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RE: Cliffhanger - 10/24/2008 12:44:58 PM
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still4gvn
Posts: 1533
Joined: 12/28/2005
From: just north of Seattle, WA
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(YOU GUYS CRACK ME UP!)
Maria asked, "How is Amber going to unlock doors - she doesn't have hands?"
"We'll figure that out later. Maria will then bi-pass the lazars by sawing a hole in the floor and letting herself down into the basement. The Turtles will go through the building and bind all the guards with duct tape. As you know, most of the guards are walruses, so they'll probably be asleep in large tubs of lukewarm water. Maria, here are an assortment of hair pins - you'll need to pick the safe lock."
"Doesn't duct tape come off in water?"
"I don't know. Is there anything else to eat""
"Why not use mustard instead of butter?"
"But not on a baked potato."
"What will Tom do?"
"Can I fly the plane?"
Maria started to quietly back out of the room. She caught Amber's eye and the cat joined her. Where could Maria go? Where could she find dinner that wasn't squid?
Words to use: fleas, evening gown
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RE: Cliffhanger - 10/25/2008 3:18:00 AM
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Annie64
Posts: 967
Joined: 6/4/2007
From: Indianapolis, IN
Status: offline
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As soon as Maria and Amber were out of the house, both of them dissolved into a fit of giggles.
"Saw a hole in the floor! Me?" Maria laughed. "Have you ever heard anything like that before in your life?"
"And you notice they gave you hairpins, not a saw. And besides, if I went forward in time to right after the guards lock the doors, unlock them, and then come back, then when I get back, the guards will be locking them, so what good will it do to unlock them at a point in time that is future to you? They'd still be locked to you."
"I don't think that makes any sense, Amber."
"Hmm, now that you mention it, it doesn't. Okay, I'll make a deal with you. You help me get rid of these fleas, and I'll get you a beautiful evening gown from the future."
"Wait, are you going to steal it?"
"What difference does it make? If it's from the future, when you wear it, it doesn't exist yet, so it can't be stolen."
"If it doesn't exist yet, how can I wear it?"
"I don't know."
"All this time stuff is giving me a headache. And I'm hungry. And I do not like squid, roasted or otherwise."
"You don't?" I think it's pretty tasty."
"What did you think of that tubby walrus telling us we need low fat butter to be healthy?"
"Yeah, the big hypocrite! He needs to practice what he preaches!" Suddenly Amber looked up. "Oh, oh! We should have gone somewhere in time before we started making fun of the president of HAARPA!"
Maria turned around just in time to see the president striding toward them, looking very angry. He was followed by the Ninja Turtles, Tom, and Sapphire. None of them looked happy. "Oh, oh!" she said.
Words to use: hairstyle, musical instrument
_____________________________
On Christ the solid rock I stand
ALL other ground is sinking sand.
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RE: Cliffhanger - 10/25/2008 12:18:18 PM
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still4gvn
Posts: 1533
Joined: 12/28/2005
From: just north of Seattle, WA
Status: offline
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Maria picked up Amber and said, "Let's go."
"I can't. The nearest portal is out the guest room window." Amber jumped to the ground and ran for the house.
Sapphire laughed sardonically, "She's not going anywhere, the window is closed. Tom, take Maria up to the OTHER guest room." Maria wondered if the turtles would help her. They looked confused.
"I don't want to go in the house. I'm leaving."
"Well, go ahead and take a walk around the island," Sapphire laughed. Anyone play a musical instrument? We can party and dance while she has her SHORT walk."
Maria started off, trying to maintain her dignity but feeling helpless and foolish. After a few minutes, Tom caught up with her. "Sapphire is a bit bossy, but I think you'll like working here once you know us better."
Maria tried to look noncommittal. Perhaps playing along was the only way to escape. Tom drew her close stroked her face and smiled, "You'd be very pretty with a different hairstyle and some make up."
Maria suppressed the urge to point out that everyone else thought she looked fine as is. "How did you meet up with HAARP?"
"Oh, my sister is a walrus - she just looks human to you."
