Memories, ..more stories Options

[old Andy]

Here's some new stuff, I hope you guys like it




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My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then



“That's it?” The youth asked frantically, as he paced the interior of the small bedroom.

“That's what it says.” The other replied, indicating the 'End of File' cursor that blinked with an irrefutable logic at the bottom of the small screen. “See?”

“But that, that, that blows Brahmin!” As the first youth gazed in denial at the sceen. “I mean.. this really sucks, Aaron.” Looking over the object again. “Are you sure there aren't anymore files in here somewhere.” Turning the device over in his hands “A secret button or something somewhere?”

Aaron grabbed it back. “[censored]'s sake Tom, you'll break it further. I only just got the audio to playback.” As he checked for any harm done. “It was my dad's, remember?” He added, in a softer tone.

“Yeah, sorry 'bout that.” Tom apologized, “But I mean, we still don't know anything! We don't know what happened to your mom -except of course that she survived since we just saw her an hour ago, we don't know what happened to your dad later on, with your uncle Carl..” Tom took Aaron dramatically by the arms, “Dude, we don't know anything!” Aaron grabbed his friend back and together they yelled in well rehearsed form “Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, we're guuurlz!!”

A radio on a bed stand stopped in the middle of the song and the dj broke through; “Zow-wee, my cool cats and all my home dawgs out there in radio land, this is your Blitzener, the bizzer, the man who can, knows it like a radar scan.. from waay up top in my caddy shack, sending out the vibe.. we are now passing what once was the fabu-phalliscious golden Gate bridge -which isn't golden, it's painted red, so none of you mother [censored]ers go jumping over board in the hope that it's real gold, it ain't!”

A large shuttered window opened out onto a narrow balcony past the bed. The balcony ran for ten meters or so along the outside of the tower, crude but effectively welded to the side. Aaron had the window open and was already half way out. “C'mon Tom, we're higher up than Blitzener,” indicating that the twin towers that rose out of the Flying Dutchman's cargo holds were taller than the Cryslus Memorial tower that we should be able to have a great view.” Tom looked out onto the balcony with a look of trepidation creeping over his face.

“I dunno Aaron.. you sure it's safe?”

Aaron jumped up and down a few times, they balcony swaying slightly downward. “Yes, it safe. It's always safe. It was safe the last time you were out here, and it's safe now, see?” Cautiously, his friend climbed halfway out, Aaron withholding the urge to grab Tom and scare him, once had been enough.

“You're not going to freak me out, are you?”

Aaron held his hands up in defense “I'm cool, I promise.” as his friend climbed out further onto the balcony. While Tom seated himself, Aaron dived back inside to retrieve their snacks -left over from his birthday three days earlier. “Well..?” Aaron asked once they were finally sitting, soda's and chips at the ready.

“It's an okay view.” Tom muttered.

“What??” Aaron cupped his ear like an elderly person, “Wazzat sonny. Ya gots to speak up into my hearin' thingy, cuz I'm deaf like..”

Tom was grinning at Aaron's antics; “IT”S BLOODY BEAUTIFUL UP HERE!!”

A window opened and a female face in her twenties stuck out, looking for the source of the noise. Her gaze quickly fell upon the two youths.

“Ah, there you are. Get in here and wash up -oh, hello Thomas, I didn't know you were still here.”

“Rather here than my place, ma'am.” Tom replied “I think my mum hates me.”

“Well you're welcome to stay as long as you wish, I'll get word down to the Hunger Donner and let them know.” She wagged a finger at him quasi seriously. “But if I get any Wanderers or Warriors knocking at the door, I'm sending them straight to you.” Her head disappearing before it popped back out. “And wash up too. Honestly, where you kids find dirt and grim in those quantities on a steel ship is beyond me.”

“It's a talent.” Aaron retorted.


My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then


“Mom?”

“Yes dear, what is it.” Knowing that tone of voice she set set her fork down and looked over the finishing bits of birthday cake that had served as desert, again. “you can have the last piece of cake if our guest doesn't want it.” Tom looked at Aaron, head bobbing.

