Pisky's ATS Story

Despite the definite lack of pixyness recently, I am still able to continue with the story, since I write it offline anyway - so the next chapter should be ready in a few days.

With regards the reason for my absence, I have a feeling that it won't be for much longer (thanks to a letter I received from INS about my work permit ) - So Pisky will soon be back and Butthead can kiss my pixy-ring

Glad to hear it pisky!! i am looking forward to the next installment. Hope that the INS had something good to say about that work permit!!!!

"I see you're still the offensive old bastard you've always been."
Ravenna watched as the old priest walked over to stand before her, a grin spreading across his face as he looked into her sharp blue eyes.
"And I see you're still as charming as ever, my dear", he replied, with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"You'll never make Bishop with that attitude", the woman said, crossing her arms.
"Ah, feck that", Fingal replied with a smile, "A mitre would never suit me. I'd look a right tosser. I prefer to minister to the flock in my own way".
"You mean get drunk on communion wine".
"Now that would be a sacrilege, so it would", Fingal retorted, "And anyway, thanks to this heathen pixy here", he gestured to Pisky who was watching in amusement, "I prefer a drop of cider these days".
Ravenna looked over at the pixy, her eyes piercing. Pisky held the gaze, but inwardly shivered. It was as if the woman was looking into his very soul. He was relieved when she returned her interest to Fingal. "So", she asked, "Now that you've blackened my profession, are you going to introduce me to these good people ?"
Fingal let out a little laugh, then hugged Ravenna, who returned the gesture with smiling eyes.
"This is Ravenna", he said, "But you already know that. She's a member of the Vatican Archaelogical Research Group - the Pope's Graverobbers", he grinned as the woman shook her head in amusement. "She's also my god-daughter".
The old priest beamed as he said the last words, releasing Ravenna but keeping hold of her hand.
"Whyever my parents chose a drunken old sot like you to stand godfather for their only daughter is beyond me", Ravenna said, grinning. "They should have known you'd be a bad influence".
"And have I been a bad influence, my dear ?"
"Of course", came the reply, "Otherwise I wouldn't be where I am now, would I ?" Ravenna laughed, her eyes shining brightly in the sunlight.
"Right then. Introductions", Fingal coninued."This is Tobias", he gestured to the soldier who held out a massive hand towards the woman. She smiled as Tobias' digits swamped her own small hand.
"And this 'cute Colonial' is KayEm".
Ravenna inclined her head in a bow, smiling. KayEm did likewise as Fingal continued the introductions.
"KayEm is married to the heathen pixy over there", Pisky sauntered over, a grin on his face which somehow didn't reach his eyes.
Ravenna nodded her head towards the pixy, then turned back to Fingal as he introduced the fourth member of the team. "Sarah", he said, "You don't want to get on the wrong side of her before morning coffee, but don't let that fool you. She's really quite nice".
Sarah shook her head and waved to Ravenna, who smiled back.
"So", Ravenna said, her gaze taking in everyone, "Now that the introductions are over, can anyone tell me exactly what you are doing here ?"

"The Seven Swords of Wayland", Said Ravenna after the old priest had finished his story.
"Five", said Tobias, leaning away from the sarsen that he had been sitting against, "Two are 'in the hands of darkness' according to Drake".
"Quite", came the soft reply, "Which two ?"
Tobias shook his head, "Sorry - can't remember". Ravenna looked around. Nothing.
"Great researchers you have here, Fingal", she snapped. "Can't even remember the names of the bloody swords. I assume you remember the names of your own swords ?" She glared around the group, her eyes blue flame.
"Excalibur", said Tobias, looking embarassed at his lack of preparation.
"Cymru", KayEm replied. She pronounced it in the correct Welsh manner, daring Ravenna to challenge her.
"Caledonia", This was Sarah, who was sitting beside a small gas cooker brewing the obligatory coffee.
"Kernow", replied Pisky as Ravenna looked towards him. As usual he held a mug of 'Best Pixyland' in hia hand. The woman nodded.
"And mine is Erin", Fingal said, pouring his own cup of cider.
Ravenna leaned back against the stone she had been sitting beside and closed her eyes. "That leaves Mannin and Vectis", she said. "The Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight".
"Pardon ?" KayEm looked across to where Ravenna sat.
"Each sword is named after a part of the British Isles", came the exasperated reply, "With Excalibur the centre - the 'heart' if you will. Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Ireland. Plus the two missing swords, Mannin and Vectis - The isles of Man and Wight".
"So what now?", asked Tobias, "How do we get the swords. Assuming they are where they are supposed to be ?"
Ravenna looked over at the soldier. Using the clipped tones she reserved for newbies she explained. "Over the years almost a hundred archaelogists have been through these ruins. Some were looking for the swords. Not everyone believes the story, so many were just here in search of bronze age artifacts. No matter. The point is, no one ever found them. No secret passages have been discovered. No secret doors. I, myself, have been here for three weeks scrabbling through the dust trying to find something that maybe - just maybe - the others have missed. With absolutely no bloody luck at all".
"So they don't exist ?", Sarah asked, passing around cups of coffee to those without cider.
"Oh, they exist alright", came the reply. "We just need to find out where they are".
"We ?" asked the New Yorker, handing Ravenna a mug of steaming coffee.
"Of course", the woman said, "Why do you think I'm here in the first place ?"
"To get the swords for the Vatican ?", asked Fingal with a look of resignation on his face.
"Exactly".

