02-03-2011, 10:48 PM
Jarka couldn’t help but smile. Everything was laid out according to plan. Her plan. Regardless of what strings were pulled around her, she could always count on control in this one tiny area of her life. Nobody could take away her cooking.
A cup of pastry flour was slowly sifted into a mixing bowl while the oven preheated to 420 degrees. The girl sliced a full stick of butter into a heavy saucepan heated to medium-high. As the shortening melted, a cup of water was added. The mixture reached a rolling boil and swiftly removed from the stove. She dumped the flour into the pan and vigorously stirred with a wooden spoon until no lumps remained.
Her skillet returned to the range, the heat lowered to medium. As she stirred, the sticky goop peeled from the sides to form a ball, which was plopped back into the original bowl to cool. The girl cracked three eggs into a second, smaller bowl. Two more eggs were fetched, but only the whites were permitted to join their brethren. The remaining yolks slid into cereal bowl for later use. Her whisk made swift work of the bisque until small peaks began to form. At this point, she gradually mixed the creamy ooze into the cooled heap of dough.
Three dozen dough balls covered two parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Ten minutes of cooking passed before the pans were rotated, bottom to top and top to bottom. Ten more minutes. She twisted the temperature knob to 375 degrees and waited another ten minutes. A toothpick pricked the lower hemisphere of each puff before the tray was returned to the oven once more; this time the heat was ceased and the door left ajar. After a final fifteen minutes, the pastries were removed and cooled on a wire rack.
Jarka returned to the stove. A new skillet housed half a cup of sugar, five tablespoons of flour, and just a pinch of salt. Two cups of milk were slowly mixed in before the range was turned to medium heat. The girl allowed the soup to boil for a minute before spilling a dash into the yolks she had previously set aside. After they were warmed, they were added to the skillet, stirred, and boiled. With a teaspoon of vanilla, the mixture was deposited into the refrigerator to chill.
As Jarka closed the refrigerator door, she was startled to see Sigfried standing on the opposite side. The boy had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie and and an earnest smile. “Hey, Jarky.”
“Hey.” The girl began cleaning the messy dishes she had created in an attempt to dissuade conversation. She may like Hati, she may tolerate Skoll, but Sigfried was a-whole-nother story. She was still cheered from cooking; her oh-so-courageous leader would just find a way to put her in a shitty mood. Better to just avoid him.
Sigfried either didn’t notice her standoffish attitude or chose to ignore it. “What’s up?”
“What do you care?” The irate cook dumped her tools into the sink with a punctuating clatter.
“Listen, I know this isn’t the best of circumstances, but work with me here.” His fingers idly rubbed his collarbone. “I’ve been busy. I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t care. You’re my friend.”
“Some friend you are.” She traipsed to the sofa to sit indignantly.
“Oh, would you get over yourself?” Sigfried stormed after the girl. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have misled you. Sorry, I can’t change the past. At least let me try to do better.”
Jarka eyed the boy before shrugging with resignation. “Fine. Whatever. Talk.”
He plopped onto the couch next to her. “How have you been?”
“Okay, considering the fact that I’m stuck here.” The girl fiddled with the hem of her skirt. “Hati’s been nice. So has Victoria. Skoll is Skoll.”
“What do you mean you’re stuck? You keep saying that. Why?”
“People have died because of what ECM has done. That means I’m involved. I’m responsible in some fucked up way.”
“So leave. I don’t want you staying if you don’t want to be here.”
“Sig, there’s clear evidence that I’m a part of this group; if it goes down, I go down. If we fail at whatever it is we’re trying to do, we’ll be seen as traitors. Criminals. Terrorists. We’ll be jailed! Or worse...” She fidgeted with her necklace. “Thing is, nobody ever jails a successful revolutionary. History’s written by the victors, yeah? If we win, I can keep my name clear.”
Chuckling, the boy reclined further into the couch. “Regardless, I’m glad you’re here. Even if the feeling’s not mutual.”
Jarka could have said a number of things at that moment. She decided silence was probably the best decision.
