Somewhere Not Over the Rainbow - Part 9
Dec. 9th, 2008 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nestarHey ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
catyuy, I did it!
Happy birthday sweets!
D.G. had disconnected from the thoughts that were racing through her head: two suns, turkey men, headcases, Longcoats, missing parents; everything around her had just become a faint background hum, but the sound of a woman screaming cut through the fog.
“Those guys are everywhere.”
D.G. picked up a hefty-looking stick and ran toward the house. All the worry, anger and rage she had been holding in came flooding out as she swung at the Longcoat.
When the Longcoat and the rest of the scene melted away, she almost started to cry.
“This world is so fucked up.”
“No, it's a TDESHTL,” Glitch said. “I think I invented it.”
“But why is it still playing?” D.G. asked.
Glitch's eyes locked with hers for a heartbeat then turned his head to look over the rundown yard. D.G. did the same and felt her stomach turn over at the sight of the body-shaped suit; she had lucked out with Glitch. What if this wasn't so harmless?
“It's still playing to keep people away.”
D.G. froze at the voice and the click of a gun.
“Turn around slowly.”
D.G. took a deep breath and faced the man point the gun at her. Slight build; sandy hair; hard ,blue eyes; not a Longcoat; big gun.
“Most people stay away from Longcoats,” he said. “But you came running in here, why?
“The Longcoats are chasing my parents,” D.G. answered. “I heard the yelling and thought...”
“Well, then...” The gun was lowered. “Why don't you come in and tell me more.”
___________________________________________________________________________________
They had been walking for over an hour before Hunter gave in to Glitch's requests for a break.
“You're awfully quiet.” Hunter said as he passed a canteen to D.G.
“It's just...” D.G. started
“Just what?” Hunter asked “I know you can talk: you sure talked up a storm at the cabin.”
“Yeah, it's silly but...” D.G. took a deep breath before going on. “The recording.”
“What about it?”
“It really happened, didn't it?” D.G. asked softly
“Yeah,” Hunter replied just as softly “You saw the suit in the yard?”
D.G. nodded.
“The man was part of the resistance. The Longcoats found out and came to his house. The put him in the suit, set the recording to loop and took his wife and child away.”
“Oh, my god!” This sound caused Raw to move over and join them.
“It was six months before the Longcoats stopped patrolling the house; six months before we could get him out.” Hunter continued on with the story: “Somehow, he was still sane; or so I was told. This happened before my time. Anyway, he got out of the suit and, a few months later, lead an assassination attempt on Azkadella. He nearly did it, but she moved right as he pulled the trigger. It ended up being just a flesh wound for her and he was never heard of again.”
“Wow.” D.G. didn't really know what to say to that story.
“Yeah, it was a year or so later that the resistance started to use the cabin as a safe house. The locals had kept away, and the recording had been left to play. It ended up being a perfect cover.”
“I need to wash my socks,” Glitch said. “These babies are ready to walk by themselves.”
“Good,” Hunter replied. “Maybe if we can put you on auto-pilot, you wouldn't ask for so many stops.”
“What is that?” D.G. pointed at the stone marker Glitch was resting against.
“It's just a road maker,” Hunter answered. “From the days when the old road was a major highway.”
“Old road?” D.G. felt a wave of coldness race over her body. “All of life's answers can be found along the old road.”
Hunter looked shocked. “I thought you said that you'd never been here before.”
“I haven't,” D.G. said. “But, somehow... I know this place.”
She took off running, a sudden hunch pushing her body into motion.
WELCOME TO MILLTOWN
“My parents are from here?”
___________________________________________________________________________________
He didn't have the time for this. He had to get the newest info the Eastern Guild had gathered back to the fighters in the south before the eclipse.
But the girl...
There was something about her. She was the first person in seven annuals who had tried to help the poor family that was being ripped apart.
Had been ripped apart.
That was always the hardest part of staying at the cabin, having that scene play out time after time and knowing that there was nothing he could do.
But the girl...
D.G. sat down with a thump.
“I'm from here? And now I have to go off on some kind of quest to find my real mother?”
Emily sat next to her and wrapped an arm around D.G.'s shoulders.
“I'm so sorry, sweetie.”
“And you can't come with me?”
Hank shook his head. “I'm so sorry baby-girl, but the Witch outlawed mechanicals a while ago. If we left this town and someone found out what we are, we could be taken for spare parts.”
D.G. shuddered.
“We thought that Wyatt would have...” Emily started to speak.
“Wyatt?” D.G.'s head snapped up. “What could he have done?”
“Do you remember how he ended up with us sweetie?” Emily asked.
“You met him at the hospital. He had been caught in a...” D.G.'s voice trailed off.
“Storm,” Emily finished for her. “When Sheriff Gulch first found him, Wyatt was talking about traveling in the storm, being punished by a witch for being a Tin Man.”
“Wait.” D.G. stood up and walked several steps before turning to look at her parents. “Wyatt is from here?”
___________________________________________________________________________________
Raw was looking out at edges of the papay field, just barely viable from the hilltop. Next to him, Glitch was lying on the grass, chattering away. Raw let him chatter because it was comforting.
It was his fault.
His fault that the tribe had traveled so close to the Longcoats. His fault that Kalm had been captured. His fault that the tribe left him for the papay.
Poor Kalm. He was just a cub, not yet trained. When the Longcoats found out, they would no longer need him, would kill him.
That would be his fault too.
“Hey, isn't that the guy who was chasing us?” Glitch asked.
Raw looked to where Glitch was pointing.
