_Max_

Next chapter, and hopefully the last of the scene-setters, especially as it's now a fifth of the way into the planned wordcount.

Chapter 4 - Work.

Ethan removed his welding mask, and wiped the sweat from his brow. He had no idea what time it was now, having removed his watch to avoid it becoming caught in the machinery he was working on, it was now somewhere in the room, ticking away the minutes and hours that Ethan had been working, and was going to work until he had finished the gravitational stasis machine. However, despite his conviction to work, he was only human, and he needed to eat, and also, to sleep. Feeling his stomach ache at the lack of food he hadn't eaten that day, he realised he hadn't had anything to eat since last night, before Elizabeth had been taken to that infernal hospital. He removed his welding gloves, placed them on the surface of a spare computer terminal, and began to switch off the numerous computer units in the room. The fans began their usual process of decreasing speed until they lay still, and the room was silent save for the flickering sound of the neon strip-lights. Ethan turned and looked around to make sure everything was turned off, and also to see if his watch was immediately visible, which it wasn't. He sighed and left the room, closing the door behind him. He entered the usual code into the computer panel, and the familiar sliding and thump sound of the metal bar echoed through the stairwell.

Climbing up the stairs, practically dragging himself up using the cast iron railings, Ethan suddenly felt the effects of exhaustion. He removed his glasses, and ran his fingers across his eyelids to try and relieve the aching of his eyes. Continuing up the stairs, he hoped that Rose wasn't at her desk, he didn't want to have to deal with the guilt of walking past her to get to the lifts. He reached the floor for reception, placed one hand on the handle, took a deep breath and opened the door. The reception was silent, and devoid of life. The moonlight glow from the windowed front wall illuminated the otherwise darkened room, and served as the answer to how long Ethan had been working for. Ethan began to make his way to the lift door, and halted as he heard a soft padding sound behind him. He turned around to see figure behind him, hidden in the shadows. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ethan saw that the figure was definitely female, but he couldn't make out the face. “Who are you? You shouldn't be here this time of night.” Ethan remarked, a slight note of hesitation in his voice. The figure took a step closer, and replied in a soft female voice: “Oh Ethan...why do you try? Why do you try? You can't do it, why do you try? Why do you try?”

Ethan recoiled in horror as the figure took another step closer, and emerged in the moonlight, revealing her face. It was Elizabeth, but her face was...distorted...covered in what looked like dead flesh, her eyes pale and glazed over, no pupils visible. “Why do you try?” she kept repeating, as she moved closer to Ethan, who remained terrified and rooted to the spot. “Elizabeth...no...no...please! I have to save you! I have to!” Elizabeth came closer and started to reach out, her skin starting to rapidly decay as she reached forward, and Ethan let out a cry of horror. “Why do you try? Why do you try? Why do you try?”

Beep-beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep-beep.

“Dear god NO!” Ethan shouted out as he sat up suddenly, his body drenched in sweat, his eyes staring wildly at a ghost that wasn't there. The alarm clock by his bed continued to beep incessantly as he adjusted to his surroundings, and his vision started to focus. Reaching for the alarm, he turned it off, and the room was silent, save for the slowly decreasing rate of Ethan's heavy breathing. He breathed in deeply, and tried to steady his nerves, it had only been a bad dream, just a bad dream and nothing to worry about. But why would his subconscious be telling him not to try and save Elizabeth? Ethan sighed, and put his work clothes on. Today was the day, or so he hoped. The gravitational stasis machine was nearing completion, and with it, he could preserve Elizabeth, keep the illness at bay until a cure was found, rather than keeping it alive and nourished on the life-support systems.

He headed downstairs, and checked the cupboards for anything suitable for breakfast. He'd have to find time to shop soon, once Elizabeth was safe. Amongst the spices and savoury sauces, there was half a jar of peanut butter left. Ethan took the jar and placed it on the worktop, and placed the last two slices of bread he had into the toaster. As he waited for the bread to toast, he ran through some last calculations in his head, the numerous variables and formulae seeming so simple now that completion of the device was within his grasp. Ethan jumped slightly as the toaster popped out the cooked bread, before taking the toast, and spreading the peanut butter on top of the slices. Taking a bite out of the first one, his mind began to wander to the gravitational control prototype, Mr Austin was expecting it to be finished very soon, and though it was functional, Ethan was unsure whether it was completely safe for use.

Finishing his breakfast as he moved towards the front door, he picked up his car keys, and left his house. Holding the last remnants of toast in his teeth, Ethan unlocked his car, and climbed in, trying to avoid dropping any crumbs, and more importantly, the toast. He finished off the rest of the toast, licked his lips clean, and put the keys in the ignition, before starting the car up. Checking the time on the dashboard clock, he saw that it was 8.30am, just enough time to get to work. He moved the car off the driveway, and headed for Steel Canyon. The drive to work was not as eventful as it had been recently, only the odd caped hero was seen flying overhead, or leaping from rooftop to rooftop, or the ones who seemed to be stuck with running about everywhere, only slightly faster than a normal human. Eventually, after what seemed like a quick journey, Ethan arrived at AusTech, and headed for the underground car park.

