Zippy Zip-A-Long

[Maharg67]

COSMIC OPERA

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

 

The five M6A1 heavy battletanks were delivered to US Army soldiers, including tank crews and sappers, who were building a base in New Mexico where the great spiral rampway seemed to go down into the ground while actually plunging into another dimensional plane of existance. Government public servants came but like the GIs found that they could not go down the rampway unless they were invited to do so. A New Mexico politician showed up and demanded to meet the strange little man but he was ignored. The sappers were soon putting into place an airstrip. Army trucks, halftracks, armoured cars, jeeps, beeps and motorbikes were soon parked neatly in guarded rows in the base.

 

Then three of the semitrailer trucks were delivered, each with a mobile cafe trailer. The actual trucks were taken over by the US Army transportation people while the two cafes were put into place to serve the soldiers and other in the base. The trailers and cafes were seperated, the trailers also being taken for transporting goods. This made the strange little man more popular with many soldiers even if they had to take turns to use the one of the cafes.

 

As for the New Mexicans of the town, about half went down to dwell in the HubWorld while the other half remained up top to make profitable business from off duty soldiers and others now arriving to the base. Livestock, some machinery, furniture and much else was taken down the rampway.

 

Stingerbugs could not enter the Hubworld, an invisible force repelling them gently but firmly as it did the GIs and other Americans who tried. Another good thing was that some local lizards were happily devouring the stingerbugs as their leathery hides were too thick for the stingerbugs to penetrate. Some local predatory birds got them in mid-air, snapping them up before the stingerbugs could do anything to protect themselves or to fight back.

 

But more than once blood drained corpses were found be they livestock, wildlife, pets or humans. New Mexicans were abandoning large areas as they increasingly fled from the invasion, so much so that the government had to force some of them back to continue to carry out vital services to keep large parts of the state running.

 

Nobody seemed to see the little strange woman come up the spiral rampway, not even the Military Police sentries there, and walk into town. She bought a cheeseburger, some coffee and a slice of apple pie at the town diner. Through the window she watched interstate coaches bring not only military personal but civilian specialists and civilians willing to risk finding a living in the now rapidly expanding town. She sat in her summery dress and wide brimmed hat with her shoulderbag on the booth seat beside her. In some hours five more heavy battletanks would be delivered to these humans and they would send the first heavy tank force to help fight the daedra.

 

Taking out a notepad from her shoulderbag she wrote some notes in pencil, the notes being in strangely graceful symbols, and then put the notepad back in the shoulderbag. Then she finished her food and drink, wiped her mouth with a paper napkin and left the diner.

 

In a big old telephone booth she telephoned a number, it rang, a man identified the other end as FLANIGAN'S IRISH TAVERN. Instead of answering, the strange little woman vanished with a sparkling shimmer even as she placed the hand-set back in the cradle.

 

Exactly a second later she appeared in the fairly crowded Irish style tavern in Washington DC. Nobody seemed to notice the strange little woman appear out of nowhere with a sparkling shimmer.

 

Her hunt for Mehrunes Dagon had begun.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

 

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

The first duty of love is to listen.”

Paul Tillich

 

“Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself - no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are - completely; the good and the bad - and make changes as YOU see fit - not because you think someone else wants you to be different.”

Stacey Charter

 

The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.”

Benjamin Franklin

 

“I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”

Jackie Robinson

 

“Treat others as you want them to treat you because what goes around comes around”

Anon

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

FEEDBACK

 

AND PEOPLE, YOU CAN ADD THINGS, A QUOTE, A RELATIVELY SMALL PICTURE, A POEM, ETC. JUST NOTHING NASTY.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[species5478]

How about an old New York children's song? I sung this one while playing jump rope...

 

When you're climbing up a ladder, and you see something splatter diarrhea...diarrhea...

When you're playing baseball and you see something fall diarrhea...diarrhea...

When you're laying in the bed and you feel something spread diarrhea...diarrhea...

:whistling:

Oh, sorry about the nasty part...

