Picking up from where I left off...
DRUNKARD'S STAGGER: BLUE SKIES, BLUE WATER
By Rob Kelk
Based on the "Drunkard's Walk" fanfic cycle, created by Bob Schroeck
and "Fushigi No Umi no Nadia", directed by Hideaki Anno
M. Sagnoir stood up and walked over to his odd vehicle. I quickly
followed him. "Excuse me, sir ...?"
"Jean, call me Doug, please."
I nodded. "What manner of vehicle is that? It looks like it could be a
motorized bicycle, but I've never seen a bicycle shaped like that
before."
"You got it in one, Jean; this *is* a motorcycle. It can do a few other
things, too." He opened one of the cases and withdrew a helmet, then
tossed it to me. "Put that on, get on, and we'll go take a look at the
captain's cabin."
"But, sir ... Doug," I quickly corrected myself, "there is no road-way
from here to there for your motor-cycle."
He smiled, then spoke in English. "" He seated himself on the motor-cycle, started its
engine, then toggled a switch, which caused the vehicle to lift slightly
into the air.
"Incredible! How does the motor-cycle fly, sir?"
Doug smiled. "Happy thoughts and pixie dust, Jean."
"That is *not* a scientific answer, sir. You may as well have said that
it's because the motor-cycle is coated with cavorite." *****
He stopped smiling. "I'm sorry, Jean. You really want to know, don't
you?" He went on after I nodded. "There's a device in here that
smooths out the gravitational depression created by the motorcycle,
reducing the attraction between the Earth and the cycle to as close to
zero as I can get it. That lets the vectored thrusters built into the
cycle lift it and me."
"I think I preferred the pixie dust explanation, Doug. At least I could
understand that."
"I guess I shouldn't have expected someone your age to be familiar with
Einstein's gravitational theories ... What is it, Jean?"
"Who is this M. Einstein?"
"Who is Einstein? Okay, I suppose I deserved that for my joke ..."
Doug stopped speaking as he looked at my face. "Jean, have you *really*
never heard of Albert Einstein?"
"No, sir."
He looked puzzled. "But ... that pod ... Jean, exactly what *is*
today's date, including the year?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Depending on when H.G. Wells came up with Cavorite, this might have to be changed...
Bob, should I continue this here, or move it to another forum?
(Edit: Now to re-watch the relevant episodes, so that I can answer Doug's question.)
-Rob Kelk
(Edit #2: H.G. Wells, not Sir Arthur Conan Doyle... )
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
DRUNKARD'S STAGGER: BLUE SKIES, BLUE WATER
By Rob Kelk
Based on the "Drunkard's Walk" fanfic cycle, created by Bob Schroeck
and "Fushigi No Umi no Nadia", directed by Hideaki Anno
M. Sagnoir stood up and walked over to his odd vehicle. I quickly
followed him. "Excuse me, sir ...?"
"Jean, call me Doug, please."
I nodded. "What manner of vehicle is that? It looks like it could be a
motorized bicycle, but I've never seen a bicycle shaped like that
before."
"You got it in one, Jean; this *is* a motorcycle. It can do a few other
things, too." He opened one of the cases and withdrew a helmet, then
tossed it to me. "Put that on, get on, and we'll go take a look at the
captain's cabin."
"But, sir ... Doug," I quickly corrected myself, "there is no road-way
from here to there for your motor-cycle."
He smiled, then spoke in English. "" He seated himself on the motor-cycle, started its
engine, then toggled a switch, which caused the vehicle to lift slightly
into the air.
"Incredible! How does the motor-cycle fly, sir?"
Doug smiled. "Happy thoughts and pixie dust, Jean."
"That is *not* a scientific answer, sir. You may as well have said that
it's because the motor-cycle is coated with cavorite." *****
He stopped smiling. "I'm sorry, Jean. You really want to know, don't
you?" He went on after I nodded. "There's a device in here that
smooths out the gravitational depression created by the motorcycle,
reducing the attraction between the Earth and the cycle to as close to
zero as I can get it. That lets the vectored thrusters built into the
cycle lift it and me."
"I think I preferred the pixie dust explanation, Doug. At least I could
understand that."
"I guess I shouldn't have expected someone your age to be familiar with
Einstein's gravitational theories ... What is it, Jean?"
"Who is this M. Einstein?"
"Who is Einstein? Okay, I suppose I deserved that for my joke ..."
Doug stopped speaking as he looked at my face. "Jean, have you *really*
never heard of Albert Einstein?"
"No, sir."
He looked puzzled. "But ... that pod ... Jean, exactly what *is*
today's date, including the year?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Depending on when H.G. Wells came up with Cavorite, this might have to be changed...
Bob, should I continue this here, or move it to another forum?
(Edit: Now to re-watch the relevant episodes, so that I can answer Doug's question.)
-Rob Kelk
(Edit #2: H.G. Wells, not Sir Arthur Conan Doyle... )
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012