Time Of The Portal, Reflecting Dream

gekigarion · October 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">A lame story that I'm going to think up</div> Prologue--

I never did understand this life of us Kharaa. Before, all the Fat Ones would rebuke me should I ask for a Movement Chamber. Shortly after that, Defense became our choice. Nowadays, chuckling often was all the rage.

As one of the higher Biters, I have experienced much upon my birth. I pride myself in that through the fact that us Biters are spawned innumerably and shredded just as quickly within the presence of the dreaded Flying Metal, I remain.

I always followed my best friend, one of the Flyers, everywhere we went. We had wonderful times--ripping apart metal and flesh, yanking flying humans out of the air....

But then, one day, that all changed.

Chapter 1--Times of the dreams
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'> *chuckle*
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'> *chuckle**chuckle*
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'> *chuckle*
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tiny.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tiny.gif'> *chuckle**chuckle**chuckle**chuckle**chuckle**chuckle*

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> .... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tiny.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tiny.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'>

"Commander, commander...where hast thou gone?
Skulks run amok, hindered nevermore.
Onos tears base, having devoured Ron,
Webs astrew, my cries are sore.
where hast thou gone, o faithful commander?"

"If you would stop reading poetry, Monk, perhaps you would see the jetpack behind you! Quickly, quickly, move!"

"Er, sorry, sir!"

The soldier scrambled for the jetpack which magically attached to him when he ran over it. He kicked his feet on the ground, creating enough kinetic energy for the jetpack to start itself. The skulks chomped their teeth in dissaproval before rearing on their hind legs to begin Leaping.

"FLY, SOLDIER! FLY AS YOU NEVER HAVE BEF-ASKD:"AJSGOUIOEYIHDHSHF:UOEUKHG!!!!!!111one"

He didn't have to glance back to know the fate of his commander. Descending only for a brief moment, he snatched up a Heavy Machine Gun out of the handof his former comrade. Snatching four packs of ammo out of the barely-distinguishable armory, he zoomed over towards Pipeline. That was where Mark said he would head. Perhaps, just perhaps....

Arriving at Pipeline, he scanned around for any sign of Mark. He notice the hive had multiple wounds and was severely bleeding, but he could not find any sign of his supposedly suriving partner. He quickly emptied half a round of bullets into the hive, which in response made a final scream before vanishing in green goo. The soldier knew there was no purpose in remaining, so he quickly boosted to Cargo.

Within a matter of half a minute, he flew into the area. Hearing a scuttle, he quickly readied his gun. Suddenly, his concentration was cut short by a familiar sound:

"Follow me!" A figure whispered from behind a pillar. The soldier grinned. So perhaps they still had a chance. He promptly moved to Mark's position, and waited patiently for him to reload. As soon as that was done, they quickly laid waste to the hive with the help of Mark's shotgun.

Mark whirled around and began to head for the last remaining hive, Sub-Sector. The other soldier followed suit, realizing that his partner did not have a Jetpack.

"We're almost there...oh..." Mark gasped. The footsteps...the pitter-patter...they had been discovered. The chuckling ritual began, signaling the oncoming attack. The two marines readied themselves.

It wasn't long before the Kharaa emerged. Mark raised his shotgun and shoved his partner away.

"Run!" he screamed. "I'll hold them off; you have the Jetpack, you have to kill the hive!" The marine hesitated but quickly flew off. He did not bother to look back.

"At last," the survivor muttered. The final hive. He quickly emptied a clip into it. He began reloading when he heard the familiar pitter-patter and stomps of the Kharaa.

"No, please...no..." he muttered, smacking his gun back closed after reloading it. He quickly emptied his last clip into the hive, which gurgled with pain. It was clearly bleeding profusely. The Onos and his company of skulks arrived just then. The soldier winced and clicked his empty gun. He whipped out his pistol and emptied it into the hive. It still hung.

"Just a little more...just a little more-!" He took hold of his knife and faced the hive, as the Kharaa charged him...

gekigarion · October 2003

Chapter 2--Awakening

One slash. Two slashes. Three slashes. Just a few more...