[Maharg67]

Oh thank you Species5478 for your fine lyrical installment reflecting centuries of sophisticated school time culture. I shall respond with the following:

 

Samples of fine book titles as created by schoolyard literary experts:

 

Trip across the desert on a camel

by Major Bum Sore

 

Chinese War

By Who Flung Dun:sick:

 

Famine

By Nora Bone[/color]

 

PS: by 'nasty' I meant agressive, racist and so on.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

I am not bragging but since I joined this forum I have posted here over 400,000 words. The thought of it tires me out.

 

Is there any prize for posting so many words like a huge imaginary trophy made of gold, silver, gems or better still, a mixture of high quality white, dark and milk chocolate with nuts.

 

Writing, I think, is not apart from living. Writing is a kind of double living The writer experiences everything twice. Once in reality and once in that mirror which waits always before or behind.”

Catherine Drinker Bowen

 

“Every writer I know has trouble writing.”

Joseph Heller

As a writer, truly agree.

“A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns.”

P. L. Travers

Hint, more feedback is welcome.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

COSMIC OPERA

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

 

Daedric stingerbugs attacked in swarms across Tamriel causing havoc and even death for many. But the stingerbugs were soon being devoured by various magical creatures who were immune from the sting or so deadly the stings did not matter. Gremlins, smaller cousins of goblins that flew, darted amongst the daedrabugs with whirring wings and snapped them out of the air with clawed hands. They would crush the stingerbugs and then happily devour them.

 

"Too bad the daedragons could not be so easily dealt with." General Patton scowled as Heavy Browning Machineguns fired up at the diving and sweeping daedric dragon creatures. "Must be at least a dozen of them demons up there."

 

Others had come through from Patton's home world. Germans, Austrians, Americans, Australians and other soldiers of many nationalities along with many European refugees. They brought a loose collection of equipment and supplies along with other stuff of varied use. Livestock and horses were welcome. Stolen valuable artworks ended up, mostly, under the protective control of the Terran Commanders. Then there was the spiral rampway that looked like it went into the ground but actually went into a transdimensional Hubworld. It was not far from where Patton was standing in a military fortified encampment with Field Marshal Rommel and other officers including Cyrodilin Legionaries in magical armour.

 

A powerful magical fireball shot towards a daedragon but the creature magically absorbed the spell power, draining it from the battlemage who had sent the fireball. The weakened battlemage had to pause for a couple of minutes before he could use any more powerful offensive spells. But then another fireball, deliberately shot straight after the other one by another highly skilled and experienced battlemage in armour, struck the daedragon. It screamed in agony and rage as the fireball exploded against it, wounding it badly. At once the winged beast turned and began to fly away as quickly as it could, which was much slower than normal.

 

The unwanted Empress had increasingly alienated herself from the common folk and many nobles by the stupidity and corruption of her new edicts and other actions. Though the great majority of Imperial Citizens considered them to be heroes, the monarch had banned the Blades from entering the Imperial City or even the Imperial Island upon which it sat. Then an edict had banned all non-humans from the city and island, all of them to be forcefully removed and their remaining properties in the Imperial Sector to be consficated by the Imperial Court. It was predjudiced stupidity and it was a theft of properties.

 

Rommel was also watching the daedragons. "We need to get some proper flakguns up to this position. Those Bofors would wipe out a few of those beasts."

 

Moving machines around on Tamriellan roads was not easy considering they were designed to take riding animals and animal pulled vehicles. The movement of heavy armoured vehicles damaged the roads of Cyrodiil and many Cryrodilins did not like this. Solutions were desperately being found. The Imperial Treasury was unhappy at the amount of golden coins being called upon to pay for the necessary work to be done. The disliked Empress was trying to get the nobles to pay for the costs. In many ways it was typical political activity for the empire.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

COSMIC OPERA

CHAPTER THIRTY

 

In the DC Wastelands it was the NUNDF expedition, along with the strange little man, who joined forces with a force of Brothers of Steel to protect the spiral rampway entrance. The strange little man notified local Wastelanders, who struggled to survive, that they could go to the HubWorld to settle down in safer, cleaner, more secure, more fertile conditions. Soon many were doing so as they took what ever they could with them over land and then down the great wid spiral rampway.

