cause he got kicked in the nu...
Harry: Nick!
“Father…”
“You heard me. I will not allow you to fight. I already lost Camilla, and I don’t want to lose you, too,” Glenn said, raising his voice even more.
Harry: Okay, okay. Go for it.
Nick: 'Cause they started to use pliers...
Harry: (cringes)
“If I don’t help, things might be worse!” Elena argued. Glenn sighed.
“You are becoming more like my friend, Cyrus,” he muttered, “you may go, but take these with you.” He opened a large wooden chest and removed a shimmering sword that was twice as big as
Harry: something half as big as the sword.
the rainbow that Maro owned. He handed it to Elena, and she accepted it. Next to follow was a sparkling helmet. He placed it on her head, and it shimmered and disappeared.
“My friend’s soul rests in the sword- the Masamune. The Prism helmet will help you deflect magic. Try to be careful, okay?” He sat back down at his desk and resumed writing as the group left.
“What are we to do?” Elena asked, smoothing her long hair.
“First, Tavi and I are going to pilot this thing to the End of Time and I will return,” Lana replied. She and Tavi hopped into the Epoch, and it lifted off. It materialized into nothingness, and returned a second later. Lana was alone, and she held a small object in her hand. She dashed to Sari and Elena, and held her palm out.
“Gaspar said that this is called a ‘gate key’. We can use this to switch people around,” Lana said coolly.
“Where are going to go?” Elena queried. Sari sighed.
“We should go to 590 BCE,” she murmured.
“Why?” Lana asked.
“That’s when this being arrived.”
“We really should give her a name,” Elena insisted.
“Not yet. Her real name in unpronounceable by any life form with human vocal chords,”
Harry: (Sari voice) But seeing as I'm not human... her name is Kzzfjhasznkdfjkyilajfsdfhquazzixk.
Sari muttered.
“So be it,” Elena sighed. “Let’s go back to that time!”
All: Back to the Future?
Lana shrugged. “Let’s go…”
.
“Mother! A strange bird is flying over the hut!” A teenage girl screamed in 590 BCE. She had short blue hair, and matching eyes. She was clad in a long robe, and had a dull pendant
Nick: What is it with all the f(bleep)ing pendants?!
around her neck.
“Don’t be silly,” a voice from within the hut shouted back.
“But Mother,” the girl cried, “it’s silver and is coming this way!” The girl’s screams were enough to bring a middle-aged woman out of the mud and grass hut. She had blue hair similar to the girl’s, but it was considerably longer, and her eyes were a deep
Harry: Ocean. Full of fish, with Titanic and the Bismarck and other shipwrecks in it.
jade. She glanced up at the sky, and saw the strange shiny object.
Harry: It landed on them.
Her mouth dropped open in a
Nick: bored yawn.
silent scream as it landed. The girl stared in awe as three girls stepped out of the ship. They all had odd clothes on, and their hair color was unseen in the world.
Harry: It was on fire.
“Olana, I want you to stay here while I talk to the strangers,” the woman instructed. Olana obeyed and watched with fear as her mother strolled bravely to the foreigners. She saw their lips move, but Olana couldn’t make out the words. Soon, her mother walked back.
“They want to know if something strange has come out of the sky lately,” she said skeptically.
Harry: (Olana voice) Well, I was with Chicken Little when she said the sky was falling...
“I will help them look,” Olana offered.
“You’re only seventeen, and I don’t want you getting hurt,” Olana’s mother said, not wanting her daughter to go.
“I can take care of myself,” Olana insisted. She jogged to the strangers and began to talk with them.
.
“You will help us?” Elena asked when the teenage girl offered to help them search for the beast.
“Yes,” Olana replied, “a beast like that should be easy to find.”
Harry: Mostly because it's the size of a f(bleeping)in' building.
She walked forward across the grassy meadow and motioned for the three newcomers to follow.
.
“This is Singing Mountain,”
Harry: (Olana voice) When you put a quarter into that slot, it starts singing.
Nick: (Mountain) My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling...
(Note: This is an actual Chuck Berry song.)