"So she expects us to find the swords and hand them over to her to give to the fecking Pope ?"
Pisky shook his head. "No fecking way !"
"She's got authority from the Vatican", Fingal explained sadly. "That means she can order me to hand over 'Erin' and unless I want to be excommunicated, I'll just have to do it".
"Nice god-daughter you've got, I have to say".
"Ah, she's a nice lass when she wants to be".
"Nice lass my arse. She's hand in glove with the fecking corporates !!!"
Fingal spun around, fire burning in his eyes. "Now don't you be saying things like that about her", he snapped, "I'm sure she has her reasons".
Pisky glared at the old priest. "The Vatican is corrupt to the core", the pixy said coldly. "You know damned well that Villot and P2 murdered John Paul in '78, and JP2 is too old to stand against them now".
"No !", shouted Fingal, "I do not know that !!!".
"I do" The soft voice of Ravenna broke through the tension. Fingal spun to face her. She looked pained, as if caught in a lie by a beloved uncle. "What ?". The word forced itself out as the old priest stood stunned before her.
"What the pixy said ... its all true", Ravenna closed her eyes.
Fingal stood and held her close.
"And the rest ?", Pisky interrupted.
"There is a core group of cardinals who are - as you said - corrupt; However the Holy Father himself is inviolate. He knows that his time on earth is growing short and, aware of the evil within the Vatican, and the cause of this darkness, he sent out his most trusted aides to cut out - in whatever manner possible - the rotting cancer within the heart of the church".
"The inqusition ?", asked Pisky.
"Partly", came the reply. "The congregation for the doctrine for the faith is part of this alliance against darkness, but there are a few others. The Pope's graverobbers, as Fingal so sweetly calls us, is one other strand. The legion of Saint Philomena is another".
"Is that all we have left ?" Fingal asked, his hands shaking.
"Yes", Ravenna said sadly. "The others have all gone over to the corporates. Can't serve God and Mammon as the quote has it." She leaned forward and took his old hands in hers. "I'm sorry", she whispered.
"Well, to be sure", the old priest said finally, regaining some of his old strength, "I'm happy you're on the right side".
"The corporates wouldn't agree", came the reply, "They'd say I was subject to bad influence".
"So you were", smiled Fingal, "and I for one am glad of it".