As the tension increased, the shapeshifter lifted his brow and pursed his lips. “Okay. Awkward. Well, whatcha think of our mission coming up? Fun, right?”
“Sigfried, what are we even doing?”
“We’re going to placate the Sentinels. We’d like an alliance. Get them to tolerate us, if not get them totally on our side. Hopefully, they’ll help us achieve our goal.”
“What even is the goal of ECM?”
The boy gaped at her for a moment. His mouth open and closed a few times as though he were attempting to speak without any actual words before he wiped his palm down his face. “Oh, shit. Seriously? Seriously. You don’t know.”
Jarka tossed her hands.
Sigfried leapt to his feet, pacing as his arms flailed. "To change the world. To open the eyes of the people. To give our generation something to war against. To pull our minds out of the grime that has collected around our feet and ascend to the people we should be. The people we deserve to be. War, famine, poverty... Is that what we have fought for all these years? Is that all that it has come down to after surviving the Changelings and the Saiyans and every other fucking apocalypse thrown our way? Fuck no. I think we're meant for more."
“What the hell does that even mean?”
Sigfried groaned in frustration. “It- I gue- It means I want to give people something to fight for. I want them to seize their lives for themselves to control. To question everything until all that’s left is the truth.”
The girl rubbed her temples as she considered his words. It wasn’t a bad goal. She couldn’t feel too guilty for involvement in a group like this. At last, she rested her chin on her fist and locked eyes with her leader. “What do we do next?”
“We’ve got the populace behind us. All we need to do is give them a spark. A reason to support us, to trust us more than they do the government that’s shackled them. We’re going to Namek to stop the invasion.”
“Namek?”
“Yup.”
“So what’s our actual plan for the Sentinels?”
The boy tucked his hands into his pockets and scuffed the ground with his toe. “Honestly? I’ve got nothing. They’re pretty secretive. I don’t know what to expect from them, or how to get them to trust us with anything.”
Jarka shot a glance to the refrigerator. “You know... I might be able to help you out there.”
Sigfried rested his hand on Jarka’s shoulder reassuringly. She let forth a tiny smile. No sense in letting him know how terrified she was. There was a chance the plan would backfire. Hell, the plan probably would backfire. She just hoped they’d make it out on their own two feet and not in a body bag.
“Mr. Hunin, Ms. Veselyova, right this way.” Their guide was young, only a few years their senior, and clad in military fatigues. Most of the employees they passed were dressed in a similar fashion, save for the few in lab coats or utility jumpsuits, as they buzzed about the massive facilities. The sheer number of corridors they traversed was dizzying. Four security checkpoints later and they stood in front of a mahogany door. The grunt saluted them. “General Gauger will see you now. Be swift.”
The pair exchanged a nervous glance and pressed through the door.
Seated at a massive old desk was a grizzled old soldier with his hands folded. As Jarka placed the plate of pastries in front of him, the general smiled. “Creme puffs? How pleasant.”
Jarka’s hand flourished. “I thought it would be a nice -” She became aware of a sudden sting in her neck. Numbness rushed from the area only to be swept away by an overwhelming sense of warmth. Her knees buckled, collapsing her. A chair was scooted beneath her to stop her fall. Her eyes rolled towards Sigfried, who sat in a similar state in a neighboring chair.
The general checked his watch. “It will be about fifteen seconds until the serum kicks in entirely.” He waived away the two nurses who had administered the shots.
Jarka’s eyes watered as she rubbed the injection site. “Are we- Are we going to die?”
“No. It’s a truth serum.”
Her head hung. “Oh. We were going to do that to you.”
“Jarka! Don’t tell him that.” Sigfried’s words were slurring much like her own.
The general leaned back in his chair. “I had assumed as much. It’s unfortunate. I do love creme puffs.” His eyes darted to his watch. “What business do you have here today?”
Sigfried cleared his throat. “We, uh, we want your help. Earth’s Combined Militia. We’re going to change the world.”
“Please, tell me how you plan to achieve that, Mr. Hunin.”
The boy’s hands flailed as he spoke. “We’re going to open everybody’s eyes. Make them take accountability for their lives. Make them stop fighting each other and start fighting for the common good.”