Olana explained when they arrived at a large mountain, “we can see everything from here.” She began to walk up a path when a squat creature leapt in front of them. It was green, and had pointed ears and fangs. It was shaped like a ball with a head but no neck, and it did its best to scare the intruders with a shrill hiss.
“How cute!” Sari squealed. Olana’s eyes widened with fear, and Lana and Elena prepared to kill it.
“Wait!” Sari screamed. Everyone looked at her curiously as she knelt by the creature.
“That’s a Roly!” Lana cried, “it’s more dangerous than it looks!”
“Nonsense,” Sari muttered as she extended her hand to it. It snarled and tried to bite her hand. Sari giggled.
Harry: Awww... it's so hateful...
Sari tried to plant an idea in the Roly’s mind. “I will not hurt you,” she thought. The Roly squeaked.
Harry: (Roly voice) But I will!
“These people are trying to hurt me,” it was saying.
“I won’t,” Sari replied, not speaking.
The Roly squealed. “Why?”
“I don’t think that you really want to hurt us.”
The Roly chirped and stepped cautiously toward Sari. She smiled, and it rubbed against her leg.
“It’s safe,” Sari said to the group.
“What?” They all said in unison.
“He just thought that we were going to hurt him and his family,” Sari answered. The Roly meekly squeaked.
“He wants to join us,” Sari translated.
“Fine!” Elena said excitedly. She knelt down to the small creature and patted his head. The Roly purred loudly, and Elena giggled.
“He is kind of cute…” Lana muttered affectionately.
Josh: Suddenly, the Roly took a big bite out of her jugular vein!
She stepped toward the Roly, and it purred even louder. Soon, the four girls were huddled around the Roly, scratching his belly and stroking the smooth skin of his head and back. After ten minutes, they stopped and stood up. They walked along the mountain path in silence. They passed a large rock, and it glowed red. It started to follow them as they ascended the mountain.
Harry: Again with the drugs?
Josh: We must be in California or something.
“How long?” Elena whined.
“Not much further. We really should look out for the Makshini, or shape shifter. It roams the mountain in search of human blood. If he got a hold of us…”
Harry: Well, he'd make us stay for tea.
Olana trailed off.
“We’ll be ready for him!” Sari exclaimed. She paused, attempting to locate him.
“Do you sense him?” Lana asked.
Harry: (Sari/Spock voice) Scanning... negative, Captain. The Makshini must be using a cloaking device. Fascinating.
Nick: (Lana/Kirk voice) Spock... I don't... need information that... does... not help us... whatsoever...
“No. He must be good at shielding himself,” Sari muttered, shaking her head. The Roly chirped.
“What did he say?” Olana asked.
“He doesn’t know where the Makshini is, either,” Sari translated. She turned to the Roly. “What is it, Roly?” He squeaked in reply.
“He says that the Makshini ate two of his young,” Sari interpreted. She gasped. “It seems that the Makshini doesn’t feed on just humans.” Olana sighed and led the four others up the mountain. The glowing rock morphed
Nick: It's morphin' time!
Harry: POWER RANGERS?!! DIE!! (punches Nick)
into a small butterfly and flew up with them.
“I can see the top,” Elena exclaimed. Sari nodded and smiled.
“It’s so beautiful,” she gasped.
“Agreed,” Lana grinned.
“No sign of the Makshini!” Olana cried. Her voice got softer. “It’s good, because nobody has fought him and lived to tell about it.
Josh: (Olana voice) Vegas odds are 52:1 in his favor.
They reached the summit, and took a look around. The butterfly darted in front of Elena.
“A butterfly!” She cried excitedly. She stuck her hand out and the butterfly got larger.
“Wow,” Lana exclaimed, “I’ve never seen a butterfly do that before.”
Harry: It must be that pot I smoked awhile ago...
The colorful insect changed from a rainbow of colors to brown. Elena gasped and pulled her hand down.
“That’s not a butterfly…” Sari breathed as the butterfly got larger and grew a head and tail. The brown faded and turned an ugly green color.
