🚀 go-pugleaf

(continued from part one...)

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18:02:19

     "...and then, just as Ninja Taxi-Cab Driver fired his Multi-Pulse
Fare Meter at me, I swooped in from the clouds and rescued myself, and..."
     "Sorry to interrupt, Zen," Akane said, not sounding sorry at all.  "But
it looks like we have company."
     She pointed out of Zen's driver-side window at the black van driving
alongside them, which featured three people in black ski-masks firing semi-
automatic weapons at the police cars that were chasing them, along with a
fourth person who was driving the van, and was apparently trying to dial up
some good chase scene music on the radio.  For some reason, they had
mustaches on the outside of their masks.
     Zen matched the speed of the van, and rolled down his window.
     "Excuse me!" he said, to the man leaning out of the passenger side
window, firing an uzi.  "Could you take your chase somewhere else?  You're
interrupting one of my favorite anecdotes!"
     The man did a double take at him.
     "Are you talking to me?" he finally asked.
     "Yes!" Zen said, nodding vigorously.
     "Listen, mister..."
     "Zen."
     "Zen, we're extremely dangerous terrorists," the man said to him.  "And
we've been having a really bad day, what with the bomb we intended to plant
under the White House turning out to be Jorge's three-day old pastrami
sandwich, our subsequent discovery by the police, and the fact that someone
did the crossword puzzle in the NYtimes we stole during our escape.  So if
you don't mind..."
     "I don't mind, really!" Zen said.  "But, if I might make a personal
observation, you seem to be taking out your frustrations on others, rather
than talking with..."
     *Um, HAL,* Akane thought, as she massaged her ribs, which were already
hurting less.
     <<Yes, Akane?>>
     *Is what this guy's saying true?*
     <<Yes,>> HAL answered.  <<The man Zen is talking to is none other than
Dave, a notorious gun-runner, terrorist, and accountant for hire, who has
worked for a number of terror organizations through the years, and a known
associate of Dave, Dave, and Dave.  Recent reports confirm their story.>>
     "Look, I don't *want* to talk about it!" the terrorist, whose name was
something other than Dave, said.  "Now go away!"
     "Stop talking to that moron, and keep shooting!" another of the men
shouted.
     Just then, one of the tires blew on the van, and the terrorist was
thrown out the window, right before the van rolled over and exploded.
Fortunately (for the terrorist), he caught the door handle of Zen's minibus,
and was able to hang on, despite the fact that the minibus was now traveling at
speeds of over 100 m.p.h.
     "Whew!" the terrorist said.  "That was close!"  He looked back at the
flaming wreckage, which was preventing the police from following.  "Guess
I'll have to find some new bridge partners, though."
     "I'm sorry, but I'm already on a case," Zen told him.  "If you could
wait here a while..."
     "No way!" the terrorist said, aiming his uzi directly at Zen Navigator.
"Take this psychadaelic VW minibus to Cuba!"
     "Well, it *is* on the way..." Zen said.
     "Er, Zen..." Akane started.
     "Don't worry!" Zen told her.  "We'll just make a slight detour."
     "Great, now if..." the terrorist started.  Zen rolled up the window,
and pushed harder on the accelerator.
     *He doesn't look pleased,* Symon commented.
     "Neither would you," Akane said, as the terrorist began yelling at Zen.
He brought up his uzi and fired at the window, and was startled to find that
the bullets simply bounced off the glass.
     "Who are you talking to?" Zen asked.
     "Just some of my delusions," Akane told him.
     *We are not delusions!* Symon protested.
     "You have delusions, too?" Zen asked.  "Neat!"
     Shadebeam looked up from where she'd been napping, and saw the man
pounding futilely against the window.  "I miss something?"
     "Yes!" Zen said.  "I was just telling Akane about how I rescued myself
from the clutches of Ninja Taxi-Cab Driver on planet Arcola Beta, and I
had just gotten to the part about swooping down from the clouds and..."
     "...and deflecting the Multi-Pulse Fare Beam with the Sublime Subway
Token of Zontar IX," Shadebeam said.  "I remember that one."
     "Ah, well, did I ever tell you the one about..."

