12.07.2015 Views

download the PDF file - Whoa is (Not)

download the PDF file - Whoa is (Not)

download the PDF file - Whoa is (Not)

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

"By a friend of one of <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs who got taken. He was a scient<strong>is</strong>t. We managed to e-mail him, hetraced it to th<strong>is</strong> universe, and came to get us.""Could you do that again?" Conor asked."I don't know," Neo said. "I don't even know where we are. The last time we managed to get out of <strong>the</strong>place, and we had a specific address. But here... I haven't even seen a single window. We could beanywhere."And Neo went on and told <strong>the</strong>m everything else he knew; he gave <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> condensed version of <strong>the</strong>events that had transpired <strong>the</strong> previous time he and Ted met; he told <strong>the</strong>m about Keanu Reeves ("How'dyou spell that?" Conor asked; Neo obliged with <strong>the</strong> spelling, whereupon Conor spent several secondsfinding new creative ways of getting <strong>the</strong> pronunciation wrong); he told <strong>the</strong>m what Adwin had just told himabout Kenselton Hotel, leaving out <strong>the</strong> bit about everyone dying because that sort of thing wasn't nice tohear."So that's <strong>the</strong> guy running th<strong>is</strong> thing?" Jack asked."I don't think so. It's too big for just one person. He's <strong>the</strong> one behind <strong>the</strong> idea, but I think that's it.""I want to meet him.""Now?""Yeah."Neo started moving; <strong>the</strong>y followed him out into <strong>the</strong> corridor, Conor with h<strong>is</strong> hands in h<strong>is</strong> pockets tryingnot to look at anyone. Neo held <strong>the</strong> stairwell door open and let <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs pass through first, <strong>the</strong>n into<strong>the</strong> lift lobby, <strong>the</strong> lift just a few floors away. They waited in silence, <strong>the</strong>n created a momentary humantraffic jam when <strong>the</strong> lift arrived and <strong>the</strong>y tried to enter at <strong>the</strong> same time; into <strong>the</strong> lift car, doors shut, 62ndfloor.There was no one in room F62-03."You should have got him when you had <strong>the</strong> chance," Jack said."And <strong>the</strong>n what?" Neo asked, as <strong>the</strong>y trudged down <strong>the</strong> empty corridor of <strong>the</strong> 62nd floor."He's around somewhere," Conor said. "He's gotta be. If not it means <strong>the</strong>re's a way out-"A guard named Harold <strong>the</strong> Straight material<strong>is</strong>ed in <strong>the</strong> teleportation bay on <strong>the</strong>ir left and narrowed h<strong>is</strong>eyes at <strong>the</strong>m. "What are <strong>the</strong> four of you doing here?" he asked.Conor made a sudden lunge forward to grab Harold <strong>the</strong> Straight, only to be thrown back against <strong>the</strong> wallyelling in pain as <strong>the</strong> guard's electric force field did its duty."<strong>Whoa</strong>," Ted brea<strong>the</strong>d. Harold <strong>the</strong> Straight looked d<strong>is</strong>passionately at him, <strong>the</strong>n back at Conor. "Rulenumber 3," he quoted. "Violence against members of <strong>the</strong> staff <strong>is</strong> not encouraged. We would prefer tokeep as many of you alive as possible.""What do you want with us?" Jack shouted."It doesn't matter," Harold <strong>the</strong> Straight said. "You're not getting out of here, and that's all you really needto know. Get back to your floor."Neo stole a peek into <strong>the</strong> teleportation bay, but it was just an empty capsule. He saw no electronicsanywhere that could be fiddled with."Why?" Jack asked."You're d<strong>is</strong>rupting <strong>the</strong> peace and order," Harold <strong>the</strong> Straight replied.Part of <strong>the</strong> strict organ<strong>is</strong>ation of Kenselton Hotel involved ensuring that people went where <strong>the</strong>y weretold to go, which <strong>is</strong> why arrivals were staggered. If a character arrived alone and was met with nothingbut a possibly-robot reception<strong>is</strong>t behind a bullet-proof, lightsaber-proof, Terminator-proof partition whotold him or her nothing except to go to a certain floor, chances are highly in favour of <strong>the</strong> character goingto said floor, if nothing else for <strong>the</strong> simple reason that it might hold some answers.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!