ABERRANT: WEIRDER STUFF - CHAPTER IV "SO WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT"

[Sean Cassidy]

Sean paused, pursing his lips as he considered Alec's comments and Mari's objections. "Okay, yes, those are good points." He ducked his head in embarrassment at Mari. "I didn't mean to suggest you were a program. Seems this is less Matrix and more Groundhog day or something." Sean turned his eyes on Alec, swirling the bottom of his cup of coffee against the table. "As for Laurie, my - our - Laurie not being here with the rest of us, well, I can only think of one reason off hand. What's different between her and the rest of us? She wasn't quantum enhanced. The Asheen must've set the trap to trigger on a certain concentration or threshold of quantum energy or quantrinos that we emit that she doesn't. Hmmm..."

Sean's eyes slid towards Lilly, considering. She was the only one among them - that had admitted it anyway - that could shut down their quantum enhancements. If their quantum enhanced natures were what had shunted them here, if they change their signatures or turn them off, would they be shunted back? They all seemed to be their normal, non-enhanced selves, but what if it was actually only their perception of themselves and of this reality that made them seem... normal?

"Lilly, I'm guessing you tried to 'undorm' or whatever you call it, already, right? Though it might feel or seem odd, would you humour me and try to dorm? Um, make sure you're ready to act first, just in case.... just in case, you know, fall back into our world."

[WS ST]

ABOARD THE Q'WEE

The movement of the turbolift ceased and the doors swooshed open on what could only be a star trek fan boys secret wet dream.

In size and scope it was the size of a star wars star destroyers bridge but with the aesthetics of the JJverse Star Trek (Laurie couldn't believe she was thinking like a geek), she almost expected to see lens flares. Far away was a huge window or screen showing space with the stars at the edges streaking by with a sort of mixed blue to red color.

There were at least 2 dozen crew and not all of them where the same species as the tiny T'tauri, like Gort. In just a few moments Laurie had identified at least three separate and different species of Alien And all were bipedal and sorta humanoid although all were smaller than humans...talk about Star Trek similarities.

"Please follow me non-quantumed human female Laurie." said Gort as he began winding his way past consels to a row of screens and controls an a couple of crew.

"It's just Laurie, you can drop the non-quantumed junk."

Gort stopped and observed the human female for a long second. "My apologies, Laurie." he gave her a little bow again.

He spoke to the two crew. "Are we close enough to the planet for a direct scan for entanglement?"

"Yes flight officer but there is a increased chance of being detected."

"Make the scan." He puts a hand on one of the crews shoulders "Any sign of the other two skin suits?"

"We have the Human female but are not in transporter range yet. No signal from the male, entropic or otherwise, the suit is simply not in range."

"Kfleb'" barked the other scannerman. And all of them bent to the screens.

On the Screen was a computer generated image of Earth. All across the surface of the globe where colored ripples such as what is created by throwing a stone in a pond. except these acted differently. They would come into being , expand, contract, divide creating new ripples. Some would wink from existence.

"On the main viewer!" Ordered Gort

 The large visual changed, Laurie saw that the ripples were actually bubles of some sort and the covered not only the surface of the earth but were moving into low orbit.

"What are those?" her question was a whisper.

" Unstable Quantum folds and more than should be possible to exist in one place let alone one time."

 

 

[Kia Mizuki]

"Yeah...a Matrix thing doesn't make sense. If they could put us in things like that, why not just kill us?"

Kia shook her head, utterly perplexed.

"Maybe it is about our powers. But then what? Most of us can't shut them off like Lilly can. I mean...I guess I've never tried."

"How do you do it, Lilly?"

[Jaunt]

"Does it matter guys?"  Devin asked calmly.  "What Lilly does is cool and all, but now, and here is really not the time and the place to trying to figure out or be learning about this crap."

Devin was impatient, as usual.  "We need to be doing something, not sitting here bullshitting until the timer runs out on our lives.  Time is jacked here, the food is jacked here.  If you guys can do something, why are we still talking about doing it?  How are we going to learn about this world or find clues to get home if we just sit here!"

