Zippy Zip-A-Long

[Maharg67]

COSMIC OPERA

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

 

The jeep skidded to a halt and the three elite American soldiers leapt out and moved cautiously towards the edge of the great circular pit. It was in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico, close to both the border with Mexico and a small border town called Pablo's Crossing for reasons long forgotten. The newly formed Green Berets, the US Army Special Forces, was meant to deal with exotic threats be they raiding parties of lesser daedra, local rampaging werewolf packs or anything else that showed themselves. They were still raw, still being organised, still being resourced and many of the soldiers were not veterans though highly trained.

 

Luckily these two men had fought hard in the recent conflict against the invading lesser daedra in New Mexico.

 

Another jeep came to a halt and three more men came striding over to the edge of the pit.

 

The pit plunged downwards for a seemingly impossible depth and at the very bottom of it was a dark opening to a chamber, or at least that was the impression the six humans got.

 

Lieutenant Dodge snorted and tilted back his steel helmet wiith its brown-green camo cover. "That must be half a mile down there, at least. There is no way we can investigate that and there is no way I am going to have us try to do so. We need to get in contact with Field HQ as soon as we can."

 

A black sergeant pointed to a wall of the pit shaft. "Looks like some kind of rampway going down. Who ever created the pit, made sure they could either up or down or maybe both. We could go down there."

 

"We will see what HQ has to say on the matter. At least I want them to know what is going on." He turned and begun to head back towards the lead jeep. "They will want to send an investigating party out to explore and chart what every is down below."

 

But the black sergeant pulled out his .45 Colt semiautomatic pistol and shot the officer three times in the back, the shots ringing through the air, so that Lieutenant Dodge collapsed onto the ground, shuddered and lay still.

 

The sergeant turned to the others. "For the Mythic Dawn and our new daedra god, Jaghrunes Dagon. Quick, we must carry out the mission as quickly as we can. Jaghrunes Dagon wishes to come to this world so that he can track down and destroy his father, Mehrunes Dagon, who failed us all. Bring the black chest."

 

All five Green Berets there, now, were secret Mythic Dawn members, moved back to the jeeps. One looted the dead officer of useful ammo, his pistol, his combat knife, his canteen half full of water and anything else of value. They put on compact backpacks, picked up Garand rifles and other equipment. Then they started out down the winding rampway, plunging deeper and deeper into the unknown.

 

About twenty minutes later the noises of gunfire, of screams, of shouts of panic and the blast of a hand-grenade, all drifted up to the surface and the entrance to the pit. This was followed by a dreadful silence.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

COSMIC OPERA

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

 

Scully and Muldar walked in FBI-SWAT gear they had burrowed and made their way in boots down into a corner of the big pit. Behind them scientists and other specialists were still examining the great big rocketship that seemed to come straight out of a fictional fantasy known as the CAPTAIN COSMOS ADVENTURES. So far nobody had found a way in. The Department of Homeland Defence had come into the picture along with the CIA and the MIA, the Military Intelligence Agency. This meant some cooperation but also plenty of argumentation. The pair were happy to let them go at it while they checked up on some other lead.

 

A worker had reported on seeing a hatch in the side of the pit, a small concrete square of wall, where neither should have existed. Indeed the hardhat swore that neither had existed before the discovery of the rocketship had taken place.

 

They came to the hatch that, for some inexplicable reason, nobody else seemed to have discovered or had gained any interest in if they had done so. This was despite forensics teams and others exploring the whole pit. The pair stood staring at the hatch, like a big submarine hatch, for a long moment before shrugging to each other and acting.

 

Muldar pushed aside his submachinegun and opened the odd metallic hatch. This was simple enough as it was unlocked in any way. Then the two of them were walking into a big metallic chamber well lit by fluropanels and that at once caused them to stop in surprise. The hatch swung closed behind them and clicked closed. Against one wall stood a perfect copy of Robby the Robot, the robot from the 1950s movie named THE FORBIDDEN PLANET. Except that it was actually half inside an alcove where it seemed to be recharging.

 

Muldar looked around and examined other oddities with a grin. A figure of a Grey alien in a glass showcase stood against one wall with its strange large head and slanted black eyes. Next to it was a white moonsuit of an Apollo Program astronaut complete with a stars and stripes flag with all sixty-nine states shown as stars. The flag had been changed when Canada had joined the USA as three states and Mexico had joined as two states. 'Joined' meaning pressured into doing so.

 

He spoke. "See there, government posters of back in the 50s when the Greys started buzzing the skies over our cities."