“I'm having it.” He stated. Aaron waved it off, shaking his head.

“No, that's not it. And sure, he can have it.” Winking at his mom, “You know how they only eat seaweed and crab cakes once a week.” referring to the mutated horseshoe crabs called mirelurks that were cultivated on board in captivity as a renewable food source.

His mother brushed away her son's joke, but Tom chimed in through mouthfuls of birthday cake. “It's the truth Mrs. A., all my mum makes is seaweed stew for my dad, who loves it for some odd reason.” He shuddered, “Actually, almost everyone in our house hate my mums cooking, except my dad.” She was laughing now as he continued, “That's why we can always be found at either the Hungry Donner or M'here.”

“Anyway” Aaron finally continued, “I was wondering..”

“Yes?”

“Well, you know dad's old pip unit you gave me for my birthday?”

“She was there, remember?” Tom made face palm gestures in between bites. Aaron shot daggers at him.

“Right, thanks Tom, eat your cake.” And to his mother again, “Well uhh.., as it turns out I could get some of it working again.” His mom looked up.

“Really?”

“Yeah, old stuff from you and dad, nothing gross or anything.” He put in quickly, “But uhh, enough to wonder what happened back then, you know, where uncle Carl might be.” And after a quick glace at his friend, “and uhh, maybe what happened to dad.” he added quietly. His mother, finished with her plate, wiped her mouth and stood to put it with the rest of the dishes. Aaron looked at his friend as she walked the few feet to the kitchen, Tom only shrugged in mid munch.

As Celeste walked back from the kitchen she thought carefully about what she wanted to say. She knew this could happen -he had his fathers gift for tinkering with stuff, and so she knew what she wanted to say.

“Your father left five years ago,” she looked at him as she stood by the table, “and uncle Carl has been out there searching for him all this time.” They never really talked about it before, but Aaron was fast becoming a person old enough to have these questions, so she took a deep breath, “And he hasn't found a trace of your father, nor has anyone seen him, or heard from him.”

Aaron was shaking his head. This wasn't what he wanted to hear. This wasn't what he wanted to ask his mother about.

“As much as I love your father, I'm afraid he's probably-”

“Noooo! You lying!!” Aaron was in tears. What the hell, could she just listen for a second? “He's not dead! He's not!! He's out there, and these tapes, these tapes say so!” Grabbing the pip unit from the table, Aaron stormed up the stairs where the door to his room slammed shut, loudly.

Tom sat at the table still, wondering if he could ask for another soda.

+++

Excusing himself from the kitchen, Tom ventured back up stair where sounds from the radio floated through the open door to his friends room. He could hear Blitzener giving the weather report for the bay area -sunny with a chance of showers of acid rain, and the UV-B count was a whopping 52 for today, so remember that sunblock, kiddies!

“Hey...” Edging it slightly further ajar, Tom poked his head inside cautiously. “It's the cavalry, don't shoot.” He eyed Aaron who lay sprawled out on his bed, slowly turning the pip unit over on the bed.

“Sorry 'bout that.” Aaron was still toying with the pip unit in his hands.

“Yeah well, I just talked to your mom, and convinced her to let you stay at my place this week while she's gone.”

“Seaweed stew all week? No thanks.” Although they both knew Aaron enjoyed staying with tom's family. There were always so many people about, not dulls ville like up here in the towers. Of course, extra prodding never hurt.

“It's either that or Princess Stomper. She's looking after the place while your mom's gone.” Tom commented as he pretended to be looking at some unnoticed detail in a poster hanging on the wall.

“Seaweed stew.. love it, it's my favorite, yum. And your family aren't the worst on board to be with by the way.” Aaron jumped up, comically over dramatizing his grabbing a bag and looking for stuff to pack.

“That's because you can escape, lucky sod. I'm serving a life sentence, remember? And Jenny's acting mental again..”