"Maybe the blizzard outside is this world's way of keeping you in one spot."  Mari interjected, eating more fries.  Hey, if they were gonna keep coming and it wasn't real, she didn't have to worry.  Girl Code mandated: 'Fries before guys and clothes before Bros'.

"Ugh!"  Devin's head hit the table.

[Lilly Pryor]

"Dude. Chill." Lilly said to Devin.

"Running around and 'doing something' just for the sake of doing it, without a plan, is just a waste of time. We are figuring this out." she added.

Lilly sighed and shrugged to Kia.

"As far as how I do it, I really do not know. I just.. when we got enhanced I was.. I dunno... afraid I would forget who I was or where I came from. Like the powers would change me, and possibly not for the better. So I learned how to shut them off. I just focus and close myself off to the energy. It's hard to explain."

Lilly thought about was Sean and said and nodded thoughtfully.

"I just tried to open myself up to the energy, but Sean is right. I haven't tried to close myself off to it. If we are in something that is using our quantum enhanced states against us, then maybe if I can close myself off, it might pop me out or wake me up."

"It's worth a shot. Should I try it now?"

 

[Sean Cassidy]

"Dev, man, we aren't trying to figure out how Lilly does it. We're going to see if it will do something, see if it'll get at least one of us out of here. We're trying to do something, dude. And if it fails, we'll try something else," Sean exhorted. He nodded at Lilly. "If you're willing Lilly, go for it, but be careful."

[WS ST]

ABOARD TH Q'WEE

“I don't know what the means, bu tI'm guessing it not good.” Said Laurie and as if the universe was concurring the gargantuan spaceship shook violently.

“Flight Officer the Flux is inter-acting with our Warp Bubble!” Exclaimed a thin alien with a bulbous head from across the room.

Gort frowned “Bring us to a full stop and set the Warp to neutral. Call the captain to the bridge!”

Laurie looked down at the little fellow. This was surprising she had assumed that Gort was the captain, behind her s the turbolift swooshed and she turned to see another T'tauri striding on to the bridge.

He stood a full 6 inches taller than any of the others and was wider as well more muscular but he also had a tummy paunch. One eye was covered by a patch and his chin was strangely colored giving him the appearance of having whiskers even though there was no hair. He quite frankly the most grizzled example of the aliens she had yet seen.

He strode up to Gort and looked at Laurie with his one good eye “What the hell is this?”

Laurie blinked this was getting weirder and weirder. The Captain, at least that is what she assumed, had a Scottish accent.

Gort gave a slight bow of his head to the new T'taurie. “This is Laurie, sir, one of the Humans we encountered earlier. Laurie, Captain K'erk.”

Laurie furrowed her brow and shook her head. “No way you have got to be kidding me.”

“Sir” The call rang out across the bridge, “Something is happening!”

Up on the screen hundreds of the Quantum bubbles expanded in unison and...

POP!

[Lilly Pryor]

Lilly frowned.

"I'm sorry guys. I just.. I don't really know exactly how I do it. Like I said, it sounds cheesy, but I like, close my eyes and focus, trying to feel the energy flowing. Then I just try to close myself off to it. I really do not know how to explain it more than that. Maybe if you were enhanced you could see it better and get an idea, but that's not an option now." Lilly explained, as best she could.

"Maybe they want to study us? So, like, drugging us would not work. Have a fun time sticking me with a needle, much less any drug actually working on most of us. So occupying our mind and making us think we are powerless it, like, a great way to keep us on ice." she thought aloud.

"If this does not work, then I say we push things and try to make the program or whatever render more stuff, like as much as possible. We go to Great Fall of Beaumont or something and see how much their video card can handle before it crashes." she suggested.

"Anyways, I guess I will try this now, and like you said, do my best to be ready to act and come out swinging like Col. Rhodes when they popped the Iron Patriot suit in Iron Man 3."