For miles around, the only light came from the high windows of Stokesay castle. Outside, the moon hid behind a dark bank of clouds, while the deserted village nearby was as dark and quiet as a crypt. Inside the Great Hall, Loki sat nursing a glass of mulled cider while Pantha stared into the fire, deep in contemplation. Asala and LadyCool muttered together in whispers, worried that even those faintly spoken words would wake the girl sleeping fitfully in the nearby infirmary. Phoebe snored beside the fire while Pillywiggin lay curled up in Coleman's lap. The apprentice stroked the sleeping cat with one hand, the other holding a half full cup of 'Best Pixyland'.
"Still nothing ?" Loki whispered as Erisian came wearily in from the solar where the computer system stood.
"Nothing", she replied, taking the cider Loki poured for her and sitting in a vacant chair. "It's getting more and more difficult to get through too. The corporates are charging for everything these days - Free internet is dead and buried".
"ATS is still free" Loki replied, draining his cup and pouring another.
"Pirate internet", Erisian mused, "Mobile servers transmitting from cellphone lines. Not as easy for the corporates to find, but still trackable if left in the same place for too long". Erisian grinned at the thought of a red-suited superhero driving a server-filled RV around the United States while hundreds of corporate minions scrabbled around trying to track him.
"Did you find anything ? ... anything at all to help Tamsin ?" Loki asked, a hopeful inflection in his voice.
Erisian leaned across and placed her cup onto the nearby table. "I cracked the CDC site. If it's anything weird - anything unnatural like DNA666 - I would have expected it to be registered there". She sighed. "Nothing".
"Bollocks !", muttered Loki. "I wish KayEm was here. At least we'd stand a fighting chance".
"Me too", Erisian replied. "Epilepsy is the closest possibility, but I can't find anything exactly like it on any of the medical websites".
"She's getting more lethargic every day", Pantha interrupted. "And her skin is so white, she's almost like a ghost"; The worry on her face was tangible. Pantha rubbed her eyes.
"The 'absences' are getting more frequent too", Loki added, "Since we've been monitoring her, I've seen them for myself. It's as if she's there one minute and gone the next. And she's been saying strange things too. About a 'beautiful lady' and stuff like that. And then when she 'wakes' she can't remember anything about it".
"Beautiful lady", mused Pantha, "Could it be Philomena ?"
Loki shrugged, "Could be", he replied, picking up his glass and taking a sip.
"At least she has the bird to look after", Pantha said, remembering the little dove that Tamsin had been caring for since discovering it in the nearby field. The bird had been attacked by a hawk and Tamsin had spent hours cleaning it's wounds and making a little splint for its broken wing. It was currently residing in a makeshift cage beside the bed where Tamsin was sleeping in the infirmary. Angover had spent most of the day with his stricken daughter, only leaving her bedside when Pantha ordered him to return to the smithy for some well-needed sleep.
"You should get some rest, as well", Loki said to Pantha as he noticed her drooping eyes, "You look knackered".
"Old age catching up on me", Pantha smiled.
"Old age, my arse", Loki grinned, "Pisky's far older than you and he's still capering around like some Skillywidden"
"Skillywidden ?", Pantha asked. "Don't you mean Pillywiggin ?"
"Nope", Loki replied, "as the most esteemed Pisky told me a few weeks ago during a particularly raucous drinking session, his avatar is actually a skillywidden". Seeing Pantha's vague look, he continued. "A Pillywiggin is flower-faery, similar to Tinkerbell. A Skillywidden is a pixy baby".
"Oh", Pantha said. "I see. What an amazing amount of useless information can be gleaned from a bottle of 'Best Pixyland'".
"Well, it was a bit more than one bottle", came the reply, "But ..."
"OH MY GOD !!!!!"
Loki spun around, leaping to his feet as the scream cut through his words. Looking towards the source he saw Asala standing beside a fallen chair, one hand clapped to her mouth while the other was pointing towards the infirmary. LadyCool sat beside Asala, her face white, eyes bulging in disbelief. "What the f ..." Loki exclaimed, then stopped. His mouth went dry. Pantha stood and gave a little moan. Coleman yelped in shock.
"What's happening to me ?" Tamsin asked, her voice sounding as if she had just woken from a nightmare. She stood just outside the infirmary, the ghostly whiteness of her face enhanced by the bloody mess around her mouth. Feathers stuck to the fresh blood, while in her hand she clutched the torn body of what once was a dove.
Tamsin looked around, fear in her eyes, disgust welling up in her stomach. Lifting her hands towards the heavens she began to scream.





[edit on 24-9-2004 by Pisky]

Nice story kept me going for a while there lol pisky keep up with the good work glad to see that you can still get on here time to time aswell.

Oh yes, very nice indeed.
I loooove my character !!!

OMG what is going to happen next!!!!!!!
I love how you put in a reference to SO's avatar!!!
Keep up the AWESOME writing!!!


sorry that it took me so long to get to read your story, i have been so busy lately, with work, and looking for a different job.

WHAT THE #!?!?!??!?!?!

Is right!

Holy crap, that scares me!

Like, Ozzy osbourne's evil twin or something.