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14:54:18

     "I think this is Cuba," Shadebeam said.  "Least, that's what the sign
says."  She pointed to a sign that said 'Welcome to Cuba, comrade!'
     Zen nodded, and stopped the minibus.  He rolled down the window, and
said, "Okay, we're here...say, where did he go?"
     "Maybe we lost him in the Marianas Trench," Akane said, thoughtfully.
     "Perhaps...no, wait," Zen said.  "There he is."  He indicated a flat
shape against the side of the minibus door.  "The trip seems to have
slimmed him down some."
     -Another Jenny Craig success story,- Kyoko commented.
     "You just gonna leave him like that?" Shadebeam asked.  "It does kinda
spoil the paint."
     "Not to worry," Zen said.  "The psychadaelic paint on this minibus was
mixed with no-stick 'Pam!'"  Sure enough, the now-two-dimensional-terrorist
slid off the side of the minibus, onto the sands of the beach that the
minibus had driven onto.
     Zen rolled the window back up, and they continued on their way.
     "I'm impressed with how watertight this minibus is," Akane said.
     "It has to be!" Zen told her.  "I travel on land, in water, and through
space!  I must be able to rely on the structural integrity of my minibus at
all times!"
     Just then, the side door of the minibus, just behind the front passenger
side seat, flew open for no apparent reason.
     "Well...most of the time!"
     Shadebeam reached over and closed the door, locking it.  The minibus
started forward again.

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14:12:01

     Karina pulled her legs back in, as the minibus started up.  They had
stopped somewhere for dinner - Karina wasn't sure if they were still in
Cuba or not.  Everyone had disembarked, and Karina took advantage of their
brief abscence to stretch her legs and snag a couple dinner rolls from the
small cabinet across from where she was hiding.
     The rolls were tough and stale, but edible.  Karina had gone with less
food for a longer period of time, as part of her M.I.B. survival training, but
she realized she couldn't keep this up forever.  Sooner or later, they would
discover her.
     Sutherland, with the M.I.B.'s resources behind him, could track her
anywhere in the world, she realized.  But she would have to wait until he
signaled that he was in range with a task force large enough to deal with
Radian, Shadebeam, and Zen, before she sent the signal to move in.
     Until then, she would wait, and listen.
     "Hey, who wants to listen to Foetus again?" Shadebeam asked.
     "Meee!" Akane and Zen exclaimed.  Karina sighed.

                                    -<=*=>-

12:11:00

     Shadebeam yawned, as she watched the red sun slip below the horizon.
It looked like they were in Montreal, or possibly France.  In any case,
Shadebeam knew better to ask.  She wanted to get some sleep, and getting a
headache would not help in that task.
     Zen was in the driver's seat, seeming as alert as he had been that
morning, when he had picked them up.  Eventually, she assumed, he would pull
to the side of the road and catch a few hours of sleep.  After all, he
wouldn't let anyone else drive the minibus, and he had to sleep sometime.
     She let her eyelids close...
     ...the image was beautiful.  So beautiful it hurt to look at.  Golden
and graceful, translucent and ethereal, the edges of the form so sharp it
could cut starlight.  She could abandon herself to the radiance...
     -Wake up,- a voice purred at her.  Shadebeam's eyes flew open, and she
saw Zen Navigator, with his back to her, driving serenely.  He turned onto
an off ramp at what seemed to be the last minute, and turned onto another
freeway.
     Shadebeam turned her head, and saw Andro staring at her, concern in his
eyes.
     -I should have warned you,- he said to her.
     *What...are you talking about?* she asked.
     -You should be careful of dreamvision, where Zen is concerned,- Andro
said.  -You will notice that I never look at him directly.-
     *Why?*
     -He hurts my eyes,- Andro answered.  -No dream entity can stand to look
at him.  Those of the realm physical of this altiverse who have dream vision
can look at him for less than a minute with it.  We do not know why.-
     *Thanks for the warning,* Shadebeam said.  She reached over and scritched
Andro's ears before lying back along the length of the seat, her lower legs
sticking out into the aisle.  Andro leapt across and landed on her stomach,
padding around for a bit before he settled down.  Shadebeam stroked his fur
a bit, as she closed her eyes, turning her head away from Zen as she slipped
into dream.