“I'll live.”

“With any luck, my mum will be so busy spoiling you, she'll completely forget about abusing me.”

“Great, we both win.”

“Soo.., you really think the answer to what happened to your dad is on that thing?”

“Gotta be.. or at least tell me something about what happened to him.”

“Well, what I said earlier about not knowing anything-”

“The truth hurts, huh?”

“Ha ha, dork. No, what I meant was.. we do know something! Lots actually.”

“How so?”

“Don't you see?” Tom walked over reaching for the pip unit. Aaron handed it to him cautiously with Tom making reassuring gestures. “Here look.” Pushing the replay button and skimming to the end. “Listen, your dad talks about everyone he knew back then, many of whom live either here on board, or on the Minnow.”

“And we can find 'em..” Aaron clued in.

“Yeah..” Tom nodded.

“And get them to tell about my dad..” Aaron continued. “By any means possible.”

“I can do irritating very well.” Tom ventured happily, knowing things would start happening soon. With Aaron, things usually did.

“We'll need that.” Aaron mentioned towards Tom's self acknowledged social skills while throwing some things into a duffle bag for the stay.

“What we need, is to get outta here before princess Stomper gets here.. honestly, as mutants go, she scares me.”

Aaron, having grown up a while on the farm with his uncle Archie -a nine foot, 800 pnd mutant followed everywhere by a pack of wasteland dogs he called his family, wasn't too phased by mutants as Tom was. But the princess was a ok, if somewhat over protective.

“She's okay, as long as you don't have to share a room with her, she snores like a chainsaw and a bullhorn had a love child together, and then beat it to death.

Back down stairs, Celeste was finishing up with the dishes, rinsing them with rain water from a bucket Aaron had drawn from the reservoir earlier. Rinsing with the semi salt water from the taps was vile, and left a the dishes tasting salty. Putting the plates away, she heard the boy laughing up stairs, she stopped and catching a glimpse of herself reflected in the plates surface, realized the time that had passed.

Five years.


Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

+++ five years earlier +++

“Then what, uncle Acky?”

“Uhh.., lemme sees 'ere.. uhh... errr.. 'ang on, der's some big wordy bits 'ere..”

The stairs to the attic were dark, the door shut. Inside, light came from the window at the far end, as well as small shafts of light from a structure at the other end, in the corner, behind some boxes was a crude barricade built from planks and cardboard, with a sign written in crayon over a tiny doorway,

'timothy's fort'
'No Gurls!!'

Next to it was a taped note that read

'& Aaron to!'

sticking out of the fort's doorway were a set of massively over sized feet trailing two hugely muscled legs, that both disappeared into the fort, the beam from a flashlight struggling to fit though the occupied doorway, and escape further into the attic proper.

Looking closer inside the fort, the rest of the muscled body was crammed into the fort as much as it would fit -which wasn't much considering the other occupant, a much smaller occupant, who was currently badgering his uncle for the rest of the story.

“And den Grognak says to da dragun 'Aaaaaarrrrhggggllll!!!' and den stomps it in 'is 'ead. See? 'ere on dis page, see?”

“Then what?”

“Uhhm..., err.. it sayz and den Grognak took da trr-eyeble guurl to 'is place and uhh, did fings wit her.”

“What things?” Inquisitively he asked. Archie wasn't sure himself, but the suggestions scratched at something deep within him, something nearly forgotten with time.

Uhhmm, it don't say” Looking at the last page, “But prolly she gets swanky new cloths an' stuff cuz 'ere at the end he's takin' her old stuff off of her, and den it ends.” he put the comic down. “Guurlz likes dem swanky stuff.”

“Pfft.. guurls.. blech!”

“And what, exactly, do you to gentlemen have against girls? I'm a girl to ya know?” Came a voice from out in the attic.

“Hey mom! You're not allowed in here!!” A trap door in the roof of the fort opened up, and an irritated six year old's face popped out. “No guurlz!”

