The Tail of Two Techies
Prologue:
November 12, 2005
Our tail begins, I believe, as Thomas and myself work working up on the cat walks one afternoon. It was important that we'd hurry, so safety was thrown to the wind and fate to decide whether or no we'd be eating dinner that night. The illustrious Andy Shapasian was shouting commands threw a Telex about moving this light there and that light here. It seems, now that I look back... (forward?)... on this moment...
"Hey, morons! Unplug light 25!" Andy shouted.
"Did he turn it off?" I asked Thomas.
"Who cares, just do it."
Who cares? Such innocent times these were. Wasting our lives working for nothing so that a bunch of actors and their pompous director could take all the fame. <Sigh> Such is the life of a Techy. As I pulled the plug out, I noticed something was wrong. A blue arch of light jumped out and into my arms. Thomas reached for me and try and save me, but alas was caught in the net of 10,000 volts....
When I was finally able to tell up from down again, we were in a very different place.
"Nick, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore..." Thomas said, dryly. I chuckled the chuckle that means 'We are going to die soon.'
"Where do you think we are?" I asked calmly on the outside. Thomas was first to see the golden cross flying over a large castle in the middle of where ever we are. "Jeruselem!" I said, mouth gaping open. People began to gather around us, two boys who just popped out of no where. They stared wide-eyed and stupid. Some came up and tugged at our shirts, other pulled at our boots. The only thing that was for certain, was they didn't speak English... or much of it.
"Where's Richard when you need him?" Asked Thomas jokingly.
"England, I guess. Maybe we should try comunicating with them..."
"Do you speak Latin?"
"Veni, vidi, vici..." I said with a laugh. Not always an appropiate thing to say to people who believe you to be some avatar of God... or something. People lunged away from us, at least the ones who spoke Latin.
"German?" Thomas asked.
"Try it..."
"You're better at it."
"I can't feel my tongue..."
"Wo können wir essen finden?" Thomas said slowly. A single knight stepped out of the crowd, and for the sake of simplicity our conversation shall be in Enlgish.
"From where have you come? Your clothes are not of this region, and your speech is not of this world. You speak of a Richard, why do you mention him?"
"We come from... the... ehh... future... I think..." I said trying to rationalize what has happened to us... "We mean no harm to anyone here."
"The future? If not for your clothes and gear (with Thomas' head set in particular) I'd have a great doubt to that claim. Tell me then? Does our Empire here last until the end of days?"
"Not really... The muslims take it back, then it is give to the jews..." Thomas says.
"What?" he knight apporaches with his hand on his hilt.
"But," I said hastely, "We can help you change it... I think... but we need clothing and... um... look over there! Muslim invaders!"
I have never ran so fast in my life. Thomas and I ditched the headsets and boots. We hid in an alley as we tried to figure out what we were going to do.
"We need clothes," I said.
"And food," Thomas suggested.
"Yes, and food... and a place to stay."
"And food."
"Yes, I know that... food: check. We need jobs..."
"And food."
"Yes, food! Can't you think of anything else?"
"But I am hungry now!"
"How are we going to pay for food?" I asked.
"Chess?"
"No, I left the board with our time."
"No, chess!" Thomas pointed to a knight sitting at a chess board, alone.
"Knock yourself out, just let him play white. That way we can tell what rules he plays by." Thomas sat down and rubbed his hands together. This knight spoke some old form of English, so conversation was possible, if not difficult.
"If I win, I want money... and food... and clothes."
"And if I win?" The knight asked curiously.
"Um... we have nothing... but we will serve you." My eyes began to buldge, but I played along. The knight eyed us, nodded and began playing. He moved a pawn up, a single space, but it was enough for Thomas to start planning out the entire game. Slowly and steadily. Piece by piece. Thomas had widdled the knight's forces to the king and three pawns. The knight was in awe. Thoas took his grand old time taking each pawn before actually putting the knight in check mate.
The knight was stunned, and he sighed, "I have no money, or food... but I can give you clothing... my wife bought tons of it before running off, drunk, with a monk... sad fate. It should suffice for your needs." He showed us the chest and chest of clothing, we took our pick and carried them off to the barters where we sold it all, including the chests. Fed and clothed we walked around the city.... this curse was a blessing, for we were free to do as we pleased aside from the obvious crimes. Two techies, alone and abondoned in a time where techies weren't even imagined. Maybe we could use this to our advantage, maybe it would get us killed...
Only time will tell.