I was close....so very close. Everything seemed bright, almost blinding, as a white light seemed to envelope me...

I never felt such peace. If I can kill the hive, I don't care if I die. Just kill the hive...

I can hear the voices of the commander...Mark...Ron....

"C'mon soldier! You can do it!"

"Yah buddy! Look at that!"

A tingling sensation on my leg...did a skulk just bite it off? I am unsure, and it doesn't really seem to matter...

Another tingle, in my chest. The Onos...it has gored me.

Seven slashes. Just a few more...

Another bite. I feel tired...so faint....so peaceful....

The soldier gave a last faint knife strike and collapsed. The hive was squirming in pain, but still hung...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"LOL!! That was great Monk! You almost took down all three hives! GG!!!1"

"Wha...what?" Monk looked around. Where was he? He had died to the Kharaa...

"Mark...a-am I...in heaven?" he stared dumbly in the room, noticing other marines and kharaa, as well, running amok.

"OMG n00b. This aint heaven, you dork. This is the readyroom. What rock did you come out of?" Mark inquired.

"Readyroom? What?"

Suddenly, a beep started sounding.

"Oops hey, that's the game start sound, let's go buddy!" Mark quickly ran off into a doorway that had floating letters "Marines" displayed on it.

"Huh? Wait...wait for me!" Monk sprinted over to the doorway and smashed against what seemed to be blankness.

"What the-? I saw Mark go right through here..." Just then, he wasn't sure why, but a thought entered his mind.

The voice in his head said, "There are already too many players on this team. Please choose the other team." He wasn't sure why, but he was drawn towards another doorway labeled "Aliens". He slowly entered, still unsure of his whereabouts....

nooby · October 2003

Good laugh thanks. I would like more, that was different.

gekigarion · October 2003

Chapter 3--Reflective Dream
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> "How'd I get to be so good?"
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> "How'd I get to be so good?"
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> "How'd I get to be so good?"
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> "How'd you get to be so good? Oh wait..."

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/siege.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='siege.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/turret.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='turret.gif'> ..... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'>

"Cruel world, cruel world...what has fate done?
Massive turret farms, no Onos to gore.
Marines siege hive, killing the Flying One.
Why has fate abandoned us?"

"OUR HIVE IS UNDER ATTACK!!!!" the Hive cried.

"Nag, nag, nag, is that all you do?" the Fat One replied in annoyance, amidst the explosions and hail of bullets.

"That's no way to speak to your mother!" The Hive squirmed a bit and gave the Fat One a slight jab. "Now defend me!"

The Fat One sighed a fatty sigh and waddled over towards the marine base. Estimating the feel in his stomache, he estimated he had gathered enough Nanites. He quickly flipped inside out and landed again as a lengthy mass of flesh burst out of his mouth and piled onto the floor, forming a Poking Thing with a red head of spikes and two arms that did nothing at all but get hit by bullets. Not surprisingly, it exploded in the blast of a familiar sound, and its spiky head rocketed into the Hive. The Hive groaned.

"THIS PLACE IS A MESS!" it whined.

"Hey, YOU'RE the one who suggested it!"

5 humans, clad in the feared Metal, marched right in. The Fat One could have sworn they were grinning like monkeys, but then spent the next moment pondering on what a monkey was.

One bold human stepped forward and began to empty bullets into the great Hive. "How'd I get to be so good?" he smirked.

"HOW'D HE GET TO BE SO GOOD?!?!?!" the Hive cried.

"SHUT UP!!!" the Fat One decided the Hive deserved to die anyways, and waddled off. He would build his <i>own</i> Hive, and he's make sure it wasn't as lame as this one. Who built that Hive anyways? He continued on as the cry of the remaining Hive echoed throughout the halls.

The Fat One could definitely feel his energy draining. At last, he found the perfect place to create a Hive. He waddled over as fast as his pudgy feet could take him. About to undergo the painful ordeal of spewing out a hive 20 times larger than him out of his body, he heard a click behind him and slowly cocked his head around.

A shotgun. A human. A smirk. "Well, there's something you don't see every day," the marine smirked.

