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[font size=1" color="#FF0000]LAST EDITED ON Mar-11-01 AT 02:29AM (GMT)[p]
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[TITLE]Harmony3[/TITLE]
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[i]Hiya! I'm baack and ready or not, here I come, and I brought a... well, it's still a draft.. it's the third
friggin' part of....[/i][/P]
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[FONT COLOR=green]The C[FONT COLOR=#00CC00]ase [FONT COLOR=#99FF99]of t[FONT COLOR=#FFFFCC]he
[FONT COLOR=yellow]Water[FONT COLOR=#FF9900]melo[FONT COLOR=#FF6600]n Fa[FONT COLOR=#CC0000]rmer
a Harmony Ground Story[/P]
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by [b][FONT COLOR=blue]B-pen [/b][i]o t[/i] [b][FONT COLOR=#9900CC]Illuminati[/b][/P]
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[P ALIGN=CENTER]http://www.envy.nu/bpen/harmony.jpg
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[P ALIGN=CENTER]Chapter 3[/P]
"[i]Those who don't believe in the miracle of a second chance, of a rising sun and a gentle wind, of hope
and joy and instances of enlightenment...... they all severely overestimate their capacity for understanding."
[/i]~Shayla Fate
The immense white facade loomed over me like beast waiting to pounce. This was the City Hall, the grandest and most revered of buildings in Harmony. First came the walls, shaped by that long-dead GECK artisan, then this great structure. Modeled after works done by the pre-war people, the Griks, or somesuch weird name, it bespoke of solemn grandeur and aloofness unparalled.[/P]
I knew I hated it, the time I saw it. It dominated Harmony, the second largest building next to the Warehouse that housed the Dominion. But make no mistake, this place...it reeks of power, of manipulations, of far-ranging plans.....of stink and corruption, of greed and drive, of the glove that covers the fist of Harmony.[/P]
The faux marble steps made a faint *clink* sound as they met the steel-lined soles of my boot. I stomped up to the great metal doors. closed to the world. It opened and someone peeked out, an old man, grizzled with white hair, and skin so pale he looked almost cadaverous.[/P]
"Stop t-that noise!!", Zheeker cried. "T-the Mayor don't wanta be disturbed."[/P]
"Sorry, Zeek..", I apologized. I really was. Zheek was a good guy, possibly the last one on Harmony..and as such, a total wimp, too. But he just minds his own business, and tending to the magnificent gardens of Harmony...and did such a marvelous job at it, that everyone liked and respected him. There was a certain sense of artistry and poetic skill under those shaking bony hands. He could shape even the most recalcitrant of plants, and he can make even the marble facade of the City Hall into a mirror gleam. A real honest man who enjoyed his work. And hell,
he was even more liked than the friggin' Mayor![/P]
But the sad fact is, Zheeker works for Laani, and there's not a fact he's not more proud of. He really thinks that the Mayor can do no wrong.[/P]
"But I've got business with the... Honorable...Mayor.. "[/P]
"Oh? T-then come in!", he grinned toothlessly and waved me in. He tried pushing the door open, but he didn't have the strength. I went up and helped him, and he gave me another ugly smile of thanks.[/P]
I tipped my hat to him, and I entered the Hall.[/P]
The Mayor's Office lay at the very back of the City Hall, a sumptous room, removed from the crass view of bureaucracy.
