~ The Maiden's Tale ~ chapter two ~ part three ~
Juliet - "So am I the character or the story ..."
Germain - "More than that. This world only came to be when you got here. While that world of words you come from only exists in the minds of those who imagine it."
Juliet - "Then you say all I am is a figment."
Germain - "Juliet I've told you. This is all. Just. A tale."
Juliet - "And the ending ?"
...
Germain - "When the tale takes up a mind of its own and leaving all fates discarded in it's wake ... what happens next is entirely up to you, Romeo."
She stops.
Germain - "A farce. There is no one else here like you. I would know."
________
Distant from the core city, amid forgotten rubble. A small leathery tarp encampment, foundations of piled debris aged over for generations, skin leather stretched across.
Nocturne - Wearing his coat over shreds. "Guess what's really hard to come by here."
Pragmatism - "Appreciation."
Nocturne - "Clothes."
She slips into an indecorous crevice between shanties, he follows squeezing through. Then crawling a long gradual downward slope before the tunnel grows, then into crumbled walls.
Pragmatism - Stopping to examine deep cut hieroglyphs along a clean wall, "What was this place ?"
Nocturne - "A museum. Can't you tell from the smell ? We found it in the rubble. Just like you."
Pragmatism - "Nice. How the hell long have you been here ? You're close enough to real for me to see you're shock-worn. Long time."
...
Nocturne - "I don't know. Like maybe ten or twenty of your years. My world ... apparently we only existed in the vacuum from what was taken from yours. Just to fill the void ... but now ... Sanctuary's back and ..."
Pragmatism - "Sanctuary ?"
Nocturne - "Wow. We really did get the stupid one. Sanctuary. First Realm ? Second Heaven. Outer Heaven ? Aboriginal Dream Time perhaps ... ?"
...
Nocturne - "The place where all the archetypes come from."
...
Pragmatism - "I've heard of it."
Nocturne - Turning back to the path with an eye-roll ... "Okay well we're here now, but not there."
The cavern grows dotted with life and greenery in moss and tiny pale flowers, until becoming carpeted with it. A brief walk further until a closed double door, mechanical.
She bangs three times hard and yells "! Password !"
...
The door slides open.
Tiny spider-like drones scatter and gather, watching them amid the greenery. Walls overgrown surrounding grow lamps set in ceiling and rare controls. The pass the entrance to a central chamber.
An ancient alien, greyed further with age and nearly silver, gunblade held at the barrel for a walking staff to lean on while tending the green.
Nocturne - Throwing down her gear casually on the table, "Found him. Right where you said he'd be. But he's stupid."
Strophius - Smiles, "Teacher knows."
~ 1977 ~
~ Pragmatism (still young and 'Doeish'), military uniform, lights a
smoke with his Zippo in front of the launch site. A Titan IIIe (dual
booster) rocket begins its launch, the exhaust cloud blooming.
The rocket begins the slow lift into the smoke cloud. A crowd gathered on the distant hill in lawn-chairs, beers held high. Estes toy rockets launch among the children playing.
~ The nose breaks the cloud of smoke.
A burger's flipped over a barbecue on the hill, kids playing with rocket toys, news camera behind, news humans babbling.
~ Along its arc and through the atmosphere ...
The news human babbles, the launch behind. The camera follows the rocket ignoring the reporter falling out of view. Kids gather around the television watching at home.
Burger flip.
~ The boosters drop.
Into space, then the payload released.
Voyager One spins out from the parted hull, extending it's panels, disc prevalent on the side. It passes the planets and moons one by one on it's historical course, collecting and transmitting its data.
As it passes over the asteroid field before Mars, clinging mists among the stone, seeming with form. One becomes complete, watching it as it passes.
It lingers over Jupiter's eye (Doors cut).
~ Different monitors over the eras, showing the course and data.
Continuing through the system, (noting Mimas specifically 'What, Is, This.' cut), ending with travel through a vast field of emptiness past Pluto. It begins icing over, dimming, then flickering out.
Nibiru in sight, panels begin to close, spin stabilizes. A beacon pulses.
Nocturne and Strophius observe its location, hovering over an aged monitor, the holo-mapper crusted over and used for a table. A static pulse comes through.
Pragmatism - "Hey whatsername."
They look up. A tobacco pile hits the floor.
Pragmatism - Licks a cut Swisher blunt and holds it up. "Does your you like this like my you does ?" Lights it.
...
Nocturne - "oh my god i love you so much"
Strophius - Ignores them annoyed while moving over to and brushing off a nearby control as the monitor clicks on. Earpiece in ... yanks it out in pain. "But this makes no sense !"
He looks back to where they were, they're gone.
The rocket begins the slow lift into the smoke cloud. A crowd gathered on the distant hill in lawn-chairs, beers held high. Estes toy rockets launch among the children playing.
~ The nose breaks the cloud of smoke.
A burger's flipped over a barbecue on the hill, kids playing with rocket toys, news camera behind, news humans babbling.
~ Along its arc and through the atmosphere ...
The news human babbles, the launch behind. The camera follows the rocket ignoring the reporter falling out of view. Kids gather around the television watching at home.
Burger flip.
~ The boosters drop.
Into space, then the payload released.
Voyager One spins out from the parted hull, extending it's panels, disc prevalent on the side. It passes the planets and moons one by one on it's historical course, collecting and transmitting its data.
As it passes over the asteroid field before Mars, clinging mists among the stone, seeming with form. One becomes complete, watching it as it passes.
It lingers over Jupiter's eye (Doors cut).
~ Different monitors over the eras, showing the course and data.
Continuing through the system, (noting Mimas specifically 'What, Is, This.' cut), ending with travel through a vast field of emptiness past Pluto. It begins icing over, dimming, then flickering out.
~ why ... just the other day ! ~
Nibiru in sight, panels begin to close, spin stabilizes. A beacon pulses.
(song over)
Nocturne and Strophius observe its location, hovering over an aged monitor, the holo-mapper crusted over and used for a table. A static pulse comes through.
Pragmatism - "Hey whatsername."
They look up. A tobacco pile hits the floor.
Pragmatism - Licks a cut Swisher blunt and holds it up. "Does your you like this like my you does ?" Lights it.
...
Nocturne - "oh my god i love you so much"
Strophius - Ignores them annoyed while moving over to and brushing off a nearby control as the monitor clicks on. Earpiece in ... yanks it out in pain. "But this makes no sense !"
He looks back to where they were, they're gone.
~ ! The End ! ~
Fighting
and fucking (occasionally working) through credits. The Buick
chugging, the occasional robbery in phosphorous flashes.
Sparks and spot welding they fix a flash drive's adapter to the console. Systems networking, spiders watching.
Juliet
parts with Germain, he backs away with a bow and disappears with a dropper then a breeze in
the mist. A structure randomly appear curling steam, filling in the empty
place behind, pipework lining a dark alleyway.
She she peers into its darkness, then turns to re-enter the carnival.
('Twelve times Twelve' part three is leaked onto the web here)