Two minutes...go!

[peter]

I think one trick with this is just to begin, and actually compose as youn are writing. The brains natural desire for order forces a story out even in the two minute window allowed.

[Sorus]

Footsteps down the corridor. Here we go again...

The door opens. "You're free to go."

I blink. "Just like that?"

"You might have told us you were an undercover agent."

I might have, had I known. Someone's pulling strings, but who? I don't have any friends in high places. Not here. Might as well play along...

"Need to know," I say brusquely. I move towards the open door. He blocks my path.

"Tell me one thing."

Arms crossed, I wait for him to fill the silence. He looks tired, and I almost feel sorry for him - this middle-aged bureaucrat suddenly facing the knowledge that his image of self-importance doesn't measure up to reality.

"If you knew what was going to happen..."

"I didn't."

[aliantha]

Sorus -- Cool!

Yes, as with NaNo, you pretty much don't have time to go back and edit what you've written. But you could write for the two minutes, and then go back and edit it before you hit Submit.

[Sorus]

Sorus -- Cool!

Yes, as with NaNo, you pretty much don't have time to go back and edit what you've written. But you could write for the two minutes, and then go back and edit it before you hit Submit.

Aha, a loophole. And I did just realize this was supposed to be a weekly thing. Oops.

[Sorus]

Yeah, that weekly thing is not going to cut it. Ali has indeed created a monster.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'll find my own way out."

He doesn't argue; I have given him no reason to be fond of my company.

The building is immense, long hallways and unmarked doors. It feels empty. Maybe it's the way my footsteps echo. There's something oppressive about the institutional lighting, the faint scent of some cleanser, cloying and falsely floral.

Outside, I take a deep breath of fresh air. The sky hangs low, laden with heavy clouds. It could be either dawn or evening. A thin mist is coming down, a promise of rain.

There's a shuttle at the edge of the landing bay. Waiting. Of course they wouldn't just cut me loose. I might not have friends in high places, but I could very well have enemies. Who are they, and how much do they know?

[michaelm]

Ali has indeed created a monster.

Sweat trickled down Aliantha's brow as she made some final tweaks to the apparatus connected to the creature who lay prostrate on the large wooden table that had been adapted to the purpose of carrying the creature's large frame.

She stepped away, throwing one last glance at the various wires and tubes that kept the potential of the acquired flesh alive. Dragging her eyes away, she reached for the large power switch with a clammy and unsteady hand.

Many thoughts crowded her mind, but she brushed them aside and focused on the task at hand. Clenching her eyes shut she threw the switch and was instantly aware of power in the very air around her.

It seemed an eternity before she thought to open her eyes and as she did so she saw that the once prone creature now stood before her. It's mouth quivered and slowly opened as if to speak, but no words came. It swallowed with an effort and tried again, this time giving voice to the first concern of its new life: "Ali...whither The Watch?"

[Sorus]

It's aaaalllliiivvee!

[Hashi Lebwohl]

The Paladin spent the weeks following his team's defeat in his holding cell realizing the truth--Dr. Illuminati had been right, after all. Yes, Megafist was dead, Gladiatrix was in the hospital, and the other team members were also in similar cells but the MIND satellite (Mental and Intellectual Neuro-Desegregator) was bathing the world in its weird energy emissions and people everywhere were becoming telepathic. No more secrets. No more ulterior motives. No more lying to each other. No more misunderstanding one another--telepathic broadcasts did not suffer from language barriers since thoughts were automatically translated. Dr. Illuminati had attained his stated goal--unifying the world, but not to control it as The Paladin had thought. In fact, he had never imagined anything like this or that such a thing could even be possible.

The cell door unlocked and Dr. Illuminati himself walked in, no longer wearing the partial face mask or cape that had been his signature "evil villain mastermind" look for more than a decade. "Now that you understand it all, my brother, there is no more reason for me to keep you here. Go and make the best of your new life."

[aliantha]

Ali has indeed created a monster.