All: KILL IT!
“The Makshini!” Olana screamed. The Makshini grew taller, and muscles became visible. Its head was pointed, and its tail grew a needle.
Harry: Ohhh. It's only Makshini's cousin, Dr. Maksurgeon.
The legs ended with three claws, and four arms emerged from the body. Its eyes were bright red, and its yellow fangs dripped with green saliva. Elena screamed as it spit at her. It covered her face, and she screamed in agony as a sizzling was heard.
“My eyes!” She shrieked.
Harry: Didn't I see this in Jurassic Park?
Sari pointed at the saliva and it froze, falling off and shattering on the ground. She then raised her hand and a ball of light formed. She tossed it at Elena and her bleeding face
Harry: Fell off.
healed.
“You son of a…”
Harry: (Makshini voice) That hurts my feelings.
Josh: And the Makshini ran away and cried. The end.
Lana shrieked as she shot a ball of fire at the Makshini. It salivated some more and advanced toward Lana, swinging its sharp tail. The Roly squealed and leaped at the giant monster. He bit its leg and
Harry: The Makshini said "Hey, that tickles!"
refused to let go. The Makshini growled and shook its leg frantically, trying to get the Roly off of it. Sari pulled her bat out and swung at its head. It made a sickening crack as it connected, but Sari was dismayed to find that the crack she heard
Nick: Was the sound barrier being broken.
was the bat breaking. Elena chanted and a blue light radiated from her. The light faded, and she raised her arms. A giant bubble formed, and it slowly moved toward the Makshini. It tentatively stuck an arm out, and the bubble burst on it.
“Uh oh…” Elena gasped. Olana cringed and hid by a rock as the three girls and the Roly battled the Makshini. She watched in admiration as Sari summoned energy into her palms and created a sharp knife, which she threw at the Makshini’s chest. It dodged it easily and headed for Elena. Elena smiled and drew the Masamune out of her belt. It was three times as big as Elena’s arm, but she seemed to be strong enough to carry it. She swung it mightily at the Makshini’s head, and it neatly sliced through its neck, severing it. Blue blood gushed from the wound, and it thickly poured down the body in rivers of blue blood.
Harry: If it were green, I'd've suggested that they killed Spock.
Olana gasped and clutched her throat. She watched in disgust as the body of the Makshini fell to its knees and collapsed onto the rocky ground. She then viewed Elena mutilate the body of the Makshini. She gagged and vomited as she saw the organs tumble out of the pieces of Makshini. The Roly was standing safely behind Elena, and squealed as Lana created a ball of fire and cremated the remains of the beast. Its ashes turned to blue dust and were carried off the mountain by a gust of wind created by Sari. Olana drew in a deep breath and covered her mess with dirt as she stood. She jogged toward the tired fighters and winced.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s okay,” Sari replied.
“We killed it anyway,” Lana said, dismissing the fight.
“Mean old Makshini,”
Nick: (Elena voice) Stealing my lunch money like that...
Elena grumbled. The Roly chirped and ran to Sari’s side.
“It’s glad that the Makshini’s gone,” Sari translated. The Roly softly squealed. “He has to go back to his family now,” Sari muttered as the Roly darted into the thick shrubs.
.
“I don’t see anything,” Elena whined after an hour of searching the land from the top of the mountain.
“Me neither,” Lana muttered.
“I don’t sense her,” Sari agreed. She sat on the ledge of the summit and gazed at the sky. She saw a dim blue star by the noon sun.
Harry: Oh, look. It's MiR. It's finally falling.
She pointed at it and Lana and Elena’s gaze moved to it.
“What’s that?” Elena asked curiously. She watched in fascination, as it grew larger.
“It’s coming right for us!” Lana shrieked. Olana gazed at the blue flame, as it grew even larger.
“Jump!” Sari shouted.
“Are you crazy?” Olana snapped, “We’ll perish!”
“No we won’t!” Sari answered, “trust me!” She leapt off the mountain,
Josh: You guys ever see Butch and Sundance?
Nick: No.
Harry: Yes... Oh, yeah.