He parked the car, turned off the engine, and got out of the car. The underground car park was silent, as always. There had never been any sign of the Marcone gangsters from a while back, and though Ethan had called the police after getting home that evening they were there, the police couldn't find any decisive trail of evidence, and the security cameras had been disabled at that time. Ethan couldn't stop wondering what they had been doing here though, the person they had apparently kidnapped didn't work for the company, as no notice had been given of anyone going missing, and nothing had been stolen from the laboratories either.

Ethan headed towards the lifts, pressed the call button and waited. The echo of a police siren went through the underground car park as police car zoomed past the entrance, followed by the heavy rumbling of what could have been a fire truck. The fires in Steel Canyon had been on the increase recently, it seemed that the Hellions, a group of thugs rather obsessed with fire, were making a territorial move against other gangs in the district. The majority of buildings hit so far had been old and disused, probably gang hideouts, but in the past week, two inhabited apartment blocks had been hit by the arson attacks. The lift panel made a beeping sound, and the doors slid open. Ethan walked inside, pressed the button for the reception, and waited for the elevator carriage to ascend. The familiar haunt of elevator music rang through the carriage, until it halted, and the doors opened on the reception area.

Rose was busy getting started for the day at her desk, when Ethan strolled across the marble floor, towards the stairs to his workshop. She looked up, bit her lip, and got out of her chair, and walked swiftly over to Ethan, and put a hand on his shoulder. “Ethan...please. I'm sorry I walked in on your work, but why are you ignoring me like this? What's wrong Ethan?” He turned and looked at her, her hand slipping off his shoulder, his eyes meeting hers. “I'm sorry Rose, I really am. But I have work to do.” He attempted a small half smile, and walked off again towards the stairs. As he did so, Rose asked, in quiet voice no-one else could hear; “Ethan...what are you doing down there?”

The workshop was as he had left it the night before, tools laying scattered everywhere, the grey concrete floor barely visible any more, computer terminals being used as tables rather than as apparatus. Ethan turned on the lights, walked over to the gravitational stasis machine, pulled out a soldering iron from the trolley nearby, and started to make the final adjustments needed. It took him barely an hour to make the final connections, and the lights on the control panel for the machine flickered into life as they lit up, and a dull humming noise filled the workshop. Ethan went to the computer terminal nearest the machine, and swept the equipment covering its keyboard onto the floor, causing a loud clanging noise as various metal objects hit the concrete. He switched it on, and rooted around the floor for a connecting cable, which he attached from the computer terminal to the gravitational stasis device. The computer terminal adjusted itself to the new intake of data, and began displaying technical information relating to the machine it was attached to. Now, all Ethan needed, was the last component.

Until then, he needed to fill the time. Noticing the metal work table with the prototype on, he walked over, and began to work on it, grinning to himself as a plan hatched in his head for that night. Not only would both devices be built and ready to use, the control device would be given its first field test as well. The hours wiled by, with Ethan attempting to fit week's worth of calculations and construction into one day, until finally, the control device was ready. A contraption consisting of a mass of circuitry, circuit boards, and one transmitter device, packed into two braces, ready to fit on a person's forearm and shoulder. The design, whilst still bulky, due to being in the prototype stages, would easily fit hidden underneath a bulky enough coat. Ethan looked around for his watch, and saw its glint underneath the worktable he had just been working on. It was 4.30pm, enough time to buy some food supplies, and a large coat.

Ethan covered the gravitational stasis machine and the prototype with plastic dust covers, and left the work shop, putting the security code into the panel, his head blanking out the now too-familiar sound of the security bar closing. He ran up the stairs, opened the wooden door to reception, and walked in. Rose was directing a few suited men to the elevator, and caught sight of Ethan at the door. “Ethan!..are you okay?” she asked, a hint of worry in her voice. He looked over at her, and smiled, for the first time in weeks he smiled, and replied “I'm fine Rose, thanks. Never felt better. If I'm not back, could you leave a side-door open? I'm popping down the road to grab some food, I'll be working late tonight” Rose looked a little surprised, shrugged and smiled back; “Sure thing Ethan, take care.” Ethan nodded and headed out the door.

He decided, as he walked out into the muggy air outside, that getting the jacket would be best first, as Icon was a small walk away, and closed earlier than any corner shop he could get food from. Ethan walked briskly towards the west side of Steel Canyon, doing his best to walk on the opposite side of the street to anyone who looked like they could be a gang member. Occasionally, he'd walk by a small group of people huddled together wearing similar shirts and jeans, but he'd walk by in the hope they wouldn't notice him, and those that did notice, he simply gave a half-smile to and walked on regardless. The traffic on the roads was starting to pick up as rush hour approached, though it wasn't late enough yet for a significant decrease in people walking about, whom Ethan envied, having the free time to walk, possibly aimlessly for the day, without a care in the world, unless they were seen as an easy target by a passing criminal.