"Crud...." the Fat One squeaked.

zooby · October 2003

ROFL

that was great/

nooby · October 2003

Roflmao, o dear, never again will I look at this game the same. Thanks.

gekigarion · October 2003

Chapter 4--Inversed Reality
The moment wasn't an exactly optimistic situation. The new Hive was only half done in its creation, and the Fat One, the remaining Kharaa, stood at judgement with a shotgun facing him.

The marines smirked and switched to his knife, jabbing the Fat One twice. The Fat One cried out and in doing so released acidic Spit out of its mouth, which promptly burned a whole through the marine's torso. The marine gurgled and collapsed.

The Fat One was shocked. He was alive? The Hive was almost complete? He chuckled slightly, then burst out into full laughter if that could be said to be done. "Long live meeee-"

He never felt the shotgun of a second marine tear through him.

----------------------------------------------------------

"GG GG GG" were the first things he heard being said as he woke up with a shock. GG? What the heck did that mean?

He stared at his surroundings. He noticed his fallen comrades and the marines running around in random circles. One fellow Kharaa was busy spraypainting a wall with porno pictures, although the Fat One did not quite understand how. The steady noise of beeping snapped him out of his gaze.

"timeleft" someone muttered and as if on cue all, both marines and Kharaa, scattered into two seperate doorways, leaving the Fat One puzzled.

As the Kharaa had an inborn knowledge of the marine dialect, it was simple to identify what the doors said: one had the words "Join Marines" floating mysteriously in the air, and the other had the same likeness, except with the words "Aliens" instead of marines. Also, the wall seemed to have the words ns_lost scribbled on them, which he could not decipher. He waddled over for a closer look, when he slipped and fell into the large pit nearby.

As he fell he noticed the word "Random" just before slamming into the ground.

gekigarion · November 2003

EDIT: Sorry! I accidntally clicked "send" before. Here's the complete chapter!

Chapter 5--Inversed Reality, Part 2
Perhaps a little groggy from his deep sleep, Monk was awaked by a loud gurgle. Flashing his eyes open, expecting to be in his cot, he was surprised to discover that he seemed imbedded in something soft and warm, seemingly oily; all in all a feeling he wasn't quite sure of whether he liked or not. Another gurgle and the "walls" around him began to compress and smash him horribly. He cried out in pain, although it came out as more of a squawk.

Suddenly, he was hurled out of the walls and landed roughly on the ground. He quickly whirled around in confusion to identify where he came from and from whence he came. The sight beside him caused him to emit a faint gasp, which sounded oddly more like a croak to him.

<i>A...hive?</i> Monk couldn't believe it. Had he just...come out of a hive? He looked down at his arms and screamed, which came out as a chuckle. Claws. He opened his mouth and closed it, and was jarred by the force he had when he bit. He knew what this was.

Another dog-like creature approached him, chuckling. Another skulk, just like him.

"Ah, that was a spectacular birth. No doubt you will become one of the Great Ones. You must be hungry, no?" the skulk chomped out.

The moment of its mention, Monk's stomache growled, and he became filled with a longing for food. He nodded, slowly.

"Wonderful! I am called Sharng. Let me introduce you to my friends first, and then we shall all dine together." the other skulk led him to two other skulks. One turned towards him with notice, but the other made not a single movement.

"Ah, so dear Mother has given us yet another Biter, Sharng?" Sharng's friend chomped out cheerily. He leaned towards Monk. "Ah, so by what are you called?" he inquiringly chomped out.

"My...my name is Monk..." Monk softly muttered, still confused.

"Ah, Monk? Ah, indeed, what a strange name. I am known as Fhadrn. Ah, quite empty my stomache cries; shall we go dine, then?" the skulk chomped out excitedly.

Monk stared at the third skulk, who had not budged an inch.

"Something happen to him?" He chompily asked.

"Joe? Ah, he's AFK," the other two chomped in reply. Monk stared at them in confusion. "Yah, we don't know what it means either, but they always start moving after a while. Anyhow, I'm hungry. Shall we eat?" Sharng smacked his teeth together in a hungry gesture. Monk hesitantly shook his head.

