Seeing Guy Fawkes on the other side of the authorities is certainly interesting. Anxiously awaiting the next update...
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A new update - brilliant!
Once again, I couldn't help but see Babylon 5 references; this time, it was Lennier shining through Taguchi's face all the time.
I also liked you using Shakespear's father as the main Gunpowder Plotter. Makes me wonder what will all this lead to.
Once again, I couldn't help but see Babylon 5 references; this time, it was Lennier shining through Taguchi's face all the time.
I also liked you using Shakespear's father as the main Gunpowder Plotter. Makes me wonder what will all this lead to.
Anybody read Ruled Brittania, by Harry Turtledove, which is based on a Spanish victory when the Armada set sail?
That's a bit like might what come next, from what I've gathered.
That's a bit like might what come next, from what I've gathered.
Alright , getting settled in ! first day of class finished . still on my laptop but I should be able to get something done for an update tonight . Time to answer some of the comments I've been so far behind with !
Avernite: The keys ... well I have to have SOME secrets for Season II right ? XD
ColossusCrusher: A car chase would sound nice .
ChiefRagusa: haha , well i certainly don't condone terrorism but yes that was definitely a great twist that English Patriot conceived.
Grubnessul: Thanks !
ColossusCrusher: Haha no , you'll see .
LeonTrotsky: Yep ! Update coming tonight !
Legolas: haha I can totally see it now that you mentioned it ! Thanks again for your patronage glad to hear from you !
ColossusCrusher: i've heard about that book actually . And Shakespeare is supposed to be some kind of subversive satirist or something ?
Avernite: The keys ... well I have to have SOME secrets for Season II right ? XD
ColossusCrusher: A car chase would sound nice .
ChiefRagusa: haha , well i certainly don't condone terrorism but yes that was definitely a great twist that English Patriot conceived.
Grubnessul: Thanks !
ColossusCrusher: Haha no , you'll see .
LeonTrotsky: Yep ! Update coming tonight !
Legolas: haha I can totally see it now that you mentioned it ! Thanks again for your patronage glad to hear from you !
ColossusCrusher: i've heard about that book actually . And Shakespeare is supposed to be some kind of subversive satirist or something ?
canonized said:
Yep. Leads a revolt against the Spanish using a play about Boudicca (sp?). Not the most interesting book (it's recent Turtledove, which is a severe indictment in and of itself), though...
Excellent, I'll be looking forward to an update when I get back from work tomorrow!
I think he (Turtledove) was recently forced to tone down his novels, since if you read the WorldWar series, and the early novels in Timeline-191, they have quite graphic scenes...and not just violence.
Judas Maccabeus: Yeah; it didn't strike me as particularly interesting .
English Patriot: Glad for your patronage !
ColossusCrusher: Oh is that so ? Sounds kind of shady !
Alright folks , Season II OFFICIALLY BEGINS .
The next update is the PROLOGUE for Season II . I wanted to get that out there to kick it off and then i'll be adding the next chapter tomorrow . I hope this will stave off the hunger until the first chapter comes in ! This Prologue was actually longer than I had anticipated so it's going to get its own post.
English Patriot: Glad for your patronage !
ColossusCrusher: Oh is that so ? Sounds kind of shady !
Alright folks , Season II OFFICIALLY BEGINS .
The next update is the PROLOGUE for Season II . I wanted to get that out there to kick it off and then i'll be adding the next chapter tomorrow . I hope this will stave off the hunger until the first chapter comes in ! This Prologue was actually longer than I had anticipated so it's going to get its own post.
SEASON II
Prologue
The night air chilled the back of Taguchi’s long neck but his skin was already tensed in thought. Although it had already been a few hours after he had visited the library, the rush of adrenaline of getting caught somehow stayed with his long limbs into the cold evening. Less than half a mile from campus was his destination and the narrow yet lighted alley ways of that Japanese university city sang smoothly with the chirps of nocturnal insects to greet the contemplating traveler.
Taguchi was not one to particularly fret over school related worries. Someone who made grades like he did for the past four years hardly had anything to think about so late in the evening. With his Advanced Placement scores, he had been able to skip an entire year at his previous university and had already spent a good year in the USA as a graduate student. Helpful and charming; Taguchi had a lot of respectability attached to his name.
The jingle of keys meant that he was close. His apartment on the corner of one of the alleys was a special affair. Built in a Continental style, it sported such things as swinging instead of sliding doors and other idiosyncrasies of the Western portions of the world. Two stories high with an attic at the top, it had only lacked a basement due to the earthquakes of that region. Taguchi stepped on the old creaking wooden staircase that led up to the patio at the front. Two doors greeted him.
