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"I think we've taken a wrong turn." Zack reports, looking around at the corridor. The walls change gradually from the industrial high tech into smooth concrete.
"Wrong turn?" Dulcie replies. "Are you going somewhere in particular?"
"Well, I did think we were going to find some data."
"Data? Oh. What sort of data?"
"Well... well..." a puzzled look crosses Zach's face. "Y'know, I'm not exactly sure."
Dulcie laughs in a high-pitched voice. "Me neither!"
The look of confusion on Zach's face moves to one of anger. "Look, this is not funny. I thought you said you would help me."
Chin snapping up to regard him. "Sorry. Sorry, I'm just not sure why I'm here either. I'll help you. It's just, well, I need more to go on. We're surrounded by data."
Shoulders slumping. "Ok, ok. I suppose to understand you had better hear the story."
Looking around in confusion. "What? What story? You know the story of this place?"
"No. My story."
"Oh, I see...um, yes, your story."
"I used to be normal. A normal human, like any Joe on the street. But I needed cash, and I needed it quick, so I sort of made a deal with Bold. Anyway, they did something to me, did something to my body. They did something similar to Amanda too. They called it Project Atlas. I need information about what they did to me. I need to find Project Atlas."
Staring at the floor. Voice dropping to a murmur, "oh Atlas, you want to find Atlas? Greece, and ancient Greece at that. I don't think I can get you there. Or was it Rome..."
"No. I don't think you understand. Project Atlas is the name they called the process they put me through. It is some sort of medical procedure or something. It made me quicker, stronger. I beat a Morph, do you understand that?"
Frowning, as the scattered pieces of her mind struggle to coalesce. "You mean, you're Atlas?"
"You could say that, yes. But there are also two other people who are Atlas."
Shuddering. "You're Atlas. You're Atlas. And Bold owns you? That means your data is here somewhere."
Excited now, Zach shifts from one foot to the other, "Yes! That's it, and we've got to find it."
"Wait, so is it your data or data concerning you that you want?"
"Well, both would be extremely useful in finding out what they have done to me and also the others."
Looking at him with a medical eye, "Your data is easy. It is you, I mean it's inside you."
"Right, well I think I've probably already got that then. What about the data concerning me?"
Blinking. "Oh, right, well, that'll be a bit harder. We'll have to find more logic. We'll probably have to find some monsters."
"Monsters. And more logic. This is going to hurt, isn't it. Oh well, I suppose I've already been there and got that t-shirt."
Eyes wide. "What do you mean? Is it some sort of decoding program?"
"What?"
"Never mind. We'll find monsters. You are a monster, so other monsters will have your data. Does that fit the logic, do you think?"
"Probably. So where do you think we should go now? We seem to be moving into some other area, not like the industrial one."
"The Neo-Gigerists usually have monsters. I don't know who did this part."
"Should we continue? Or should we go back to the New-Guy place?"
"Gneu-Gi? Is that who does this post modern industrial crap? She really needs to try a new genre."
"What? No, it doesn't matter. Do we continue this way, or go back to the corridor?"
Sitting down, and plucking at her limp hair. "I don't know. I don't know. I can't think here. Ask Amanda. Make her find you more monsters."
"Ok, if you think so." Zach cocks his head to one side. "Amanda? Are you still there? Oh right, good. Dulcie says we have to find some monsters. I don't know what she means! I thought you would. No, that won't work. Well, we're in a corridor but it seems to have gone a bit concrete."
Dulcie watches him in his one-sided conversation. Her hands continue to pull at her hair. "Maybe ask her if there are any aliens about. Something with movement."
A quick look to Dulcie and then, "Ok, Amanda, Dulcie says to tell you we want something with movement, aliens perhaps. What do you mean check my pockets? Ok, I will."
He pats himself down and reaches in to retrieve a bulge in his back pocket. It is an odd device with a screen. On the screen several blips move around.
Dulcie examines the strands her hands have removed.
"Dulcie."
"Look wha...yes, oh Zach. What's that?"
"Well, it seems to be a movement sensor, it shows movement in the direction it is aimed. There's something behind that wall."
"Ah, that makes good sense. We must find the movement then."
"Ok, it seems to be moving that way," Zach points up the corridor, further into the concrete area.
"Yes, I see." She looks up at him expectantly, from her sitting position.
"Well, should we go that way too?"
"Okay."
Zach reaches out to help Dulcie up.
She grasps his hand hesitantly. "You feel real, Zach."
"Well, I believe that I am. Aren't I?"
She smiles, bright and false. "Of course you are, let's go find your monsters." Still not moving.
Getting rather impatient now, Zach looks up and down the corridor and then at Dulcie. A split seconds thought and he scoops her up into his arms.
"Ack! What are you doing?" Resting her head on his shoulder, "you feel so real..."
"That will do for me. Well, the blip went that way." Gesturing up the corridor, "so I think we should at least try that way." He hands the device to Dulcie, "you keep a watch on this."
Smiling shyly, "All right."
Blip, blip.
"Oh Zach, look!" Eyes shining with pride, "a monster!"
"What? Where?"
With a smile that splits her face, "there, behind you to the right. Ooh, it's quite large. Do you want me to get it for you?"
"Get it? What do you mean?"
"Well..." Dulcie flips from his cradling arms, and lands under the black coiled mass. The monster seems to take its form from its surroundings; it might have been a piece of the walls. With a rubber on metal grating noise, it slashes at Dulcie. Torso bending backwards in a seemingly impossible angle, she evades the swipe.
Yelling over the noise, "there should be some wires here that I can pull to make it stop. I just have to find them....sorry it's taking me so long." The monster lunges at Dulcie again, as she neatly sidesteps its embrace. Now standing to its left side, she strikes the monster with an open palm. Arms windmilling, the monster flies backwards to slump against the wall.
Stunned, Zach watches the proceedings. "Is there anything I can do?" he yells into the bizarre melee. Muttering to himself, "wire cutters? Where am I going to get those? Oh, thanks Amanda, yes, I have some just here." He pulls them from a pocket and dives in to assist Dulcie.
Jenna Manley, 07/12/01
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