 

Ghouls came also and at once their skin began to heal slowly but steadily. When clumps of zhouls entered the HubWorld, the became abruptly calm and they also began to heal.

 

Cybergirls in exotic blue armour and Cyberboys in exotic red armour, were keeping the peace as were the youthful soldiers in green.

 

On another world, the WW2 vintage heavy tanks kept being sent to New Mexico where they were starting to have greater impact. Now a regiment of such tanks was part of a large counter offensive attempting to drive the daedra back to their magical gates, Oblivion Gates. Heavy and medium bombers were launching daily and nightly bombing runs against the Oblivion Gates only to find that the destructive power of the bombs was deflected by a magical energy dome of some kind.

 

In that world magic, that had been largely dormant, was starting to strengthen, to rise and more strange things were happening. Not all were pleased, far from it. The Pope declared that magic was anti-christian as did many other more orthodox christians. Fundimentalist muslims started to attack or even to kill those with magic. Security forces around the world were put on the alert. Yet governments also went out of their way to protect such magefolk, to gather them up, to protect them to have them assist in the fight against the evil Nazies and the daedric invaders from the realm of Oblivion.

 

Elemental mages of human enhancement, of solar, of life and of the atomic, or so they were named with some accuracy, emerged most commonly of all though so did other types. With the return, rise, of magic in strength came the return and rise of magical creatures who were not pleased at the way that humanity had treated mother nature of that world. But the same began to happen on that other Earth where there was the DC Wastelands, the magical changes taking place across that world and bringing with them a new kind of hope.

 

But what of the other ten worlds?

 

TO BE CONTINUED

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

COSMIC OPERA

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

 

On a world much like our own, a special meeting was taking place. Scully and Muldar of the FBI X-Files Office climbed out of the brand new government car they had been given to use on their new assignment that seemed more like a string of assignments. Around them stretched what looked like a typical building site with no building structure yet constructed but with a great hole in the ground and a whole lot of machinery, building supplies and disgruntled hard-hat workers. Scully wore a typical FBI business dress style outfit not at all suited to moving around a building site. A flash of cleavage, not too much makeup, fancy looking but surprisingly practical shoes and a jacket thick enough to conceal a shoulder holster with a powerful 10mm calibre using semiautomatic pistol. She was very attractive and though annoyed by the way men often reacted to her, she was not above using her looks to her advantage. Mulder was at times jealous but mostly he just took it calmly, with a mild grin at life, as he did most things.

 

They made their way towards where other FBI agents, agents of other agencies, city police in blue uniforms with black body-armour and some specialists from the construction corporation were gathered. There was some arguing taking place and a man with a clipboard, wearing a business suit with out the coat, was thrusting his finger towards a high ranking Homeland Security agent. The man, a cold eyed tall brown skinned hulk named Alex High, was not moved at all.

 

A worker wolf whistled at Scully but she ignored him. Then she and Muldar were close to the edge of the hole in the ground and were now at the edge of the fairly spread out group. Down into the ditch they looked and saw there part of an exposed aircraft of strange design. That is, if it was an aircraft. It was tough, very tough. The digging machine that had first struck it had suffered damage but there was not even the slightest scratch on the transport. Was it alien? Indications were that it could easily be but some were coming up with other possibilities and all of them were, like the first theory, stabs in the dark.

 

Overhead the sky had a light spread of grey clouds threatening more rain. The weather was wetter and wilder than it normally was at time of year but climatic patterns around the world seemed to be disrupted of late. Scientists spoke of increased solar activity that was causing increased trouble with world wide communications, navigation and media.

 

Alex Hulk spoke again as if repeating himself. "You and your people have three hours to get off the site and to take your equipment, your supplies and even your portable structures with you. The Department of Homeland Security has taken authority over this property. Compensation will be paid to the corporation. Now, please go before I have you picked up and hauled off to the Washington DC Homeland Security Headquarters for obstructing a high priority federal government investigation."

 

Finally realising that he would not get anyway, disgruntled and angry, the other man turned and tramped off. His was followed by other corporate folk including private security guards in blue uniforms who had revolver pistols and not the automatic weapons of the FBI agents, especially the assault-rifles and assault-shotguns of the FBI SWAT troopers. Now there were only government people there.