The older gentleman who lived on the first floor of the building went by the name of Gonsalvo-- he was a security guard at the university. It was the door on the left which lead to the second floor that Taguchi now brought his keys to bear.
As Taguchi placed the right key into the slot and gave a short sigh, a sharp voice cut into the ponderous moment: “Junno!” Taguchi turned quickly at the call of his given name. Taguchi’s roommate Pablo was a few years older than him and it showed most in his mannerisms and style. Although Taguchi was the taller one, Pablo had that boisterous attitude that exuded his liberally granted life experience.
“Senpai,” Taguchi replied calmly. Aside from being older, Pablo was also a graduate student of Theology at the university and a year higher than Taguchi. Such deference, therefore, came naturally to the younger one.
As Pablo ascended the wooden steps, his short curly hair and tanned skin was almost a menacing figure in the illumination of the single halogen light above. Although Taguchi was the taller one, it was only by perhaps a centimeter and what separated Taguchi’s handsomeness with that of his Western counterpart was an unfortunate scar that ran along the right side of Pablo’s lip creating an area where the skin had browned leaving a ghostly image of the knife that had put it there.
“You’re late getting home today; I thought all of your classes ended at five,” Pablo said in colloquial Japanese. Taguchi gave a faint grin in return as he opened the door for both of them.
“I had a run in with Dr. Ueda today at the library…” Taguchi began to explain as he ascended the stairway.
“The Physics Department chairman?” Pablo asked while closing the door behind them.
“Yeah,” Taguchi sighed out, “I was in the manuscript library store room today getting something and Dr. Ueda came in with one of his adjunct professors.”
Taguchi flipped the light switch to the living room of the apartment and found the nearest sofa to drop his large frame into with a huff while throwing his backpack towards the other side of the orange couch. The room that was suddenly illuminated displayed an interesting mixture of old furniture and new amenities. Although Pablo’s and Taguchi’s various plasma screens; computers; and sound systems were neatly adorning niches in the room, the furniture betrayed a Great War ambiance. The green and orange sofas and dark wood chairs at the dinner table-- all were leftovers from the previous owners.
Neither Pablo nor Taguchi complained much about this. In fact, they had much to be thankful for. Despite having the old furniture, it was a two bedroom floor with its own kitchen, bathroom, and living room. It had been completely furnished with beds, tables, sofas, air conditioners, microwaves, refrigerator, stove, lamps, fans, new paint; everything that was needed to live. Even the pots, pans, spoons and forks were waiting for them in the drawers when they had arrived to inspect the place. The best part was that it only cost a fraction than it should have. The reason why did not really bother either.
“Aren’t students not allowed to borrow from the manuscript room?” Pablo asked as he swung his backpack around one of the wooden chairs near the dining area of the main room.
“The student volunteer at the library let me in because I told him I needed the book for Dr. Poltok but we got caught.”
Pablo couldn’t help but crack a teasing smile. It was an expression Taguchi looked away from; perhaps it was the way Pablo’s eyes became dreadful when he smiled-- as if it was not too surprising that one of his high school friends had attempted to fillet his face. It was also partly because the discovery had nearly given Taguchi a heart attack. “I left my stupid phone on ring when I went in there--”
As if on cue, the familiar tone that had betrayed Taguchi just a few hours earlier now began to cascade from his pocket. Pablo almost instinctively looked away to allow the other to answer the phone without interruption. Fumbling with his jean pocket, Taguchi procured the machine and stared at the small display with no little astonishment. It was Hayato again. He had almost forgotten that it was a call from his cousin that had give him away to Dr. Ueda and had cost him an eternity of seemingly mindless interrogation.
“Excuse me,” Taguchi quickly said before rushing out of the room. It was not that Taguchi figured it was rude to talk in front of his room mate; in fact Pablo did exactly that all the time: talking with a girl here, a girl there. This was different, however… Hayato should know better, Taguchi thought as he rushed down the steps to the front porch. If anyone outside the few faculty trusted with the information knew that he was related to the Crown Prince, then it would defeat the entire purpose for his retreat-- his self imposed exile. His bid for a “normal” existence would be compromised.
Just as the anger seemed to boil over at the inconsiderate nature of his cousin both a few hours ago and now, his voicemail picked up the call. Taguchi took a moment to let out a frustrated sigh before turning once more into the house. Before stepping back inside he took a moment to gaze at the door which he had closed behind him. It was a new coat of paint and indeed the landlord tried to make the property as beautiful as possible. Taguchi knew very well that the cheap price and the furnishings needed to be well done at this particular house if it was to attract tenants. Taguchi, however, also knew the other reason so much paint needed to be applied.