Traveling down an empty hallway, they passed a chamber with shield-like shapes around it; a Defense Chamber, or a Shielder, as the other two referred to it as. It pumped away at unfailing intervals. It was then, of course, that a marine happened to have his luck to pop his head around the corner.

gekigarion · November 2003

Chapter 6--Fresh and Ready to Go

The present marine froze for a moment at the sight of the three hungry Biters drooling their teeth out before him. Monk hesitated. How could he possibly attack one of his former comrades? He turned to his new companions and hesitated as well. Before, they were ferocious beasts that tore flesh apart. Now, they seemed to be well-mannered aliens with cheerful attitudes.

He didn't have to think long, because it was then that the Hive Mind sensed his reluctance and filled him with such bloodlust that he could think of nothing but his teeth...and the marine. He charged without hesitance, and the other two noted this and followed suit, please at their new comrade's boldness.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Fat One, who was no longer a Fat One upon his "death", had misstepped and fallen into the pit labeled "random." Thereafter he fell through what seemed to be an endless pit.

After falling for some time, he grew quite bored and took up an attempt to make music out of chuckling. He grew tired of that and took up air-jogging after a while to lose some weight. Then he took a nap.

"Great, just great. AFK," he heard someone mutter as he came to. He felt a sharp jab in his shoulder. "YO! WAKE UP MAN!!1" came the cry from above him.

"But mommy...I don't wanna jump rope..." he muttered and rolled over. He gave a slight start of surprise and rolled over again for good measure. Something didn't feel right about how he moved. Opening his eyes, he gave a scream that sounded horrifylingy like a human's. That's when he realised it: he WAS a human. A marine.

Quickly restoring himself to a more sociable, vertical position, he stared about. A marine base. What kind of joke was this? There was no way he could be a marine.

"Hey man, neva seen u on this server b4," the marine that woke him up cheerily stated. "NSPLAYER? That's definitely not ur name. Whats ur name?" the marine further inquired.

The former Fat One of course understood, but was for a loss at how he would reply.

"I...don't have a name..." he replied, unsure of how he had done so. Never had he the ability to speak the marine dialogue as a Kharaa, he simply did not have the required voice box.

"comon u can trust me =\" the marine said. While the newer marine contemplated how he was able to hear a "=\", the greeter snapped, "ok then, ill call u Monk....ey!! =] after my other friend Monk" the marine triumphantly stated. "My names Mark. Welcome to the Portal."

DeepShadows · November 2003

let us hope that this goes to awesome depths, of the marine and kharaa swap coming to know each other somehow, and breaking the bounderies of the game, coming to understand its reality, and escaping! MWAHAHAHAA or something.

Ending the battle forever amung themselves, and the universe uniting in peace.... or something..

what am I talking about. I need a sammich

gekigarion · November 2003

The Universe ending in peace? No no, we can't have that! I'LL nEVER geT TO PLAy nSSS AGAINNN!!!!

gekigarion · November 2003

Chapter 7 -- The Nameless Chapter

"Monkey" stared at Mark for a moment. "Monkey? What kind of name is that?" he inquired. He vaguely recalled a thought about monkeys back sometime before the marines killed that annoying Hive.

Mark shrugged. "Anyhow -- COMM! SHOTTY PLSE!" Mark shouted, and in a flash Monkey's LMG flipped out of his hand and was replaced with a shotgun. So that was how the marines seemed to get more powerful -- some demonic magic that popped powerful weapons into marines' hands.

Monkey wouldn't take this kind of treatment. He was a noble as a Kharaa, treated with respect and dignity. Here he was some lowly soldier. He raised his shotgun up towards Mark and fired thrice, chuckling as best as a marine could alien-chuckle.

The smoke cleared, and Mark just stared at him. "WTH wuz that? stop wasting bullets and load up!" he said. Monkey sighed in resignation and turned to the armory.

----------------------------------------------------

Monk saw a perfect opportunity within the marine. The foot looked injured; he would go for that first, and then the throat. He made a mad dash, unaware of his comrades' prescence, and felt a sharp, but dulled due to his rage, pain in his shoulder. The flashing light emitting from the marine's LMG was all the explanation he needed. Turning his attention back to the gun, he quickly dodged another flurry of bullets, and then dove in for the marine. The scene after that was delicious and horrifying.

