Verarde
Pondering Wearing A Hat
74.037681, 106.611328
November 23, 2061
The two guards at the outpost watched as the truck bore down on the gateway. Eyeing each other, they strolled out, making sure their AK-47s were at the ready. Even after so many years, the gun was still a favorite among armed forces. They had been radioed about this arrival before, but it never hurt to be careful. Spies were everywhere.
The truck slowed to a stop, and time seemed to stand still as the winds blew the snow. The one guard known as A78 shivered, and bundled his coat more tightly around him. His partner, A79, stepped up to the truck.
Do you have your papers? he spoke, in fluent English. A prospective guard was not allowed to even be seen for an interview for this job if he did not have a perfect grasp of multiple languages, including French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. This limited the number of applicants, but it also gave the employer a better idea of who was more driven and focused.
The man in the passenger seat leaned out of the window and spoke in Italian. I am Mr. K. Of course I have my papers.
A78 started and then spoke in French. Mr. K? Our apologies sir, but this is protocol.
Yes, yes. This was in Spanish.
A78 and A79 glanced at each other. May we check the contents in the back?
Mr. K smiled. Of course. By all means.
A78 stepped gingerly to the back. There were some scattered boxes and blankets. The boxes were stamped with letters and numbers. He nodded to himself. All seemed in order. After all, this was Mr. K. He walked to the front of the truck.
All clear. You can go on through. Im sure weve kept you here long enough. He spoke that in French.
Mr. K paused. A78 and A79 tensed. K spoke in Russian. Thank you. I will be sure to commend you both.
A78 stuck out his hand. No, thank you.
K seemed surprised. He stuck out his hand and pumped vigorously.
They relaxed, and A78 walked back to the gatehouse, and pressed the button which would begin the complicated series of unlocking that would open the gate. A79 waved the truck through and walked back to the gatehouse. A78 was already alerting the next outpost about the false Mr. K. He, the driver, and undoubtedly the task force hidden underneath the blankets and in the boxes would soon be met by land mines that could be activated and deactivated from a distance. If they survived that, automatic flamethrowers would keep them warm until machine guns finished strafing the area.
A78 smirked. His Italian, Spanish and Russian are excellent. They must have been watching us for a while now. That and knowing all the words was a pretty nice job as well. Hats off to those Brits.
A79 grinned. Too bad that they didnt catch the final part.
The handshake always gets them.
Explosions and screams filled the night air, barely rising over the wind. The sudden light was an odd contrast to the coldness of the immense building that loomed over the local terrain. The worlds first zirconium plant, capable of producing 20 times as much power as a nuclear plant and theoretically much safer. Zirconium after all, was not radioactive, and only an ounce was necessary to power the plant and the city of Moscow.
In theory.
Historians estimate that these events took place about 5000 years after the preceding events.
Gordan crawled out of the river, ready to collapse. The trials were only a month away, and he didnt feel quite prepared for the swimming portion. He knew that the running was his strongest section, and as for the wrestling, well, he was better than most. Most thought that he was locked in to the Lower Council, if not the High Council, and some faithful few called his name for the auspicious position of Tribe Leader. He brushed some stray drops from his face and began jogging his way east, towards the camp that his tribe had set up. They had been following this river for some time now, and many of the tribesmen and their families were thinking of finally settling down. He had to admit he agreed with them. The river was excellent for commerce, and it would enable trade with any other tribes they happened to meet.
It took him only 25 minutes to make his way back to the camp, a good time considering the distance was a little over four miles. And he was barely out of breath! His confidence shot up at this revelation. He had the running in the bag!
Various tribesmen nodded to him as he made his way to the Circle, the group that directed the actions of the tribe. He stopped on the outer edge to listen in. His leader stood in the center, calmly deflecting the words being fired at him from his most staunch opposer, Jonathen.
Daniel, my ideas are sound! And if you cannot understand them, then it is obvious that you are not fit to lead our tribe!
Daniel spoke in a measured voice, his words dropping like trees to the ground. If you cannot deal with my leadership, then I suggest you leave.
He turned to the rest of the Circle. Gather the tribe. I have an announcement to make.