“Yeah it is,” Glitch said lazily, then sat up quickly. “Oh no!”
catyuy, I did it!Happy birthday sweets!
D.G. had disconnected from the thoughts that were racing through her head: two suns, turkey men, headcases, Longcoats, missing parents; everything around her had just become a faint background hum, but the sound of a woman screaming cut through the fog.
“Those guys are everywhere.”
D.G. picked up a hefty-looking stick and ran toward the house. All the worry, anger and rage she had been holding in came flooding out as she swung at the Longcoat.
When the Longcoat and the rest of the scene melted away, she almost started to cry.
“This world is so fucked up.”
“No, it's a TDESHTL,” Glitch said. “I think I invented it.”
“But why is it still playing?” D.G. asked.
Glitch's eyes locked with hers for a heartbeat then turned his head to look over the rundown yard. D.G. did the same and felt her stomach turn over at the sight of the body-shaped suit; she had lucked out with Glitch. What if this wasn't so harmless?
“It's still playing to keep people away.”
D.G. froze at the voice and the click of a gun.
“Turn around slowly.”
D.G. took a deep breath and faced the man point the gun at her. Slight build; sandy hair; hard ,blue eyes; not a Longcoat; big gun.
“Most people stay away from Longcoats,” he said. “But you came running in here, why?
“The Longcoats are chasing my parents,” D.G. answered. “I heard the yelling and thought...”
“Well, then...” The gun was lowered. “Why don't you come in and tell me more.”
___________________________________________________________________________________
They had been walking for over an hour before Hunter gave in to Glitch's requests for a break.
“You're awfully quiet.” Hunter said as he passed a canteen to D.G.
“It's just...” D.G. started
“Just what?” Hunter asked “I know you can talk: you sure talked up a storm at the cabin.”
“Yeah, it's silly but...” D.G. took a deep breath before going on. “The recording.”
“What about it?”
“It really happened, didn't it?” D.G. asked softly
“Yeah,” Hunter replied just as softly “You saw the suit in the yard?”
D.G. nodded.
“The man was part of the resistance. The Longcoats found out and came to his house. The put him in the suit, set the recording to loop and took his wife and child away.”
“Oh, my god!” This sound caused Raw to move over and join them.
“It was six months before the Longcoats stopped patrolling the house; six months before we could get him out.” Hunter continued on with the story: “Somehow, he was still sane; or so I was told. This happened before my time. Anyway, he got out of the suit and, a few months later, lead an assassination attempt on Azkadella. He nearly did it, but she moved right as he pulled the trigger. It ended up being just a flesh wound for her and he was never heard of again.”
“Wow.” D.G. didn't really know what to say to that story.
“Yeah, it was a year or so later that the resistance started to use the cabin as a safe house. The locals had kept away, and the recording had been left to play. It ended up being a perfect cover.”
“I need to wash my socks,” Glitch said. “These babies are ready to walk by themselves.”
“Good,” Hunter replied. “Maybe if we can put you on auto-pilot, you wouldn't ask for so many stops.”
“What is that?” D.G. pointed at the stone marker Glitch was resting against.
“It's just a road maker,” Hunter answered. “From the days when the old road was a major highway.”
“Old road?” D.G. felt a wave of coldness race over her body. “All of life's answers can be found along the old road.”
Hunter looked shocked. “I thought you said that you'd never been here before.”
“I haven't,” D.G. said. “But, somehow... I know this place.”
She took off running, a sudden hunch pushing her body into motion.
WELCOME TO MILLTOWN
“My parents are from here?”
___________________________________________________________________________________
He didn't have the time for this. He had to get the newest info the Eastern Guild had gathered back to the fighters in the south before the eclipse.
But the girl...
There was something about her. She was the first person in seven annuals who had tried to help the poor family that was being ripped apart.
Had been ripped apart.
That was always the hardest part of staying at the cabin, having that scene play out time after time and knowing that there was nothing he could do.
But the girl...
D.G. sat down with a thump.
“I'm from here? And now I have to go off on some kind of quest to find my real mother?”
Emily sat next to her and wrapped an arm around D.G.'s shoulders.
“I'm so sorry, sweetie.”
“And you can't come with me?”
Hank shook his head. “I'm so sorry baby-girl, but the Witch outlawed mechanicals a while ago. If we left this town and someone found out what we are, we could be taken for spare parts.”
D.G. shuddered.
“We thought that Wyatt would have...” Emily started to speak.
“Wyatt?” D.G.'s head snapped up. “What could he have done?”
“Do you remember how he ended up with us sweetie?” Emily asked.
“You met him at the hospital. He had been caught in a...” D.G.'s voice trailed off.
“Storm,” Emily finished for her. “When Sheriff Gulch first found him, Wyatt was talking about traveling in the storm, being punished by a witch for being a Tin Man.”
“Wait.” D.G. stood up and walked several steps before turning to look at her parents. “Wyatt is from here?”
___________________________________________________________________________________
Raw was looking out at edges of the papay field, just barely viable from the hilltop. Next to him, Glitch was lying on the grass, chattering away. Raw let him chatter because it was comforting.
It was his fault.
His fault that the tribe had traveled so close to the Longcoats. His fault that Kalm had been captured. His fault that the tribe left him for the papay.
Poor Kalm. He was just a cub, not yet trained. When the Longcoats found out, they would no longer need him, would kill him.
That would be his fault too.
“Hey, isn't that the guy who was chasing us?” Glitch asked.
Raw looked to where Glitch was pointing.
“Yeah it is,” Glitch said lazily, then sat up quickly. “Oh no!”