Maria wanted to scream. Then something in the leaves caught her attention. It was a yellow eye and it winked. She almost did scream then, but saw a fluffy orange tail and knew her friend Amber had a plan.
Words to use: Nevada, map
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/1/2008 1:40:17 AM
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Annie64
Posts: 967
Joined: 6/4/2007
From: Indianapolis, IN
Status: offline
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Suddenly Maria found herself back in the place with the reading dinosaur and the crouching liger. She gasped. "I thought you said the nearest portal was..."
"I lied," Amber replied. "Sapphire was listening. She does this all the time. She goes and gets people and tries to get them to do all her work for her. Apparently you used to be a cat burglar, so now she's picked you."
"But we're not safe here. What about that liger?"
"What about me?"
"You said before you would eat me."
"I said nothing of the sort! I said I wasn't a plant eater. I didn't say I was going to eat you! Humans don't even taste good. I want to eat that dinosaur over there."
"Isn't he a little, um, big? Amber asked. She was still awed by the liger, but she did wonder.
"I have a family back home."
Suddenly the dinosaur looked up and sighed irritatedly. "Can't you let a fellow read in peace? I want to find out if Obama or McCain wins the election."
"Before you get eaten by a family of ligers, you mean?" Maria asked. "Besides, the election hasn't been held yet."
"Oh, that liger isn't going to eat me. The coyote would eat the road runner, first. He's always chasing me. He doesn't catch me, even when I'm just sitting here reading."
"Okay, then, speaking of back home...Amber, could you take me home?"
"No, I only go through time, not space. You got here by helicopter, and I don't know how to fly one. It would probably be difficult with paws, anyway."
"I really am going to eat you this time," the liger said to the dinosaur.
"Be my guest," said the dinosaur. The liger pounced, and the dinosaur suddenly disappeared and then reappeared ten yards away. He was laughing hysterically. That gave Maria an idea.
"Dinosaur! You can travel through space! Could you take me home, if Amber can get me back to the time I left? Or maybe a little later so I miss the tidal wave that started this whole thing?"
"Sure I could, if I had a map of Nevada."
"Why? I don't live in Nevada."
"No, but I'd have to go through there. But if I do this, you'll have to do something for me."
"What's that?"
"Take me to your house and get me something to take back to this liger and her poor family so she can stop chasing me all the time."
Maria laughed nervously. She was out of meat at home.
Words to use: elegance, fireworks
< Message edited by Annie64 -- 11/1/2008 1:48:11 AM >
_____________________________
On Christ the solid rock I stand
ALL other ground is sinking sand.
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/2/2008 12:57:18 AM
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still4gvn
Posts: 1533
Joined: 12/28/2005
From: just north of Seattle, WA
Status: offline
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"First rescue me!" Everyone looked at Amber. "My past me. I want kittens but Sapphire anesthetized me and took me to the vet. Maria, I helped you escape..."
Maria rubbed the orange fur and said "Of course I'll help. We need my purse and credit card from the house." They re-appeared by the guest room window, broke it and Amber retrieved the purse.
Later, the friends relaxed on a pile of science and historical books eating Chinese take-out and laughing. Liger and her family were devouring the chuck roasts they'd bought. "Now that was a successful mission. We should be running HAARP."
The dinosaur hopped up and down. "Thank you for the books. There's just one more thing I've always wanted: to see fireworks. They haven't been invented yet."
Maria felt giddy from their success. "We need to stop in Nevada anyway - let's arrive July 4, 2009."
They sat watching the fireworks in the Nevada town below, but Maria was rigid with fear. The town was mostly beneath water. Elegantly dressed walruses were setting off the firecrackers, dancing and eating fried fish. There were no humans. What had happened in nine months? Was it like this all over? What had happened to her home? Could they change the past?
