Phase Q/Philosophy

You sit in the garden.

A blade of light cuts through the broad sunlight.

From the rainbow knife, emerges a flower. And out of the flower, a sprite.

The elfish fairy talks to you.

“Hail.”

“Hiya,” you say.

“What ho?”

“I, uh, well, er, I was just sort of contemplating. Deliberating.”

“And what do you think?”

“Well. I, uh, I think that I should probably do something to get out here.”

“Why is that?”

“Because, well, it doesn’t feel particularly safe,” you say, looking around at the carnage beyond the garden wall.

“So what are you going to do?” asks the fairy.

“I’m not sure. I was thinking about signing up for the Ruffs. Maybe we can fight off the Zonnyxes long enough to set up a stable sort of home base?”

“Why do you say that questioningly? Do you believe it’s possible?”

“Well, I guess I don’t really think it’s that likely.”

“So what else could you do?”

“Well, the Zonnyxes do their patrols regularly. I could probably get picked up by one of them, maybe find out what they’re up to. Probably just get obliterated, though.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Hm.”

You sit pondering, as the fairy paints your face with inquisitive beams of light. You feel naked. And despondent.

A Ruff rocket from the battlefield skims your garden, taking out a shade tree.

“OK, I know what I’m going to do,” you say.

As if by that thought alone, the earth splits open in front of you.

The fairy watches. You can’t tell if the fairy is watching or controlling events.

Starting from the spot right in front of your swinging chair, the patio and the garden and the woods beyond tear apart. The faultline opens to reveal the inner gash of land bursting forth. Mud and rock and fluids burst forth.

You jump up to avoid taking a rock in the face, and find that you don’t fall back to the earth again.

A tunnel seems to form beneath where you were sitting. A rainbow of swirling colors blaze deep within the tube.

You stare down the tube in disbelief. Within, people from your past swim and dance. You see Natalya and Smitty and Tommi. You see the President and Mrs. President and the General. You see old schoolmates, and people from throughout your life.

In front of you, the Zonnyxes have spotted your tunnel. They divert their attention away from the Ruffs, and swoop in toward you.

After feeling a letting up in the onslaught, the Ruffs too notice your tunnel. They come crashing after the Zonnyxes.

Glowing lights blaze out of your eyes, destroying everything in their path. You take down one, two, three Zonnyxes. Millions more darken the skies behind them.

Whatever happened to the simple life?

“Natalya!” You scream.

“What do you want?” She answers with her normal voice.

“What’s down below? In the tunnel?”

A lightning bolt from the Zonnyx swarm cracks the hair, shocking your hair up.

“I can’t tell you,” she says.

The sprite disappears in a puff of light.

Phase Q: An interactive adventure.