 

Scully did examine the posters full of government propaganda and glimpses of government paranoia. The Greys had caused havoc around the world until ways were found to first drive them off and then destroy them. Their flying-saucers had some odd weaknesses but also some terrible threats. The X-Files had first been created during the 1940s but had not become an official part of the FBI until the mid 60s. Now the Department of Homeland Defence was trying but failing to grab the X-Files for itself while getting rid of Muldar and Scully who had become the beating heart of the X-Files.

 

She shook her head in wonder. "We never did find out what the Greys wanted and why they stopped coming."

 

Muldar frowned hard. He was convinced the Greys would return but few in government wanted this to be true and so they ignored him. Still public pressure meant that something called Skynet was being developed to defend the world against the return of the Greys or some other alien threat. Skynet was a major base on the moon and at L5 but also many defence drones, orbital weapon platforms and detector satellites. Muldar did not like Skynet because it was artificial intelligence supercomputer controlled robots and for some reason he had a bad feeling about it.

 

He stepped closer to Robby the Robot. "Got an odd feeling that the robot is real."

 

Scully snorted softly. "A real robot, maybe, but not the real Robby the Robot."

 

The strange little man stepped into the room in his blue silken oriental style suit and kept on stroking the big white furry cat in his arms. "Oh, that is Robby the Robot alright. He can materialise solid items, though not living ones, and has other amazing abilities. You will need his help over coming years. Yes, I am giving him to you. For you see humanity on your version of the Earth has been tricked. Skynet is being created from technologies stolen from a crashed Grey flying-saucer."

 

Muldar nodded. "Yes, which is one more reason to delay Skynet."

 

"Very good!" The strange little man sighed. "Skynet was planned by the Greys who intend to take control of it and turn it against humanity but the joke is also on them. For a dark force has already begun infiltrating Skynet and it will attack the Greys along with humanity. On some Alternate Earths Skynet causes wide spread nuclear destruction, destroying most of humanity in this manner, but that will not happen on your world. Skynet has other plans though they are just as nasty. Now, you might wonder what all this has to do with Captain Cosmos."

 

The two nodded almost as one.

 

The strange little man grinned. "The Captain Cosmos rocketship in the pit accidentally came across, through a wild transdimensional fracture, to land here because it comes from an Alternate Earth where the Greys are at war with humans in space. Captain Cosmos and the Cosmic Taskforce battle them and other dangers on a constant basis. All of this is linked. Thirteen Alternate Earths have become linked, though not all are named the Earth. In that rocketship are Cosmic Crusaders in suspension capsules ready to do battle. The rocketship is ready for use. It is a wonder piece of local reality adjusted technologies with antigravity boosters and fusion rockets. It can travel to the moon in less than an hour and to Mars in less than a week even when Mars is furtherest from the Earth. You can see the problems this will cause on your world."

 

Scully had an expression of doubt as if finding it hard to believe that any of this was quite real. "There could be many problems. Our Federal Government is likely to want to control the rocketship and its various technological wonders. The Soviet Pact and the European Union will not stand for the USA keeping such advanced technologies to itself. There could be a risk of nuclear war. But this rocketship could be used to destroy the Skynet before it gets a chance to begins its program of evil."

 

The strange little man grinned. "Well, smile!"

 

There was a flash of light and Scully and Muldar fell very slowly, gently, to the floor. As they got close to the floor they were lifted up by a shimmering disk of energy and then they followed the strange little man into another chamber.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

THE ADVENTURES OF BOB AND BAB ARE BEING TRANSFERRED TO ZIPPY ZIP-A-LONG FOR VARIOUS REASONS. COSMIC OPERA CONTINUES.

 

BOB AND BAB HAVE A SURPRISE MEETING

 

BOB: "Hello, Bab!"

 

BAB: "Hello, Bob!"

 

Pause

 

BOB: "Fancy meeting you here, Bab!"

 

BAB: "Fancy meeting you here, Bob!"

 

Pause

 

BOB: "It is amazing, Bab!"

 

BAB: "It is truly amazing, Bob!"

 

Pause

 

BOB: I think it is time to go to sleep, Bab!

 

BAB: Yes it is, Bob, but please do not hog all the sheets this time.

 

BOB: I will try not to do so, Bab!

 

BAB: Thank you, Bob!

 

Pause

 

BAB: "If we are lucky, Bob, we will meet again when we wake up in this bed we have slept in together since we got married.

 

BOB: "Since we got married one year ago, Bab."

 

BAB: "Yes, that would lovely, Bob!"

 

Pause

 

BOB: "Good night, Bab!"

 

BAB: "Good night, Bob!"

