Paradox Rules

ACT 2: PICK UP WHERE WE LEFT OFF

The baby blue sky stretches out in all directions, punctuated by small, fluffy clouds of cotton white, scattered amongst the sky like sprinkles on a cake. The platform on which you stand bounces with a slight eb and flow, drifting slowly through a see of open land. You lean forward, your feet crossing over from the edge of the platform to the side, before you quickly retract both legs and jump from the platform into the sky below. You let the space consume you for a moment, taking in the crisp wind and rush of adrenaline, before your wings fold put from your back, and you soar up into the air, the roar of the engines cutting long, thin streaks into the sky behind you. You close you eyes and let yourself fly, your rifle heavily dragging behind in your hand like an anchor, and you stop in the air, adding the flourish of a spin to your brake. Below, tiny black dots now scatter amongst the sky below. From this distance, it looks as if a hoard of tiny flies is converging from beneath you. You smile to yourself, and bring the rifle to bear.

For a few seconds, you hold the position, motionless as the clouds pass by just meters below. The dots join together, and become large spots. Then deep ink spots of differing shapes. Then finally, a great tornado of warm obsidion, pulsating with the image of hundreds of wings beating out of sync, rushing towards you in an uncoordinated charge. And still you hold. Seconds tick by, and you wait.

And you wait.

And it comes ever...

So....

Close.....

You yank the pin from the GRENADE in your hand, and watch it tumble in two peices towards the sky below, it's outline lost amongst the wreathing mass. Your wings go from a low hum to a deep roar as you rush forward. A great explosion rips through the sky behind you, and the horrid writhing calls out in pain, almost in unison. You turn on your axis and fire into the crowd, watching as every few shots strikes another target, shattering it's form and dropping a handful of purple crystals in it's wake. You dart from side to side as the mass starts to unravel, and every so often an imp tries it's best to lunge at you, only to collide with the empty space you once occupied, and be cut down with a well placed shot immediately afterwards. It's form shrinks, as imps disappear below the cloud line in an attempt to flee. Soon, the mass subsides into a collection of small and scared monsters, each making a mad dash for either you, or the relative safety of the clouds below. You smile again, loosing a few shots at any that try to make a mad dash for you, before lowering the rifle to your side again. You hover over the clouds for a moment, and take a well deserved deep breath. You look to the sky above, where the blue begins to fade out, just slightly, into the blackness of the space above. Out in the open sky, planets are visable, taking form in a myriad of dancing colours and lights, marking the sky like ink spots. And, written in blinding white clouds that curve around the planet, shifting with their own bouncing rythem, the sky is illuminated by the words, and the world, you've started to become familiar with.

LAND OF SKY AND STORMCLOUDS.

Your name is MATT BRIDGE, and it's been 2 weeks since the world ended.

You place your feet back on the platform you left, and your metallic wings fold and retract into their casing on your back. You propel yourself upwards with the main jets, and land with a heavy clank on your roof, now about ten stories from the floor. It took you a while to get used to how tall it became, as it sits as a controlling tower, easily standing out against the blue nothingness in all directions. Then again, standing out against ABSOLUTLY NOTHING ELSE has never been difficult.

Sitting on the new roof of your house, a huge machine makes it's presence amongst the otherwise open concrete, sitting just below the glowing GATE, the purple SPIROGRAPH that brought you here. Or rather, opened the planet up to you. Judging by the wording of AXEL's little monologues, you were already here as soon as you completed THE TASK, and the gates simply allowed you to explore further.