The next thing we knew we found ourselves driving in a tunnel with a canal to our left and another road on the other side of the canal. "What the..." John said.
"Keep the chatter down," Donny interrupted. "Cut speed by half, John, you take point, Steve and Wooley second row. Bobbie you take the middle and the rest of us will bring up the rear. Eddy current generators on."
"But this trike doesn't have an eddy current generator," Bobbie said.
"That's why I put you in the middle," Donny said, "Lemar, keep an eye out behind. Anybody know where we're at?"
"This looks like where the Tall Whites found us," Steve said.
"But the street lights are brighter," Wooley added.
"Well how did we get here?" Donny asked.
"I donno," Bobbie said, "but I'm glad there are no trucks around."
"Tug boat ahead," John warned.
"I don't think we need to worry about it," Steve said. "They're driven by robots and won't pay us any mind."
"Let's hope so," Donny said.
"So much for keeping the chatter down," I laughed. No one else seemed to think it funny.
We rode for over an hour seeing nothing but the occasional tug boat pushing a barge along the canal, no scenery, no rest stops, nothing but straight road as far as the eye could see. Finally, in the distance we saw what appeared to be a gate of sorts. It would be another half an hour of riding and a stop to refuel the bikes from the tank on the pick-up before we would finally arrive. "Bobbie," I said as we were refueling, "I want you in the truck, Lamar can ride one of the bikes and I'll take my chances on the trike."
"But why you?" Bobbie said, "why not one of the rest of us."
"Because I'm the one with the bad heart," I answered. "The rest of you still have your health and I want to try and keep it that way."
Bobbie stood there looking like she was in shock. Steve, Donny and Wooley looked at the ground. "Is that true?" Bobbie asked. "How long have you known?"
"About a month now," I answered.
"And them?" she asked. "How long have they known?"
"About the same," I said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
"I didn't want to burden you," I said.
"But you're almost like my grandpa," she cried. "How could you not tell me?"
"You're right," I said, "but right now's not the time. Right now we've got to go find out what's beyond that gate. You can be upset or mad with me later, okay."
"Okay," Bobbie said as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"Good," I said, "Now everyone mount up and get ready to crash that gate."
________
Back in Greensboro it was politics as usual. The grand experiment we call democracy was an object failure, graft and kickbacks were the rule. The Aliens were in charge of everything. Auction Greensboro had the entire city on the chopping block and a top of the fold front page story in the local paper of record had proven what we all knew would happen all along-- the Downtown Greensboro Interdimensionals were going to get away with all their crimes despite the fact that everything had played out in the local blogosphere and all the evidence was there for the world to see. Every rebuttal began with "He's a blogger with an agenda," but never once was the agenda made known. And yet that was good enough for investigators, police and the media who never even bothered to begin the investigations that might prove the bloggers right or wrong.
________
A few more minutes of riding and we found ourselves at the gate. A large contingent of Tall Whites stood on the other side in what appeared to be military uniforms, all heavily armed and facing our direction. We stood there a couple of minutes not saying a word when suddenly a huge black vehicle appeared in the distance behind us traveling faster than any of us had ever seen anything move on dry land before. "I hope they plan to open that gate," Lemar said, "and let us get out of the way."
"You've no need to fear," a Tall White spoke from behind the gate. It was the same Tall White that had spoken to us before. "That is our congress coming to meet you."
The gates opened, the solders stood aside and we rode into the city, the streets lined with Tall Whites and their children as if we were in a parade route. In a couple of minutes we found ourselves in front of what appeared to be a large coliseum like structure. "I always knew it," the Veggiecycle said.
"Knew what?" I asked.
"I always knew there had to be So Much More," he answered.
"Another poem?" I asked. "Now?"
"Through valleys low and mountains high
we traveled through it all.
It seemed we had been everywhere,
the greatest we'd seen fall..."
We parked our bikes and walked inside where hundreds if not thousands of Tall Whites lined the isles to show us the way. "We hope you find the accommodations comfortable," a Tall White said. "Be assured you and your machines are perfectly safe here and that we will keep you here no longer than is necessary to make the calculations and the necessary adjustments to our equipment to return you to your proper time and place."
"How did we get here," Bobbie asked.
"We witnessed the attempt on your lives," the Tall White explained. "We had planned to move you just far enough to allow your escape but the Grey Aliens started bombarding us and our equipment became unstable. We almost lost you altogether but at the last second were able to bring you to us."
"Well," I said, "I'm glad you did."
"So why is it your congress wants to meet with us?" Steve asked.
"Yeah," Wooley said, "They didn't come out to meet Steve and I when we were here before."
"That is because the two of you are not legend," the Tall White answered pointing at Bobbie. "But she is."