Words to use: kittens, church
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/2/2008 2:45:30 AM
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Annie64
Posts: 967
Joined: 6/4/2007
From: Indianapolis, IN
Status: offline
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"Okay, everybody," Maria said, wondering how she came to be in charge of this strange group, "we need a plan. Here are the things we need to do: We need to find out what happened to the desert that's supposed to be here and to the humans who are supposed to be here and get things back like they're supposed to be and get rid of all these walruses. And we need to go back in time to a point before Amber was fixed and rescue her. How old were you when you were spayed?"
"Five months old."
Now the liger's husband, who had been lying lazily, full of chuck roast, and watching the two cubs play and listening to the talk, had a question. "Were you able to travel in time before this time?"
"No. That didn't come until later, when I was full grown."
"Then," said the dinosaur, "once we take you away from Sapphire as a kitten, you will no longer be able to travel through time, and none of us will be able to get home."
Maria hadn't thought of that before. "But I gave my word that I'd help Amber. What do we do?"
No one had an answer. She looked over at the liger cubs. They looked exactly alike. Then she had an idea. "Amber, do you have a sister?"
"I had two sisters and a brother who were in the litter with me. Why?"
"And did they look as much like you as these two liger cubs look like each other?"
"One of them did. She was adopted by the pastor of the church we were born outside of. He never had the money to get her spayed, and the kids didn't get to keep her because if that. They gave her to somebody who didn't take good care of her, and she died."
"Hm," said Maria. "If my plan works, then we may be able to rescue your sister and you. All we have to do is substitute her for you when Sapphire goes to take you to the vet. Then your sister is the one who gets spayed. Afterward we switch kittens back and the preacher's kids get to keep their kitty, and you stay with Sapphire and keep your ability to travel in time."
"Now there's a plan!" said the liger.
"Yes. I like it," said Amber. "It would be nice to have my sister again. There's only one problem with it."
"What's that?"
"It's so hair-brained it sounds like something the HAARP would have come up with. Are you sure you haven't spent too much time with them?"
"I hope not!"
"Well, let's hurry up and do this if we're gonna," said the liger. "It's getting to the cubs' nap time."
"Are you ready, dinosaur? We need you to travel through space."
The dinosaur sighed. "I was so enjoying the fireworks! I'd really like to stay and see the finale."
"We can't go without you. You're the one who can travel through space." Maria reminded him.
"Okay, I'm coming."
Suddenly the entire group stood behind a church where a mother cat was nursing four kittens. Amber was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly the flaws in their plan became evident. Amber was one of the kittens. She couldn't travel through time yet. There were two that looked alike, but how could they tell which one was Amber? Sapphire hadn't adopted Amber or given her her name yet, so not even she would know. What were they going to do now?
Words to use: Football, forest
_____________________________
On Christ the solid rock I stand
ALL other ground is sinking sand.
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/3/2008 1:18:27 AM
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still4gvn
Posts: 1533
Joined: 12/28/2005
From: just north of Seattle, WA
Status: offline
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"I Just saw Amber chasing Skippy."
They looked at the Momma cat. "You can talk?"
"Isn't that odd comming from a dinosaur who speaks English?"
Two orange cats streaked by play fighting and tumbling. "My sister didn't die" Amber said while batting the other cat's tail and trying to bite it. "She's been time pouncing. But she often visits Mom and her own kitten self." Amber rolled on her back and licked Skippy's ears.
Maria heard whispering from near the church. Some boys were returning from a football game and had seen the odd assemblage. "Uh, don't worry. They don't bite." she re-assured them.
"I do." the liger tried to look fierce.
Maria wondered who else would show up. "Let's go to the vet."
"Oh no. I'll do that some other time. My sister and I are going pouncing through the centuries. There'll be time to have kittens when I'm older."
"Then let's go home. I want to take a nap in my forrest" the liger stretched and yawned.
"This has been educational, but it's no place for dinosaurs." As they heard a police siren, they waved goodbye to the boys and all disappeared back to the ligers' home.
"Please take me back to the island" Maria said with more conviction than she felt."
"What?"
"It's the only place where I can get answers. I need to speak with Tom."
"If you're sure. We'll drop by once in a while to see if you need us."