Chapter 26 - The First Trumpet

"There's no way in"
Tobias pulled himself out of the small tunnel dug into the side of the burial chamber.
"I told you that !" Ravenna snapped, annoyed that Tobias had even gone inside in the first place. "After all, I am the archaeologist after all".
Tobias shook his head and sighed. Of all the women he had met, Ravenna had to be the most exasperating.
"So, Ms Archaeologist", Tobias said as he dragged himself out of the tunnel and dusted himself down, "What do you suggest we do now ?"
Ravenna stood with her hands on her hips and a despairing expression on her face; "Firstly, I'm a 'miss'. I cannot stand that ridiculous politically correct 'ms' ... it sounds like a swarm of bees". Standing behind Ravenna, the pixy laughed. His own opinions about the 'Politically Correct' was legendary. Ravenna turned and glared. Pisky rapidly retreated to the safety of the bushes for a pee.
"Secondly", Ravenna continued as she returned her concentration towards Tobias, "After three weeks here, it is my opinion that the swords do exist, but that we require heavy lifting machinery in order to get to them. Therefore, I plan to return to Oxford tomorrow and requesition some".
"From the corporates", Tobias said.
"Since everything is run by the corporates, I would have thought that was obvious".
"So let me get this straight", Tobias continued, "You're going to Oxford tomorrow to get some kit from the corporates in order to dig up the swords. And then you plan to take the swords and give them to the Pope, who is actually against the corporates, but they just don't know it yet".
"Exactly", Ravenna replied, her eyes glittering with amusement.
The soldier ran a hand through his close cropped hair; "And what about us ?"
Ravenna shrugged her shoulders.
"I thought so". And without another word, Tobias strode away.
"What did I say ?", Ravenna asked, turning to KayEm who was feeding her hamster a piece of apple. The 'old rat' had become legendary even before the corporate takeover, having survived a year in the wild after escaping while KayEm was in the UK for her wedding to the pixy. Some months after returning to America, KayEm and Pisky had been for a walk late at night only for the pixy to discover a hamster wandering happily along a deserted street. Upon informing his wife of such an amusing sight, Pisky was amazed to discover that the hamster was Old Sparx himself. Since then, KayEm had kept her eye on him in order to ensure that he could never again perform his Houdini-like escapology act. That was four years and five thousand miles ago. Hamsters live on average two years at most - Sparx was six and showing no sign of slowing down.
Ravenna grinned at Sparx, who sat on KayEm's hand, stuffing the piece of apple into his pouches.
KayEm took a deep breath. "The sword 'Excalibur'", he said,turning and sitting against the sarsen, "Is Tobias' sword".
Ravenna dropped to a crouch, her piercing eyes looking deep into the woman's soul. "Why ?", was all she asked.
"Because it was bequeathed to him by King Arthur".
Ravenna giggled. KayEm glared. Ravenna clapped a hand across her mouth and sat down.
"You're serious aren't you ?"
"Yes", KayEm replied as she stroked Sparx. "Very"
"The King Arthur ?"
"The only one I know anyway".
"And what happened to him", Ravenna moved closer, intrigued at KayEm's words.
"Pisky killed him"

"That is just amazing !"
Ravenna closed her eyes and leaned against the stone she had been using as a seat. KayEm handed her a mug of 'Best Pixyland', which she downed in one before turning once again towards her companion. "You're not kidding, are you ?"
KayEm shook his head. She had told the archaelogist everything; From the plague and appearance of St. Philomena, to the rescue of Erisian and death of Arthur, the Chupacabra bio-weapons and the runic castings that led them to Waylands Smithy.
"Its just ... so strange", Ravenna said, leaning back against the stone.
"Fingal was there. If you don't believe me, ask him". Sparx popped out from her pocket and squeeked.
"Oh, I believe you", Ravenna said, "I just didn't know ... that ... it's all so ... well ... supernatural".
"Exactly", came KayEm's reply. "In fact Tobias mentioned that just yesterday. There are some strange things going on, that's for sure"



"Oh my dear baby ... my dear little one"
Angover sat at Tamsin's bedside, his strong blacksmith's hands clasped together as he moaned softly to himself. Across from the smith, Pantha stood checking the young girl's pulse. It was weak and fluttery and Tamsin was in a deep sleep.
"It's getting worse", Pantha whispered to Loki as he entered the infirmary. Neither of them had slept since the events of the last night, when Tamsin, in the grip of one of her 'absences' had torn apart the bird she had been caring for, and drank its lifesblood.
"What now ?", Loki asked, rubbing his eyes; "Will her fecking head start spinning or what ? - One things for sure, It's not epilepsy".
"What do you think it is ?", Pantha said softly.
"I'm not a fecking doctor", Loki replied, looking across at the sleeping girl. "She's rarely awake in the daytime, and when she is awake, she has more and more of those 'absences'. And now this. Wasn't there some sickness that made people want to eat raw flesh and things like that ?"
"I don't know - Haemophilia, porphilia - something to do with Rasputin ? - I really don't know" Pantha staggered to a chair and dropped heavily into it. "Erisian is still looking through what medical sites she can find. As yet, nothing".
"For all we know, it could be fecking demonic possession", snapped Loki. "LC says that Tamsin was buggering around with a ouija board. That's why she wasn't allowed to go with the others to Waylands".
"I know, but I don't think its anything like that", said Pantha, blinking to stay awake.
"You haven't slept for days", Loki berated his companion, "Just because you're a mod doesn't mean that you have to kill yourself with overwork. Go on, sod off to bed for a few hours. I'll take over here"
Pantha smiled; "No ... I'm ok, really ... I don't .... " And within seconds she was snoring away merrily while Loki just shook his head and grinned.