                                    -<=*=>-

09:15:07

     Music, Akane thought.  She was dreaming music.
     The melody felt familiar, yet oddly alien.  Where had she heard this
before, she wondered.  There was a light voice singing, almost whispering,
a voice she realized was also making the music.  And a light, in the corner
of her eye...
     Her eyes opened, as she realized it was Zen's voice.  She was in the
front passenger-side seat, and her neck felt stiff from the odd angle at which
she'd been resting it.  She turned her head and looked at Zen.
     He was looking straight ahead, his mouth moving, but not issuing sound.
She glanced back and saw Shadebeam sprawled out on one of the back seats, a
hand tucked into her beaten jeans, with Andro curled up on her belly, also
sleeping.  HAL's link to her was still open, but she knew it hadn't been him
who had been singing to her.  Even China felt like she was sleeping, in the
sluggish nocturnal flow of the blood inside her body.  The ribs felt okay -
there was some residual pain, but it would be gone by morning.
     There were some advantages to no longer being human.
     "Zen..." Akane said.  "Were you singing?"
     "Yes," Zen answered her, without turning to look at her.  There was
something in his eyes, a look that defied description.  "It was the Song of
the Blood.  The Ykanto of Marsupalis Minor would sing it to express joy."
     "They must be a beautiful people," Akane said.
     "They were," Zen said.  "They died out six hundred million years ago."
     "I'm sorry," Akane said.  She paused.  "When I heard it, I had a feeling
I had heard it before, somehow..."
     No reply.
     "Zen...?"
     He turned to look at her.
     "You were Transcendent, once, right?" he asked.
     "Y-yes," Akane said, startled by the question.  "How did you know?"  She
waited for the inevitable credit to his Amazing Zen Awareness.
     "It's in your eyes," he said.  "I recognize the look."
     Akane blinked.
     "How?" she asked.  "From where?"
     He didn't answer.  Instead, he turned back to watch the road.
     Akane didn't press the question.  When he was ready, he would tell her.
     As her eyes closed, she heard the singing again.  The music surrounded
her, dropping her gently into sleep...

                                    -<=*=>-

05:51:33

     Shadebeam felt something sandpapery licking her nose, and she woke to
find Andro staring at her.  Grumpily, she pushed the white-furred cat off of
her, and forced herself to sit up.  They were moving, she felt.  She looked
at the driver's seat, and saw Zen was still driving, looking as alert as
ever.
     "What time is it?" she grumbled, yawning.  "And can we stop at the Y to
take a shower or something?  I feel...ack.  I don't even have minty breath
any more."
     Zen didn't reply.  Akane was still sleeping.  Shadebeam shook Zen's
shoulder.
     "Whaa...football practice!" Zen exclaimed, for no apparent reason.  Zen's
exclamation woke Akane, who blinked her eyes woozily.
     "Zen, you awake?" Shadebeam asked.
     "I am now!" Zen told her, cheerfully.  "Man, that was some dream I had!"
     "You were...sleeping?" Akane asked.
     "Of course!" Zen said.  "I've been sleeping all night.  At one point, I
dreamed you woke up and asked me about what I was singing.  Then, after you
went back to sleep, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced across the dashboard,
and..."
     "I don't want to know," Shadebeam said, feeling her headache starting up
already.  "What time is it?"
     "Ten to six," Akane told her.  "Ack...I feel tacky."
     "So do I," Shadebeam said.  "Can we stop at the Y for an hour or so?"
     "That sounds like a good idea!" Zen commented.
     [One stop at the Y later.]
     "Ah, that's better," Shadebeam commented, getting back aboard the minibus.
"I almost feel human again."
     "Hold that thought," Akane said.  "We need coffee and bagels."
     They found a shop and purchased coffee and bagels.  Akane noticed a man
in a thick robe, sitting at the end of the counter, reading the local
newspaper ("The Escanaba Enlightener").  He looked up at her, looked back down
at his paper, then looked up again, almost staring.
     Akane had a feeling of deja vu.  She had never seen this man before, yet
she felt like she knew him from somewhere.  His face was young, and he appeared
to be in his physical prime.  Yet there was something about his eyes that was
old, almost scorched.  She looked away, and walked out of the shop.
     The man's eyes followed her until she climbed aboard the minibus.  The man
frowned, and forced himself to look away.
     "Godspeed, little fang," he said, almost in a whisper.
     In the van...
     "Okay, the search for the One-Shoed Man, day two," Akane said.  "Who wants
to listen to the Buzzcocks?"
     "Meeee!" Shadebeam, Zen, and Kyoko exclaimed.  China, Andro, and Symon
pointedly abstained.  HAL's opinion on the matter was unknown.
     "Hey," Shadebeam said.  "Did you just hear somebody groan?"
     "No, I don't believe so," Zen said.
     "It's too damn early," Shadebeam said.  "Must be hearing imaginary
things."
     "You too?!" Zen asked.  "Neat!"
     Shadebeam mumbled something about aspirin.

(continued in part three, following...)

+-------- Gary W. Olson --------+  The Brain: "Remember, I'm not only the
| swede@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu  |    President of Small Club for Men, I'm also
+----- swede@drycas.bitnet -----+    a mouse planning global domination!"
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