Bobbie didn't speak a word.
Continue to Aporkalypse Now
"Keep the chatter down," Donny interrupted. "Cut speed by half, John, you take point, Steve and Wooley second row. Bobbie you take the middle and the rest of us will bring up the rear. Eddy current generators on."
"But this trike doesn't have an eddy current generator," Bobbie said.
"That's why I put you in the middle," Donny said, "Lemar, keep an eye out behind. Anybody know where we're at?"
"This looks like where the Tall Whites found us," Steve said.
"But the street lights are brighter," Wooley added.
"Well how did we get here?" Donny asked.
"I donno," Bobbie said, "but I'm glad there are no trucks around."
"Tug boat ahead," John warned.
"I don't think we need to worry about it," Steve said. "They're driven by robots and won't pay us any mind."
"Let's hope so," Donny said.
"So much for keeping the chatter down," I laughed. No one else seemed to think it funny.
We rode for over an hour seeing nothing but the occasional tug boat pushing a barge along the canal, no scenery, no rest stops, nothing but straight road as far as the eye could see. Finally, in the distance we saw what appeared to be a gate of sorts. It would be another half an hour of riding and a stop to refuel the bikes from the tank on the pick-up before we would finally arrive. "Bobbie," I said as we were refueling, "I want you in the truck, Lamar can ride one of the bikes and I'll take my chances on the trike."
"But why you?" Bobbie said, "why not one of the rest of us."
"Because I'm the one with the bad heart," I answered. "The rest of you still have your health and I want to try and keep it that way."
Bobbie stood there looking like she was in shock. Steve, Donny and Wooley looked at the ground. "Is that true?" Bobbie asked. "How long have you known?"
"About a month now," I answered.
"And them?" she asked. "How long have they known?"
"About the same," I said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
"I didn't want to burden you," I said.
"But you're almost like my grandpa," she cried. "How could you not tell me?"
"You're right," I said, "but right now's not the time. Right now we've got to go find out what's beyond that gate. You can be upset or mad with me later, okay."
"Okay," Bobbie said as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"Good," I said, "Now everyone mount up and get ready to crash that gate."
________
Back in Greensboro it was politics as usual. The grand experiment we call democracy was an object failure, graft and kickbacks were the rule. The Aliens were in charge of everything. Auction Greensboro had the entire city on the chopping block and a top of the fold front page story in the local paper of record had proven what we all knew would happen all along-- the Downtown Greensboro Interdimensionals were going to get away with all their crimes despite the fact that everything had played out in the local blogosphere and all the evidence was there for the world to see. Every rebuttal began with "He's a blogger with an agenda," but never once was the agenda made known. And yet that was good enough for investigators, police and the media who never even bothered to begin the investigations that might prove the bloggers right or wrong.
________
A few more minutes of riding and we found ourselves at the gate. A large contingent of Tall Whites stood on the other side in what appeared to be military uniforms, all heavily armed and facing our direction. We stood there a couple of minutes not saying a word when suddenly a huge black vehicle appeared in the distance behind us traveling faster than any of us had ever seen anything move on dry land before. "I hope they plan to open that gate," Lemar said, "and let us get out of the way."
"You've no need to fear," a Tall White spoke from behind the gate. It was the same Tall White that had spoken to us before. "That is our congress coming to meet you."
The gates opened, the solders stood aside and we rode into the city, the streets lined with Tall Whites and their children as if we were in a parade route. In a couple of minutes we found ourselves in front of what appeared to be a large coliseum like structure. "I always knew it," the Veggiecycle said.
"Knew what?" I asked.
"I always knew there had to be So Much More," he answered.
"Another poem?" I asked. "Now?"
we traveled through it all.
It seemed we had been everywhere,
the greatest we'd seen fall..."
We parked our bikes and walked inside where hundreds if not thousands of Tall Whites lined the isles to show us the way. "We hope you find the accommodations comfortable," a Tall White said. "Be assured you and your machines are perfectly safe here and that we will keep you here no longer than is necessary to make the calculations and the necessary adjustments to our equipment to return you to your proper time and place."
"How did we get here," Bobbie asked.
"We witnessed the attempt on your lives," the Tall White explained. "We had planned to move you just far enough to allow your escape but the Grey Aliens started bombarding us and our equipment became unstable. We almost lost you altogether but at the last second were able to bring you to us."
"Well," I said, "I'm glad you did."
"So why is it your congress wants to meet with us?" Steve asked.
"Yeah," Wooley said, "They didn't come out to meet Steve and I when we were here before."
"That is because the two of you are not legend," the Tall White answered pointing at Bobbie. "But she is."
Bobbie didn't speak a word.
Continue to Aporkalypse Now
