Monthly Archives: September 2009

Arc 2.8: Uncontrolled Substances

Uncontrolled Substances: Part 4

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I flipped through the roachbot’s viewpoints, watching them scuttle up walls, through windows to the outside, or into vents.

I had a brief moment where I thought that the best thing I could do would be self-destruct all of them, but I’d just made them last fall. I didn’t want to do it all over again.

I waited on the top of the roof.

Silently, Rachel faded into view next to me. “They both chugged some juice and they’re coming outside. We’d better go — unless you want to fight them.”
Continue reading Uncontrolled Substances: Part 4 →

Arc 2.8: Uncontrolled Substances

Uncontrolled Substances: Part 3

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We pulled stir fry out of the refrigerator, heated it up, and ate. Afterward, I went upstairs to do homework while Rachel followed me upstairs and went into her own room. After an electronic crackle, I heard her play exercises on her guitar.

I finished the calculus homework in an hour. Then I took another half hour to read a short story and wrote the answers to some questions about it.

By that time, it was after nine.
Continue reading Uncontrolled Substances: Part 3 →

Arc 2.8: Uncontrolled Substances

Uncontrolled Substances: Part 2

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“So you just told him?” Jaclyn didn’t seem to be able to contain her disbelief.

“It’s not like I invited him to train with us,” I said. “I just told him the same thing I’ve always told anyone curious about who I’m taking martial arts from.”

“It’s not that bad,” Haley said. “Of all Sean’s friends, Dayton’s the only one who’s actually nice.”
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Arc 2.8: Uncontrolled Substances

Uncontrolled Substances: Part 1

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In fairness to Sean, he didn’t try to claim credit for taking them out. He didn’t have to. The cameras lied.

Good visuals are crack for news crews. Explaining that Daniel mentally blasted Spike and Skewer into unconsciousness is hard to show on screen. Bashing them together in the air looked great even if it didn’t do anything to them.

Not that Sean got all the credit. Punching people into walls also made for great footage — as did shots of Jaclyn and I shattering the ice around us, or Vaughn blasting Payback with a lightning bolt.

Cassie and Haley barely appeared except on those stations that ran the fight straight through.
Continue reading Uncontrolled Substances: Part 1 →

Arc 2.7: Hysteria

Hysteria: Part 10

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“Where does he work?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Vaughn said. “Something medical.”

We started talking about the fight again for another thirty minutes or so. Somehow the conversation turned to Lee, and I reminded people that he wanted all of us there the next day and ideally every practice thereafter.

“And that’s why I need to go,” Jaclyn said. “If I want to have time for that, I can’t stay here all night.”
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Arc 2.7: Hysteria

Hysteria: Part 9

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Sean looked over the oncoming crowd a little nervously, and asked me, “What are we supposed to do now?”

“No idea,” I said.

Then I turned on the loudspeaker.

They were halfway across the lawn, and the growing darkness gave the group a “Night of the Living Dead” feel. Not that they were really zombies, but a crowd of people walking toward you isn’t a normal situation.
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Arc 2.7: Hysteria

Hysteria: Part 8

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Payback screamed and fell over, his body outlined in electricity.

The air smelled of ozone, and smoke.

When the lightning stopped, I could see Payback more clearly. His chest still moved, but he wasn’t doing much more than that. His right arm looked uncomfortably red and blistered.

From behind me Vaughn shouted, “I got him, right?”
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Arc 2.7: Hysteria

Hysteria: Part 6

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Punching yourself in the face isn’t a great tactic in most fights, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

The ice fell off my helmet and hit the floor. I swung back out onto the bumper behind the only remaining door, and tried to get a second to think.

I could blast away with the sonics, distract everybody, fly into the middle of them and start punching, but I didn’t like my odds. Besides Keith’s uncle didn’t deserve to have his ears bleed from the noise.

Then the solution struck me. I’d lean out, blast one of the rear tires with the sonics, and they’d have to stop. If they didn’t, I’d blast the other tire.
Continue reading Hysteria: Part 6 →