“A lofty goal. What assistance were you hoping the Sentinels would provide in your philosophical endeavor?”
“We need weapons.”
“So you’re terrorists?”
“No!” Sigfried slammed his fist against his knee. “We don’t want to hurt anybody. That’s the opposite of what we want. This should be peaceful, but people might resist us. Hard. We need protection.”
“Tell me, Mr. Hunin, why would we want to protect you? After all, you just tried to drug me. Not exactly a good way to open up negotiations.”
Jarka raised her hand tentatively. “That- that was my idea. Not his. Sorry. It wouldn’t have killed you; you would’ve just felt really happy. And trustworthy. And truthful.”
General Gauger stared at the girl before turning back to Sigfried. “Regardless, there seems to be no benefit to the Sentinels for assisting you at this time.”
Sigfried chewed his lip. At last, he leaned forward and pointed at the general. “We would be indebted to you. Earth’s Combined Militia would answer to the Sentinels first and foremost. The people love us. We could be your mouthpiece, your connection to the populace. We’d be good PR for you.” The boy fiddled with his hair for a moment. “We can also provide payment to sweeten the deal.”
The general drummed his fingers against his desk. “Hypothetically, should the Sentinels agree to your deal, what would be your next step?”
“Well, with your ships, weapons, and permission, of course, we would go to Namek. We would crush the invaders.”
“I thought your group was opposed to assisting our allies?”
“No.” Sigfried waggled his finger. “We are opposed to helping because they tell us to. Like they can command us. They take it out of our hands and demand us to assist them. We have let them struggle without us. Now, Earth is ready to truly help them. We will help them because we want to, not because they asked.”
General Gauger rose from his chair. “Give me a moment to discuss the scenario with Corporate.” He strode out of the room while efficiently dialing his mobile.
Jarka nervously glanced to her companion. “Sigfried, I’m scared.”
“Hey, now, there’s nothing to be afraid of. If they wanted to kill us, they already would have.”
The girl wrung her fingers together. “I know, but... what if they say no? What if they won’t help us?”
The boy shrugged. “We’ll figure something out.”
Her fingers ran along the pendant of her necklace. “Well, what if they say yes?”
“Then we go to Namek. We fight. We win.” He balled his fists for emphasis.
“We might lose.”
“Let’s not think about that, okay?”
The girl scuffed her foot along the ground. “I told Hati and Victoria about my powers. My abilities.”
Grinning, Sigfried patted her shoulder. “Good for you, hon. How’d it go?”
“They didn’t chase me with pitchforks, so pretty well.” She chuckled. “I’m getting stronger. I can do a little bit more than I could before.”
The boy knotted his brow. “Jarky, I’m going to help you sometime.”
“What do you mean?”
“Listen. When we get back from Namek, I’m going to teach you. Train you. I’ll help you master your powers. I’ll show you how I do things.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“I promise.” The boy rubbed his neck. “After all, I can’t lie right now. Truth serum.”
A sweet smile spread on the psychic’s face. “Thank you, Sigs.”
General Gauger reentered the room with a stack of paperwork bundled in his arms. The sheets plopped onto the desk as he turned to his audience. “Mr. Hunin. Ms. Veselyova. I believe I have an offer for you.”
Sigfried leaned forward. “You’ll provide the protection?”
“No.” The general began doling out the forms to the pair seated beyond his desk. “The Sentinels will provide you with weapons and a ship. You will go to Namek. Your primary mission will be to eradicate the invaders. You will do it as representatives of the Sentinels, although you will remain Earth’s Combined Militia. Your secondary mission will be to locate and retrieve the 101st Squadron. The group is led by Sergeant Piper Juunanagou and has gone missing in action. Death is...” He paused to preen the last set of documents before relinquishing them to Jarka and Sigfried. “...likely. Once both of these missions have been completed successfully, we will discuss any future arrangements between the Sentinels and Earth’s Combined Milita. This is our only offer.”
Jarka locked eyes with her leader. They had no other choice. No alternative. She slowly nodded.
Sigfried leaned forward, his hand outstretched. “General, it will be an honor.”