Jonathen grew angrier. Do not ignore me! My father and his father were much better than you! You only became leader because my father took pity on you!
Daniel continued walking away. Jonathen took the better course of action and stalked in the opposite direction, kicking the grass as he went.
Gordan hurried to catch up with his leader. Daniel, what are you going to do?
Youll have to wait and find out for yourself, along with everyone else, my young friend.
Gordan stopped. Ill gather everyone around your tent, Daniel! He took off.
1 hour later.
We have the river to our west, and it also runs north and south as far as the eye can see. Across the river, we have everyones favorite meal.
The crowd laughed. Daniel smiled.
We can use those cattle as a never ending source of food. Our tribe will grow and be happy.
He pointed to the rudimentary markings that marked where the tribe was, where the cattle were, the river, and finally, a small circle across the river directly to the south of the tribe. This tribe is much smaller than ours. But perhaps they will have something to give us. All we need is to show that we are peaceful wanderers, ready to settle down nearby, and they will help us.
He turned back to the crowd. But I will need your help! Tomorrow, we will hold the trials. We will decide who is the best to work our fields, who will build our houses, and who might explore our world.
Gordan felt his heart leap at the prospect of exploring the world. That sounded much more exciting than building houses or tilling fields. Quickly, he plotted out what would be the obvious reasoning behind the choosing. Whoever could swim needed upper body strength, and those people would be best for working the fields. The wrestlers would likely begin building housing, and the runners well they would likely be explorers! Gordans mind began churning at all the wonderful opportunities he would have then was shocked out of his fantasy by an ill-meaning hand on his shoulder. It was Jonathen.
I cant stand being here. I am the better runner, so I will lead the scouting expedition. You need to stay out of my way. His hot and foul breath blasted into Gordans face. Gordan stood strong against his foe.
We shall see.
Jonathen smirked. Pfft. Yeah, you will. He walked off. As he did, Gordan muttered under his breath.
Oh yes I will.
November 23, 2061
The two guards at the outpost watched as the truck bore down on the gateway. Eyeing each other, they strolled out, making sure their AK-47s were at the ready. Even after so many years, the gun was still a favorite among armed forces. They had been radioed about this arrival before, but it never hurt to be careful. Spies were everywhere.
The truck slowed to a stop, and time seemed to stand still as the winds blew the snow. The one guard known as A78 shivered, and bundled his coat more tightly around him. His partner, A79, stepped up to the truck.
Do you have your papers? he spoke, in fluent English. A prospective guard was not allowed to even be seen for an interview for this job if he did not have a perfect grasp of multiple languages, including French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. This limited the number of applicants, but it also gave the employer a better idea of who was more driven and focused.
The man in the passenger seat leaned out of the window and spoke in Italian. I am Mr. K. Of course I have my papers.
A78 started and then spoke in French. Mr. K? Our apologies sir, but this is protocol.
Yes, yes. This was in Spanish.
A78 and A79 glanced at each other. May we check the contents in the back?
Mr. K smiled. Of course. By all means.
A78 stepped gingerly to the back. There were some scattered boxes and blankets. The boxes were stamped with letters and numbers. He nodded to himself. All seemed in order. After all, this was Mr. K. He walked to the front of the truck.
All clear. You can go on through. Im sure weve kept you here long enough. He spoke that in French.
Mr. K paused. A78 and A79 tensed. K spoke in Russian. Thank you. I will be sure to commend you both.
A78 stuck out his hand. No, thank you.
K seemed surprised. He stuck out his hand and pumped vigorously.
They relaxed, and A78 walked back to the gatehouse, and pressed the button which would begin the complicated series of unlocking that would open the gate. A79 waved the truck through and walked back to the gatehouse. A78 was already alerting the next outpost about the false Mr. K. He, the driver, and undoubtedly the task force hidden underneath the blankets and in the boxes would soon be met by land mines that could be activated and deactivated from a distance. If they survived that, automatic flamethrowers would keep them warm until machine guns finished strafing the area.
A78 smirked. His Italian, Spanish and Russian are excellent. They must have been watching us for a while now. That and knowing all the words was a pretty nice job as well. Hats off to those Brits.