All else, the records section, the buzzing of busy clerks...all this was muted by the soundproofed walls of Mayor Decorata's sanctum. Zeek rapped twice on the door with his broom, and said. "S-somehere to see you..y-your Honor."[/P]
"Send it in..", a mellow voice from beyond the ornately-carved door responded. I mumbled my thanks to Zeek, and opened the door.[/P]
There, sitting behind the a heavy proto-metal desk, was a big older man, his head completey bald, and a slight impish smile on his face, hidden behind his pudgy hand that reached up to adjust his spectacles.[/P]
"Hello, Sheriff.", the Mayor said to me. "Please, have a seat."[/P]
I sat, on the hard, uncomfortable chair facing him. I uphold that Laarni Decorata was born to make everyone's lives misirable. He came into office, due to the rousing speeches he made about the equality of all, of how Super-mutants and ghouls were brothers of humanity, and deserved to be treated as such. Since ghouls and mutants were given the opportunity to vote in Harmony, he won by a surprising margin.[/P]
After it, however, all went as before, except that the taxes were raised, and working hours for mutants was cut down a notch. He aggravated everyone in Harmony, supporting mutants while driving them harder at the same time.[/P]
"What can I do for you, Julius?", he said.[/P]
Well, for starters, can you please up and die. "Your..uh, Honor...I'm sure you've heard that Ming..is dead?"[/P]
"Oh, yes. Ghastly turn of events. Ming was a founder of Harmony, but he was old..and age finally caught up to him, has it? I'm saddened, but that's how all things go.."[/P]
Like hell, you're sad. Ming was your biggest critic.[/P]
"I see....... that you're not wearing your pin, sir."[/P]
"Eh?" He looked down at his tie. "Yes. I seem to have lost it somehow. "[/P]
I dug a hand into my pocket and drew it out. "Would this happen to be it, by any chance?"[/P]
His eyes lit up. "Yes! Thank you for finding it for me, Sheriff." He held out his hand, expecting
me to give it, but my fist closed tight on the pin. He frowned. "If it is a reward you want...."[/P]
"No, siree, your honor.. I don't need a monetary reward. Answering a few questions would be good, though."[/P]
He leaned back, his lips pursed. "Well, then......... ask away."[/P]
"Where were you early last night, until midnight, of the 21st of December?"[/P]
"Why, I was here, of course. I have my important duties to perform, and sometimes, a day is not enough to do them with."[/P]
"Did you see anyone during that time?"[/P]
"No."[/P]
"Did you contact any mercenaries, a Red Star assasin, maybe?"[/P]
He glared at me. His hatred for the lowborns of Downtown was widely-known. It could, of couse, be all an act.
"No."[/P]
"Any witnesses to back up your statement?"[/P]
"Mister Zheekerhias can attest to my statement."[/P]
I sighed. It was enough. I popped the pin back to him, and he caught it in his open palm. Zeek is incapable of lying, everyone knew that. Really, he is.[/P]
"May I ask why you have asked me such pointed questions?"[/P]
"I found...that."I pointed to the damned pin. "At Ming's shack."[/P]
"And so you say that he might have stolen it? I wouldn't put it past.......I mean......that's an unlikely charge."[/P]
"Ming is dead."[/P]
"You just said that.", he smirked.[/P]
"He was murdered."[/P]
Bam. There is goes...his eyes, filled with glee. "Oh. Oh! Oh, my.....oh, my! Ghastly business, is it not?! You must get to the bottom of this, Sheriff. We cannot have this kind of thing going around."[/P]
I wanted to choke him then and there, but I quelled myself. As much as I hated what he's become...I needed him alive. Or more to the point, Harmony needed him.[/P]
I smiled thinly, tipped my hat, said my goodbyes, and left. Just to double-check, I asked Zeek about where the Mayor was last night. He was here, all right, up in his office. But working?[/P]
If paperwork involved a lot of muffled groans and panting, and shouts of "Yes! Yes! Shove it in deeper!", well...sign me up for Civic Service!!![/P]
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I exited the building, and drew in a breath of fresh air. They really needed to fix the ventilation in that place. I looked out at Harmony, its stark white buildings, here at the Center. Up to the west was larger buildings of a bluish shade of adobe, lush gardens, and the tall, all-wood structure that was the Parthenon.[/P]
I saw someone slip into the shadows as I left the Hall. I didn't care..I was used to having myself watched.
I lived in a nest of vipers...and I was a rattlesnake in their midst.
Damn them all. I just wanted to find someone to punish. Why is it so goddamnm hard?! A watermelon farmer...[/P]
Or something more?[/P]
Dammmit..it's there, but I can't put my friggin' finger on it.[/P]
I walked down the lane from the Hall, the Main Street was surprisingly empty. I veered right, towards the seedier part of town.. I'd rather be in the company of criminals...at least I knew they had the decency to stab you, and not twist the knife. A shot to the heart..and you're dead.