The walk up the steep incline to the west side of Steel Canyon took the breath out of Ethan somewhat, but he persevered onwards, avoiding going too near any alleyways as he passed by them, especially if there was a noticeably bad smell nearby. Finally, after a half hour walk, he arrived at Icon, and went in. The interior seemed even brighter than outside, especially with the light reflecting off the numerous shining costumes of the mass of heroes waiting in line for the changing rooms. The sheer amount of colour, and bad fashion sense, made Ethan's eyes begin to hurt. He walked over to the main counter, and asked the attendant there: “Excuse me, I'm looking for a large bulky coat, preferably something like a trench coat?” The attendant looked up at him, her heavily mascaraed eyes looking at him disapprovingly, and clashing awfully with her green top and bright red hair. “Doesn't everyone these days? We're out of stock at the moment, you'll have to wait three months before any more come in.” Ethan sighed; “Anything else in stock? It just needs to be bulky enough to carry things in unnoticed.” The attendant nodded and produced a dark brown jacket. “That'll be 2,700 influence points please.” Ethan raised an eyebrow, and pulled out his wallet. “Do you take American Express?” The attendant sighed and replied “Oh, a civilian. Fair enough, that's a hundred dollars please.” Ethan handed over a credit card, and the attendant swiped it through the machine. “Thank you sir, have a nice day” she said as she packed the jacket into a black Icon bag, and handed it back to Ethan along with his credit card. He nodded and walked out of the store. The sun had already begun to set in the distance, and Ethan headed for the nearest supermarket. There was going to be no time to head home for dinner tonight, he was going to save Elizabeth, and nothing was going to stop him.

Is it wrong to feel slightly sorry for your main character, due to the fact you know what you're going to be putting them through in the next chapter?

I only have a basic plan, literally about five word sumamries of each prospective chapter. I'm basically making up the story as I go along. (Or lack of it until the most recent chapter)

I think if I fretted too much about the plan and where I was going with the story, I'd never get anywhere at all.

973 words so far today, 200 of which are about Ethan eating some toast.

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What travel power are you giving NaMaDraMo Rabbi?

[/ QUOTE ]

The travel power I'm giving Maximillian is Superspeed, the same one the character himself has.

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[ QUOTE ]
Yes, I haven't given up yet:
LEVEL FIVE
LEVEL SIX

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fail'd you can not get there at lvl 5...

edit: but the drawings are great

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I realised I got two level-zones mixed up, but that was whilst I was already drawing that one, so I just left it that way.

Which is why tomorrow's one will seem a bit late level-wise.

Roll a D10 and assign two numbers to each idea.

EDIT: Also, where did everyone go on Teamspeak? I was gone for about 45 minutes, and everyone vanished.

Yes, I haven't given up yet:
LEVEL FIVE
LEVEL SIX

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Just one more character to introduce, one very important character, and then I can get on with some juicy, yummy plot nonsense.

[/ QUOTE ]

Plots? No one said anything about plots?

Whimper....

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm doing 2,500 words a day, and doing my best to make it a decent story too.

And speaking of which, the next chapter is up now.

The next chapter from the novel, and things start to finally go somewhere near the end. (At last )

Chapter 3 - Twelve Hours.

Ethan stared up at the patterned ceiling above his bed, his eyes tracing the spiralled outlines of the ridges in the paintwork, noticing small flaked areas that would need to be repainted at some point, and a small crack near the door that looked unsightly, but was probably nothing to worry about just yet. He turned over to his right hand side, and looked at the digital alarm clock on the small wooden bedside table next to him. The time was 4.17am, the doctor had left exactly two hours ago, having given Elizabeth some more medication, stronger dosages than she had been using before, and helped her into the ambulance to take her to the nearest Accident & Emergency centre, after she'd had a bad turn whilst making a late-night snack.

He hadn't noticed she was gone until he woke up to find her not there, venturing downstairs, he found her lying on the kitchen floor doubled over in pain, unable to cry out for help. The doctor had told him that if he'd been any later, there was a good chance that could have been the end for her. Ethan still felt sick in the stomach over the thought of what might have happened if he hadn't woken up at that point, and found himself unable to bear the thought of it. He'd wanted to go with her, but she'd told him, as strongly as she could in her state, to stay at home and sleep, and come by in the morning. As if he could sleep after that, he told himself. He looked over at the clock again, 4.30am, closed his eyes, and with no prior warning, fell into a comfortable sleep.

Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep

The alarm clock rang and rang, the sound drilling into Ethan's head as he sleepily reached out and attempted to turn the alarm clock off, the button however, was just out of reach. He sighed heavily, and sat up, and turned towards the wooden bedside table, and switched the alarm off, before placing his face in his hands and sighing again. Looking at the time, he realised he was running late, it was 8.45am already, and he needed to be at the work shop for 9.00am. Well, Mr Austin would have to wait, his wife was ill, and she was more important than the prototype. Ethan got changed into some casual clothes, and packed his lab coat and work clothes into a small suitcase, before heading downstairs and dialling work from the phone in the kitchen.
The phone rang continuously, until just before Ethan was about to hang up, it was answered by a slightly out of breath Rose. “H..H..Hello, good morning, this is AusTech” Ethan rolled his eyes, and replied “Hi Rose, it's Ethan here. I'm going to be late in today, possibly not in at all. Elizabeth got taken to hospital last night and I'm going in to see her.” Rose nodded, “Sure thing Ethan, send my regards to Elizabeth, and I'll let Mr Austin know.” Ethan hung up, picked up his keys from the kitchen worktop, went out the front door, and got into his car. Checking he had everything he needed, he put the keys in the ignition, and started up the car. Ethan contemplated which way would be quickest to the Steel Canyon Accident & Emergency Ward, he normally avoided the 'short' route through Atlas Park, as it was always busy, and also for some reason, more highly populated with heroes who had a habit of running in front of cars, hence why the scenic route through Independence Port and the Kings Row bypass always took a shorter time, and had better scenery.

However, today he decided it was worth taking the risk of the Atlas Park route, if there was a chance to get to Elizabeth quickly, he had to take it. He manoeuvred the car off of the driveway, and headed to the north exit from Skyway City, and to the tunnel leading to Atlas Park. The tunnel system had always annoyed Ethan, after they'd been created as part of the 'War Wall' defence system after the Rikti Invasion. He wasn't sure of the exact details of what happened, save for rumours of a large spacecraft appearing above City Hall, and being cooped up in his house for nearly a week by Longbow agents, who had said it was too dangerous to be outside. Thankfully, rations had been sent to people's homes during that time, but there were still tales of large families starving during that period, by no fault of their own other than having planned their shopping to be done on the same day the invasion started, and then living off of rations pre-packaged for four people rather than 6 or more.

The War Walls had been erected afterwards in order to prevent mass transit between city districts, so that future armies would be restricted in moving troops around. The major flaw Ethan could see, was that it also prevented civilians from evacuating an area quickly if a planned strike was revealed. However, that was for the city council to work out, what could he do himself? He was just a civilian. Driving onwards, the sunlight from the end of the tunnel eventually appeared, and the statue of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders loomed in the distance, with the usual small number of heroes flying up to the top of the globe to show off their powers. Ethan slowed his speed down as he turned onto the main road in Atlas, checking as much as possible for anyone running into his path, or more worryingly, anyone ready to use newly found powers they had no control over yet on a criminal on the other side of the road from themselves, with Ethan's car in the middle.

Thankfully, it seemed that the majority of heroes started work later than 9.00am, and the streets were relatively quiet, save for the usual mass of traffic at the junctions leading off towards Perez Park and Eastgate, sometimes nicknamed 'The Hollows' due to the fact half of it had collapsed into the ground a few years back. Ethan had never gone in there to check it out, despite his curiosity, thanks to the rumour the area was infested by Outcasts. A group of mostly young mutants, without homes or jobs, who had found life in crime, like many other kids these days, except these ones could shoot lightening and the like in their drive-by shootings. As such, it was probably best to let the few people who still lived there and the heroes venture in. Finally, after the traffic congestion cleared a little bit, Ethan took the turning off into Steel Canyon. He checked his watch, it was now 9.20am, a little quicker to get here than by the standard route, but not by an extraordinary amount.

Yet another tunnel loomed ahead, and Ethan was certainly glad he wasn't claustrophobic, otherwise this city would send him insane. With the tunnel system in place, it took a lot longer to get anywhere, as the design intended, and meant whole portions of the same district were cut off from each other, with streets literally divided in two, and Ethan couldn't help but think of the consequences that resulted with the Berlin Wall in Germany. Of course, things weren't as serious as that had been, but still, families were now cut off from having easy access to each other, and it made commuting to work feel like hell.

As he left this tunnel, Ethan noticed that a large number of heroes in the district seemed to be heading in the same direction. As he looked into the distance, he noticed a black column of smoke rising from the north end of Steel Canyon. The sound of sirens drew closer from his left hand side, and two fire trucks raced past, heading towards the scene of the emergency, followed a few seconds after by a police car. Ethan was just thankful it wasn't the hospital that had been attacked. The traffic started to move again, having let the emergency services go past, and Ethan continued to the hospital. He arrived there shortly after, and parked the car, checked he had his suitcase, and got out, locking the door behind him. He rushed inside, and went to the reception desk, where a short nurse with black curly hair was attending. “Hi, my name's Ethan Mortimer, my wife, Elizabeth, she got brought in at around two o'clock this morning?” The nurse looked up at him, and typed something into the computer without replying. After a few seconds, she said in a grating voice; “Floor 2, Ward 6.” Ethan thanked her, and went into an open lift.