Josh and Harry: Ohhhhh ss(bleeeep)!
and Lana and Elena did the same. They were falling slowly, and Olana closed her eyes and followed. She expected to hit ground ten seconds later, but as she opened her eyes, she was moving laterally, as were Sari, Lana, and Elena. They were inches from the ground, and they were moving faster than if they were running at their fastest speed. They landed at Olana’s hut as the ball of flame struck the mountain. The whole mountain caught fire, but the fire was blue. It crumbled to the ground as a giant spiked creature landed on it. It emitted a loud shriek, and everybody covered their ears. It disappeared, and the four heaved a sigh of relief.
“Lao…” Olana gasped.
Harry: Laos? I've got webpages dedicated to guys shot down over Laos.
“What?” Sari gasped.
“My word,” Olana explained, “O means blue. La means fire.”
Nick: Shouldn't be Ola?
“Lao…” Elena whispered.
“That is what we shall call her,” Lana muttered.
“We have to go,” Sari told Olana.
“That is alright,” Olana whispered back, “before you go, take these.” She handed Sari four vials of a shimmering pink liquid.
“What is it?” Elena asked.
Harry: Hard liquor.
“These are called Shields. They protect people from physical damage. Use them wisely.” Elena, Lana, and Sari thanked Olana, and went on their way.
.
“Hi, Maro! Hi, Tavi!” Lana exclaimed a few minutes later at the End of Time. Tavi waved from his sitting position by a shining bucket, and Maro nodded from a corner of the room.
“Hi,” he finally muttered.
“We found the being that destroyed the future Trann City,” Lana exclaimed, “she’s in 560 BCE, and she destroyed Singing Mountain. We found some creature called a Makshini, but we defeated it.”
“Wow,” Maro said without enthusiasm.
“Oh, yeah!” Sari suddenly cried, “Do you want to come? Elena needs to rest after
Harry: Hacking it to bits?
Josh: The original Jack the Ripper.
killing the Makshini.” Elena frowned, but sat next to Tavi. When Lana, Sari, and Maro sped away in the Epoch, Elena started to talk excitedly with Tavi about everything that they had done.
.
“Mom, can Maro and Lana stay the night? They came here from out of the country,
Harry: (Sari voice) They're exchange students from Uranus.
and they have no place to stay,” Sari pleaded at her home.
“Are they coming to school with you?” Her mother asked tiredly, brushing a red curl out of her eyes.
“Yes, we are,” Lana replied. Sari’s mother thought for a moment, and then frowned.
“Dar won’t like this…” she muttered.
“We won’t bother Dad,” Sari insisted. Her mother sighed, and then leaned back.
“Fine. They can stay, but don’t bother your father or your brother.”
“Thanks, mom!” Sari cried.
“You better go to the school office and let them know that your friends are coming. Since today is a teacher workday, it will be all right to go now, since it is only two in the afternoon,” Sari’s mother warned.
“Okay. We’re going now.” Sari answered, walking out the door with Maro and Lana.
.
“Do you guys need to go home to bring a change of clothes?” Sari asked when they were walking out of the school.
“Yes, let’s go and get them now,” Lana replied. They all walked into the Epoch, and found themselves back in Truce Village seconds later. Lana opened the dome, and stepped out and into Lana’s house.
“Hi, mother!” Lana called when they were inside. Lucca emerged from the kitchen, where a delicious aroma was wafting to Lana’s nose, making her mouth water.
Harry: (Lucca voice) Oh, hi Lana. I'm making a recipe from the '60s. Pot Pie.
“Hello, Lana!” Lucca answered.
“We found the being- Lao. "She’s reproducing quickly, but I’m confident that
Josh: (Lana voice) she can support them without a husband.
we can kill her,” Lana said, explaining everything that happened up until the time they walked into the house. Lucca nodded patiently, and finally sighed.
“You can go stay the night,” Lucca told Lana. Lana leapt up in joy and dashed off to her room with Maro and Sari close behind her. Sari soon found herself in a large cluttered room. There were science and math books everywhere, and various inventions scattered all over the place. The most remarkable object in her room was a typewriter sitting in the middle of her small desk.