"Hey..you...psst!"[/P]
I turned, and my hand instinctively went down to my holster. I was surprised to see that instead of the usual
information peddler out the streets, a rather exotically dressed woman was calling out to me. She was what was called a naturitic, a mix of tribal and cvilization. She was dressed in
rich, red robes, patterned with a dizzying array of designs, and her hair was done up into a tight bun. Her face too, was exotic, tanned and set into a hard
mask...only her eyes glinted with unnatural intelligence.[/P]
"Yeah?", I muttered.[/P]
"Come into my parlor."[/P]
Now..that has GOT to be the cheesiest line I've evert met. Still, I was intrigued. I went into the dank, rusted metal building. Downtown, was the result of running out of GECK too soon, used up in the making of the Center, and the Walls, and parts of Uptown. So, the first settlers improvised. They used the remaining materials and rigged up a city, ending much like any other.[/P]
The inside was dark and eerie, and covered with carpets of silk and golden gecko skins.
She motioned for me to sit down in a large, comfortable, felt-covered chair. She sat opposite me, a table between us, and stared pointedly.
"Who are you?", she asked.[/P]
I raised my brow. "Eh?"[/P]
She sighed. "Are you really as dumb as you look?"[/P]
"Hell!", I spat. "Who the hell are you?"[/P]
"I asked you first."[/P]
"I'm not in the mood to play games, lady."[/P]
"Neither am I." ,she said with all seriousness. "You will tell me who you are and you will tell
me NOW."[/P]
I sighed. "All right. My name's Julius. Now, who the hell are you?"[/P]
"You may adress me as...Fate..., for the moment. Julius, tell me, when you look in the mirror, what do you
see? Is it any different from what I behold?"[/P]
"Is this a come-on?"[/P]
"No, it's not a bedamned come-on!!", she retorted. "I knew coming here was a bad idea. They should
have sent someone else to do this, but noo.....", she muttered to the side.[/P]
"What are you talking about?"[/P]
"None of your business."[/P]
I frowned and started to stand up. "Well, if that's your attitude, then I guess I better..."[/P]
"No! Please...stay..",. she said, and gently waved me back. How the hell does she do that? It's as if, suddenly, she was devil, then she's a saint....it's in her eyes...they can flash from one emotion to the other, lightning dancing in a thunderstorm. And the utter sincerity of what you can see...a few moment ago, it was fire,
and now..I can't resist the pleading in them.[/P]
I sat back down.[/P]
She reached down the table, and drew a pack of cards. She began to lay them out on the table, face down.[/P]
"You want to play Tragic?"[/P]
Uh, oh...she closed her eyes shut tightly, and I could almost hear her teeth grind together. She took deep calming breaths, and her fingers flexed now and then, in an effort to stop her hands from reaching out to throtthle.[/P]
"How DARE YOU INSULT THE TOOLS OF MY CRAFT!!!", she yelled at earspitting volume. "This....is not the plaything you call Tragic.. But you death will be _most_ tragic if you don't KEEP YOUR BIG, STUPID MOUTH SHUT!!!"[/P]
I shut up. What else could I do?[/P]
I saw the incredibly complex and sinous design on the back of the cards, repetitive and too ornate, even for Tragic decks. Two snakes entwined at the center of each, amazingly detailed. The minute raibow scales of the snakes seemed to glisten, and the fangs glinted with...[/P]
Hell?![/P]
I swear...I thought I saw one of those snakes....[i]wink[/i] at me.[/P]
Fate finished laying down the cards. She droped the rest of the deck below the table, shut her eyes, amumbled a
quick invocation ."Arta guide my sight...", or somesuch.[/P]
She took a deep breath, and turned the cards over. I could see surprise, etch itself on her face.[/P]
I looked down at the cards, and marveled at the wonderful worksmanship of whoever made it. I knew...it was handpainted.