“Well, this girl is telling the two of you to wash up for dinner, and Archie, Lunk was in the vegetable garden again. Do whatever it is you do with them, and please keep that dog out of there.”

A muffled “yes ma'am” emitted from the fort. Aaron's head ducked back in, and then popped back out again, all smiles.

“Sokay mom, we'll take care of it!” Then disappeared again.

Well okay.. dinner in five minutes.” Leaving the attic unsure whether this could be classified as a success, or failure in parenting..

As she came down the stairs, she heard the dogs bark outside in excitement, and a voice from outside as well amidst the tumult.

“Okay, okay.. here, here.. Hi ya big guy, how ya doin' then? Yeesss, good boy.., geez how many of you does Archie have? Yes, yes, I have some snacks.. here guys have fun.. I smell real food anyway.”

Outside in front of the porch, surrounded by dogs of all sizes, each trying harder to greet the newcomer, who was obviously a friend.

“Carl!?”

“Hey there sweet cheeks, hubby home yet?” As he tried in vain to dislodge himself from the pack.

Celeste now looked concerned. “I thought he was with you.”


I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

This post has been edited by old Andy: Aug 21 2011, 01:02 AM

[old Andy]

Hi, Old Andy! First, thank you for bringing new utility to the already delightful word “hamster.” I know the forum did it, but before now I wasn’t sure what it meant.

I’ll admit to some head-scratching in the very beginning, but I found it easy to follow the transitions in these last two updates. I’ve enjoyed all of the dialog, but the Carl and Andy parts are my favorite. Wow. I am along for the ride, and loving it!!

Thanks Grits I've gone back to std [censored] line... although I might toy with #@$%!!&* and the likes.. dunno

And, Andee....thank you for making Carl, Archie, and the whole vivid crew born from your imagination live again.

I may not always be able to comment - you know the reason why - but rest assured, I ALWAYS read every post of yours!!!

Thanks Dee



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Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye.
Hey hey, my my.

+++

“Oh [censored]..., that hurt. I'm gonna feel that in the morning.” And my head was already pounding from lack of sleep, exertion, the trip up here and numerous other forms of stress.

“I'm just glad I can feel.” Carl had picked himself up, and was looking over to where the girl had previously been standing. “Which is more than I can say for her.”

“Christ. All she left was a dent in the planet.” I couldn't believe it. There was a two foot hole in the asphalt where she had stood.

“Yeah.., give a whole new twist to the meaning 'volatile nature'.”

“I was gonna go with 'explosive mood swings' myself.”

“A 'banging personality' maybe?” Carl barely glanced at the crater. we moved onward along the back service road between warehouses packed tight together. Narrow alleyways separated the different buildings, some large enough for two dumpsters side by side, others just wide enough for a single person.

Nerves. It was what was making us crack the jokes. A simple defense measure while the body decides whether shock was gonna move in, stay for the weekend, hog the tv while it drinks all the beer and screws the cat,

“At least we know where she takes her vacations..”

“Yeah, all over Baltimore. Still, she'll go far that girl will.”

Or whether the body was going to tough it out, bottle up all the acquired shock, regret and anguish it had accumulated and deal with it later.

“Yeah, by the looks of it she's gonna go as far as Jersey.” Pulling a smoke from an open packet I had and lighting it, I also held the lighter up to Carl's stogie for a re light. My hands were shaking.

'Later. Definitely deal with it later.'

“Did you see a back pack of any kind?” Trying to focus myself, pushing down the sense of shock to deeper regions, trying to function.

“Nope, and I don't think she was hiding a bomb vest under that blouse.” Carl stated matter-of-fact.

“Glad you took the time to notice.” I smirked.

“I mean, there was a lot going on under that blouse, no questions there. But a suicide vest?” Carl shook his head, “Dude, checking out a woman's rack is second nature to me, like breathing. It's what I do.”