“That was a quick call,” Pablo teased him upon his return. Taguchi, in his good nature, couldn’t help but smile awkwardly. He also immediately noticed that Pablo was inspecting the old tome that was in Taguchi’s backpack. “So Dr. Ueda let you take this out?”
“Sort of…” Taguchi answered slightly surprised by Pablo’s sudden interest. It was not the first time Pablo had decided to break the strict bounds of personal space that was so natural to Taguchi and his culture, but he had gotten used to Pablo’s Peninsular curiosity by now. “He spent an hour asking me questions about why I was there and making me wait until he called some of my advisors and all that…”
Pablo, however, was captivated by something other than Taguchi’s words. Upon opening the book he felt the inside of the front hard cover with some tenderness. Something seemed off about it as if the binding was uneven in a few places. “After a while,” Taguchi continued, “he just let me go and allowed me to take the book after the Library volunteer asked the History professors to intervene.
“What’s a physics professor doing in the History manuscript library anyway?” Pablo asked with a small insidious laugh while trailing his fingertips against the now evident bulge on the inside cover.
Taguchi was actually quite fond of his roommate-- Pablo had proven time and time again to be reliable and very tidy. Therefore, he always felt a small bit of shame whenever he would chafe against that older man’s laughter. Perhaps it was also the ambiance of this place that made such laughing disturbing. He took a moment to look past Pablo upon more of the new light teal paint in the living room. He could still see where the landlord needed to add another layer-- some of the residual blood stain needed to be covered. Before Taguchi could answer the question, however, his telephone began to ring once more.
---
“We can’t go back tonight; not when the History eggheads know we’ve already been there,” the one said with obvious annoyance.
“Don’t worry about it, Yamada,” the other said with a hushed voice. “We’ll have another chance soon.”
“Marcus will be very upset with us,” the one named Yamada said.
“Marcus has enough to worry about,” the other quickly cut. “Plus… we’re just a backup plan in case the Nuclear option doesn’t work.”
“I’d still feel a lot better if we can do something…”
“We are doing something, Yamada!” the other forcefully said. “We are men of science; we will be content with investigation for now…”
As the man finished his quiet instruction, he once again raised his binoculars to look at the only western style house in that block of the city from the stealthy safety of his car.
Chapter LX: Investigation (coming soon)
Ahh, why must the physics guys be evil?
It is the physics professor who is talking in that last part, right?
It is the physics professor who is talking in that last part, right?
Grubnessul: yep ! season II present will pick up where Season I left off .
Murmurandus: And around and around we go !
Avernite: yes, it's a good guess that it's Dr. Ueda in that car . Yamada would then be the name of his adjunct professor . As for him being 'evil' haha i'm sure it's just a coincidence that he happens to be a physics professor . After all , the timepiece has some interesting physical properties .
Murmurandus: And around and around we go !
Avernite: yes, it's a good guess that it's Dr. Ueda in that car . Yamada would then be the name of his adjunct professor . As for him being 'evil' haha i'm sure it's just a coincidence that he happens to be a physics professor . After all , the timepiece has some interesting physical properties .
I am beginning to shudder at your new apartment if the description is accurate for RL. A well written scene depicting not only your change of lifestyle, but so too the characters. Though I must admit, once again you have me utterly confused. Should it be any other way?
A well written scene depicting not only your change of lifestyle, but so too the characters. Though I must admit, once again you have me utterly confused. Should it be any other way? 
Blood on the walls?
Strange bulges in the lining of books?
Physics professors using reluctant heroes as pawns?
The season 2 prologue?
<raises hands in preparation for the plunge>
Let the ride begin!
TheExecuter
ColossusCrusher said:The nuclear option is always best.
ALWAYS.
<chewing gum, while talking aside>
Gee, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines, Stainsy.
TheExecuter
coz1: haha well thank you ! confusion is always good ! it'll open up a bit more as the chapters move into play .
TheExecutor: Do not try to leave the vehicle until it has come to a full and complete stop !
English Patriot: yes, the evil one will definitely be a constant nemesis !
ColossusCrusher: XD well let's hope it doesn't come to that !
TheExecutor: Doomsday device ? We already have two of those in the story =P XD
ColossusCrusher: never saw that movie , actually now that you mention it .
TheExecutor: Do not try to leave the vehicle until it has come to a full and complete stop !
English Patriot: yes, the evil one will definitely be a constant nemesis !
ColossusCrusher: XD well let's hope it doesn't come to that !
TheExecutor: Doomsday device ? We already have two of those in the story =P XD
ColossusCrusher: never saw that movie , actually now that you mention it .