Lilly closed her eyes and focused for a moment.

"Damnit." she sighed.

"What? It didn't work?" Sean asked.

"Not that. I haven't tried yet. I just thought that I should have dyed my hair here, to see if I liked it. You know, a safe test run."

Devin groaned and hit his forehead to the table again.

"What? I'm still a girl, dude." she retorted.

Lilly shook her head, shaking out the thoughts as she closed her eyes once more and focused. Trying to reach that point deep inside her like she had done so many times before, and even though she might not feel the energy, she tried to close herself off to it, doing her best to be prepared to act....

[WS ST]

Lily pushed. She pushed with her brain, with her heart and soul, with everything she had and...nothing.

With a sigh she looked at her friends and shook her head," I'm sorry g...!"

Searing pain erupted in her head, her vision blurred and went blank and... POP!

BUNNIES DINER

"Dev, man, we aren't trying to figure out how Lilly does it. We're going to see if it will do something, see if it'll get at least one of us out of here. We're trying to do something, dude. And if it fails, we'll try something else," Sean exhorted. He nodded at Lilly. "If you're willing Lilly, go for it, but be careful."

The front door opened and Lily Pryor walked into the Diner she had a very exasperated look on her face. "Mari! There you are I have been trying to call you all morning," She looks at the table and who all is sitting there, "Why are you sitting with the geeks?"

Sean feels intense pain in his head white light blinds him as his body convulses and...POP!

BUNNIES DINER

"So we're in some half-assed loop time world, where we don't have our powers, The Flow of Time is seemingly mutable, and food vanishes without being eaten.   You know, I should be far madder about the beginning of that, but the food thing is the worst.  At least replacement food is brought out to us."   Abel said as he came over from the clock.  Somewhat at a loss for the moment.   He was somewhat ready to start trying irrational ideas to escape this trap, Being logical certainly wasn't working.  
 

"Anyone wanna lay odds on them waiting for us to all port together, and hijacking us?   We're on a ship somewhere, all plugged in like the Matrix, but they really have no idea what our lives are really like, so that's why there's all these little mistakes?"

The door opens and Sean walks in all curves and sex appeal the most beautiful woman any man has ever seen.

Pain rips through Abels head his vision narrows and light and darkness streak by and he suffer intense vertigo and... POP!

BUNNIES DINER

"Yeah...a Matrix thing doesn't make sense. If they could put us in things like that, why not just kill us?"

Kia shook her head, utterly perplexed.

"Maybe it is about our powers. But then what? Most of us can't shut them off like Lilly can. I mean...I guess I've never tried."

"How do you do it, Lilly?"

Before Lily could respond the diner door opened and in walked Abel Cross with his doberman on a leash.

Kia's head explodes in pain, she feels her insides twist and turn growing and shrinking, multiplying, dividing then... POP!

BUNNIES DINER

"Does it matter guys?"  Devin asked calmly.  "What Lilly does is cool and all, but now, and here is really not the time and the place to trying to figure out or be learning about this crap."

Devin was impatient, as usual.  "We need to be doing something, not sitting here bullshitting until the timer runs out on our lives.  Time is jacked here, the food is jacked here.  If you guys can do something, why are we still talking about doing it?  How are we going to learn about this world or find clues to get home if we just sit here!"

"Maybe the blizzard outside is this world's way of keeping you in one spot."  Mari interjected, eating more fries.  Hey, if they were gonna keep coming and it wasn't real, she didn't have to worry.  Girl Code mandated: 'Fries before guys and clothes before Bros'.

"Ugh!"  Devin's head hit the table.

His Head napped up when Mari screamed.

At the door stood a Kia-Monster all tentacles and claws and a huge scorpion tail, "Hi guys!" she said as she waved a tentacle at them.

Mari was still screaming and Devin looked at his sister and saw her holding her head and saw quantum fire in her eyes and...POP!

Spoiler

This ends this chapter. there will be additional posts soon continuing this adventure. please stand by...POP!