“I thought the typewriter wasn’t invented until the 1800s,” Sari exclaimed.
Harry: Well, seeing as it's a Nintendo game and we have critters falling from the sky, anything goes!
“My mother invented it,” Lana explained, “people must’ve forgotten it.” She had just finished gathering supplies and money, and the three trooped
Harry: (singing another jodie) Little Kitten, Baby Cat... (note: If you want to hear the full thing, e-mail me at Cadet_McNally@yahoo.com)
to Guardia Castle after muttering a quick goodbye to Lucca.
.
“I want you to tell me what you learn!” Marle joked back in Guardia Castle. Maro was gathering his necessities,
Harry: I'm not going to say a thing.
and Marle looked fondly at her son.
“I will, Mother,” Maro sighed.
“My boy’s growing up so fast,” Marle breathed as Maro dashed out of his large room and out the door where Lana and Sari were waiting.
.
“What should we do?” Sari asked back at her house.
“What do people of the future do?”
Harry: Well, they sit around using computers all day...
Maro asked.
“I like to shop. Since my bat’s broken, I need to get a new one,” Sari answered.
“Neat!” Lana cried.
“We better walk,” Sari warned, “people might get suspicious of the Epoch. The robot guards might think that we stole it or something.”
Harry: (Maro voice) But we did...
“All right!” Maro exclaimed.
“What type of currency do the people use here?” Lana asked while the three were walking down the stairs.
Harry: (Sari voice) Yen. It's a JAPANESE Nintendo game.
“Gold pieces,” Sari replied.
“Good. That’s the same currency that we use,” Maro sighed.
“Actually, they’re not the same. We probably could exchange your gold pieces for more because there is no one around with 1024 gold pieces,” Sari said thoughtfully.
“Wow,” Maro breathed. They turned a street corner and walked past more houses. A teenage girl and one of her friends spotted Sari and started to laugh.
“Hey, ugly!”
Nick: (girl voice) Excuse me, I'm talking to myself...
One of them said cruelly. She had blond hair and was taller than Sari. When the words passed her lips, Sari frowned and turned to her.
“You’re going to be very sorry, Ana,” Sari laughed meanly, “right now, in fact.” She narrowed her eyes, and Ana was lifted onto the roof of the house behind her. She screamed frantically and began to cry.
“What did you do to her, freak?” The other girl asked. She had dark hair, and was shorter than Sari. She was wearing a maroon jacket even though it was warm outside. Sari laughed and concentrated her energy on the girl.
Harry: and the girl caught on fire. That'll teach you to mess with Satan.
“Salios, you’re acting awfully strange!” Sari giggled. Salios suddenly ran around in circles barking like a dog. Lana and Maro laughed and Sari made Salios start to run through a park where many teens were hanging around, screaming that she could fly.
Nick: However, the joke backfired. Salios COULD actually fly.
Lana, Maro, and Sari made a quick exit and walked to the nearest shop.
.
“That was so funny!” Lana cried in the shop. Maro was still giggling, and Sari was having a hard time keeping a straight face, herself. Lana gazed around the shop, and noticed that there were shops inside the building. Sari led her into the largest of the stores.
“Excuse me,” a lady with a blue vest said calmly, stopping the three, “you need to show your ID card or you can’t come inside. Store rules.”
Harry: (Sari voice) You don't need to see my identification.
Josh: (woman's voice) I don't need to see your identification.
Harry: (Sari voice) We can go about our business.
Josh: (woman's voice) You can go about your business.
Nick: (Maro voice) What was that about?
Harry: (Sari voice) I'm a Jedi Knight. The Force has power over the weak minded.
Nick: (Maro voice) The Force has power over the weak minded.
“Sorry,” Sari muttered. She pulled out a laminated piece of paper. She created similar ID cards in the pockets of Lana and Maro, and told them to get theirs.
Lana and Maro did so, and were surprised to find cards almost identical to Sari’s, but with their pictures on them. They showed them to the lady, and she allowed them to pass.