Don't ask me how, I just did. Anyway, it was of a man, a knight, wearing a suit of shining armor, and he carried what looked to be a big hammer. The sun....it glinted off the magnificicent coat of arms.[/P]
The second card was better than the first, it was of a woman, sitting on the crowns of a tall tree, staring off into a brilliant sunset. Her hair was gold, and the breeze seemed to make it flow.[/P]
The third card, was of an immense black tower, impassive and menacing. Shards of blue lightning flashed behind it.[/P]
The fourth card was a golden key, ornately carved, and a magnificent blood ruby was set into its head.[/P]
And the fifth...was a specte of Death. Tall and lcoaked in darkness a ginning skull peeking out from under a
nighten hood, eyeless sockets staring with emotionless daggers, and a hand of bone, grasping firmly a sharp, gleaming
scythe. [/P]
Fate gasped. She looked at all the cards again, and drew a sixth...[/P]
It was of a great immense eye, iris of deepest blue, floating high above the earth, with holy fire surrounding it, casting everything in a bright shadow. Right below it was a silver city, and men can be seen leaving it, carrying swords, spears, and hatchets, their faces grim, and war on their expressions.[/P]
Fate sagged. She clamped her hand down the table and stared deep into my eyes, her gaze shifting from questioning to...blind hatred. [/P]
"Get out.", she said.[/P]
"What?"[/P]
"Get. The fuck. Out."[/P]
I grimaced in puzzlement. "Hey, what did I d-"[/P]
"No time to explain, lawman. Get out...before I throw you out", she added, her tone low, oozing with
fury.[/P]
"Look, lady..you just can't.."[/P]
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT!! NOWW!!!", she screamed, and waved her dainty fist in my face.[/P]
I jumped to my feet and was out the door in two seconds flat. I heards the door slam shut behind me, and I turned to look at the rusted building, looking much like all other buildings in this part of town. You'd never think that there was a loony hiding inside..[/P]
They let just about anyone into Harmony these days... [/P]
I sighed and drew out from my pocket a huffstick, that roll of paper filled with wads of dried xander root pulp.
I lit it with a the lighter I purloined from Ming's place, and inhaled a gust of sweet-cool sensations. [/P]
And no, this thing isn't addictive. It's like....cigarretes of old, only it doesn't kill. Looks like we're wiser than the old ones in some parts, eh?[/P]
I took another puff, and headed down the street, deeper into Downtown, into the absolutely lawless and dangerous and ugly face....... of Harmony.[/P]
Interlude:[/P]
Fate collapsed back into her chair, gasping for breath. How could she have lost control like that? She scared away the poor man, unknowing of what he really had done..or of what awaits his fate.[/P]
It was all coming back...[/P]
She looked again at the cards, and felt a stab of axiety grip her heart. She read again what it implied, and crossed herself. Of all places...of all people, why did it have to be her to find this out. Her Sisters...they had sent her here, in the hope that she wouldn't find anything, and face a good chance of recovering from her illness.
[/P]
But now..[/P]
Harmony..even the name was prophetic. She should have known.[/P]
She stole one more look at the cards. They are never wrong, but this once, blessed Arta, just this once, she prayed inwardly, let them not be true...[/P]
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[url]http://envy.nu/bpen/bp.gif[/url]
Hehe...a totally actionless chapter...pure charcter introducement. Muhahahaha...I'm keeping all the excitement compartmented off for now!
[P ALIGN=CENTER][b][FONT COLOR=#9900CC]JOIN[/b][FONT COLOR=#9900CC] THE[b][FONT COLOR=#9900CC]
[FONT COLOR=#660099]I[FONT COLOR=#9900CC]LL[FONT COLOR=#CC33FF]U[FONT COLOR=#CC66FF]MI[FONT COLOR=#CC00FF]N[FONT COLOR=#9900CC]AT[FONT COLOR=#660099]I[FONT COLOR=#CC33FF]![FONT COLOR=#9900CC] [/b][FONT COLOR=#9900CC]THE WASTELAND CALLS TO THE [i][FONT COLOR=#9900CC]WRI[FONT COLOR=#FF00CC]T[FONT COLOR=#CC33FF]ER[FONT COLOR=#9900CC] [/i][FONT COLOR=#9900CC]IN
YOU!
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