The elevator carriage was empty, and no sound other than the whirring of engines and cables was heard during the short trip to the second floor, and Ethan found himself missing the annoying music from the AusTech elevator carriage. The lift doors opened smoothly, Ethan walked out, and began looking for Ward Six. Thankfully, the wards were numbered in a logical fashion, and it didn't take long to find Elizabeth's bed. As he walked in, she was still sleeping, and he checked his watch, 9.57am. He walked over to Elizabeth's side, and sat in the visitor's chair facing her left side, raised a hand to her cheek and stroked it slowly. She looked peaceful as she slept, a world away from the problems she faced, and the agony of the night before. Ethan took the hand nearest to him, and cupped it both of his, again stroking gently. “Mr Mortimer I presume?” a voice said from behind him, causing him to sit up straight and turn around on the chair, before standing up to greet the doctor. “That's right, are you the resident looking after Elizabeth?” he said, offering his hand to shake. “Yes, I'm Doctor Griffin. Mr Mortimer, I think we need to have a word.” Doctor Griffin motioned towards a visitor's room just outside the ward. Ethan nodded slowly, and walked into the visitor's room.

Doctor Griffin followed, and closed the door behind him. Ethan turned to face him, and asked “What is it Doctor? Is she going to be okay?” Doctor Griffin sighed, and removed his glasses, revealing tired-looking eyes. He obviously hadn't shaved for a day or so, and his mousy-brown hair was looking unkempt and unwashed. “Is that what I look like at times?” Ethan thought to himself as the Doctor replied. “Mr Mortimer, your wife reacted badly to the medication we gave her last night. Instead of combating the illness, it served to in fact make it stronger. It's as if anything that enters her metabolic system is used as nourishment for whatever it is that's affecting her. I'm afraid Mr Mortimer, if no cure is found, your wife is unlikely to ever wake up.”

Ethan's eyes glazed over as Doctor Griffin relayed the devastating news, staring into the middle space of nowhere, unable to fully comprehend what he had just been told. His face went pale with shock, before suddenly flushing red as he marched towards the visitor's room door and forced it open, before striding over to Elizabeth's bed, and taking her left in his right. “I'm going to stop this Elizabeth, I'm going to stop this, and god help anyone who tries to stop me.” He stood there for what seemed like hours when seconds had passed, before reaching over Elizabeth, and planting a solitary kiss on her lips.

With that done, he laid her hand back down by her side, and stormed out of the ward, and to the lift doors. He pressed the call button, and waited. It didn't open. He pressed it again, and again, repeatedly until he slammed his palm onto the button at full force. “Destroying hospital equipment isn't going to save your wife Mr Mortimer!” Doctor Griffin called out to Ethan as he walked calmly over. The lift door opened, and Ethan walked in, turned round to Doctor Griffin and replied in a calm and collected manner; “No it's not, but it certainly makes me feel better. Now, I suggest you let me leave, before I break something more valuable.” Ethan pressed the button for the ground floor, and the doors to the elevator carriage slid shut as he glared at Doctor Griffin. The descent to the ground floor was as silent as the ascent upwards, save for the heavy breathing resulting from Ethan's increased emotional state. The doors opened, and Ethan strode out of the elevator carriage, through the reception area, and to the car park, the attending nurse calling behind him in her grating voice; “Have a nice day.”

Ethan walked up to his car, and suddenly realised he had left his work clothes back in the hospital, having put down the suitcase to hold Elizabeth's hand. Cursing himself, he considered going back into the hospital to pick the suitcase up, but decided against it, otherwise he would find himself unable to leave Elizabeth's side, and what she needed right now was someone helping her, rather than someone feeling sorry for her. He unlocked the car, and got in, fastened his seatbelt, turned on the ignition and drove off towards the AusTech building. As he entered the underground car park, Ethan checked his watch again, 10.46am. The traffic had been congested on the way over, due to the fire in the north of the district, causing a quick journey to become a half an hour one instead. He parked the car, got out, and locked the door, heading for the lifts. Why did his days consist mainly of driving and travelling in lifts? He thought to himself as the irritating music played in the elevator carriage. What was the point of it all? Why put up with the endless day to day chore of every day being exactly the same?

The lift panel pinged, and the doors opened onto the reception. Ethan marched straight over to the door to the stairs, either ignoring or seemingly not hearing Rose's words of greeting and condolence. He travelled down the cold stone stairs to the work shop, and entered the security code into the door panel. The metal bar in the wall slid to it's resting place, and Ethan went into the workshop, slamming the door behind him, the lock not catching and leaving it slightly ajar. He began switching on all the computer terminals and equipment, before remembering to turn on the lights. Mr Austin's prototype, though near completion now, would have to wait. Elizabeth's life was more important to Ethan than the profits of an already successful company.

As the computer terminals finally all flickered into life, and the whirring of internal fans began, Ethan walked over to the corner of the work shop, where a large object lay covered by a dark red shroud. He gripped the shroud with both hands, and pulled it from over the object. What was revealed was a large metallic pod, with a glass cover, bits of circuitry from panels lying exposed and unconnected, all attached to a circular base and supported by a singular hydraulic stand. He put his welding gloves on, followed by his welding mask, and began working furiously on the device, using as much expertise as possible to make wirings work efficiently, but still not be a danger to the patient inside. Time passed, and Ethan began to feel the strain of working hard take over him.