"Ah, that was spectacular!" Fhadrn complimented after the battle. "I saw you dodge those bullets. You move just like them."

"Do you think he is The One?" Sharng pondered aloud. Fhadrn shrugged his little shoulders.

Monk gasped at the body of the marine. "What just happened?" he asked between breaths. The marine body promptly disappeared into thin air.

"You do not remember?" Sharng inquired. "You fought well. Your courage is commendable. We believe that you may be The One."

"The One-?" Fhadrn nodded, unaware of his new comrade's confusion.

NOTE: Sorry for the Matrix parody -- I couldn't resist <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Gwahir · November 2003

salright gekigarion, just remember, there is no comm, only the idea of a comm.

gekigarion · November 2003

There is no gekigarion -- I am just a program bent on taking over the....over the...over the....kkk error

Gwahir · November 2003

I see, and how does this story assist that plan?

gekigarion · November 2003

I don't know. Considering that my databank has crashed, i can't figure out what I'm trying to take over.

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'> Sorry guys but I'm too busy to write out a new chapter today.

DeepShadows · November 2003

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'>

gekigarion · November 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

Cheer up Shadows <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'> I didn't intend this to be a daily fanfic, but somehow it is.

What do you guys think? Should I just post a large chunk every so often, or just make short mini-chapters as I do now?

nooby · November 2003

Large chunks at once, that way you have more time to take over as we are reading, Mwuaahaahaha.

gekigarion · November 2003

Ok then, there you go. Now this will turn into a weekly thing <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

Sid · November 2003

Oh my god - these are great!! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

gekigarion · November 2003

Ok I'm a bit short-handed this week so I'm sorry but this will be short. Hopefully I can post more if I have more time.

Chapter 8 - Utter Weirdness

Geki: Huh? What happened to the chapter? Did I delete it or something? Argh, it's been two years....I can't remember.

gekigarion · November 2003

Chapter 9 - Antagonizing Conflicts

Monk stared at the red mess of...mass in front of him. The marine hadn't even put up a fight. In fact, the marine had been sitting, facing a corner, with his knife out...wittling away at the wall as if he had lost all hope. He raised his gaze towards the wall. The marine had been spraypainting a picture that had the words " i WAS he-" before his death. A slight sensation came over him...he was familiar with the feeling, but he didn't realise how it could feel again. Sadness. The sight gave him a vague sense of deja vu. <i>Mark...</i>

Fhadrn tilted his head slightly in a gesture of uncertainty. "Ah....how long are you going to stare at that?" he chomped out.

"What...? Oh, sorry." Monk shook the thought out of his mind and turned back to look at his companions. Sharng looked strangely bloated. "Wow, you sure look different," Monk commented with a chomp. Fhadrn burst out chuckling.

"Ah, can you not see? Sharng is GESTATING! He's no longer a skulk, Monk!" he chomped out in staccato breaths.

"I've gathered enough nanites..." Sharng quietly whispered from within the egg. Monk stared in confusion.

"Enough nanites...for what...?"

The reply was a messy explosion of green goo, and when Monk had spit out the disgusting goo (And he had thought that everything tasted good to Kharaa, too) he found not a skulk, not an egg, but a Fade before him. Sharng's recognizable scar on his left cheek was enough to answer his question. Monk stared in awe, revering this sight for the first time. Fhadrn Leaped with excitement.

"I, too, have attained enough nanites. Give me a moment as well," he chomped out cheerily. In an instant his belly expanded and then it seemed as if he popped inside-out, and was then covered by a pink, fleshy coating. It was just his luck, then, to have a marine step into the room with what appeared to be... a really big machine gun.

--------------

OK guys! It's not the end of the chapter! I promise I'll get back to it later! Ciao!

gekigarion · November 2003

I'm sorry guys; school's sure catching hard on me right now. I hate being a sophomore <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'> I want to go back to Middle School.