In the small greensward beside the burial mound, the group also slept. Small motion sensors supplied by the Vatican for Ravenna's use had been placed around the campground so no human sentries had been necessary. Not that there was any danger of corporate interference anyway - after all, this was a Vatican archaeological dig and only the most high-placed corporate militamen had authorisation to interfere with such an operation.
Fingal lay on his back with his arms wrapped around a bottle of 'Best Pixyland' and a serene smile on his face. Ravenna's serious expression had relaxed, while KayEm lay on her side, giggling in her sleep and Sparx sat on her head chewing on a strand of red hair. Pisky of course slept like a pixy baby - at least for a little while.

"Little pixy - Wake !!!"
Pisky muttered something crude in his sleep.
"Little pixy - Wake !!!" the voice came again, more urgent now.
Pisky turned over and broke wind.
"Little pixy ..... WAKE !!!!"
Pisky shot up into the air, his eyes blinking against the bright flashes that illuminated the camp. He reached for his bow, but was stopped by a soft small hand which held his wrist.
"I am Philomena of Mugnano". Pisky turned towards the source of the voice. A young girl with long black hair crouched beside him, clutching his hand. "Wake your companions", she said, "Flee to the hills" She gestured towards the North,"Be speedy, for 'tis almost time".
Pisky opened his mouth to speak. The young woman placed a finger against her lips and pointed towards the sky. "Go", she said.
Pisky looked up.
"FECK !!!!!"



"Holy Crap !!!!"
Pantha jumped up, her heart in her mouth as Loki's exclamation seared into her dreams and woke her with a start.
"What ?!?!?!?"
"Outside !!!" Loki grabbed Pantha's hand and dragged her out of her chair. Stumbling around the bed, she noticed that Tamsin was awake and looking about. Angover stood beside his daughter, holding her hand while his eyes were torn towards the small arrow-slit window.
The hall door was open. Outside in the courtyard almost the whole contingent of Stokesay stood looking upwards, expressions of awe on their faces. Like a November 5th firework show great flashes of light illuminated the land. Some of the flashes were powerful enough to light up the whole castle as if it were day. Pantha stopped at the threshold while Loki let go of her hand and pushed through to the centre of the courtyard where Erisian stood staring into infinity.
"This wasn't on the net", she said as Loki appeared beside her. "Not a thing. Not even ATS"
Loki shook his head in disbelief, "Nothing at all ?"
"Nothing" Erisian turned towards Loki, her hair white in the multiple flashes. "I don't like this", she muttered, "NASA must have known about this months ago ... A meteor shower of this magnitude should have been on every website, every TV news channel ... everywhere"
Loki whistled.
"Talk about conspiracy of silence", Erisian said, "Absolutely no-one leaked this info. I just can't believe it. There's always at least one whistle blower ... but here there was nothing"
Loki was still digesting the fact that not even ATS had picked up this event prior to it happening, when the battlements of South Tower exploded.



"Go go go go go !!!!" Tobias pushed the group harder and harder as all around them flashes of light turned night into day. The horses struggled, eyes rolling in fear as their riders forced them away from the burial mound and through the woodlands towards the hills.
"What the feck is THIS ???", Sarah yelled, having picked up some of the old priest's venacular.
"Meteor storm !", Pisky replied, tugging at the reins of his horse who was desperately trying to run in the opposite direction.
"We should have been told about this !", yelled Ravenna as her sleek white horse reached that of the pixy, "The Vatican has had a group of astronomers in Antarctica for a year !"
"I know !", Pisky replied, finally bringing his horse under control.
"Let me guess", Ravenna shouted, "ATS ?"
"Correct"
"Well, something went wrong then", Ravenna replied, "Because neither we or ATS expected this !".

