001 ♌ [Text | Laptop]

[hopeungovernable]

[She had been relaxing at home, a cup of green tea in one hand and a laptop propped in front of her when the numbers seemed to come full force at her again. It was easy to type them out, a quick string on her screen--and it changed things.

The first few things she sees are just messages. Questions and answers about these numbers from people she's never met. But she presses past it. There's something about a mine and wills and suddenly Leola is not sure what she's stumbled into.

Her typing is hesitant at first.]

Did I stumble into a forum? I suppose I could have picked up the numbers from one of my students and this is an elaborate joke. A marketing campaign for a movie maybe? It's clever though I'm not sure what I'm supposed to get from this. A movie about people trapped in mines or something? Isn't that a little off? Too soon?

And really subliminal messaging was proven to be impossible despite what fiction leads you to believe. So I'm not sure how I came by these numbers. Perhaps you could enlighten me. Or I suppose I could just ignore whatever this is.

Classes are out for the summer, I think I'd rather read than get sucked into some silly forum goose chase.

Comments

[happybirthdaytoyou]

[Have the beaming face of that bakery guy that's sometimes on bus ads. (It's fairly likely you taught his daughter a few years ago.)]

Not a joke and not a hoax! We really were trapped in a mine where we had to fight evil bats.

[hopeungovernable]

[He's definitely familiar. More than a little familiar actually. Hmn...She ponders him over, trying to recall where she's seen him before. Then a bit of politeness kicks in and she fiddles around to video]

You do realize how silly that sounds? Like something out of a bad Syfy movie. "Vampires from Below" or something.

[Yes, she makes the airquote signs. She's so mature sometimes]

[happybirthdaytoyou]

[He raises an eyebrow.] Ms. Davis, just because something sounds silly doesn't mean it isn't real! I had to replace my second-best rolling pin and cake knife because they were covered in bat guts!

[hopeungovernable]

Oh Mr. Yokugawa! [She instantly straightens and puts down her tea.] You're really--[Then she stops. Adjusts.] Of course it can be real but you do understand how it sounds...

[And then there's another message, a link. FAQ. Ah time to see what this is all about. And see if it's just some strange hallucination on her part]

Excuse me for a moment while I...catch up?

[And she'll be back in about ten minutes, having perused everything on that page with an air of disbelief. So what does this mean for her. She always thought he call to action or something would be less.

Deadly sounding.]

Strange unearthly threat that wants to exterminate us if we don't do as it says. That's a bit much to swallow.

[happybirthdaytoyou]

[Oh good, Rhonda's old English teacher finally recognized him! He hadn't gone to all those parent-teacher conference nights for nothing.]

I know, but my brother and I were there when the Sage of Earth delivered his final message. I've seen some of the changes the other members of the secret numbers club are undergoing.

[His voice gentles somewhat:] It's very strange, but at least we have this network, so we're not alone.

[hopeungovernable]

[She shakes her head slowly] I don't have any changes though. Nothing besides this number.

...There is that I suppose. Though I really think there must be a mistake.