Words to use: FBI, flood
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/3/2008 2:57:57 AM
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Annie64
Posts: 967
Joined: 6/4/2007
From: Indianapolis, IN
Status: offline
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"Tom, I need to talk to you. Alone." Maria demanded.
Tom was arguing with Sapphire and turned to Maria and raise his eyebrow. "Oh? I thought you didn't want anything to do with us. I thought you thought we were ridiculous. And now you want to talk to me?"
"Speaking of ridiculous," Sapphire said, "What did you do with that ridiculous cat of mine?"
"Last I knew, she was century-pouncing with her sister Skippy. She's having a blast. She's not too interested in whatever you're up to. She hasn't forgiven you for having her spayed. I can't say I blame her. You seem to have a way of forcing others to do what you want."
"So that's why you want to talk to me. You don't like my sister, and you want my help getting away from her." Tom sounded sulky.
"No, I've found my own way home, and I'll go when I'm ready. This is entirely another matter."
"Okay," Tom sighed. "Let's walk along the beach."
"I guess I'll run along, then, " Sapphire said. "It sounds to me like the president of HAARP and the Ninja Turtles have gotten into some kind of an argument and I need to go straighten them out anyway." She flounced away toward the house like she was in no way glad to do so.
"Okay, what?" Tom said as soon as Sapphire was gone.
"What is HAARP really up to? What do those letters stand for?"
"They stand for High Anthropomorphic Animal Republican Party."
"High as in they are on drugs?"
"High as in opposed to lower animals."
"So who decides what animals are high or low?"
Tom shrugged, and Maria continued, "And what does "anthropomorphic" mean?"
"It means like man. An anthropomorphic animal is an animal that can talk, like Amber, the Ninja Turtles, and that walrus in the house."
"So what are these animals really up to?"
"He told you at the meeting, saving the world from high cholesterol."
"Not true!"
"What makes you say that?"
"Because I was in Nevada next summer."
Suddenly Tom stopped and stared at Maria. She thought it was because what she had just said sounded so ridiculous, but then he said "Ohhhh," very slowly. "In that case, we can't let you go home at all. We don't want the FBI coming in like a flood." He pressed a button on his belt and suddenly the Ninja Turtles came running out of the house and surrounded Maria. "Take her back to the guest room," he told them. And don't let anyone in to see her, especially that cat!"
The Ninja Turtles picked Maria up and carried her back toward the house. Maria struggled to get free, wondering where, o where, was there a dinosaur when you needed him?
Words to use: memo, autumn leaves
_____________________________
On Christ the solid rock I stand
ALL other ground is sinking sand.
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/3/2008 12:04:52 PM
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still4gvn
Posts: 1533
Joined: 12/28/2005
From: just north of Seattle, WA
Status: offline
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Maria bit one of the turtles.
"Stop that! we're on your side. Interpol recruited us to infiltrate HAARP."
Maria started crying with relief.
"Don't speak of this when we're inside, the place is probably bugged. We'll write memos."
Maria was locked in her room, so she took a shower and a nap and then sat at the window enjoying watching the autumn leaves fall. But why was it autumn on a tropical island with palm trees? And did the turtles have a plan?
There was a knock on her door and then a turtle opened it with a key. "Here's dinner - smoked salmon and BBQ shrimp." He winked and handed her a note.
"I take it the walruses prefer a seafood diet." She quickly scanned the note which said: "Sapphire is actually human. They convinced her that she is a walrus so she'd run their operation. We need to get Sapphire and the head of HAARP quarreling with each other. It shouldn't be too hard - they're both bossy and not to bright."
Maria winked back.
Words to use: magazine, steak
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/10/2008 3:20:10 AM
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Annie64
Posts: 967
Joined: 6/4/2007
From: Indianapolis, IN
Status: offline
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Sometime later Sapphire came into the room. "I see you don't particularly want to be here. If you co-operate, you'll be home before you know it."
"You know, I might co-operate better if I could have steak to eat. I'm tired of seafood!"
"Hmm. If that's the price of your co-operation, maybe it can be arranged."