“Oops,” Sari laughed. She led Maro and Lana to the sports section, and eyed some of the bats.
Harry: One of them turned into Dracula.
“This one looks nice,” Lana said, pointing to an aluminum bat. Sari lifted it, and raised and lowered it rhythmically. She did it a few times, and shook her head.
“Too light,” she murmured. She picked a purple one up off the rack. She lifted it, and gave a practice swing.
Nick: A large gun gun barrel came out and fired .50 caliber rounds.
She grinned and checked the price. “350 gold pieces. Perfect!”
Harry: (Sari voice) I won the lotto yesterday.
“Where should we go now?” Lana asked.
“Art supplies,” Sari replied. She led Maro and Lana to an area that displayed paper, pencils, chalk, paint, easels, and many other objects. Maro picked up a marker and cautiously sniffed it.
Harry: See? He's getting high.
He frowned and put it back down.
“These stink,” he complained. Lana lifted a paint set and a canvas. She checked the price, and smiled.
“100 gold pieces,” she read aloud. She checked the price of the paint set. “Thirty gold pieces.” Maro lost interest in art supplies and wandered to another row of items.
“Latex…condoms?”
Nick: Now this is an interesting turn of events...
Josh: Yeah, seriously.
Harry: Ehh... why not...
He muttered curiously. He looked at the many packages, and smiled. “They must be important if there are so many of them!” He pulled three boxes off the shelf, not checking the price. He trotted back to Sari and Lana, and showed them his find.
“Look what I got!” He exclaimed excitedly. Lana looked at the box and smiled.
Harry: (Lana voice) Alright! You got them! Let's go to the drive-in!
Josh: Harry, you okay?
Harry; Yeah, I'm just getting into the spirit of things.
“What are they for?” She questioned.
“I don’t know, but they look important. Want some?” Sari glanced at the box, dismissed it, and then did a double take.
“Why are you buying condoms?” She hissed.
Harry: Why do you think?
“They looked important. Is it armor?”
Josh: Kinda...
Maro replied innocently. Sari giggled.
“They’re birth control,” she explained.
“You can control birth?” He asked incredulously. Sari leaned over and whispered into Maro’s ear, and he gasped. She whispered some more, and he immediately walked back to the shelf and placed the boxes gingerly back on the white shelf.
“What did you tell him?” Lana asked, her voice rising. Sari grinned.
“I told him where they go.”
“Where do they go?” Lana asked softly. Sari whispered it to her, and Lana’s eyes grew huge.
“Gross! They actually sell those?” Lana cried as Maro stumbled back.
“We really should buy some supplies for you and Maro,”
Harry: For example, you can't walk around wearing THAT! That's so last millinia...
Sari said, changing the subject.
“What supplies?” Maro questioned.
“School supplies, so it looks like you came to our school to learn,” Sari answered. She led Lana and Maro to another section and picked up two green notebooks. “You write in these…” She explained. She then picked up a package of yellow pencils. “You use these to write with.”
“Why?” Maro asked.
“Just because,” Sari muttered. She led Lana and Maro to a counter, and while there, picked up a wrapped package labeled “Krazy’s
Harry: Ehhh.... Sam?
Chocolate” and grinned.
"What’s that?” Lana asked.
“Chocolate,” Sari answered, “it’s my favorite food.” She placed the bat, supplies, and chocolate bar on the counter, and the large man behind the white counter smiled.
“That will be 410 gold pieces, miss,” he said kindly. Sari placed the exact amount on the counter and the man smiled again.
Harry: (man voice) Did I say 410? I meant 4100.
“Thank you, come again!” Lana and Maro did the same, and soon, the three were on their way back to Sari’s house. They came to the park where Salios was still running around screaming that she could fly, and Sari snapped a finger. Salios stopped, and removed her jacket. After a second, she started to remove her shirt. As she did so, Sari led Lana and Maro away from the scene where many teens were gathering. As Salios was still stripping,
All: Whoo-hoo! Yeah! I like this!! Whoo!
a crowd gathered around her and completely blocked her from view.