A cup of pastry flour was slowly sifted into a mixing bowl while the oven preheated to 420 degrees. The girl sliced a full stick of butter into a heavy saucepan heated to medium-high. As the shortening melted, a cup of water was added. The mixture reached a rolling boil and swiftly removed from the stove. She dumped the flour into the pan and vigorously stirred with a wooden spoon until no lumps remained.
Her skillet returned to the range, the heat lowered to medium. As she stirred, the sticky goop peeled from the sides to form a ball, which was plopped back into the original bowl to cool. The girl cracked three eggs into a second, smaller bowl. Two more eggs were fetched, but only the whites were permitted to join their brethren. The remaining yolks slid into cereal bowl for later use. Her whisk made swift work of the bisque until small peaks began to form. At this point, she gradually mixed the creamy ooze into the cooled heap of dough.
Three dozen dough balls covered two parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Ten minutes of cooking passed before the pans were rotated, bottom to top and top to bottom. Ten more minutes. She twisted the temperature knob to 375 degrees and waited another ten minutes. A toothpick pricked the lower hemisphere of each puff before the tray was returned to the oven once more; this time the heat was ceased and the door left ajar. After a final fifteen minutes, the pastries were removed and cooled on a wire rack.
Jarka returned to the stove. A new skillet housed half a cup of sugar, five tablespoons of flour, and just a pinch of salt. Two cups of milk were slowly mixed in before the range was turned to medium heat. The girl allowed the soup to boil for a minute before spilling a dash into the yolks she had previously set aside. After they were warmed, they were added to the skillet, stirred, and boiled. With a teaspoon of vanilla, the mixture was deposited into the refrigerator to chill.
As Jarka closed the refrigerator door, she was startled to see Sigfried standing on the opposite side. The boy had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie and and an earnest smile. “Hey, Jarky.”
“Hey.” The girl began cleaning the messy dishes she had created in an attempt to dissuade conversation. She may like Hati, she may tolerate Skoll, but Sigfried was a-whole-nother story. She was still cheered from cooking; her oh-so-courageous leader would just find a way to put her in a shitty mood. Better to just avoid him.
Sigfried either didn’t notice her standoffish attitude or chose to ignore it. “What’s up?”
“What do you care?” The irate cook dumped her tools into the sink with a punctuating clatter.
“Listen, I know this isn’t the best of circumstances, but work with me here.” His fingers idly rubbed his collarbone. “I’ve been busy. I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t care. You’re my friend.”
“Some friend you are.” She traipsed to the sofa to sit indignantly.
“Oh, would you get over yourself?” Sigfried stormed after the girl. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have misled you. Sorry, I can’t change the past. At least let me try to do better.”
Jarka eyed the boy before shrugging with resignation. “Fine. Whatever. Talk.”
He plopped onto the couch next to her. “How have you been?”
“Okay, considering the fact that I’m stuck here.” The girl fiddled with the hem of her skirt. “Hati’s been nice. So has Victoria. Skoll is Skoll.”
“What do you mean you’re stuck? You keep saying that. Why?”
“People have died because of what ECM has done. That means I’m involved. I’m responsible in some fucked up way.”
“So leave. I don’t want you staying if you don’t want to be here.”
“Sig, there’s clear evidence that I’m a part of this group; if it goes down, I go down. If we fail at whatever it is we’re trying to do, we’ll be seen as traitors. Criminals. Terrorists. We’ll be jailed! Or worse...” She fidgeted with her necklace. “Thing is, nobody ever jails a successful revolutionary. History’s written by the victors, yeah? If we win, I can keep my name clear.”
Chuckling, the boy reclined further into the couch. “Regardless, I’m glad you’re here. Even if the feeling’s not mutual.”
Jarka could have said a number of things at that moment. She decided silence was probably the best decision.
As the tension increased, the shapeshifter lifted his brow and pursed his lips. “Okay. Awkward. Well, whatcha think of our mission coming up? Fun, right?”
“Sigfried, what are we even doing?”