"Hurry up you fecking slackers !!!!"
Tobias ranted at each and every one of them as they pushed their horses to the limit in order to crest the summit of the nearby hill.
"Pisky, you idle bastard ... get on with it !!!!"
The pixy muttered abuse, threatened his horse with a red hot poker and eventually reached the summit. It took a lot less time to get to the bottom, and by the time he had dismounted and hobbled his mount, the rest of the Stokesay contingent were staring, awestruck, at the extra-terrestrial firestorm.
"OK", Tobias asked as Pisky walked over to the group. "What's all this about a vision then ?"
The pixy shrugged his shoulders. "Message from Heaven I assume"
"A dream you mean ?"
"Not at all. I was awake".
Tobias sighed. "This meteor shower is nice enough, I admit. But I'd rather have been left to sleep to be honest". He glowered at the pixy; "Instead, I'm dragged out of my sleeping bag, have to ride half a mile thinking that the world is about to end, only to discover that it was probably a dream caused by too much cider".
Pisky glared back. "I was awake. It was Philomena"
Tobias opened his mouth to reply but never had the chance, as from the opposite side of the hill came a massive explosion.
"Feck me !", said the pixy.
Then the world shook.


The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Revelation 8:7

OMG very scary times for us adventurers
you've got me on the edge of my seat now.
ohhh and you've certainly got my character off to a tee what with the droopy eyes and the snoring

ahhh! this is so intense! so suspenseful! it's awesome!

Dang,is this one good story. Can't believe I didn't notice it until now.
Wonderful story.
This ranks about a 10.5 on my scale of good stories.

More please!

Awesome pisky! i cant believe already 26 chapters, and nothing is the same, this is some awesome writing!! your great pisky, keep up the good work, and i can't wait to see where the next chapter leads all of us!!!

You beat me to to, Smilingsarah. I enjoy this story immensely, especially now I'm in it

Hey Pisky, if you ever publish this, do the ATS characters get a free signed copy and bottle of Best Pixyland ?

Waits impatiently for chapter 27

Pisky, have you been spying on me?

How did you know that my vocabulary included the word 'feck', in such abundance?

LoL!

Good on ya, though. I'm loving the story so far.

Right, I'm back, and I've been screaming at the pc for the last ten minutes at everyone's stoopidness re Tamsin! Dammit why do you do this to me, Phoebe's staring sat with me at the pc with a rather typical sideways-staffi-expression.
But I must say it's all very exciting, it's like watching panto, 'He's.fecking.behind yoooooooooooooooooooou!!!' Oh ok, so I was the only one as a kid that said that...

*Toddles off back to fridge, drinky time*

Chapter 27 - Asteroids and Artifacts

For two hours the earth was battered from space. One hundred and twenty minutes of flashing lights, screaming fireballs and explosions both on the surface and in the air. The meteor swarm came from the south, engulfing the planet completely before continuing on its way back into the inky blackness of space. Two hours of fear. Two hours of destruction. Two hours of death.

Pisky stood on the hillside and looked towards the North. Far away, the final few rocky remnants flashed through the atmosphere. Fingal was on his knees, fervently reciting the rosary, while KayEm had left her crouching position and joined Sarah at the coffeepot. At the top of the hill a ghostly glow shone, emanating from the other side - the exact place they had been sleeping prior to the supernatural warning.

Ravenna stood beside the pixy, with her arms crossed and a look of shock on her face. Something was wrong, and it wasn't just the events of the last few hours.
"That was close", Pisky said, turning to face the archaelogist.
"We weren't told", Ravenna said, her voice one of disbelief. "There are Vatican astronomers all over Antarctica. They've been there for years. Why weren't we told ?"
Pisky looked at the woman, a questioning expression on his face; "Are you telling me the Pope didn't tell you ?"
"I'm telling you that I don't think he knew himself."
"So either they didn't tell him", explained the pixy, "Or they were blindsided themselves"
Ravenna ran her hand through her hair and sighed; "They didn't just miss it. They were looking for this. They must have seen it coming - they just didn't tell anyone, A look of puzzlement crossed her face; "Or maybe they did", she continued, "Maybe they told Lustiger".
"And of course, there's no way that corporate stooge would tell the Pope", the pixy exclaimed, "He wouldn't want JP2 to give any warning".
Cardinal Jean Marie Lustiger - Pisky knew of him. A convert to Catholicism from his original Jewish faith, he was spoken of as one of the world's most influential and charismatic intellectuals. With admirers from many different religions, it seemed to many that he was being groomed as the next Pope. But some believed that his future role was somewhat less than pure. The pixy - and many others - considered him to be a candidate for the 'False Prophet' of Biblical prophecy.
"But why ?", Ravenna asked, more herself than the pixy, "Why would he want to keep this from the people ?"
Pisky considered this; "The only thing I can think of is that he didn't want anyone to know - maybe so that it would be more of a shock ?"
Ravenna looked at the first rays of the dawn creeping slowly from the east. "I need to get through to my boss", she said decisively, "Maybe he's heard something on the Vatican grapevine", She turned towards the pixy, "But first we need to see what happened over there and, gesturing towards the direction of Wayland's Smithy, she began climbing the hill.