Maria had no intention of co-operating if she got steak, but she thought maybe the president of HAARP was dead set enough against it that it might get Sapphire and him arguing, just as the turtles had asked her to do. She sat down to read a magazine and listened.
It worked. After a while, she could hear their angry voices. Sapphire was saying, "What would it hurt? She's a human, and that's what humans eat."
"We do not eat animals whose females are called cows. Walrus females are called cows. You are a cow."
"I am not a cow!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
Wow! Maria thought. The turtles are right! They aren't very bright. But I wonder what the next step in the plan is. And where are those turtles? They said for me to get them fighting, and I did. It's their turn next. After all, aren't they the ones with the plan?
But the turtles were nowhere to be seen or heard.
Words to use: exact science, impressionistic art
_____________________________
On Christ the solid rock I stand
ALL other ground is sinking sand.
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/10/2008 3:49:38 PM
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still4gvn
Posts: 1533
Joined: 12/28/2005
From: just north of Seattle, WA
Status: offline
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Maria was relieved to hear the Turtles come in and join the argument: "Flooding the planet and taking over is an exact science. We've downloaded some data for you to read before we start."
"Walruses don't read."
"But Sapphire, you're a walrus and you read."
"Well, not very much. Anyway, conquering the world is an impressionistic art, not a science."
"Oh you think that just because we don't read, we don't understand science."
"All you understand is eating fish and barking. I'm going to have some of that steak."
By this time, the Turtles had joined Maria upstairs and they were all laughing. "See, rescuing the planet isn't that hard. Pretty soon we can close the case and fly you home."
"I wonder how I'm going to get used to ordinary life again," Maria sighed. "Working with Amber and you guys has been fun. And how will I find a man who can understand me and enjoy visits with talking animals?"
Words to use: roses, a stranger
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/15/2008 12:31:43 AM
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Annie64
Posts: 967
Joined: 6/4/2007
From: Indianapolis, IN
Status: offline
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The Turtles were right. By the next morning, Maria was home, and wondering if she still had a job to go to. She didn't even know what day it was. And how would they believe her excuse? But when she looked out her apartment window, she saw that the town was cleaning up after the tidal wave. Maybe there wouldn't be a problem after all. She prayed that there wouldn't be.
She went to her office and found that everyone was startled and glad to see her. "We heard you were drowned in the tidal wave," her boss explained. He was glad to give her her job back.
Maria was happy, but she had a lot of things to wonder about. Who had told her boss she was dead? And why? And who was the stranger who had sent a dozen roses that were delivered early that morning and were now sitting on her desk? There were there when she arrived. Someone obviously had known she was alive and would be in that day. Should she be happy about the roses or afraid? And whatever had happened to Tom anyway? He'd been handsome, and didn't seem to be as deeply involved as Sapphire. He was certainly no walrus! But he was off limits, she thought. First of all, he had been involved in a criminal conspiracy. Second, she remembered way, way back in the beginning, when he first rescued her from the tidal wave, he had shut her up when she started to talk about God. Why was that? What did Tom believe, anyway? Could it have been Tom who sent the flowers? But didn't the Turtles have him arrested?
She was still wondering about all this when she looked up and saw standing in front of her desk the most handsome man she'd ever seen. "You need to come with me, Maria," he said seriously. "It's very important."
"What do you mean? Who are you?"
"FBI," he said, flashing his badge. "You've been implicated in a conspiracy to flood the earth and turn it over to walruses. You are under arrest."
_____________________________
On Christ the solid rock I stand
ALL other ground is sinking sand.
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/15/2008 2:00:43 PM
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still4gvn
Posts: 1533
Joined: 12/28/2005
From: just north of Seattle, WA
Status: offline
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Maria's boss and co-workers gathered around. "Turn the world over to walruses? Is he crazy or are you some kind of environmentalist?
Maria was somewhere between crying and laughing hysterically, but she stated in a very calm voice, "Just who made that wild implication?"
"A walrus."