“We’re going to placate the Sentinels. We’d like an alliance. Get them to tolerate us, if not get them totally on our side. Hopefully, they’ll help us achieve our goal.”
“What even is the goal of ECM?”
The boy gaped at her for a moment. His mouth open and closed a few times as though he were attempting to speak without any actual words before he wiped his palm down his face. “Oh, shit. Seriously? Seriously. You don’t know.”
Jarka tossed her hands.
Sigfried leapt to his feet, pacing as his arms flailed. "To change the world. To open the eyes of the people. To give our generation something to war against. To pull our minds out of the grime that has collected around our feet and ascend to the people we should be. The people we deserve to be. War, famine, poverty... Is that what we have fought for all these years? Is that all that it has come down to after surviving the Changelings and the Saiyans and every other fucking apocalypse thrown our way? Fuck no. I think we're meant for more."
“What the hell does that even mean?”
Sigfried groaned in frustration. “It- I gue- It means I want to give people something to fight for. I want them to seize their lives for themselves to control. To question everything until all that’s left is the truth.”
The girl rubbed her temples as she considered his words. It wasn’t a bad goal. She couldn’t feel too guilty for involvement in a group like this. At last, she rested her chin on her fist and locked eyes with her leader. “What do we do next?”
“We’ve got the populace behind us. All we need to do is give them a spark. A reason to support us, to trust us more than they do the government that’s shackled them. We’re going to Namek to stop the invasion.”
“Namek?”
“Yup.”
“So what’s our actual plan for the Sentinels?”
The boy tucked his hands into his pockets and scuffed the ground with his toe. “Honestly? I’ve got nothing. They’re pretty secretive. I don’t know what to expect from them, or how to get them to trust us with anything.”
Jarka shot a glance to the refrigerator. “You know... I might be able to help you out there.”
*****
Sigfried rested his hand on Jarka’s shoulder reassuringly. She let forth a tiny smile. No sense in letting him know how terrified she was. There was a chance the plan would backfire. Hell, the plan probably would backfire. She just hoped they’d make it out on their own two feet and not in a body bag.
“Mr. Hunin, Ms. Veselyova, right this way.” Their guide was young, only a few years their senior, and clad in military fatigues. Most of the employees they passed were dressed in a similar fashion, save for the few in lab coats or utility jumpsuits, as they buzzed about the massive facilities. The sheer number of corridors they traversed was dizzying. Four security checkpoints later and they stood in front of a mahogany door. The grunt saluted them. “General Gauger will see you now. Be swift.”
The pair exchanged a nervous glance and pressed through the door.
Seated at a massive old desk was a grizzled old soldier with his hands folded. As Jarka placed the plate of pastries in front of him, the general smiled. “Creme puffs? How pleasant.”
Jarka’s hand flourished. “I thought it would be a nice -” She became aware of a sudden sting in her neck. Numbness rushed from the area only to be swept away by an overwhelming sense of warmth. Her knees buckled, collapsing her. A chair was scooted beneath her to stop her fall. Her eyes rolled towards Sigfried, who sat in a similar state in a neighboring chair.
The general checked his watch. “It will be about fifteen seconds until the serum kicks in entirely.” He waived away the two nurses who had administered the shots.
Jarka’s eyes watered as she rubbed the injection site. “Are we- Are we going to die?”
“No. It’s a truth serum.”
Her head hung. “Oh. We were going to do that to you.”
“Jarka! Don’t tell him that.” Sigfried’s words were slurring much like her own.
The general leaned back in his chair. “I had assumed as much. It’s unfortunate. I do love creme puffs.” His eyes darted to his watch. “What business do you have here today?”
Sigfried cleared his throat. “We, uh, we want your help. Earth’s Combined Militia. We’re going to change the world.”
“Please, tell me how you plan to achieve that, Mr. Hunin.”
The boy’s hands flailed as he spoke. “We’re going to open everybody’s eyes. Make them take accountability for their lives. Make them stop fighting each other and start fighting for the common good.”
“A lofty goal. What assistance were you hoping the Sentinels would provide in your philosophical endeavor?”
“We need weapons.”
“So you’re terrorists?”