Pisky whistled in amazement as he reached the summit of the hill and viewed the desolation. Beside him Ravenna stood, her hair reflecting the many small fires that surrounded the crater that was once Wayland's Smithy. To be completely honest, there were a few of the sarsens still standing, but the burial mound itself looked as if it had been ripped out of the ground by the hands of a malevolent giant.
Tobias was already half-way down the other side of the hill. He stopped and looked upwards, waving as he saw Pisky appear at the summit. Pisky nodded and, followed by the archaelogist, started down the hillside.



"It was lucky no one was in there", Loki said as he surveyed the shattered remnants of Stokesay's South Tower. "In particular Yours Truly". Pantha stood with her arms crossed watching as some of Tobias' men worked on stabilising the top of the section nearest the Solar. Six hours previously, a smallish meteor had struck the top floor of the tower, shattering the rock walls and scattering the remnants around the area. A large chunk of wall had then crashed through the roof of the Solar, while what was left of the meteor ended up embedded in the southern part of the courtyard.
Erisian came from the Hall carrying a dust covered PC monitor while LadyCool followed with the accompanying processor.
Seeing Loki, Erisian placed her burden on top of the nearest table and walked over. "Any good ?", the hacker asked.
"All wired up", Loki replied, proud of his work. The top floor of the gatehouse, originally a storehouse for various pieces of spare equipment had been hastily cleaned up in order to serve as a temporary computer room now that the Solar was no longer habitable.
Loki had spent the last two hours MacGyvering cables, wooden stantions, metal coathooks and an old humvee exhaust in order to reconnect the phone cable from its source in the long-forgotten BT public phonebox, along the curtain wall to its new position inside the gatehouse. Erisian grinned and with a wave of thanks, returned to where LadyCool leaned against the table humming the tune to 'Armageddon'.
"Cute", Erisian said, picking up the monitor and starting towards the gatehouse. LC shrugged, sighed and followed her companion across the courtyard.

"How about Tamsin ?", Loki asked, turning back to Pantha.
"Not much change", Pantha replied shrugging her shoulders. "Asala's in the infirmary trying to cheer her up while Angover's on the roof".
Loki nodded, looking up to where the blacksmith and his apprentice could be seen erecting a makeshift scaffold between the South Tower and the Solar. "Poor kid", Loki mused, thinking of the girl who lay in the infirmary stricken by some unknown malady; "This is some weird setup, I have to say"
"HEY !!! ... don't put the processor on the grass, it's ..."; Erisian stood beside the aforementiond piece of computer machinery glaring at LC who was rushing along the side of the curtain wall towards the toilet block. Loki shook his head amusedly before striding across the grass to pick up the computer component. "She's been complaining about feeling sick all day" Erisian muttered as Loki collected the processor and motioned her to take the lead. Loki grinned; "Morning sickness ?", he asked mischievously.
Erisian giggled; "Hangover more likely", she replied. "Although she did say that the omlette she ate for breakfast tasted a bit off".
Reaching the top floor, Loki carefully laid the processor onto the makeshift desk and began installing the various peripherals. By the time he was ready to connect the phone wire, LC had appeared and dropped into a chair with beads of sweat on her 'white with a hint of green' face.
"You look like crap", Erisian said as LC groaned her displeasure.
"Thanks so much", came the reply as Loki powered up the computer and clicked on the Internet Connection icon. The sound of the modem dialling up was overshadowed by a loud moan from the direction of LC, followed by a muttered curse and the sound of feet running down the stairs. Erisian shrugged.
"We're in", Loki said as the modem completed its connection and the homepage appeared. Erisian smiled.
"Now lets see what the News sites are making of that meteor swarm", she said and without another word she entered the world of the Internet.