"I see, a walrus TOLD you there is a conspiracy?" It was fun seeing some one else squirm trying to explain talking animals. Everyone was staring at the agent. Her boss offered to call the police.
"Maybe there is a mistake." He glanced around and walked out.
Maria waited till things had calmed down and she had some privacy, then looked at the roses. There was a note: "Are you mad at me? Tom" Typical guy, she thought. Kidnaps me, tries to take over the planet, gets me in trouble with the FBI and then sends flowers to apologize. But she wasn't really mad.
After work Maria found the FBI agent leaning against her car. "I guess I didn't handle that too well."
"I wasn't part of any conspiracy."
"I know. And I'm with Interpol, not the FBI. I've been feeling convicted about all the lying in this job, but I don't know how one can be a secret agent without lying. How about if I take you to dinner - not seafood - if I promise not to arrest you? We think the walruses and Sapphire were being manipulated by human agents with a different agenda. Will you help us?"
Words to use: fossils, hummer (car)
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/16/2008 5:12:41 AM
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Annie64
Posts: 967
Joined: 6/4/2007
From: Indianapolis, IN
Status: offline
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(Oops! I forgot to put words to use in last night's installment. It looks like it's just you and me, Still. I wonder what happened to rgod?)
"Is this a date or a business arrangement?" Maria asked. "Do you want my help or my company?"
"Both," said the agent with a smile. "By the way, my name's Brent Matthews."
That evening, Brent picked Maria up in a yellow Hummer. "Mmm! Nice car!" Maria said, climbing in. She was wearing her best semi-casual outfit, black slacks and a tailored gold blouse.
"You look nice, too," Brent said.
They went to a nice restaurant and were having a wonderful time when the subject of dinosaur fossils came up. Brent was telling her about some new ones that had been discovered.
"I hope they didn't belong to the dinosaur I met in my travels. He liked to read, and Amber and I took him to see some fireworks."
"Amber?"
"The time-travelling cat."
"Oh. Why don't you tell me the whole story?"
"It's pretty unbelievable."
"Not if you've experienced some things that let you know it's real."
"Okay." And for the next hour and a half, Maria talked, giving as many details as she could about the last several days. Brent listened patiently and nodded frequently. Suddenly she realized he was nodding a little too much.
"Brent! You're falling asleep!"
"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry. It's been a long day."
"Really? What have you done besides wait for me?"
"Oh, if only you knew!"
"Why don't you tell me about it?"
"Okay. After I left you this morning, I was going to report to Interpol. I knew they were going to want to know why I didn't bring you in. But when I called, a strange voice answered the phone, and I knew it wasn't human. It said, "I have your boss here at gunpoint. I know you want to let Maria go, but if you do, I'm going to shoot him."
"Oh, no! what did you do?"
Brent took a deep breath and started in on his story.
Words to use: fingernail, explosives
_____________________________
On Christ the solid rock I stand
ALL other ground is sinking sand.
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RE: Cliffhanger - 11/16/2008 4:34:31 PM
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still4gvn
Posts: 1533
Joined: 12/28/2005
From: just north of Seattle, WA
Status: offline
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"I don't want you to think I'm bragging," he glanced at her. "We are well trained. Well I let myself down from the roof. There was someone with my boss, but I couldn't tell if it was human because of a hood and cloak.
I threw explosives into the window of an adjoining unoccupied office and waited. When he went into the hall to check on the noise, I broke the window, grabbed my boss and rappelled down the side of the building using my fingernails against the concrete to swing us off away from the entrance doorway.
No one helped you?"
" I don't trust anyone. No one just walks into the Interpol office. There must be a mole or counter-agent working there."
"But you trust me?"
"I know you are my sister in Christ." He put his hand over hers. "Somehow, I feel close to you." Just when things were getting mushy, the restaurant window crashed and a furry animal, with a long nose poked it's head and front paws into the restaurant. When it caught sight of them it screeched and bared it's teeth.
Brent slung Maria over his shoulder and ran for the back door. "It's a very large mole. We'll have to pick up the check later."
Words to use: choir practice, wind surfing
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