 

Alex Hulk turned and frowned at Scully and Muldar. "Well, for once it seems your damned fanciful theories might turn out to have some credence to them. We have scientists coming along with some of those new science officers. What do you make of it?"

 

Muldar looked at the exposed part of the aircraft and he shook his head in wonder. "It looks familiar but in a way that is quite crazy. Can I go deeper into the pit?"

 

Alex Hulk shook his head. "Not until the area down there is checked carefully to make sure it is safe. The USFG is getting enough flak lately for a series of stupid bungles. We don't want any of our people getting hurt down there. Army sappers, bomb disposal specialists and anybody else who might be able to check the place safely, they need to go down there. Don't worry, you will be down there sooner than you want. I have been told that there is something odd with the air down there, like its filled with static electricity."

 

President Ubama had just won his second term in office but not by a landslide, far from it. Yet he did not face a hostile senate, which was a minor miracle considering recent events. Two Democratic Senators less and it would have been a hostile senate. Ubama won because he had better responded to a multiple crisis that was rising around the world. Magic and psychic abilities were not only increasingly apparent, but causing more incidents every day. There were increased sightings of UFOs, of strange creatures and even of monsters. The Japanese Whaling Fleet, along with its Japanese Naval escorts, had vanished with out a trace and Japan was both very angry and hunting for somebody to blame. Sightings spoke of kraken (giant squids) in the deep oceans, dragons flying high in the sky, big hairy humanoids out in the wilderness and much more. All this was but a small part of what was happening as the world seemed to be going crazy. Ubama was away from the USA attending an international crisis meeting though officially the word 'crisis' was not even hinted at.

 

Then an agent came rushing to the group and she faced Alex Hulk with an expression of urgency on her face. He just nodded at her and she spoke. "Five workers can't be found. They were down in the pit when the strange aircraft was found and later as part of it was dug up. They are gone! They did not check out, they were not seen leaving. Police are checking on their possible movements but so far they have not been found."

 

Muldar pointed down at the 'aircraft', at a particular point of its hull, and he spoke. "See there, a red mark, perhaps the edge of some kind of symbol that is mostly hidden by the ground. It needs to be uncovered because I have a very strange hunch that I have seen this kind of spacecraft before but in a very unlikely place."

 

Hulk did not look impressed.

 

Scully spoke with some charm, some warmth. "I suggest you listen to what Agent Fox Muldar has to say. His hunches, even his crazy ones, have a habit of coming out true."

 

Alex Hulk sighed. "Tell me now."

 

Muldar shrugged as if expecting to be disbelieved, even ridiculed. Then he obviously got an idea. "I need a laptop computer, one that is wireless linked to the Internet."

 

In a moment one was handed to him. Muldar operated it while Scully held it for him. He got into the Internet and then googled a term. He used the controls, that he found a little clumsy for his large hands, to get to a particular large, colourful animation picture. Then he turned the computer around and showed everybody. At once it was fairly obvious that the picture was of a machine that was at least partly very like, in appearance, of that of the thing in the pit.

 

Then Muldar grinned and spoke. "Before you get all excited, I would like to point out that this aircraft like spaceship, a kind of antigravity shuttle, exists only in the Captain Cosmos franchise of television series, movies, computer games, comic books, posters, toys and all that other stuff that the Disney Corporation, Pixar and Maharg Corporations try to flog to the consumers of the world. That down there should not exist except as special effects, a toy or some prop at some TV or movie studio."

 

Then he lost his grin even as others stared at him in shock, even Scully who was very used to his pronouncements. He spoke again. "That kind of shuttle belongs to a savage enemies of humanity in the Captain Cosmos version of the Earth and the Universe. Very dangerous, very powerful and more advanced scientifically than we are. Of course it may be wrong but I suggest strongly that we look to upping the security and secrecy factor by a great deal."

 

A news helicopter shot overhead, being chased by two police helicopters, but it was too late. The media would have taken video recordings of the pit and the strange vehicle with their special camera equipment.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

:mellow: