Chaos

Back to the Ol' Waiting Room

As Ingar greets Dani, there is suddenly an explosion of earth shaking proportions!  The entire building rocks from the force of it.

Ingar somehow manages to stand calmly as the building shakes, though there is a brief "break-dance"-like bobbing of head and shoulders as the shockwave moves under his feet.

"Ingaaaaar!" replies Dani, starting off with a 'great to see you again!' inflection but ending up with more of an 'oh my God, it's the Apocalypse!' scream.

The lights go out, plunging the pair into complete and utter darkness.  Fumbling around in the dark with someone can be a lot of fun if you've just won 'spin the bottle.'  But this so isn't one of those times!

"What's happening?!" yells the freaked out teen, trying to steady herself by fishing frantically through the blackness for a wall, a railing, or Ingar's arm.

Ingar has never participated in any games of "spin the bottle" and the kind of groping around in the dark which he has been party to is best left unmentioned.  However, the composed freak reaches out and gently takes Dani's hand between his thumb, index and long finger.  "Relax Dani. Everything will be fine.  Breathe calmly."  Ingar himself is not breathing.

He then attempts to maneuver Dani with one hand and search the wall for some way to open the door with the other.  "We will be fine. Trust mh-" (after a sharp intake of breath) "trust me."

At this very moment, just as the echoes die away, the sprinkler system decides that now would be a good time to drench the waiting room in water.  The PA system also comes to life.  There is a soft chime.  "Frank Scott to the white courtesy telephone.  Reverend Frank Scott to the white courtesy telephone please."

Ingar leans over Dani to shield her from the worst of the downpour.  After a moment, the lights come back on, revealing that the waiting room looks pretty much like it did before - a featureless expanse of bone and chrome with no visible entrances or exits.  Both Ingar and Dani are, by now, soaking wet (despite Ingar's best interests on Dani's behalf.)

"Never a dull moment in this place, huh?" sputters the drenched teen, a nervous half-smile playing on her face.  She shivers slightly, perhaps cold, then throws Ingar a concerned look.  "You okay?"

Ingar remains hunched over, his clothes and hair hanging soggily. He smiles a tight-lipped smile and says "I am fine.  As I have indicated before, I cherish times of boredom - but as you say, this place does indeed provide a constant influx of varied impressions...  But look at you, girl, we have to get you somewhere dry and warm!  Besides, I have a bad feeling about this explosion, and I think we should try to get out as soon as possible..."

"You can say that again!" she replies.

 He starts feeling the wall for some kindo of opening mechanism, or, barring that, a cracks or indentations to give away the location of a door.

She immediately follows suit, pushing random sections of wall with her fingertips while singing a song she once heard in a Vietnam War movie.  "We got to get out of this place," sings Dani, "if it's the last thing we ever do..."

No cracks.  No indentations.  Ingar and Dani might just as well be on the inside of a very large egg.
 

And To The Edge

"Baggage claims," she says in a rather bored voice.

Also in the elevator is a thin young man of Asian decent (Korean?  Chinese?).  He appears to be young - in his early twenties - and is wearing baggy jeans, exercise shoes, and a hooded sweat shirt with the words "PROPERTY OF D'AUBAINNE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT" stenciled on the front.  He steps out of the elevator.

"Mr. Forn?  Ms. St. Claire?  I'm Yazoo Chen."  His voice is open and friendly, with just a hint of oriental accent.  He doesn't extend a hand for a handshake, but does raise one and give a little "half wave, half salute".

"I'm here to escort you out of the Terminal."

Never all that good at telling the difference between frying pans and fires, Danielle hurries to Yazoo's side.  "Yes, yes, help us out of here before another earthquake hits!  This place is a disaster area!"  She holds her arms out to her sides in an overwrought 'take-a-look-at-me-I'm-totally-drenched' gesture.

"Look at you, you're totally drenched!" says Yazoo with a charming smile.  He then grows somewhat more serious and turns to Ingar.  "Mr. Forn, I understand that you have signed a CPC form.  We will need to stop off in Arms Barrio to finish the registration process and make some sort of housing arrangements for you."

"That nice Mr. Goodness told me I would be staying with an elderly lady, a Mrs. Brinker, I believe.  It is so nice to have someone to help one get used to a place."

Chen frowns slightly.  "Ah...  um, well....  It was my understanding that you were to be transferred to a CPC safe house in Four Points."  He shrugs.  "Well, we can get all this cleared up down at the office I suppose."

"Though I am not familiar with your terminology nor the local dialects of the island, I am rather certain that Mr. Goodness stated that I would be staying with Mrs Brinker.  He told me so after I signed the Caseworker Proxy of Confidentiality form.  I even believe that he gave me the street address.  Oh well, I am sure it will all work itself out. On to baggagg claims then!"

Yazoo Chen shrugs eloquently.  He turns back to Dani.  "Ms. St. Claire it would be most convenient if you would come along, but I understand you must be anxious to get to Saint Dympha's, so we can detour to drop you there first if you would like."

"No rush," the Catholic teen replies, "I'm going to be living at Saint Dympha's for at least a year, so no matter how great it is I'm not exactly in a frenzy to get there.  Of course, I probably shouldn't keep them waiting too long."

"Well, at least you mustn't leave until I have the opportunity to buy you a refreshment, young lady," comments Ingar.

Dani turns her face up to favor the gentle giant with a cheery grin.  "Thanks, Ingar, I guess I mustn't!"

Ingar wobbles into the elevator ever mindful of inconveniencing somebody.  Chen views his progress with evident concern, but does not offer aid.  The Terminal Security guard in the elevator takes an involuntary step backwards and puts a hand on the barrel of the dangling submachinegun as Forn wedges himself into the elevator car.  Smiling, but with a rapid twich in the left cheek, baring teeth that seem to be a bit super-numerous (and yes, long and too pointed), Ingar continues: "And, yes, what was the cause of that rather forceful explosion a little time ago?"

"Explosion?" Dani echoes, fear creeping back into her voice as she slips into  the elevator.  "I thought it was just an earthquake!"

Chen motions for Dani to step into the elevator and then shrugs.  "Act of God," he says vaguely.

Ingar says, a bit miffed: "Sir, I find your use of this irrational term somewhat upsetting.  If you do not know the natural cause of the blast, then please say so in so many words."

"I do not know the natural cause of the blast," replies Chen, adding, "do you?"

"I sure don't -- but how do we know there's a natural cause?" asks a worried Dani.  "Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself!  Let's try a silent prayer to Saint Barbara.  She protects against explosions."  With that, Dani bows her head and prays.

Yazoo glances at Ingar and cocks one eyebrow eloquently, but says nothing.

The elevator doors open onto a scene of bustling activity - travelers going hither, thither, and yon with (or sometimes without) luggage in tow.

"Please follow me," Chen (after waiting respectfully while Dani offers her prayer to Saint Barbara) says amiably and begins ambling off into the crowd.  Chen leads Ingar and Dani out into the Terminal proper.

Ingar keeps his distance from Dani for some time, bothered by this "in-your-face" theism.

"Wait, does Saint Barbara protect against all explosions?  Or just explosions in Santa Barbara?" mutters a mixed-up Dani, once her prayer is complete.  The conundrum never resolves itself in her mind and she begins to rub her temples to stave off the tingly onset of a headache...

The next twenty minutes or so are a bizarre haze, as the three wander up ramps, down corridors, into and out of stairwells, through waiting rooms, past refreshment counters (at one of which Ingar picks up a mango lhassi for Dani), and around knots of lost, frustrated, or just exhausted travelers.  At no point do they pass anything even vaguely resembling a window - everything is just an endless series of bone-and-chrome corridors.  There appear to be no edges or angles in the entire Terminal, and all the corridors curve slightly in one direction or another, making it quite difficult to judge distances.  Dani, in particular, develops a splitting headache from trying to figure out where they are going (particularly when they pass signs saying "5th floor", go down two flights of stairs and an escalator, and arrive on the sixth floor), though Ingar walks placidly through the corridors with a big goofy grin on his face (the very fact that he can produce a goofy grin makes Dani even more queasy).

Ingar is humming "Memories" - in reverse...  Occationally he tries to emulate Dani's startlement and nausea, but with little success.  He is better at noxious odor execretiong than than at looking nauseated.  Mostly he simply looks like somebody gave him an giant (literally) dose of Prozac.

The mango lhassi, much appreciated at the time of its purchase, threatens to escape young Dani during the apex of her queasiness.  Twice during the journey, she has to make an abrupt sprint for a bathroom in which to vomit -- for better or worse, these are false alarms, 'dry heaves' that leave her somewhere between 'embarrassed' and 'wanting to die.'

"You do not seem quite well, Dani.  I believe I have some medicine that could settle your stomach in my luggage," rumbles Ingar with a concerned smile.

At times they seem to be surrounded by a literal sea of humanity.  At others they walk down empty corridors so quiet that even their breathing is audible (Ingar's of course, is somewhat more audible than anyone else's), and at still others the sound of pounding, whirring, or thrumming machinery can be clearly heard.  In this absolute silence it becomes audible that the spans between Ingar's inhalations and exahalations is
never quite the same; it is a bit like auditory "chinese water torture".

One of the first stops is luggage pick-up, where the two retrieve all their luggage (even cursory inspection will reveal that it has been thoroughly searched, and completely disheveled, by enthusiastic C&I employees.  Dani's lacey underwear seems to have received particularly loving attention).  Said luggage must then be hauled through the corridors as well.

This discovery does nothing positive for Dani's headache.  "What the hell?  How did--?  Who the holy fuh--aw, for crying out loud!" she sputters, retrieving a half-shredded bikini bottom that's been stretched completely out of shape (perhaps by a wide-bottomed C&I employee who decided to wear it?) and waving the ruined beach garment accusingly (if somewhat absurdly) at Yazoo Chen.  "What happened to all my stuff?"

"Whoever did this really needs help" sighs Ingar, looking down into his bags...  After pawing through it for a moment, he exclaims: "I can't believe it!  Somebody actually took my tummy medicine?  Whoever would want a small unlabeled plastic bag filled with white powder?"  He, too, turns towards Yahoo.  "I believe that you C&I personel have indeed shown rather excessive zeal - if-you-don't-mind me-saying-so - and especially by going over Dani's luggage to such an extent.  While I may be a somewhat startling character likely to arouse suspicion - due to inherent and regrettable though entirely human biases - Dani is the very image of youthful innocenc-" he catches a glimpse of Dani's said lacey underwear "-the very image of non-repressed, healthy and adventuresome youth.  Pardon me for saying so, but I will not look forwards with undivided pleasure to ironing my entire wardrobe - again...  Say, where are my bowties?  Oh well..."

Yazoo Chen simply scrunches up his face in a "Beats me" expression and waits silently for the two to sort out their clothing.

At last the trio emerge into what appears to be the main concourse of the Terminal.  Ticket counters from a dozen airlines can be seen scattered around, and there are numerous television screens showing arrival and departure times.  Even more important, they can see glass doors, through which actual sunlight is flowing!

"This way, please," Chen says.

Dani doesn't seem to hear him.  She keeps looking from the arrival and departure times, to Ingar, back to the times, etc.  Something about those television screens must appeal to her because even in her nauseated, headachey condition, she manages a weary smile.

Ingar casts a longing gaze back into the terminal corridors.  Reluctantly, he turn his back on the non-euclidan maze and forces his gaze to the terminal doors.  Speaking with excessive enthusiasm he says: "Oh, look the daylight!  Open air!  Lack of sunlight can lead to depression, you know!"  A small sigh escapes, despite his best efforts.
 
 

Animated Encounter and Perfect Pizza

Well, don't you look familiar!  Dani thinks to herself. Are you some cartoon I used to watch on Saturday mornings?  Betty Beetle?  Is that your name?  No?  Why can't I remember you?  Despite the confusion, the character is such a welcome site after this whole C&I ordeal, Dani can't help but smile at the wink and friendly wave.

She glances at Ingar to see if he saw it too, but he is still wandering around with that silly (and kinda nauseating) grin on his face.  When she looks back, the screen is back to displaying times and gate numbers.

Confused, Dani keeps looking back at the screens.  Did she imagine that high-heeled creature?  Did someone slip LSD into her lhassi?  What the heck is going on?!

Another screen comes to life momentarily, and the cartoon character is back.  Dani isn't really sure its a beetle - it seems to look vaguely like something she saw in a science book once, but its really hard to tell with cartoon characters anyway.  The figure smiles and waves, holding up a little cartoon sign.

"HI DANI!" the sign reads in big, friendly letters.

By the time that Dani recovers from the shock of being addressed by name by a cartoon character the screen is back to its normal, boring self.

Yazoo Chen heads for the doors, then stops, noticing that Dani is not following.  Instead she seems to be looking at one of the arrival/departure screens.  "Is something wrong Ms. St. Clair?" he asks.

Dani completely ignores Mr. Chen, fixated on the screen as she is.  Nausea apparently forgotten, she's now sporting a pretty damn giddy (or maybe just shellshocked?) grin that stretches from ear to ear.  "Well, hi there!" she exclaims, waving in a friendly sort of way at the screen.  She breaks from this psychotic (?) behavior only long enough to throw Ingar a quick expression of delighted amazement.  "This is so cool!"

Yazoo Chen frowns and looks up at the screen, which is dutifully displaying the arrival and departure times of various flights with a monotonous lack of coolness.  Chen then glances over at Ingar and arches one eyebrow in a silent question.

"Are you feeling all right Ms. St. Clair?" he asks, turning his attention once more in Dani's direction.

Dani frowns, reacting with obvious confusion to something she sees on the screen -- perhaps that "DELAYED" marker on the 4:15 flight to Cairo.  "Huh?"  She turns to face her travelling companions with a questioning look.  "Did--?" she begins, but the sentence just dies as she reads concern for (and probably criticism of) her sanity from both Ingar and Yazoo.

"Wow!  I... Heh!" she manages, unable to explain her behavior verbosely.

(NOTE: At this precise moment in time, several dimensions away, the infamous Triangle Gleamer Imperium suddenly implodes upon itself.  The ensuing cataclysm decisively proves 'Ghgghg'ffffhgg's Woeful Mango Hypothesis', namely that massive transdimensional energies can be channelled and released when a Terran female speaks a precise string of five monosyllabic palindromes.  Provided, of course, that said Terran female has recently consumed a mango lhassi.)

"Maybe we should jam," suggests a sheepish-looking Dani after a moment of confused head scratching.

"Jam?" queries Ingar.

"You know.  Get moving."  She walks in place to illustrate the point.  "I think I'm, like, majorly jetlagged and my eyes are playing tricks on me."  With a last glance at the arrival/departure screens, she hurries back to Ingar and Yazoo, her mood (all things considered) now quite chipper and spry.  "Say, are you guys hungry by any chance?  I could totally go for pizza..."

Yazoo's eyes widen and he waves his hands in a shooing motion.  "Don't say...!" he begins.

At that moment one of the Terminal doors opens, and a guy  trots into the Terminal carrying a very familiar looking square box, covered up in a thick, insulating cloth bag.  The words "Perfect Pizza" are stenciled on the top.  He glances at a piece of paper in his hand.

"Pizza for Dani St. Claire!" he yells over the hubbub of the Terminal.  "I got a pizza for Dani St. Claire!"

"I'm Dani St.Claire!" shrieks a delighted Dani St. Claire.

Yazoo Chen groans and rolls his eyes.  Greatly puzzled, Ingar looks intently at the pizza guy, Dani and Yazoo, and then begins scribbling furiously in a worn, leather-backed notebook.
 
Dani immediately starts fishing through her purse for some money to pay the delivery guy, hoping that a.) he accepts American currency and/or b.) one of her travelling companions feels like 'puttin' in for pizza' as the boys in her old neighborhood used to call it (which is very different from 'puttin' out for pizza', believe you me.)

"How do you think they knew I wanted a pizza?" she asks Ingar while the Perfect Pizza delivery guy dutifully makes his way through the crowd.

"Truly, I am confounded" replies Ingar.

"Here ya go," says the delivery man, reaching Dani and sliding the pizza out of its protective sheath.  "One extra large thin crust with artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, and goat cheese.  Your total is $24.87.  Cash, check or credit?"

"Wow, my favorite," grins Dani, enjoying the absurdity of the situation as long as it ends up with yummy pizza.  "Um, cash, I guess."  She counts out $30.00 from her rapidly dwindling 'fun money' and hands it over to the delivery man with everyone's favorite cry of "keep the change!"

Trying to juggle the pizza box and her worldly belongings (with very limited success), Dani turns back to Ingar and Yazoo and says, "Extra large?  I absolutely can't eat this all by myself!"  And judging by her trim figure, she can't, unless she's cursed with bulimia or tapeworms, blessed with a superhuman metabolism or somehow happens to possess an extradimensional pocket in her stomach.

"Wanna join me, guys?  Maybe there's a table outside somewhere?"

"I'd be delighted to join you" says Ingar, "but I feel that pizza is best enjoyed with some tasty beverage."  He starts looking about for somewhere to buy drinks.

"Me too!" grins Dani.  "Anything with caffeine!"
 
In the instant while Ingar and Yazoo are distracted by the arrival of the pizza, Dani happens to glance up at the monitors again in time to see the friendly cartoon character smile, wave, and do a little "Betty Boop" move (which admittedly looks a little weird coming from something that looks like a beetle).  She then holds up a sign which reads "Be sure to wear your seat belt, Dani!", waves, and disappears.

Profoundly ominous words to some, Dani just takes this as plain ol' good advice like the kind she received just a few years ago.  Advice for kids along the same lines as "Look both ways when you cross the street" (which she always did then and still always does), "Never take candy from strangers" (which these days she could be better at, being pretty damn trusting of people until they give her reason not to), and "Just Say No" (which really depends on what she's supposed to be saying no to.)  She resolves to buckle up for safety; who knows how people drive on this crazy island?

I can't imagine who set up the monitor screens to greet me but thanks!  That little beetle cutie is fun, friendly, adorable -- and helpful!  Yes, the whole situation is weird and maybe I should be praying for guidance but how can there be anything evil about a wonderful cartoon character like that? reflects Dani, despite what Sister Mary Abigail cautioned against in one of her infamous Divinity vs. Popular Culture lectures last year: 'Pokemon is Pokemonstrous; the Jigglypuff Jezebel Sings Satan's Sick Song!'

Yazoo Chen gazes mournfully at the pizza, but some relief shows on his face when he notices that Dani is paying for it herself.

"Thanks!" says the delivery man in response to Dani's offer.  With that he turns and begins threading his way through the crowd towards the door.

"Goat cheese does not agree with me," Yazoo replies in response to Dani's query.

Dani looks surprised.  "Really?  I can't get enough of the stuff."

Ingar intones: "Beware of the Goat w -" breaking of suddenly and closing his mouth so quickly that one can hear his teeth clicking together.

This draws a concerned look from Dani.  "Huh?  Beware what, Ingar?"

Chen gestures around, pointing out the rather obvious fact that there are not only no tables in the area, but there doesn't seem to be anyplace whatsoever for a weary traveler to sit on the entire ground floor.  "You are welcome to eat the pizza in the van Ms. St. Claire.  I am afraid that there is no readily available seating in the area."  Chen looks from Dani to Ingar and back again.

"Shall we go?" he asks, motioning towards the doors.

Ingar looks mournfully at the terminal maze, and then sighs.  "OK".

"Um... okay, fine with me," answers Dani, though it's fair to say she looks a little reluctant to leave the terminal, glancing back at the arrival/departure screens every now and again the way she is.  "Can we at least get some napkins or something?  I don't want to mess up your van."

"I believe," responds Yazoo," that you will find sufficient napkins in the small paper bag taped to the bottom of the box, along with some packets of parmesan cheese - if you like parmesan cheese - and hot pepper flakes - if you like hot pepper flakes."

And so there are (it wouldn't be perfect pizza if it wasn't perfect, now would it?)  Dani gives a happy little cry at finding the hot pepper flakes.  Perfect!

As the trio head for the exit, Chen pulls a small, hand-held radio from a pocket.  "Central, this is unit three.  Exiting Terminal."

"Unit three," responds the radio," exiting Terminal.  Transport en route."

"Roger Central, unit three out."  Chen shoves the radio back in his pocket.

"You seem to be putting quite a lot of effort into making this part of our journey as quick and efficient as possible." comments Ingar "This is, of course, commendable, but I find the various stages of Customs and Immigration to be somewhat dissimilar in efficiency and servicableness."

"So how many units are there?" asks a curious Dani.  "Oh, and do you think my caseworker's okay?  You know, after the explosion and everything?"
 
"Coming to think of it - what happened to the other immigrants?" adds Ingar.
 
Outside the Terminal is every bit as busy as the inside, with private vehicles, cabs, and jitneys roaring about to and from mysterious destinations.  The fact that the vast bulk of the Terminal hangs over their heads even as they exit makes Dani feel a bit nauseous once again, and strikes Ingar with a familiar pang of nostalgia.

After a moment, a sleek black van pulls up in front of the party.  All the windows are tinted so it is impossible to see the interior until Chen slides a side door open, revealing a plush and comfortable looking interior.  Up front in the driver's seat is a woman dressed in the uniform of the Al Amarjan Peace Force.

Chen says, "Hop in."

Ingar literally jumps in, throwing himself backwards, twisting and sliding sideways into the far seat (the perils of living without kneecaps).

"Who's the cop?" asks Dani, not hopping anywhere as yet.  A touch of anti-authoritarian concern seems to have trickled into her inner conflict between vertigo and pizzaphilia.

"She is the driver," replies Chen with a trace of irritation.  "Mr. Forn has some official business downtown, as you may recall.  Don't worry - I'll  ask her not to shoot you unless you do something naughty.  Now, if you would get in the van please, we are already a bit behind schedule."

"Shoot me?  I'm sure you can think of better ways to... uh... no, never mind," answers Dani, cutting off the thought and briefly crossing herself before cautiously entering the van.
 
 

To Be Continued...

Next Chapter - Family Outing