Arrival
So I haven't posted in over a year, and I'm breaking the dry spell with a fic I wrote at least two or three years ago, lol. Ah, well.
Title: Arrival
Fandom: Earthbound/MOTHER2
Characters: Ness, Paula, Jeff
Genre: General
Rating: G
Warning: none
Summary: Just another encounter between Ness and his own fears.
All manner of dirt and dust and things Ness doesn't want to think about rain down from the ceiling of the cavern, sending up clouds to choke him; the soil spills everywhere, in his hair, his pockets, the corners of his eyes-Ness can even feel the grit between his teeth.
He is afraid, and his fear paralyzes and humiliates him. He drops a hand to his pocket, to wrap his fingers around the phone receiver, wishing the signal would reach through the layers of earth that now threaten to fall and crush them. Phones had always reminded Ness of his father and he holds this one in desperation as though it were his father's hand, but hard plastic doesn't yield the way that real flesh does and he surely is bruising his fingers by clenching so tight.
Through the haze, he can see Paula shielding her nose with a handkerchief, calm as ever. He attempts to follow suit, pulling his shirt up to hide his mouth but he can't manage the same even-headedness. It had been easier to shrug off the fear above ground, but composure is too much to ask, trapped beneath thick layers of soil and mineral and rotting human flesh. No longer just fantasy, he has seen the broken-jointed locomotion of the undead. And this is their territory. He tries to gulp the thoughts back down, but it is like trying to swallow his own tongue.
Ness thinks back on all the earthquake drills in class, but there are no tables ti hide under, not even a doorway, but he grabs Paula's arm because he has to protect her somehow. He attempts to shield her from the imminent collapse, but she pushes him off impatiently. Traces of metal begin to poke through the layer of earth above them, and then as it more fully emerges, some kind of outlandish machinery that sputters and sparks. Ness's stomach sinks. First zombies and now aliens? Black smoke billows from between the cracked outer panels of the machine. Ness tries to hold his breath to avoid inhaling the grainy clouds, but his lungs begin to ache and in the panic of the moment he gasps in some air. But in spite of his t-shirt acting as a filter, he can taste the bitterness of smoke and feels the burning sensation as the gas travels down his throat and into his lungs.
The intense hum of electricity is multiplied by the walls of the cavern, made a hundred times louder by its own echoes and a terrible vibration shakes them all. The machine slides further down into the cavern, slipping half a foot, then three. And though the smoke stings his eyes and burns his stomach, Ness can sense the foreboding of another bout of quakes. He throws himself onto Paula and this time she doesn't try to push him away, but just stares up wildly at the steel hull with bravery, or carelessness, or an ethereal ignorance of danger. Ness clenches his eyes shut, fists white-knuckled over his bat. The strange metal hulk erupts in a shower of sparks that first tickle then burn the back of Ness' neck and calves. The seams of the machine rip apart, steel groaning and shrieking, inhuman noise like the cries of monsters. Bolts and rivets shoot out, pelting Ness in the back as he continues to cough and retch from the acrid smoke.
The machine begins to slide down more rapidly and almost crushes the two children, but thick roots snag it, delaying it down just long enough for Ness and Paula to scramble on hands and knees away. It looks like a spaceship, but not, Ness thinks. It's the kind you only see in awful old science fiction movies with pig-faced aliens and plastic laser guns. But there is little time for more thought.
The machine gives one final metallic shriek before the roots finally snap and it collapses onto the cavern floor. The round glass panes-windows?-that ringed the body shatter from the fall, tiny shards spraying into the air, joining the dirt and dust and smoke.
When it seems as though the wreck has settled, a dark figure emerges from a hole gouged in the side of the ship. Ness spreads his arms out, trying to keep Paula behind him. But she rushes forward with a smile.
The dark figure brushes himself off, thick layers of ash and smoke dust pouring off him and swilling around him. Though still very much dirty, Ness can make out blonde hair. The figure then reaches up to his face and two bright blue eyes appear, ringed by pale skin that had been shielded from the dust by glasses. After hurriedly wiping the lenses with a cloth and replacing the glasses on the bridge of his nose, the boy, now recognizably human, smiles shyly and stretches out a hand.
Jeff had arrived.
----
A/N: Wrote this one a long time ago-just found it on my hard drive. It's still really rough, but hey, I don't really want to work on it anymore. The only major editing I did after finding it again was to change from past tense to present, to highlight to urgency of the scene.
Title: Arrival
Fandom: Earthbound/MOTHER2
Characters: Ness, Paula, Jeff
Genre: General
Rating: G
Warning: none
Summary: Just another encounter between Ness and his own fears.
All manner of dirt and dust and things Ness doesn't want to think about rain down from the ceiling of the cavern, sending up clouds to choke him; the soil spills everywhere, in his hair, his pockets, the corners of his eyes-Ness can even feel the grit between his teeth.
He is afraid, and his fear paralyzes and humiliates him. He drops a hand to his pocket, to wrap his fingers around the phone receiver, wishing the signal would reach through the layers of earth that now threaten to fall and crush them. Phones had always reminded Ness of his father and he holds this one in desperation as though it were his father's hand, but hard plastic doesn't yield the way that real flesh does and he surely is bruising his fingers by clenching so tight.
Through the haze, he can see Paula shielding her nose with a handkerchief, calm as ever. He attempts to follow suit, pulling his shirt up to hide his mouth but he can't manage the same even-headedness. It had been easier to shrug off the fear above ground, but composure is too much to ask, trapped beneath thick layers of soil and mineral and rotting human flesh. No longer just fantasy, he has seen the broken-jointed locomotion of the undead. And this is their territory. He tries to gulp the thoughts back down, but it is like trying to swallow his own tongue.
Ness thinks back on all the earthquake drills in class, but there are no tables ti hide under, not even a doorway, but he grabs Paula's arm because he has to protect her somehow. He attempts to shield her from the imminent collapse, but she pushes him off impatiently. Traces of metal begin to poke through the layer of earth above them, and then as it more fully emerges, some kind of outlandish machinery that sputters and sparks. Ness's stomach sinks. First zombies and now aliens? Black smoke billows from between the cracked outer panels of the machine. Ness tries to hold his breath to avoid inhaling the grainy clouds, but his lungs begin to ache and in the panic of the moment he gasps in some air. But in spite of his t-shirt acting as a filter, he can taste the bitterness of smoke and feels the burning sensation as the gas travels down his throat and into his lungs.
The intense hum of electricity is multiplied by the walls of the cavern, made a hundred times louder by its own echoes and a terrible vibration shakes them all. The machine slides further down into the cavern, slipping half a foot, then three. And though the smoke stings his eyes and burns his stomach, Ness can sense the foreboding of another bout of quakes. He throws himself onto Paula and this time she doesn't try to push him away, but just stares up wildly at the steel hull with bravery, or carelessness, or an ethereal ignorance of danger. Ness clenches his eyes shut, fists white-knuckled over his bat. The strange metal hulk erupts in a shower of sparks that first tickle then burn the back of Ness' neck and calves. The seams of the machine rip apart, steel groaning and shrieking, inhuman noise like the cries of monsters. Bolts and rivets shoot out, pelting Ness in the back as he continues to cough and retch from the acrid smoke.
The machine begins to slide down more rapidly and almost crushes the two children, but thick roots snag it, delaying it down just long enough for Ness and Paula to scramble on hands and knees away. It looks like a spaceship, but not, Ness thinks. It's the kind you only see in awful old science fiction movies with pig-faced aliens and plastic laser guns. But there is little time for more thought.
The machine gives one final metallic shriek before the roots finally snap and it collapses onto the cavern floor. The round glass panes-windows?-that ringed the body shatter from the fall, tiny shards spraying into the air, joining the dirt and dust and smoke.
When it seems as though the wreck has settled, a dark figure emerges from a hole gouged in the side of the ship. Ness spreads his arms out, trying to keep Paula behind him. But she rushes forward with a smile.
The dark figure brushes himself off, thick layers of ash and smoke dust pouring off him and swilling around him. Though still very much dirty, Ness can make out blonde hair. The figure then reaches up to his face and two bright blue eyes appear, ringed by pale skin that had been shielded from the dust by glasses. After hurriedly wiping the lenses with a cloth and replacing the glasses on the bridge of his nose, the boy, now recognizably human, smiles shyly and stretches out a hand.
Jeff had arrived.
----
A/N: Wrote this one a long time ago-just found it on my hard drive. It's still really rough, but hey, I don't really want to work on it anymore. The only major editing I did after finding it again was to change from past tense to present, to highlight to urgency of the scene.