Nick:
Thomas:
Prologue:
November 12, 2005
Our tail begins, I believe, as Thomas and myself work working up on the cat walks one afternoon. It was important that we'd hurry, so safety was thrown to the wind and fate to decide whether or no we'd be eating dinner that night. The illustrious Andy Shapasian was shouting commands threw a Telex about moving this light there and that light here. It seems, now that I look back... (forward?)... on this moment...
"Hey, morons! Unplug light 25!" Andy shouted.
"Did he turn it off?" I asked Thomas.
"Who cares, just do it."
Who cares? Such innocent times these were. Wasting our lives working for nothing so that a bunch of actors and their pompous director could take all the fame. <Sigh> Such is the life of a Techy. As I pulled the plug out, I noticed something was wrong. A blue arch of light jumped out and into my arms. Thomas reached for me and try and save me, but alas was caught in the net of 10,000 volts....
When I was finally able to tell up from down again, we were in a very different place.
"Nick, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore..." Thomas said, dryly. I chuckled the chuckle that means 'We are going to die soon.'
"Where do you think we are?" I asked calmly on the outside. Thomas was first to see the golden cross flying over a large castle in the middle of where ever we are. "Jeruselem!" I said, mouth gaping open. People began to gather around us, two boys who just popped out of no where. They stared wide-eyed and stupid. Some came up and tugged at our shirts, other pulled at our boots. The only thing that was for certain, was they didn't speak English... or much of it.
"Where's Richard when you need him?" Asked Thomas jokingly.
"England, I guess. Maybe we should try comunicating with them..."
"Do you speak Latin?"
"Veni, vidi, vici..." I said with a laugh. Not always an appropiate thing to say to people who believe you to be some avatar of God... or something. People lunged away from us, at least the ones who spoke Latin.
"German?" Thomas asked.
"Try it..."
"You're better at it."
"I can't feel my tongue..."
"Wo können wir essen finden?" Thomas said slowly. A single knight stepped out of the crowd, and for the sake of simplicity our conversation shall be in Enlgish.
"From where have you come? Your clothes are not of this region, and your speech is not of this world. You speak of a Richard, why do you mention him?"
"We come from... the... ehh... future... I think..." I said trying to rationalize what has happened to us... "We mean no harm to anyone here."
"The future? If not for your clothes and gear (with Thomas' head set in particular) I'd have a great doubt to that claim. Tell me then? Does our Empire here last until the end of days?"
"Not really... The muslims take it back, then it is give to the jews..." Thomas says.
"What?" he knight apporaches with his hand on his hilt.
"But," I said hastely, "We can help you change it... I think... but we need clothing and... um... look over there! Muslim invaders!"
I have never ran so fast in my life. Thomas and I ditched the headsets and boots. We hid in an alley as we tried to figure out what we were going to do.
"We need clothes," I said.
"And food," Thomas suggested.
"Yes, and food... and a place to stay."
"And food."
"Yes, I know that... food: check. We need jobs..."
"And food."
"Yes, food! Can't you think of anything else?"
"But I am hungry now!"
"How are we going to pay for food?" I asked.
"Chess?"
"No, I left the board with our time."
"No, chess!" Thomas pointed to a knight sitting at a chess board, alone.
"Knock yourself out, just let him play white. That way we can tell what rules he plays by." Thomas sat down and rubbed his hands together. This knight spoke some old form of English, so conversation was possible, if not difficult.
"If I win, I want money... and food... and clothes."
"And if I win?" The knight asked curiously.
"Um... we have nothing... but we will serve you." My eyes began to buldge, but I played along. The knight eyed us, nodded and began playing. He moved a pawn up, a single space, but it was enough for Thomas to start planning out the entire game. Slowly and steadily. Piece by piece. Thomas had widdled the knight's forces to the king and three pawns. The knight was in awe. Thoas took his grand old time taking each pawn before actually putting the knight in check mate.
The knight was stunned, and he sighed, "I have no money, or food... but I can give you clothing... my wife bought tons of it before running off, drunk, with a monk... sad fate. It should suffice for your needs." He showed us the chest and chest of clothing, we took our pick and carried them off to the barters where we sold it all, including the chests. Fed and clothed we walked around the city.... this curse was a blessing, for we were free to do as we pleased aside from the obvious crimes. Two techies, alone and abondoned in a time where techies weren't even imagined. Maybe we could use this to our advantage, maybe it would get us killed...
Only time will tell.
Nick:
Thomas:
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This looks great. I wonder what course are you gonna take. 