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

COSMIC OPERA

CHAPTER FORTY

 

With Tamriel at peace, the newcomers settled in their new coastal homeland though some returned to the World War gripped Earth, that Alternate Earth, and more came who were refugees but also others such as diplomats, researchers, people seeking a new type of life and many others. The population of Terrans in Cyrodiil remained relatively small but they were having a big technological impact. There was some trouble as the Cyrodilin Empire was faced not only with new technologies but with new ideas of social organisation and leadership. The concept of democracy had many radicals excited and many conservatives, especially nobles, very worried.

 

In Imperial City the older Empress had become aware that a younger Empress was hidden away and that she was, despite being hidden away, far more popular than herself. Instead of becoming wiser, she became paranoid and began to carry out a series of edicts and other measures against her own people. At this time a pale faced, ice eyed man in a black hooded robe began to be seen with increasing frequency close to the monarch in her throne room, in the big war chamber and other places of importance. Hand maidens reported that the Empress went naked with this man and gave herself to him willingly. Then the hand maidens, all of them young noblewomen, became dismissed and sent home along with their servants and relatives.

 

The Imperial Legionaries were banned from the Imperial City and Imperial Island to be replaced by tall, pale soldiers in black and red armour who were almost alien in their emotionlessness. Lists were printed on newly built printing presses and many people were evicted in increasing numbers. They were sent across the Imperial Ring River with, at most, a cart load of goods. Many had most of their possessions, including property, stolen from them by imperial degree. Orcs and beastfolk were treated even less well. The few Terrans in Imperial City had to flee.

 

The Empress turned against the Mages Guild and the Arcane University. The mages refused to leave and hand over dangerous magical devices, spells and other knowledge to the increasingly hated Empress. Instead they threw up a powerful magical barrier around the Arcane University and thus begun a seige of that place. A growing number of refugees fleeing the growing madness of the Empress were going there for safety.

 

There was fear of civil war but this was largely unfounded as the false Empress had only real control over Imperial City and Imperial Island.

 

The Blades infiltrated the city and did what they could to assist people to get away, especially those appearing on a steadly growing 'death list', and to observe what the hated Empress was up to. They had many contacts amongst the people of the city, they had paid informants in the Imperial Palace and they had their own agents through out the city districts but still, when the terrible day happened, it took them by surprise as much as it did many others.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

BOB AND BAB LOVE WATCHING TV SITTING ON A BIG OLD DOUBLE COUCH CHAIR

 

BOB: "Gosh, Bab, isn't watching TV so wonderful."

 

BAB: "Gosh, Bob, it is very wonderful."

 

Pause!

 

BAB: "Watching TV is both entertaining and educational."

 

BOB: "Yes, and it helps to get rid of fleas."

 

BAB: "TV has changed my life for the better BOB. Now I know all about how to survive in the desert using a paper towel and a block of cheese."

 

Pause!

 

BAB: "Only one thing is going to make it better, Bob!

 

BOB: "What is that, oh sweetest Bab?"

 

BAB: "When we turn the TV on, Bob!"

 

BOB: "Golly jolly gosh, Bab, I can hardly wait for that most exciting moment to occur."

 

BAB: "Neither can I, oh most wondrous Bob!"

 

Long pause!

 

BOB: 'Snoring noise!'

 

BAB: 'Snoring noise!'

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

COSMIC OPERA

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

 

Great Britain was becoming an island fortress against the growing threat against the whole world. Even Irish Catholic soldiers were willingly going to the defence of England because they might hate the English but demons and zombies were far worse. Mages and priests, an uneasy alliance, were creating magical defences. Aircraft and ships still came across the channel as fighting in Normandy reached horror levels. Aerosaucers zipped across the English Channel quickly and efficiently. British and other naval ships were a massive fleet in the channel and freighters had been turned into big gun platforms.

 

The strange little man stood patiently on a big wide jetty on the English Coast. The magical warehouses were now shifted to England and were not far away from where he stood. The Alliance Military were now using aerosaucers in combat roles but the original 100 were still taking people from Continental Europe even as they delivered equipment and supplies to assist the defence of the Great Exodus to Great Britain. A flight of American and British bombers flew towards the continent overhead, with escort fighters. Mages went with them now to provide magical defences that weakened the savagery of enemy attacks.

 

He had seeded a great underground network of tubeways (railways, roads and canals), bunkerplexes and other facilities. It was growing with amazing speed. Refugees were going down there and so were English people to find to their surprise the sundome chambers with blue skies and other wonders that made life down there more bearable. Indeed for many life improved. The network was expanding up into Scotland and was all the way across Wales.

 

A beautiful young woman stood close to him wearing a blue kneedress of a uniform, hems having risen because of rationing of cloth, and she was so still she was almost inhuman. Then she spoke even as she looked out over the blue waters of the channel, at the amazing number of boats and ships repeating the Dunkirk experience again but in a far more orderly and safer manner. "My people are concerned about the link between the Thirteen Worlds. What formed it? Who is behind this madness?"

