Yeah, still at it. And here’s a little snippet from today for your reading pleasure:
The rumble from the Gizmo guise grew louder. It doubled in size. The loose pieces of cloud from the Liam shape floated toward it and melded with the larger form. It expanded, and she could feel the rumble pressing against her. Sonics. Melanie experimented with a small, clear tone. Gizmo paused, then continued to grow. Tone is good. But can I project enough?
Alone, maybe not. Marty and Cat to help? But Marty and Cat were busy with the Liam guise. If she called them and Ness back, they’d be fighting both.
Black cloud stung as it brushed against her hand. <What we did in Charleston. Those codes.> Sarah’s subvocal voice was distant. <Plus that tone.>
<You recorded those codes, didn’t you?> But she couldn’t scold Sarah now, not when they would be useful.
<Not full codes. You still need to say them. And fast!>
If it worked, she wasn’t going to argue.
The Gizmo guise moved toward the hologlobe wall. What the? Melanie only had a brief moment to wonder before the guise blasted through the side of the hologlobe, shattering its integrity as if the barrier didn’t exist. As the globe broke open, Bess started screaming.
<NOW!> Sarah shrieked, her black cloud breaking into shards as Gizmo bore down on Brenda and Bess.
Body! Somehow she managed to jump back into her body without getting disoriented despite the scattering effect of the broken hologlobe. She couldn’t take time to check on the others, she had to protect Bess. Melanie drew in a deep, sobbing breath and projected a strong, full high A note. The extra fullness from having physical support gave the tone a deeper richness.
Sarah’s black cloud reformed, emitting a tone a half-step higher. The Gizmo guise began to shimmer and fade. But it continued to advance, even as Brenda rose and started to back away from it, raising a blaster. Diana joined her, shakily raising a blaster as well.
“Mom, Brenda don’t shoot!” Melanie screamed. “It won’t work!” She raced to Brenda’s side, grabbing at the frontpack. “Give her to me! I’ve got to protect her!”
The Gizmo shape bore down on them. Marty, back in body, turned from Liam and dove toward Gizmo. Jagged green light flashed out from Gizmo, zapping Marty in the chest and slamming him back a few feet.
“Stay back from it! All of you!” Somehow she and her mother and Brenda managed to wrestle the frontpack onto Melanie’s chest as Bess’s screams escalated into full-voiced baby hysteria. God, she hoped Marty was all right. “Sarah, god damn it, what the fuck is this now?”
<Codes and tones! We’ve got to use codes and tones!>
Red and black dove toward Marty. Ness cried out and stooped yet again, fiercely driving it back. Cat knelt by Marty, fumbling with the trap door chip.
No. Cat had to do this. Gizmo. She had to get Gizmo out of the way. Then she could help Marty and Cat. Melanie shook from the sonics emitting from Gizmo. She sounded the high A note again, her voice quavering from the Gizmo vibrations. Sarah’s black cloud formed around Melanie’s right hand. Melanie lifted the hand high, letting the Sarah shape guide her movement. Bess’s cries changed, resonating with Melanie’s high A.
Gizmo moved away from Melanie as Bess’s cries steadied into a constant high A.
<Sing the codes,> Sarah directed.
<Let me blink them up.> As the codes streamed across her visual overlays, Melanie articulated each one. The Gizmo shape shrank as she chanted the codes in a high A monotone, fading into nothingness, its tremors the last thing to leave. Melanie sank to her knees as her body stopped shaking. God. I’m exhausted.
