Ohhhh, got that! Thanks, Curious Dragon!

Cappy says pigy. Piggy? Where?

Well, if no one else is going to write, I guess I'll continue the side plot.

~Siobhan~

As we talk, I learn the girl's name: Aryan. Aryan Linburgh. She came from some old bronze city outside the complex- think of that! More proof for my speculations, as solid as a titanium-trussed wall. The story she tells, of a struggle to maintain her identity as a real human person as well as a struggle to survive, makes me feel even more like I'm missing something here in the complex. Suddenly, I find I'm beginning to see her as more of a friend than a stranger. After all, we both know the the truth about the government, and we both want something the other has: Aryan envies me my ability to fit in, and I envy her her strength of will. Why shouldn't we be friends? It could be beneficial to both of us in the long run.

Having finished my dinner while we chatted, I return the dishes and go back to my room. But, for the second time in as many nights, I am finding it excruciatingly hard to get to sleep. A tiny fragment of a plan is starting to form in my mind. What if I could make a flying machine, some sort of glider or plane to get me- and possibly Aryan as well- out of here? I know well that I'd be hard-pressed to finish such a thing in only five days, and to gain access to a suitable takeoff point within that time. I've thought about other means of escape, of course: slipping through the doors while the guard changes, tunneling out past the walls, even disabling the bio-containment field somehow and jumping off the balcony! But this flying idea seems to be the only really plausible one. I'm not as small as the "Tristy Fride" all over the wanted posters appears to be; slipping out the doors, especially if I take Aryan along, would be suicide. Tunneling out would almost certainly take too long, and though disabling the bio-containment field with some jury-rigged device sounds good, undoubtedly the government would sense the downed field within seconds. 

So, where to start? There are a few high-altitude places in this complex that might allow for an easy takeoff. Let me see...there's the government leaders' reserved Graphite Dining Room, a couple watch towers for guards, the observatory...That's it! The observatory! It has a huge section of wall that retracts at night so the telescope has a clear view, and it may well be the tallest structure in the complex. I make up my mind to talk to Astronomer Kane tomorrow, and settle back into my pillow, sleep finally overtaking me like a black velvet blanket of dreams.   

************

Cappie says "ouuo." What the heck, Cappie? Do you like o's and u's all of a sudden?

Tristy~

That night we built a campfire. I looked curiously towards Finn. His gaze was towards the fire. He seemed to be thinking hard. I shivered. The air was cold, and I was just wearing a short dress. I busied myself by braiding my hair, which is no easy feat.

As I worked on my hair, Finn looked up. "You remind me of Repunzel," he said.

"What?" I said.

"Repunzel," he repeated. "From the fairytale. It's either your hair, or your personality, or both."

I smiled sadly. "I let my hair grow on purpose. Before my father disappeared, he told me I'd look good in long hair. So ever since then, I never cut it. That was eight years ago."

"I think it does make you look sort of pretty," said Finn.

I looked away, and my face reddened. For once I'm speechless, but I forced a laugh.

"I'm not pretty," I stammered. "I'm just average I guess."

We all sat there for a while, watching the smoke drift up into the heavens. Suddenly, there's a faint whirring sound. I stand up uneasily. "What is that?" I whimper.

Juliette jumped up and squinted into the inky night sky. "Seedpods!" she gasped.

Sorry if this isn't good. I'm just trying to move things along. You can delete some parts if you'd like.

Finn~

The seedpods gently float down to the ground and crack open, producing little gray packages. I open the package at my feet, and find a hunting knife, roast pork, and water. I look at Tristy. She was the one I trusted most, out of the seven of them. She was delighted to find a blanket and pillow. She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

Then there was Kevin. He had found a bow and arrows. I didn't trust him with those. I didn't trust him with anything. I glanced down at the bandage wrapper around my tracker wound. I didn't trust him one bit.

DONT LET THIS AWESOME THREAD DIE!!!

TOP

Yes, Bookbug, I'll write. To the TOP with this!!!

~Siobhan~

Well, it's taken five days of blood (when I accidentally cut myself on a sharp edge of metal), sweat (plenty, there's been some heavy lifting) and tears (when a bolt froze in the engine and I had to take it all apart to get at it), but my flying machine is ready. As Aryan so eloquently put it when she came to see it finished, it looks "like someone insane took a helicopter and a jet plane and some recycled sheet metal and smashed them together," but I don't care. According to my tests, it'll hold up under the speeds needed to get airborne and stay there.

The one problem- or, rather, the one exasperating blockage who refuses to get out of my way- is Astronomer Kane, who will not under any circumstances let me use the observatory tonight. I've asked, pleaded, begged, wheedled, beseeched, even attempted bribery, but to no avail. Kane is a big tall sharp man with the fancy green pants and white shirt of Complex 2 (which I now know are a lie placed by the government), and he refuses to give an inch of quarter. Somehow or other I have to get in there, or the plan will be ruined! 

Heh, heh. I think Curious Dragon, Pete, and I are dominating this thread. We should hear from someone else.

Hey, can someone write. Maybe Zach or BHR or Blue Fairy?

Bookbug, could you possibly write as Ebony? We haven't heard from her in awhile, and goodness knows this RP needs some TOPPIFICATION!!!!