As he began to take his welding gloves off, a woman's voice sounded from behind him; “Ethan...are you all right? You seemed upset earlier.” Ethan turned around in horror, how much had she seen? Did she know this wasn't what he was meant to be working on? He couldn't take that risk. He shouted back at her; “GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY WORK SHOP THIS IS PRIVATE!” picked up a circuit board that was lying on a terminal next to him and threw it at Rose's general direction. She screamed and ran back out of the door, slamming it shut behind her, tears rolling down her face. But that didn't matter to Ethan, what needed to be done was to get the gravitational stasis machine running, and running soon. He looked at his watch, it was now 2.17pm, there was still time left in the day.

1,000 exactly left to go for today's quota. I seem to be in the habit of doing long passages about Ethan driving somewhere, but I promise, as these early chapters are scene-setters, they'll disappear eventually.

I managed to write 100 words on people waiting for an elevator and going down it. I don't like to call it 'padding' though, I prefer 'elaboration'.

[ QUOTE ]
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What strange song is whistled late at night when everyone else is asleep?

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Quite obviously, it's "Show me the way to go home". Or perhaps even "Jailhouse Rock".

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And be worried if the cell-mate starts whistling the duel of the banjos from Deliverance.

Rules: All 50 pictures, once they're up, and by PM so you don't spoil the answers.

Also, the more specifics, the better.

I thought the Stork just delievered them to your door? That's what Mumsy told me.

The main focus I try to add, at the moment, (and with some humour of course) is that the people in Paragon are used to having such events happen, it's just day-to-day life.

With the pretty comment, I guess it's just how different people view the word. I personally see'pretty' as on-par with 'beautiful'. And of course, the first time you see someone, you may see them in differing layers of beauty as you take more in.

With the Marcone incident, I did state:

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The police would have to wait, and by that time, those Marcone goons would be too far away to apprehend.

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So, at that point, Ethan is now just heading home, unable to help at all, and is frustrated at this, as shown by the scene where he hits the steering wheel.

I'll admit I forgot to add details for the Trolls and Outcasts, so in any future chapters, I'll remember to describe them more.

Next set of pictures for the month:
Level Three
Level Four

Next chapter's up in the Dark Heart thread.

Here's the second chapter from the ongoing novel.

Chapter 2 - Beauty And The Beast.

The sparks flew in every possible direction, as the blue pin-point flame approached the metal. The only sound present, that of the quiet humming of various computers dotted around the workshop, and the expulsion of flame from the welding torch Ethan was holding, as it fused various intricate designs of metal and heat-resistant industrial plastics.

Some weeks had passed since the project for the design of a user-controllable gravity manipulation device had been given the full approval by Mr Austin, the head of AusTech in Paragon City. Ethan was to complete the first working prototype of the device by the end of the next month, but already, he was far ahead of schedule. Ever since the analytical computer systems had finally discovered the mathematical formulae and scientific equations required to manipulate local gravitational currents, he had been working furiously, like a man possessed by the demons of hell themselves.

Ethan was only working this hastily for one reason though, for he was not interested in the prototype at all. As useful and beneficial the gravity manipulation device may well be, there had been other calculations Ethan had ordered the analytical computer to process. Though the idea might have been crazy, Ethan had theorised that by using a carefully-aligned arrangement of gravitational currents, it might be possible to hold a person in a type of stasis field, for an indefinite period of time, and be able to slow, or even completely halt their body's metabolic rate. Whilst this new wondrous technology could be used by the common public, or more specifically, the Paragon Police Department, to capture and hold specific criminals so that they could not escape, Ethan had only one person on his mind on who the technology could be beneficial for, Elizabeth.

Her condition had grown worse over the past few weeks, since Ethan had the go-ahead for his scientific project. The illness had spread from its original residence, and was now attacking other, more vital, parts of her body, whilst using her own food and energy supplies passed around the bloodstream to sustain itself. At first, whilst it was still dormant, the doctors had diagnosed it as a new strain of cancer, but recently, it had become apparent that this was something else, something new, and something even more deadly, due to its sudden surge in growth.

Ethan let go of the trigger for the welding torch, and laid it to rest on a trolley full of other engineering apparatus, such as screwdrivers, pliers, and soldering equipment for the more fine-tuned and delicate procedures the new equipment needed in places. He lifted the welding mask, covered in black scorch marks and a thin layer of grime, and removed it from his head, placing it on a separate trolley, and then peeled of the thick leather gloves from his hands, and relished the feeling of the air on his now glistening fingers and palms. Lifting his arms above his head, he stretched as far up as possible without straining his back muscles too far, and then slowly lowered them to his side.