More explosions were heard coming from the train yard behind us. We both looked back in the direction of the fireball rising in the night sky. Carl gave me a glance and I shrugged. With over three hundred meters to our own staging point outside the wall, I certainly hadn't triggered the charges.

“Oh, you think I did that?”

“You have the detonator.”

“I also happen to have exploded girlie all over me! Besides, the safety's still on.”

“I dunno.., maybe it was the explosion?”

“Sure.., a short circuited radio detonation with a two minute time delay, just because.. what? God hates us..” I was thinking more along the lines that Simba had popped the charges manually for some reason.

“Well I uhh.. you maybe. I always kinda thought He liked me-” And that Carl had never been struck by lightening also had to have a reason somewhere.

“ 'They are seeking out the un-clean for redemption by His all merciful love. For He can see all and so shall he-' ”

FUDD!!

FUDD!!

Carl looked over at me, a silenced S&W in his hand, as thin trails of smoke danced whimsically from the barrel. “Whaa..?” The girl dropped slowly to her knees as a crimson cloud of brightly colored blood began to grow on the otherwise stark white blouse she wore, much the same as the other girl had.

“You weren't actually going to wait until she was smite- uhh, smote? Err, Hang on, I know it's not smitten..., it's uhh, anyway, until someone decided to smite her down as well!” Her dead eyes looked up at us, blankly witnessing Carl's grammatical triumph over everyday speech. I was going to comment on the somewhat harsh nature of his preemptive actions, but considering current events, I was actually going to agree with him for once.

Then the dead girlie blew up as well.

With wooziness quickly winning ground from clarity, and consciousness fast on it's way out the door, the one thing that kept going though my mind was how the hell were these girls exploding?


Out of the blue
and into the black
They give you this,
but you pay for that
And once you're gone,
you can't come back
When you're out of the blue
and into the black.

+++

As the warheads impacted beneath us we braced ourselves for our own landings. We came in hard amongst the explosions, I landed first, then felt Carl land rather heavily nearby.

“Oomph..”

Tanks. Officially spelled 'tanc', which stood for TActical Nuclear Capable. The heaviest load out that the Praetorian Powered Armor Assault Suit, and the Institute, had to offer. First the stealth unit was detached, freeing up power that was then rerouted to the shoulder mount, giving the plasma system some serious teeth. Then a truck load of extra armor was stuck on basically everywhere, beefing up vulnerable parts and reinforcing everything else. Of course, all this extra made for an somewhat rougher aerial incursion.

“Dayum but someone's getting fluffy.” Not waiting for a response, I surveying our surroundings. With thermal imaging next to useless with all the heat from the explosions, the low light settings in my helmet equally non functioning and all the smoke, I was reduced to mark one sensors -in other words; I was eyeballing the place. “Not that I didn't just feel that, but where you at?”

“Empty field next to the big chemical pipe building thingy.” Carl was also scanning for any signs of movement. “With emphasis on empty.”

“I'm just north of your pipe building thingy and behind a second building where the pipes go over.” We were in some kind of chemical refinery plant, with the main refinery bit out front a maze of corroded pipes, rusted distillation columns, and different colored transport pipes with peeled paint that sprouted along suspended support struts off to the other buildings.

“Next to the ugly admin building?” Those other buildings -Carl's ugly admin building among them, were set side by side along a service road. Beyond the road was a seriously long production hall that ran the entire length, and on the fall side of that was another production hall, which was even bigger than the first one.

“Uh-huh.” I ran, figuring where ever Carl was, the situation would soon get real interesting.

“'Kay, I'm dead in front of it.” He mentioned while kneeing down as ballistics shield fanned outward from his forearms. The shoulder mount came to life as Carl keyed it's controls, while the plasma weapon charged. In this position with arms raised like a boxer taking a defensive stance, all the extra armor plating and the shields in place, Carl could withstand everything up a direct RPG round.

At that moment gunfire erupted and dirt was kicked up all around Carl's feet, while rounds ricocheted off the armor.