A79 grinned. Too bad that they didnt catch the final part.
The handshake always gets them.
Explosions and screams filled the night air, barely rising over the wind. The sudden light was an odd contrast to the coldness of the immense building that loomed over the local terrain. The worlds first zirconium plant, capable of producing 20 times as much power as a nuclear plant and theoretically much safer. Zirconium after all, was not radioactive, and only an ounce was necessary to power the plant and the city of Moscow.
In theory.
Historians estimate that these events took place about 5000 years after the preceding events.
Gordan crawled out of the river, ready to collapse. The trials were only a month away, and he didnt feel quite prepared for the swimming portion. He knew that the running was his strongest section, and as for the wrestling, well, he was better than most. Most thought that he was locked in to the Lower Council, if not the High Council, and some faithful few called his name for the auspicious position of Tribe Leader. He brushed some stray drops from his face and began jogging his way east, towards the camp that his tribe had set up. They had been following this river for some time now, and many of the tribesmen and their families were thinking of finally settling down. He had to admit he agreed with them. The river was excellent for commerce, and it would enable trade with any other tribes they happened to meet.
It took him only 25 minutes to make his way back to the camp, a good time considering the distance was a little over four miles. And he was barely out of breath! His confidence shot up at this revelation. He had the running in the bag!
Various tribesmen nodded to him as he made his way to the Circle, the group that directed the actions of the tribe. He stopped on the outer edge to listen in. His leader stood in the center, calmly deflecting the words being fired at him from his most staunch opposer, Jonathen.
Daniel, my ideas are sound! And if you cannot understand them, then it is obvious that you are not fit to lead our tribe!
Daniel spoke in a measured voice, his words dropping like trees to the ground. If you cannot deal with my leadership, then I suggest you leave.
He turned to the rest of the Circle. Gather the tribe. I have an announcement to make.
Jonathen grew angrier. Do not ignore me! My father and his father were much better than you! You only became leader because my father took pity on you!
Daniel continued walking away. Jonathen took the better course of action and stalked in the opposite direction, kicking the grass as he went.
Gordan hurried to catch up with his leader. Daniel, what are you going to do?
Youll have to wait and find out for yourself, along with everyone else, my young friend.
Gordan stopped. Ill gather everyone around your tent, Daniel! He took off.
1 hour later.
We have the river to our west, and it also runs north and south as far as the eye can see. Across the river, we have everyones favorite meal.
The crowd laughed. Daniel smiled.
We can use those cattle as a never ending source of food. Our tribe will grow and be happy.
He pointed to the rudimentary markings that marked where the tribe was, where the cattle were, the river, and finally, a small circle across the river directly to the south of the tribe. This tribe is much smaller than ours. But perhaps they will have something to give us. All we need is to show that we are peaceful wanderers, ready to settle down nearby, and they will help us.
He turned back to the crowd. But I will need your help! Tomorrow, we will hold the trials. We will decide who is the best to work our fields, who will build our houses, and who might explore our world.
Gordan felt his heart leap at the prospect of exploring the world. That sounded much more exciting than building houses or tilling fields. Quickly, he plotted out what would be the obvious reasoning behind the choosing. Whoever could swim needed upper body strength, and those people would be best for working the fields. The wrestlers would likely begin building housing, and the runners well they would likely be explorers! Gordans mind began churning at all the wonderful opportunities he would have then was shocked out of his fantasy by an ill-meaning hand on his shoulder. It was Jonathen.
I cant stand being here. I am the better runner, so I will lead the scouting expedition. You need to stay out of my way. His hot and foul breath blasted into Gordans face. Gordan stood strong against his foe.
We shall see.
Jonathen smirked. Pfft. Yeah, you will. He walked off. As he did, Gordan muttered under his breath.
Oh yes I will.
Chox, I will answer yours about the time and stuff. The second and third sections are what would be chronologically thought of as 7061, so yes, 5000 years after 2061. You'll just have to wait for the reason why.
)
?
) and I've already another 1200 words down with some more plot and stuff, but I would like to have one massive update, or a few small updates ready, before I go ahead and do some more. Anyway, back to writing now (I do my best work at night).