Sweat trickled down Aliantha's brow as she made some final tweaks to the apparatus connected to the creature who lay prostrate on the large wooden table that had been adapted to the purpose of carrying the creature's large frame.

She stepped away, throwing one last glance at the various wires and tubes that kept the potential of the acquired flesh alive. Dragging her eyes away, she reached for the large power switch with a clammy and unsteady hand.

Many thoughts crowded her mind, but she brushed them aside and focused on the task at hand. Clenching her eyes shut she threw the switch and was instantly aware of power in the very air around her.

It seemed an eternity before she thought to open her eyes and as she did so she saw that the once prone creature now stood before her. It's mouth quivered and slowly opened as if to speak, but no words came. It swallowed with an effort and tried again, this time giving voice to the first concern of its new life: "Ali...whither The Watch?"

It doesn't have to be weekly -- it's just that Dan runs his only once a week. We can do anything we want with our own version. Muahahaha....

[Sorus]

The pilot doesn't introduce himself. That's fine by me. I don't ask where we're going.

Twilight deepens into night as we fly. "When's the last time you visited Earth?"

I shoot him a quick look. His eyes are on the navigation screen. Small talk.

"It's been a few years." I try not to sound evasive. He doesn't seem interested. Wouldn't be in this line of work if he were prone to asking too many questions. Questions. Sometimes it's the simple ones that trip you up.

They won't be asking simple questions where we're going. What's the worst-case scenario? I can't prove that I'm not a spy, traitor, double agent - whatever they believe I am.

And if they do manage to get the truth out of me - what then? It's not like anyone would believe it.

[Linna Heartbooger]

...and people everywhere were becoming telepathic. No more secrets. No more ulterior motives. No more lying to each other. No more misunderstanding one another--telepathic broadcasts did not suffer from language barriers since thoughts were automatically translated...

Bwahaha! Love it.

Yeah, that weekly thing is not going to cut it. Ali has indeed created a monster.

Good stuff!!! It sounds like you've had a story just dying to burst out!

[Sorus]

It sounds like you've had a story just dying to burst out!

That's my default state.

I can keep this going indefinitely - probably well past the point where people are tired of it - but we'll see.

[aliantha]

Started one earlier, but I deleted it. I was depressing myself.

***
The Leviathan rose. Blinked. Turned slowly and regarded the landscape surrounding it.

It was seated on a featureless plain. Snow-capped mountains rose in the distance -- not that the creature had words to explain either "snow-capped" or "mountains." Or "distance," for that matter. But something impelled it to get up and move.

Ponderously, it rose. Glanced below. Noticed the flattened, colorful things it had been sitting on -- most of them smeared with red.

Raising both blocky shoulders in a massive shrug, the creature set its sights on the distant hills and lumbered away.

[wayfriend]

Q: Does one go into the 2 minutes with no ideas, or do you have a germ of an idea before you start? Cuz I can spend two minutes going hmmm...

[Sorus]

I wasn't getting anywhere starting completely cold; I'd spend two minutes staring at a blank page. Then once I have an idea, I can't not think about it. I'm sure it's different for everyone.

[aliantha]

I usually go into it with *something* -- a word, an idea, a sentence. Otherwise, yes, I'd be going "ummmm" for two minutes.

[Sorus]

Started one earlier, but I deleted it. I was depressing myself.

Sometimes it helps to get it out of your system. I can't post my latest installment because it went way over two minutes and couldn't be trimmed down. Curse my verbosity. This is fun, though. I find myself looking forward to it.

[Menolly]

I think ali has said multiple times in this thread that the two minutes are a suggested minimum. Please don't withhold the next installment because you ran long, Sorus. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one waiting on it with baited breath.

[aliantha]

Yeah, let's see it, Sorus!

Or you could pull all of your posts together and do a separate thread in here with the whole story to date, if you'd rather. Up to you.

[wayfriend]

I usually go into it with *something* -- a word, an idea, a sentence. Otherwise, yes, I'd be going "ummmm" for two minutes.

Okay, thanks for the clarification Sorus and ali. I shall think about it.