“Obviously an untimely usage of the word 'dead'.., Andy? Things are getting mighty interesting over here, buddy.”

“I'm hauling wazoo as we speak. You okay over there?” The gunfire intensified as I ran along the buildings, careful to stay in the shadows and up against the walls.

“Sokay, I'm fine. I doubt they're packing elephant rounds in there.” He reassured me light hearted.

Ffffft-TONK!

“But they're packing a few .308s for sure.” Although it seemed that Carl's banter was getting a little strained, to say the least.

“Hang in there, I'm all over 'em.” Checking possible avenues of approach as I hurried to the next building.

“Well hells bells, that was the plan, wasn't it? I mean I'm not sucking up all this incoming fire for nothing, right?!?” Make that; Carl's banter was getting seriously strained.

Our plan had been a simple one ,centered around a stratagem call the 'Tom & Jerry', although I suspect it may have once had a more official military term. Hammer and anvil, a rock and a hard place, tactical redeployment along a flanking advance... whatever. In a nut shell, Carl was the bait and acted as a bullet sponge, soaking up incoming fire. Then I, doing my usual sneaky git routine, close on the opposing forces engaging Carl and neutralize them, sneaky like.

Coming around the corner I saw the side of the ugly admin building, with a door, a landing on the first floor leading to the door, and a fire escape that led to the landing. Shouldering my rifle I climbed to the landing in no time and was about to deal with the door and any possible lock situations when it opened towards me and two goons stepped out.

“I hate being the tank.” I could hear Carl mutter over the suits short range communications system. With our helmets, face-plates and everything fully sealed against all known forms of nuclear, biological and chemical agents, I could yell pretty loudly before anyone heard me outside the suit.

“Uh-huh, and you always say you want to be the center of attention.” Waiting for goon number two to exit the door -the first one had turned towards the front of the building where Carl was, I grabbed his rifle by the barrel and cupping the back of his head in my other hand, slammed it into the fire escapes railing before upending him over it and silently onto the ground below.

“Sure, when they're chasing me, all sleazy, intoxicated and bursting with animal lust. But *not* when it's incoming automatic fire!”

Goon number one didn't even hear it at first, what with the gunfire exchange between Carl and whoever was still inside the building making a ruckus. “Be glad of one thing at least.”

As he turned I was more than ready for him, stabbing him in the throat as I pushed him back into and over the railing, pulling my knife free as he fell.

“What then?”

“They aren't chasing you, prim, proper and just bursting.”

I was in.


The king is gone
but he's not forgotten
Is this the story
of a Johnny Rotten
It's better to burn out
than to fade away
The king is gone
but he's not forgotten.

+++

“Andy.. jesus Andy c'mon buddy.. wake up.”

“Where's the toilet mommy, I think I need to potty...”

“Sssht.. they're close by.”

More or reality was swimming into focus, while I was feeling like I'd just gone fifteen rounds against a stubborn tow-truck. Carl's face focused, and I saw him holding up a finger for silence.

So I laid there, silently looking at the rafters above. We were inside somewhere large. I went through basic check list. Everything hurt like hell, but nothing seemed completely busted, except the pounding in my head, which hurt like hell on steroids. And my ribs, still tender from the friendly chat sessions I had with those lovely ladies at the WWCA compound. At least they didn't blow up everywhere.

“We're okay for now.” Having just assessed my own bodily situation and general heath, I filed that one under irony.

“But there are more of those Bursting Betty's out there.” He looked at me. “Can you stand?”

“I'm still laying on the ground.”

“Yeah, but can you stand?”

“Lemme sit for awhile, see how that flies.” As I sat up, my head was indeed flying. Too bad my body was still somewhere on the floor of that warehouse. “Hey, you know what?” I asked, sliding back into a more horizontal position, staring at the rafters again.

“What?” Carl was checking the window again.

“Maybe we should've checked out that church more thoroughly.” All I wanted to do was sleep.


My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die!

This post has been edited by old Andy: Sep 8 2011, 01:18 AM