Looking round, he could see the workshop was starting to become rather a mess. Spare parts and circuitry lay scattered around, either left on the few desktops and metal work benches there were, or placed in numerous unlabelled boxes, or simply left strewn over any empty floorspace that didn't get directly in Ethan's way when working. The room itself was not particularly suited for high-storage space, being not much bigger than an average living room in a house, except with a drab interior of dark stone walls, and a grey concrete floor, lit only by the 6 neon strip lights across the ceiling, and whatever lamps Ethan could find electrical socket space for. Unfortunately, that was the price to pay when working on a top secret new project, it made bad business sense to work in the more public labs upstairs, where industrial spies could sneak out blueprints and photos of prototypes.

Feeling his tiredness getting the better of him, and his eyes starting to droop, Ethan began to walk around and unplug the equipment he had been using. The computer terminal's lights flickered on for a few seconds, then dimmed gradually as they were all shut down for the night, the whirring of internal fans coming to an eventual halt. The room was now completely silent, and at these momenta, Ethan realised just how depressingly alone it was locked down here, day after day, working endlessly on new technology for which he wouldn't even be publicly accredited for. He sighed, wandered over to the door to the workshop, and opened it, before turning off the lights using the switch by the door. The door swung shut behind him, and he turned to activate the security alarm using the keypad by the door:

41...96...73..57 *beep*

The sound of a thick metal bar sliding across from the wall and into the slot in the door made a loud grating noise, followed by a hollow thump. Ethan turned away, and wandered up the cold stone staircase, holding onto the black cast iron railings with his left hand as he did so. He eventually reached the reception floor, opened the wooden door, now labelled both sides as a fire exit, to deter people from entering, and walked through into the reception. Rose was there, also packing away her things, ready to go home. As she was placing a few pieces of paper into her handbag, it toppled off the edge of the desk it was perched on, and spilt its contents all over the marble floor. “Oh rats! This is just perfect!” she shouted out, partially to herself, and partially to anyone who might be in earshot.

Ethan rushed over to the desk, and crouched down to start to help Rose put her belongings back in the handbag. She crouched down as well, and looked at him. “Thanks Ethan, guess I was just lucky you were here.” She smiled and began placing the items back in the bag. “Say...Ethan. Would you mind if I caught a lift home with you? I live in Skyway City too, and well, if I can avoid paying the bus fare, it's always good to. Plus, it seems like those buses never turn up sometimes.” Ethan made slightly shocked impression on his face, and then smiled. “Sure thing.” Rose smiled back and placed her hand on his; “Thanks, I appreciate it” Ethan felt his nerves shiver as her hand briefly touched his, before pulling away to get the last items into the handbag.

They both walked towards the lift, and Ethan pressed the call button. The wait for the elevator carriage to arrive seemed to take an eternity, as Ethan stood there glancing at Rose for a couple of seconds at a time, and smiling nonchalantly every time she appeared to notice and look back. Eventually, the door slid open, and Ethan let Rose enter first, before entering the elevator carriage, turning round, and pressing the button for the car park. The elevator carriage started to descend, and the familiar irritating music played from the speaker behind him. There was a small jolt, and the doors slid open again, revealing the underground car park.

Rose and Ethan departed from the elevator carriage, and started to walk to Ethan's car. “It's just over here” Ethan said, whilst motioning towards his car. He went round to the passenger side, unlocked the door, and held it open whilst Rose sat herself down in the seat, closed the door, and entered on the driver's side. He put the keys in the ignition, turned them, and smiled embarrassedly as the engine failed to start. “Sorry about this, only ever seems to do it when I have to get someone else home as well as myself.” Rose smiled again, and replied “Don't worry, it's still quicker than the bus, or trying to time it right to get on the train.” The engine eventually spluttered into life, and Ethan drove the car out of the car park, and into the evening sun of Steel Canyon.

The sky was red with the last rays of sunlight, as the sun lowered itself below the horizon. There was a noticeable number of superheroes flying about in the air, arresting the obvious criminals on the street who were snatching purses and large books off of the civilians. Sometimes, the heroes would be helping each other out, others would swoop down at the last minute and finish off a criminal in a vain attempt to steal the glory of the arrest, before police drones came and teleported the criminals to the Ziggurat prison, or possibly the hospital after their encounters with some of the more over zealous heroes wielding large swords and maces. Ethan drove through Steel Canyon, and through to Independence Port, and as he did so, it was immediately apparent by the fishing boat that flew over the top of the car that another giant octopus had surfaced in the docks. As he drove down the side of Independence Port, Rose pointed out with a loud “Oh!” as a large scale battle occurred between various heroes, and the octopus.

The beast itself was waving many of its tentacles around in an attempt to swat the heroes flying around its head, who in turn, took quick shots at the bulbous creature, and yet still, from a short distance managed to miss entirely. The sky lit up with the various explosions and beams of light and energy being emitted from the fracas. Ethan pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Want to go out and watch?” he asked Rose, who thought about it for a few second before replying through a grin “Yeah, of course, why not?” Ethan turned off the ignition, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car, making sure not to walk into any passing traffic. He waited for Rose to leave the car, put the key in the door, and locked it. They both walked over to the stone wall overlooking a small beach by the docks, and watched the fight in the distance.

