NANOWRIMO 2013 Day 3 - Other-Space Chapter 2 pt 2

Today's Word count: 1671
Total Word count: 5171

Nanowrimo 2013 Day 3

Other-Space Chapter 2 (part 2)

Okay, now we get to the event that kicks off the plot.  And here I realised something, I don't think I'm very good at writing action moments.  Oh dear.

            The Listener was a revered figure in Other-Space.  Nobody knew where she’d come from, and nobody really cared.  She just existed to listen.  Many would come with her to talk about their problems.  They weren’t always asking for advice or guidance they just needed to voice their troubles.  The Listener could hear anything and everything across Other-Space if she chose to, she probably knew what those that came to see her wanted to talk about before they arrived but she never said so.  She could even hear when something was approaching Other-Space from outside.  The bigger it was the sooner she’d hear it.  A few times in the past attempted invasions had been thwarted thanks to the Listener’s warning of the oncoming attack.

            “Well… I’m not sure where to begin,” Jade said.

            “Take your time,” the Listener replied, she still had that same smile.

            Jade took a deep breath, “Ok… well, it’s about a friend of mine.  I’ve known her for a few years now, but recently…” she trailed off.

            “Yes, recently?” the Listener said, gently urging her to continue.

            Jade took another breath.  “Recently I’ve… I’ve found myself just zoning out and staring at her, and when that happens I can’t think about anything else.”

            “I see.”  The Listener nodded.  “And what do you think this might mean.”

            “Well… I…,” Jade had trouble saying it.  She closed her eyes, swallowed and forced the words out.  “I think I might be in love with her.”

            The Listener nodded again.  “I thought that might be the answer.  So, why is this a problem?  Is it because she’s another female, like you?”

            “No, no that’s not it.  If I’m gay that’s fine, I’m just not sure if that’s the answer.  I’m wondering if I go both ways, or… or if it’s just her.”

            “I see.  Have you ever found yourself being attracted to anyone else, male or female?”

            Jade shook her head.  “No.  Nobody else, just her.”

            There was a lull in the conversation.  The Listener nodded again, Jade realised that she wanted her to continue, the Listener new there was more.

            “And… and what if… what if… well, when… if I tell her, what if she rejects.  Or… or if she gets freaked out or finds the idea… repulsive?”

            “Everyone has that problem, or most of it,” the Listener told her.  “Whether they’re dealing with the opposite gender or their own.  You’ll just have to take that chance, and even if she doesn’t feel the same way about you I’m sure she won’t ‘freak out’ as you put it.”

            Jade managed a small smile.  “Thanks,” she said quietly, even if she wasn’t completely convinced.

            “So, when you feel you’re ready, go and talk to her and tell her how you feel.”  The Listener reached out and gave Jade a pat on one of her shoulders.  “And maybe come back and let me know how it– wait!”  The Listener looked up; as though she was reacting to a sudden sound she’d just heard.

            Jade hadn’t heard anything, but she stood up.  “What is it?”

            “Something’s coming,” the Listener said.  “Something from outside.”  She stood up to.  “It’s hostile.  And it’s coming straight here.”

            The two of them looked at each other, Jade saw that the smile had gone from the Listener’s face.

            “Go!” The Listener said.

            Jade didn’t need to be told twice.  The curtains opened in front of her and she sprinted across the marble.  She slipped and fell flat on her face.  Jade carefully got to her feet and continued to head for the door, though moving more carefully this time.  She made it outside and sped up, rushing through the trains as fast as she could.  Then she stopped, up ahead she saw a figure land on the path.  She couldn’t see them clearly from here, but it looked like they were armed.  Jade hid behind a tree and peered round it to see what was happening.

            The guards stood ready to fight the newcomer, both had their spears lowered and pointed straight at them.  Jade head one of them speak, but she couldn’t make out the words from this distance.  Then the stranger raised their right arm and a blast of black energy burst forth from it, hitting one of the guards.  He dropped his spear and collapsed; he fell off the side of the path and hung there, slowly drifting away.  The other guard charged forwards but another blast struck him in the chest, and he fell to the ground.