"What the feck is that ?!?!?" Pisky stood in the centre of what was once Wayland's Smithy, staring at a large circular object that looked for all the world like a manhole.
"No wonder no-one found it earlier", Ravenna said, crouching beside the artifact; "It was buried at least six feet below the floor of the burial mound".
"What are those weird markings ?", KayEm asked, pointing to the inscription that ran around the circular edge. "They look like runes to me"
"Coelbren", Ravenna explained, looking up at the edge of the hole where KayEm, Sarah and Fingal stood. Pisky and Tobias were inside the crater made by an exploding meteor. The same explosion that had torn away a great swath of ground and exposed the object to view.
"Coelbren Ar Beirdd", Ravenna explained, "Is an old language used by the Welsh Bards. Some say it was created by Iolo Morgannwg as a mixture of Runic and Ogham scripts, but recent research leads us to believe that Morgannwg only rediscovered it - as in fact he said he did. The fact that it is written here seems to give more weight to the modern theory". She leaned forwards and brushed away a handful of soil.
"Can you read it ?" The pixy asked, intrigued.
"Some of it", came the reply; "Myrddin the ... whatever ... with Wayland placed this seal to ... something to do with dark forces ... swords to save ... I think this bit says 'Heaven and Earth' ..." She pursed her lips and concentrated, then decided that the translation was about as good as she could make it. "Only the ... blood ?, soul ?, lifeforce ? ... one of ... chosen will ... open or release - not sure about that ... this place of ... trysting ... trysting ? ... no ... testing.
She stood and brushed off her hands; "Sorry - thats about all I can do without my notebooks".
"It's better than sod all", Tobias said, walking past her and placing his hand flat on the artifact. "Cold", he said; "I would have thought it would be as hot as hell after that meteor hit it". He looked around at the hot ground, parts of which still steamed in the morning air.

"So what now ?" Pisky asked, crouching at Tobias' side. "And how do we get the bugger open ? ... Ravenna, you haven't got a jemmy in your bag of tricks have you ?"
"What good archaeologist doesn't?" she replied as she rummaged in her kit bag. "Let's see ... little brush, Swiss Army knife, pick, trowel, hammer, pot noodle, half of a chocolate bar, oh ... and this ..." She smiled as she offered the crowbar to Pisky, who nodded appreciately and set to work.

"Come on you idle bastard, put your back into it"; Tobias grinned as Pisky pulled on the crowbar in an attempt to open the artifact.
"Bollocks !" muttered the pixy and strained harder. Suddenly the crowbar slipped, gashing his hand and bringing forth a torrent of Cornish oaths not heard since the last time Jethro did Stand-up comedy. "Fecking Hades on a buggering stick !!!' was about the nicest thing Pisky said as he hurled the crowbar into the air and began dancing around in pain. KayEm shook her head and started down the side of the crater, scrabbling in her bag for some antiseptic and a band-aid. The cut wasn't deep but it hurt and blood welled from it to drip down the pixy's fingers onto the lid of the 'manhole'.
Stop dancing around will you ?", KayEm ordered as she grabbed Pisky's hand and started applying the stinging antiseptic to the cut.
Pisky's ranting blocked out all other sound for a while until KayEm had cleaned the wound and applied an antiseptic pad. "Just as well it was your left hand", she said as she replaced the first aid kit into her bag, "Otherwise you'd have problems lifting your cider bottles".
"No chance of that", the pixy replied, flexing his damaged hand while deftly opening a bottle of 'Best Pixyland' with the other. He was about to lift the bottle to his lips when Sarah's voice pulled his concentration away from the drink.
"You guys better see this !"
Sarah was pointing towards the floor. Specifically to where the artifact lay.
The lid was open.




[edit on 25-10-2004 by Pisky]

Man Ive had to catch up with 2 story post's kept me busy for a good while I've grown a beard lol Keep it up Pisky good work.

Ditto, minus the beard...

It's a good job I can hear the 'O' word without vomiting now innit!! I've just cleaned the keyboard!

Right now I'll go back and read HP: 5 but I can't bring myself to read the ending again, poor Sirius

Anyhoo...keep up the good work!

Excellent Pixy

Very good story, i just had to read your Blog after i finished, you are the funniest pixy i know!

Looking foward to the next installment.

Keep up the good work.

Originally posted by markjaxson
you are the funniest pixy i know!

I concur ! (actually, he's the only pixy I know but that just makes his story so much more unique)

What else can I say ? More please.