“No!” Sigfried slammed his fist against his knee. “We don’t want to hurt anybody. That’s the opposite of what we want. This should be peaceful, but people might resist us. Hard. We need protection.”
“Tell me, Mr. Hunin, why would we want to protect you? After all, you just tried to drug me. Not exactly a good way to open up negotiations.”
Jarka raised her hand tentatively. “That- that was my idea. Not his. Sorry. It wouldn’t have killed you; you would’ve just felt really happy. And trustworthy. And truthful.”
General Gauger stared at the girl before turning back to Sigfried. “Regardless, there seems to be no benefit to the Sentinels for assisting you at this time.”
Sigfried chewed his lip. At last, he leaned forward and pointed at the general. “We would be indebted to you. Earth’s Combined Militia would answer to the Sentinels first and foremost. The people love us. We could be your mouthpiece, your connection to the populace. We’d be good PR for you.” The boy fiddled with his hair for a moment. “We can also provide payment to sweeten the deal.”
The general drummed his fingers against his desk. “Hypothetically, should the Sentinels agree to your deal, what would be your next step?”
“Well, with your ships, weapons, and permission, of course, we would go to Namek. We would crush the invaders.”
“I thought your group was opposed to assisting our allies?”
“No.” Sigfried waggled his finger. “We are opposed to helping because they tell us to. Like they can command us. They take it out of our hands and demand us to assist them. We have let them struggle without us. Now, Earth is ready to truly help them. We will help them because we want to, not because they asked.”
General Gauger rose from his chair. “Give me a moment to discuss the scenario with Corporate.” He strode out of the room while efficiently dialing his mobile.
Jarka nervously glanced to her companion. “Sigfried, I’m scared.”
“Hey, now, there’s nothing to be afraid of. If they wanted to kill us, they already would have.”
The girl wrung her fingers together. “I know, but... what if they say no? What if they won’t help us?”
The boy shrugged. “We’ll figure something out.”
Her fingers ran along the pendant of her necklace. “Well, what if they say yes?”
“Then we go to Namek. We fight. We win.” He balled his fists for emphasis.
“We might lose.”
“Let’s not think about that, okay?”
The girl scuffed her foot along the ground. “I told Hati and Victoria about my powers. My abilities.”
Grinning, Sigfried patted her shoulder. “Good for you, hon. How’d it go?”
“They didn’t chase me with pitchforks, so pretty well.” She chuckled. “I’m getting stronger. I can do a little bit more than I could before.”
The boy knotted his brow. “Jarky, I’m going to help you sometime.”
“What do you mean?”
“Listen. When we get back from Namek, I’m going to teach you. Train you. I’ll help you master your powers. I’ll show you how I do things.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“I promise.” The boy rubbed his neck. “After all, I can’t lie right now. Truth serum.”
A sweet smile spread on the psychic’s face. “Thank you, Sigs.”
General Gauger reentered the room with a stack of paperwork bundled in his arms. The sheets plopped onto the desk as he turned to his audience. “Mr. Hunin. Ms. Veselyova. I believe I have an offer for you.”
Sigfried leaned forward. “You’ll provide the protection?”
“No.” The general began doling out the forms to the pair seated beyond his desk. “The Sentinels will provide you with weapons and a ship. You will go to Namek. Your primary mission will be to eradicate the invaders. You will do it as representatives of the Sentinels, although you will remain Earth’s Combined Militia. Your secondary mission will be to locate and retrieve the 101st Squadron. The group is led by Sergeant Piper Juunanagou and has gone missing in action. Death is...” He paused to preen the last set of documents before relinquishing them to Jarka and Sigfried. “...likely. Once both of these missions have been completed successfully, we will discuss any future arrangements between the Sentinels and Earth’s Combined Milita. This is our only offer.”
Jarka locked eyes with her leader. They had no other choice. No alternative. She slowly nodded.
Sigfried leaned forward, his hand outstretched. “General, it will be an honor.”
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
If life gives you lemons, hand them to me!
I've got a great recipe for lemon meringue pie.
If life gives you lemons, hand them to me!
I've got a great recipe for lemon meringue pie.