            The figure strode through the pillars towards the temple.  As they drew closer Jade was able to see them clearly.  The looked artificial, like their whole body was made of plastic or metal.  Their body was a dark purple, and they had no face.  Instead of a hand their right arm ended in a large cylinder, Jade assumed this must be its weapon.  She ducked behind the tree as it walked past, she tried to be quite but she was breathing heavily after running out of the temple.  If it could hear her it ignored her.  As it walked past she wandered what she should do.

            She pulled herself together and ran towards the guards.  The first one to fall had drifted out of reach so she searched the one lying on the path after checking for signs of life, there were none.  She managed to find her gun and her knife.  She headed back towards the temple, gun in hand and the knife back on her belt.  She went in short spurts, stopping to hide behind a tree and making sure the attacker hadn’t seen her before carrying on.  The purple man had reached the doors, which remained closed.  He raised his right arm and fired, this time a burst of dark red light came from the weapon.  The blast shattered the doors into countless pieces and scattered them across the temple floor.

            Jade edged closer as it stepped over the ruined doors and into the temple.  She peered through the doorway; the attacker was now halfway across the room.  Jade hid behind the wall beside the doorway.  She glanced inside just in time to see the purple being tear aside the curtains to the Listener’s chamber.  The Listener was just standing there with her back to her attacker.  Then, as it stepped into the chamber, the Listener spun round and Jade saw that she was holding an ornate gold candlestick that had been sitting on the altar.  The Listener swung the candlestick into the side of the attacker’s head; Jade heard a clang of metal on metal echo around the temple.  The being just stood there, unaffected by the attack. 

            The Listener stepped back and dropped her weapon as the attacking raised its weapon.  Jade dived into the room and aimed her gun, she pulled the trigger just at the same moment that a bright blue light shot out of the purple things weapon and struck the Listener who collapsed onto the floor.  Jade saw her bullet strike the attacker, it punctured its back but the thing seemed unaffected.  It turned towards Jade and raised its weapon again.  Jade dived aside as another blast, black, came from the weapon.  It missed her and sailed through the open door.  Jade fired again, this time the bullet struck its weapon and she saw a few small fragments of metal fly off.

            Jade ran round the edge of the temple, the purple thing kept firing at her but the blasts just struck the stretches of wall she’d just passed, tearing the decorations to pieces.  Jade fired shot after shot as she ran, into its head, chest and its weapon.  Another black blast came, this time Jade realised that the thing had aimed for a spot she was heading for.  She stopped running and the shot struck the wall ahead of her.  She fired again, the bullet struck its head, and again, the head again, a third shot went into its chest.  She began advancing towards it slowly.  It fired another blast at her, she took a quick step to one side and it sailed right past her.  They both continued exchanging fire, Jade constantly moving, the purple being rooted to one single spot.

            Jade’s shots were now focussed squarely on the things head, cracks were forming around the bullet holes and shards of metal were falling away from it.  Jade realised its own attacks were become less frequent, but it was still going and Jade was running out of bullets.  It was now only a few feet from her, she fired her last shot and this time the bullet burst out of the back of the its head, sending metal flying.  The thing just stood there; if it had eyes it might’ve been staring at her.  Then its arm dropped, it fell forward onto its knees and finally it collapsed onto the floor.

            Jade just stood there, breathing heavily.  It took a few moments for what she’d just done to sink in.  Her gun fell to the floor with a clatter.  She’d only ever fired it in practice before, never at a living being.  At least she assumed that the purple thing was living, or had been before she put all the bullets her weapon had into it.  She slowly moved towards the Listener and examined her.  She was still alive, but unconscious.  Jade shook her, trying to wake her up.  That didn’t work.  Jade wasn’t sure what to do next.  She spotted a small shard of purple metal lying on the floor nearby; she picked it up and pocketed it.  Then an idea came to her.  She took off her backpack, which she’d almost forgotten she had, and took out her camera.  She began to photograph the attacker, and the damage it had done to the temple.  It wouldn’t be long before others arrived to find out what had happened, once she’d taken enough photographs Jade sat down beside the unconscious Listener and waited for them to arrive.