 

The strange little man sighed. "Not one cause did this but causes on all thirteen worlds mingled in impact did this. Seagulls are quite amazing survivors. They even survive in areas where the demonic PanAxis has taken over."

 

She nodded. "My people are seeking logical solutions but can not find logical problems to solve."

 

A German pocket-battleship was out to sea but it was no enemy now. A U-boat, once much hated, was travelling on the surface towards an English Port but nobody was attacking it. Germans had been badly hurt by the rise of evil in Germany. Almost half of all Germans were dead or turned into zombies or vampires or werewolves. Only a seeming miracle had brought many of them safely out of Germany. They had vanished along with many towns, even a couple of cities, and had appeared along with a whole new island off the west coast of Ireland. It was being called New Germany and was the only real hope for the German people, or so many thought. The strange little man had not done this but he had been forced to call in many old favours with powerful cosmic entities to have it carried out.

 

The strange little man wished that he could do more.

 

He watched a seagull drifting on a breeze and then he had an interesting idea. He turned to the android woman from another world and began to speak.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

BAB AND BOB PLAYING A GAME OF ?

 

BOB: "Quick, Bab, throw the dart. Ooohhh, good shot!"

 

BAB: "Ooohhh, yes, I hit the yellow balloon to win five and a quarter points. I am now dunking for the big red apple."

 

BOB: "Here I go with the pillow. I got you right on the head."

 

BAB: "Aaahhh, you missed and now the running starts. First one to the refrigerator gets ten points."

 

BOB: "Yes, but first we got to find it. Could the refrigerator be in the kitchen where it always is?"

 

BAB: "I touched the refigerator first. Ooohhh, I have gotten two extra points because I have blue eyes."

 

BOB: "Oh, golly gosh, I lost again. I am tired of playing chess. Shall we try another game?"

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

SO THIS GUY,

YOU KNOW, HE IS NOT REAL COOL, NOT SO NEAT, NOT SO POPULAR AND HE IS MOSTLY IGNORED

BUT ONE DAY HE SAVES A LITTLE GIRL

DIVES AND PUSHES HER OUT OF THE WAY OF A SPEEDING BUS

AND DIES IN THE PROCESS

 

SO THE PEOPLE, THEY REALISE FULLY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THAT HE EXISTED

EXISTED AND HAD VALUE

BUT WAS GIVEN TO SUPPORT, NO FRIENDSHIP

ONLY SUSPICION BECAUSE HE WAS DIFFERENT

 

IT WAS TOO LATE TO PUT THE SPILT MILK BACK INTO THE CARTON

THE PROVERBIAL CAT HAD LICKED IT UP

 

EASY TO JUDGE

EASY TO FEAR

EASY TO AVOID

EASY TO PUSH AWAY

BUT NOT SO EASY TO RECTIFY SOME MISTAKES

 

AT THE CHURCH THEY MADE GRAND SPEACHES ABOUT THIS MAN'S BRAVERY

THEY AWARDED HIM A MEDAL OF BRAVERY

THEY MISPELT HIS NAME ON THE HEADSTONE ON HIS GRAVE

AND ONLY THE LITTLE GIRL, AS SHE GREW STEADILY INTO A WOMAN AND OLDER STILL, KEPT PUTTING FLOWERS ON HIS GRAVE

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

BOB AND BAB: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

 

BOB: Bab, do you know what ignorance is?

 

BAB: I have no idea, Bob! Do you know what confusion is, Bob?

 

BOB: It puzzles me, Bab! Can you tell me what procrastination is, Bab?

 

BAB: I will answer that later, Bob! What about indecision?

 

BOB: I just don't know what to say, Bab! Do you know what arrogance is, Bab?

 

BAB: Hmmph, how dare you ask me that! Bob, do you know what panic is, Bob? Oh, Bob, please stop running around in circles, shouting, and answer my question.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

BOB AND BAB PLUS THE TWO STRANGE STRANGERS

 

BOB: "Ooohhh, Bab, they are there again."

 

BAB: "Aaahhh, ooohhhh, yes they are, Bob."

 

BOB: "They are very strange looking, Bab. Gosh, I am glad we don't look like that."

 

BAB: "Oh yes, that is very true, Bob. They frighten me a bit."

 

BOB: "I know! We should pretend they are not there but take a peek every so often just to make sure."

 

BAB: "Wow, Bob, that is such a wonderful idea. I have another wonderful idea, Bob. We should pretend they are not there but take a peek every so often just to make sure."

 

BOB: "Yes, but really, I must admit this is most confusing."

 

BAB: "Yes, Bob, every time we look at the mirror, there they are! I wonder why that is so."

Edited July 13, 2010 by Maharg67