Other people walked by with little or no interest, obviously used to the near daily tussle between man, woman and octopus, but Ethan and Rose sat on the wall, and watched the ongoing fight. Some heroes had managed to place a tentacle under some form of stasis, and were now calling for the other heroes to target that particular tentacle in order to hopefully nullify the octopus's attacking strength. Some did so, and blasts of energy, fire and machine gun bullets cascaded against the tentacle, causing the beast to let out a loud wail, and withdraw the damaged tentacle underneath the water's surface.

Some heroes were complaining on the shoreline, and seemed to be motioning how their powers weren't any use against the octopus, despite having been very effective some while back. Their complaints were met with shouts from the battling heroes to do as well as they could, and that the City Council would reward them with an honorary title for their efforts. This seemed to appeal to some of the group, who then went in and valiantly fought, whilst others seemed to continue complaining, and flew or teleported off to battle crime elsewhere. The still-remaining heroes used the same tactic of holding a tentacle in place before barraging it with their attacks, which appeared to be working effectively. One hero started doing a celebratory dance in mid air, and was met by the impact of one of the octopus's tentacles hitting him at full force, and sending him across the bay towards Ethan and Rose.

Ethan saw the incoming hero, and pulled her down below the height of the stone wall, just as the hero passed over the top of where they had been standing, and landed with a loud thud on the pavement near to them. Rose gasped and put her hand to her mouth “Is he..is he okay?” Ethan got up from the floor, and walked over to the hero. The hero was dressed in apparently nothing but a pair of red speedos, his muscled body apparently too well-toned to fit appropriately into most standard hero costumes. As Ethan wandered over to the unconscious hero, a glowing green light covered the hero, and he vanished. “I guess he had a hospital tracking device, lucky for him.” Ethan said. They both went over to the wall, and watched the remainder of the fight.

The octopus was in its last throes of battle, defending itself only by spitting large quantities of ink at the heroes still left standing. A small group of the heroes surrounded the head of the octopus, and used a number of stasis fields on it. With the head locked in place, the final bursts of powers were shot out, and the beast sank below the waterline. The deep shadow of the octopus's outline could be seen fleeing from the site of conflict, to hide away and wait until it had rested itself for another battle, another day. As the various heroes celebrated, Ethan looked at Rose as she gazed out over the water, and took in her natural beauty, before pulling himself together. “Come on, we'd best get you home. My wife's probably wondering where I am now as well.” Rose nodded, and they both went back to the car. Ethan unlocked the doors, and they both climbed in. After they had both strapped in their seatbelts, Ethan turned on the ignition, checked behind him for any inattentive heroes running behind the car, and drove off towards Skyway City.

The rest of the drive to Rose's apartment block was uneventful. Ethan did his best to concentrate on the road, instead of on the beautiful young woman sitting in his car, and managed successfully, for the most part. Rose herself, was looking out of the window, as more heroes fought skirmishes with Clockworks in the distance, the blue jolts of electricity lighting up the now dark sky. Eventually, they arrived at the address Rose had told Ethan to drop her off at. “Thanks for the ride Ethan, and the nice side show too.” Rose smiled again, and reached over to give Ethan a quick hug. “Oh... no problem at all. See you at work tomorrow.” He replied, as she out of the car. As she walked off, Ethan couldn't help but look as she walked up the steps to her door. As he did so, a voice sounded in his head:

“You should have been with her, at least she wouldn't have gotten sick.”

Ethan felt his stomach churn at the thoughts that had just run through his head. They were wrong, and he knew it. He loved Elizabeth, but the nagging feeling in his head would not cease for the remainder of the drive home. He drove the car onto the driveway, stopped the engine, exited the car, locked it, and sighed heavily, hanging his head in private shame as he went to enter his house.

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I should be writing, instead I'm informing Stasis on literary knowledge. I won't embarress her by saying what I've had to correct her on though.

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You are wrong though. He wore all black and kept his face hidden behind a false beard. We all know what that means. Ninja!

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No! It means he was the infamous Greybeard, The Pirate King!

I should be writing, instead I'm informing Stasis on literary knowledge. I won't embarress her by saying what I've had to correct her on though.

Great picture, the only thing that might need changing is darkening the mouth area for Lord Recluse's half, other than that, fab!

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what kind of stuff are you guys doing? all comic stuff?

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I'm sure it doesn't matter what style the drawings are in, at least I hope so considering my efforts, just so long as they're done really.

As people may see, the first chapter of Dark Heart is up on the Creative boards (along with my fine, fine pictures). Seeing as what's in there was originally only meant to be a third of the first chapter, I'm feeling confident about at least hitting the halfway mark.

And of course, nobody's critiqued it, because it's perfect.

Be careful with OpenOffice. I'm using it, and it appears to word-count differently to the official site. Best thing to do, is make sure you try and go a little bit over your word allowance each day.