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An Ending?

Archivist note: This post is from an older recovered archive.


==Initial Post==

((Posted by Phineas Frakture on May 25, 2010))

As I settled in for the evening, opting for a glass of whiskey in order to relax more quickly – while out tonight, we saw what could only be described as a zombie shambling through the Academy. Not wanting a repeat of infection, everyone ran for cover and I made sure that my doors and windows were barricaded. Sitting idly and thinking of zombies, my mind wandered further back. I realized that it has been a full year since I arrived in New Babbage, thrust here by a chance lighting strike while engaging in my final journey using the Magnetronic Reality Tuner. Though never intending on staying in any alternate world that I visited, I somehow felt drawn to remain here, even when I had the chance to go home.

Current events also spurred this reverie: the return of Byron, he being the first to befriend me in this town. Something odd about him, though. He doesn’t seem quite the same as I recall. During our adventures last summer evading the Obolenskidonian goon squads, he had a much lighter heart than he does now. Much has happened since then, obviously. To both of us. That and the return and capture of the pirate Kuroe, it was hard not to notice the similarities in last year’s and recent events.

I have tried to keep myself occupied since arriving. Building the machines I had only planned in my previous life, returning to hone my past time of portraiture, and of course, the ongoing search for good coffee. There’s been no shortage of companionship here at least, either with the urchins following me around or with some of the ladies getting me into trouble.

That line of thought obviously led me to thinking of the latest dilemma. Lia had confided in me during the Robber Baron’s Ball that someone might be coming around asking questions about her or her father. The other night, while we were at the Gangplank, she also mentioned that some of her father’s books and papers have gone missing and that she has felt as if she is being watched. I’m not sure what to make of it, but I have a feeling that there may be yet another trip with her in the near future. Why she continues to rely on me when she clearly can’t stand me is vexing to say the least. She’s a good kid…woman…though when we’re together, its like putting alcohol on a fire…but in a good way. I’ve kept her at a distance. But for some reason, we keep coming together in the worst of times. People in town keep saying that we are crazy for each other. Maybe…just maybe…

And of course, speaking of trips, there is still the matter of my new employer, Her Royal Highness, herself. Ever since the visit from those recruiters of the agency called Torchwood, I have been cataloguing the events of New Babbage for their study. They seem particularly interested in the Time Lords that come and go around here. I feel that they are a pompous lot and cause more stir with their boxes landing everywhere than anything else. Why they think they are of importance is beyond me, but the Queen seems to think they are a threat for some reason. I haven’t broadened my scope beyond the city, but just today, I received an order from them to report to Cardiff with the utmost haste. I’ll probably be put into their field duty finally, though I’ve never been one for any cloak and dagger type work, but if it involves research investigation, I’d be more than content with that.

I wasn’t more than halfway through my whiskey when I began hearing a continuous slow ticking sound coming from somewhere in the back towards my lab. Thinking it was Philby trying to self repair again (I really should get on with fixing him), I got up and proceeded to my lab to see what was going on. Everything was as I left it, but I noticed an odd smell in the air. Philby was propped in the corner, motionless, which was odd in itself since he usually starts berating me as soon as I enter a room with him. The ticking was louder in here and I made my way around the workbench. Nestled in the corner, there was a barrel that I knew was not my own. The smell was also much stronger here as well.

My foot kicked something and as I looked down, the ticking stopped. A box the size of a loaf of bread, with two electrodes sticking out of the top lay on the floor. I squatted down to take a closer look. It appeared to be nondescript, but just as I reached for it, a spark began moving up between the electrodes. Another followed and then another, each growing stronger in intensity. My eyes went from the box to the barrel and I quickly stood up, abandoning the box where it lay.

“Aw, crap,” I muttered.

The explosion rose up in the night sky, illuminating the surrounding landscape. Though some miles outside the town, a few heads within the walls turned at the rumble of thunder and glow in the distance. The old mansion was splintered, parts of experiments were strewn around as if a child had just completed a tantrum. A few yards away from the front door, a pair of twisted melted goggles lay in the grass. Not far from those, landed an empty coffee cup sporting the Steelbuck’s logo, cracked and charred from its quick journey from the kitchen. As the fire burned throughout the night, nothing stirred but the cinders blowing across the lawn.

Typist’s note: As with several other fellow Babbagers, I have been out of work for seven months now. Until now. I started a new job today, but unfortunately, it is in the evenings, so my time will be limited on these shores. But, Phineas will be back and his adventures still chronicled. Besides, someone has to pull the women out of the sewers.

==Comments==

*Comment by Verlia Bilavio on May 25, 2010 at 12:13am
thinks she just might throw herself in the sewers when she hears the news

*Comment by Sky Netizen on May 25, 2010 at 12:36am
sees more smog and smoke than usual hanging in the air and wonders what else is amiss

((Congrats on the job! Best of luck!))

*Comment by Tepic Harlequin on May 25, 2010 at 4:07am
oh! lots of interesting bits just lying around waiting fer some likely lad to pick up an find some use for…

(congratulations on the new job, remember, New Babbagers are from all over the place, so there is always someone around at odd times when you can .. errr… stagger, gently smoking, through the City..)

*Comment by Queer Hermit on May 25, 2010 at 7:07am
Looks at the debris field and thinks the steam turtles will need a new handler for awhile. I wonder who sells coal in New Babbage…

(( Good luck and cheerful adventures with your new job. We wish you all the best with it! ))

*Comment by Bookworm Hienrichs on May 25, 2010 at 7:41am
Bookworm sighs and hangs up her rifle for the foreseeable future.

((Good luck with the new job, and I hope we’ll get to see you from time to time!))

*Comment by Sheryl Skytower on May 25, 2010 at 8:25am
((yay for you!))

*Comment by Cyan Icewolf (Cyan Rayna) on May 25, 2010 at 9:40am
((Congrats on the new job. I’m sure we’ll see you back again soon. :3))

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