Nick: Aww, man!
They kept walking, and found Ana still on the roof of the tall house. A large green truck had a ladder extending from it, and uniformed men were trying to reach her. Sari pointed at Ana, and she flew up and over a barbed wire fence into a nearby farm.
“What did you do that for?” Lana hissed.
“This is a military installation,” Sari explained, “It will take Ana a few hours to find her way back on base- providing she has her ID card!” Sari grinned wickedly and held up a piece of laminated paper.
“What’s that?” Maro asked. He looked closer, and found the words, “Ana Bar” in bold letters.
“Her ID card,” Sari laughed. Lana and Maro joined Sari in laughing hysterically as they made their way back home.
.
An hour later, Sari, Lana, and Maro sat around the rectangular dinner table waiting to be served supper.
“What are we going to eat?” asked Maro.
“Pizza,” Sari answered.
“What is pizza?” Lana interrupted.
“Delicious,” Sari replied. As she uttered those words, a piping hot pizza pie was set in front of the three teenagers.
“You can start,” Sari’s mother told the trio, “Sari’s father has to work, and Sari’s brother, Din, is at a friend’s house. I’m not really hungry, so go ahead and eat.” Sari immediately dug in, and Maro and Lana cautiously took a slice.
“Don’t we need to eat these with knife and fork?”
Harry: (Lana voice) And I need beer, too.
Lana asked.
“Nope! This is finger food, so just eat it!”
Harry: It's made of fingers?
Sari answered with her mouth full. She had the slice curled in half, and she ate it like that. Orange grease dripped from the edge of the slice. Maro tentatively took a bite, and his eyes went wide with pleasure. He proceeded
Harry: To eat the pizza, then his hands, then his arms...
Josh: The beginning of Inside-Out Boy.
to scarf down the rest of the slice and go back for another. Lana also liked what she tasted, and she also ate quickly, realizing how famished she was.
“Do you think that we could beat Lao?”
Lana asked after polishing off another slice of pepperoni pizza.
“I can’t tell. Everything’s blurry,” Sari muttered.
Harry: (Sari voice) I have astigmatism...
“I see us beating her,”
Harry: Not a chance in Hell, buddy.
Maro said with his mouth packed with pizza.
“We’ll beat her. We will kill her or die trying!”
Josh: Aahh, foreshadowing...
Sari cried. She put her hand in the center of the table. “Who’s with me?”
Maro placed his hand on top of Sari’s. “I’m with you!”
“Me, too,” Lana whispered as she put her hand on top of Maro’s.
“It’s settled. We’re in this together!” Sari exclaimed as Lana and Maro removed their hands. They finished the last of the large pizza in silence, thinking about how to defeat the strong monster.
.
Lana and Maro followed Sari up the stairs into her bedroom at nine o’clock that night to get ready to go to sleep. Sari climbed up the pink metal ladder into her bunk bed, and grimaced. “I’ve always hated pink, but my parents made me get it because it matched my room better that black did,” she complained. She gestured to the larger bottom bunk. “One of you guys can take this bunk, but the other kind of has to sleep on the floor,”
All: Why?
she said apologetically. Everybody was dressed in pajamas, and settled in for the night. Sari set her small clock radio to 6:05 in the morning, and turned off the light, bathing the room in darkness. She was the first to fall asleep, and her heavy breathing convinced Lana and Maro that she
Josh: Had a "friend" up there.
Harry: Hehehh... good one.
was sleeping heavily.
“Lana, it’s cold in here,” Maro whispered.
“I know,” Lana agreed, “we could use body heat to keep warm.”
“Okay,” Maro whispered. He moved the single pillow and blanket to the larger bottom bunk, and climbed between the blankets where Lana already was. He and Lana were both shivering. Without realizing it, he had his arms wrapped around Lana’s middle,
Harry: Shoulda bought the condoms.
and had his head resting by her shoulder. He and Lana quickly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Nick: Zzzzz.... Zzzz...
Harry: And so is he... *smack*
Nick: OW!!
.