So I'll give you guys an opportunity for a while and let you take over my story -- just don't go too far off, k? If you don't want to add to it, that's fine, but it may be a while before I get back. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

nooby · November 2003

Take your time and post it when you can, we wait patiently.

gekigarion · December 2003

*bump* And I'm back again! I'll be sure to post a new chapter tomorrow. Look forward to it!

gekigarion · December 2003

Chapter 9 - Antagonizing Conflicts (Continued)
Monk growled angrily at the marine, but of course it came out as a chuckle, which he was getting quite annoyed with it being the only sound he could make. The marine gave a start; he was obviously startled at the strange layout before him: a Fade, a Skulk, and an egg.

Sharng gave a loud hiss and immediately charged the marine, which in response took aim with his Heavy Machine Gun and began to fire. Monk hesitated for the moment, looking back at the ex-marine who had previously been knifing the corner. He looked back again, and Sharng was being repelled slowly.

"I would believe assistance would be quite a polite deed," Sharng panted out. "Why are you not attacking?" Monk just stared at Sharng for a moment. Then he stared at the marine. And then at the body in the corner. Then he looked back at Sharng again. Sharng gave a howl of pain and took a step backwards.

"It's no good...I have to go heal up!" he said grimacingly (Yes, he didn't chomp it out). "You...you're on your own for now!" In the Blink of an eye, he vanished. Monk stared at the marine, paralyzed, confused.

The marine took one look at him, and then raised his gun. But he wasn't aiming for Monk. Monk gasped. <i>Of course!</i> He whirled around and stared at Fhadrn. He could swear that inside that egg, he could see his friend's eyes wide with fear.

----------------------------------------

The marine led Monkey down to the Quad Lift sector.

"You see, while this server's name is 'The Portal', it's actually not much of a coincidence." the marine stated matter-of-factly.

Monkey gave the marine a look of confusion as he had often seen humans do when he was running circles around them cloaked. Or was that a look of panic? Well, the marine's response would let him know.

"This server actually IS a portal. Where we are now is in the HL Dimension. You and I both came from the WAR Dimension, and this dimension, the HL Dimension, is actually an artificial one created by the True Dimension. The True Dimension is where humans with far ancient technology reside. Soon enough, they invented computers. When they had done that, they created the Digital Dimension. The Valve Dimension is simply one of the Digital Dimensions.

"Every time the humans created a program, a new Digital Dimension was created to represent it. Soon enough, they invented a program called Half-Life. From there they created for it a program so similar to the likeness of our world that it actually attracted our dimension. When two dimensions are too similar, they eventually combine into one. That is what is happening right now.

"The inhabitants of the True Dimension cannot enter the Digital Dimension directly, but they can create bodies for themselves within and control them from outside. Us, on the other hand, are the ones with the similar dimension, and therefore we do not create new bodies, we simply have our current ones dragged into the HL Dimension. The program that created the rift is actually a game, for those in the True Dimension. That is why some of the people here appear to act strange and twitch as if they've lost connection with themselves while others seem to be able to move freely and more responsively, as if they were actually here."

Monkey blinked a couple times.

"You mean to say that I've been pulled from my dimension into a game dimension?" he asked incredulously.

"That is exactly what I mean."

"Bah, nonsense. Why are you telling me this?

"Because I need your help. I'm going to permanently disable the 8 servers that currently are connected with our dimension. If I can do that, no more of our people will be transferred here."

"What??? That's the lamest idea I've ever heard! How do WE return?"

"That's simple. We don't."

----

Well, how was it? Was it disappointing? Confusing? Stupid? Lemme know <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

And your wish has been granted! It's a weekly update now!

zooby · December 2003

It's great.

MORE

nooby · December 2003

Keep going.

gekigarion · December 2003

Well, due to the holiday season, I'm putting this on hiatus (Again) for a short while until I'm done with my more season-oriented story, <i>A Christmas Kharol</i>. It'll be done before (or by) Christmas, so in the meantime, you can go ahead and read that.

Happy holidays everyone, and a merry Christmas to all! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

nooby · December 2003

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year one and all.

Time Of The Portal, Reflecting Dream

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