NaNo Day 24 - Double-up Monday!

EPIC STARE

You know what I'm looking at right now? A double-up Monday. That's right peoples of the world and beyond. I did DOUBLE the Nano par word count today by writing 3554 words today. I basically wrote an entire chapter in one day!!!

I kinda made this deal with myself that I wouldn't buy my Nanowrimo winner's shirt until I was completely sure I could make it to to 50,000 words. And the only way I can know that is to reach my goal before November 30. I really, really want my t-shirt. Oh and to be a winner, of course :D

So my word count for today is: 42,122 words!!

I'll keep this post relatively brief because I TOTALLY want to go waste my time on something else like watching Youtube videos or playing a video game (and not the iPad). 

And here is a *cheer* to everyone that is continuing the NaNo journey to the very end! No matter what you think or do, DON'T GIVE UP YET! There is still plenty of time to make it if you believe in yourself and just put your butt in that chair. 

Coffee helps too. A lot. 

You can do it, world!

EXCERPT

So again, please keep in mind that the decoration of my sentences is going down and my words might not be very pretty any more. Some sentences might be downright bad. But hey! December is like nano editing month, right? I'll be taking advantage of that. 

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That should just about do it,” the man said. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a remote control. It was filled with switches and levers. Jason started to have second thoughts about what was really going on. The man flicked a switch and the devices on their chests buzzed and clicked. “Now the data sensors are activated and we can start recording some field data! The testing area is at the bottom of the stairs,” The man stepped aside and waved toward the open door. “Enter when ready!”

                “Good luck down there!” Sun waved happily. Her confidence was still really creepy.

Jason looked at his sister, who gave him a nervous nod and stared down into the stairwell. Without thinking he stretched out and clasped her hand in his. She smiled, but didn’t look up at him. Jason used his other hand to give Isaac a thumbs up. “See you on the other side!”

                “I’ll be watching you!” Isaac called after them, but his voice already sounded far away. The passageway seemed ancient, but Jason could see multicolored wires tacked along the walls under the handrails. It was a strange contrast that Jason was used to. The energy humming from the wires filled the stairway with a familiar hum. 

A set of glass double doors greeted them at the bottom of the stairs, the floors and walls shifting from gray stone to shiny white metallic. A camera was position in the top corner and moved itself into focus. A jovial robotic voice echoed through its audio system “Welcome to Training Lab Number 3! Please watch your step as the doors in front of you will open automatically.”

Shiri squeezed his hand a little harder. “Let’s do this,” she said with more confidence filing her voice.

“You’re pretty cute when you’re trying to be brave.” His eyes went wide in disbelief. Why did I just say that?

“’Trying?’ I don’t have to try, this kind of bravery just comes to me naturally.” She played along with the joke, even if there was a faint blush on her cheeks. The whooshing sound of the open doors was a welcome change of an awkward moment.

The two of them released hands and walked inside. The dark room quickly illuminated with hidden lights in the white tiled ceiling. The room was empty except for a single glass table in the middle of the room. Two petri dishes filled a single helping of gray goo sat waiting. “The test is about to begin. Please take your designated amount of Element 219 from the table in front of you,” the overly happy announcer said.

Jason looked around and Shiri pointed at the table. “I guess they mean this stuff?” she asked. “Can you just pick it up or…?”

                “Well I don’t see any gloves or warning stickers,” Jason looked around and up at the camera who waited silently. Focusing back on the gray goo, he shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah I guess we just take it.”

                “It looks like a piece of clay,” his sister observed. She reached out and picked of the goo. After a moment of sitting in her palm, the goo started to move; it expanded almost like liquid, covering the inside of her hand and reaching up her fingers. “Oh my god, it’s taking over my hand! Jason do something!”

Jason reached over to do – he didn’t know – but the substance didn’t respond to his touch. He picked up the petri dish and used it like a shovel to pry the goo off her hand. Nothing worked. When Shiri looked about to cry, a loud cracking sound echoed throughout the room followed by a high pitch ringing. 

Then it sounded like someone was clearing their throat. “Hello, hello! Can my two volunteers hear me?” the voice of the man rang out. “Tell the young lady not to be alarmed, it’s a totally natural process. The metal will bond with the first person it touches in order to absorb their DNA. Completely safe.”

                “This stuff is glued to her, how are we supposed to get it off?!” Jason cried in distress.

                “You really worry too much young man. It’s simple! The process of imprinting at the end of the experiment will detach the substance, whether you are successful or not.”

Shiri sniffed back her tears and stood a little taller. “I’m okay Jason. I just got a little scared. Go ahead and pick up your piece.” Her curvy eyes lifted with a smile. “At least then we would both be stuck like this.”

                “How reassuring to hear you say that,” Jason joked back. He picked up the blob and it worked the same on his palm as well, coating the complete underside of his hand. The robotic voice happily cracked back into the speaker. “Please proceed to the back door and use the hand scanner to confirm successful contact.”

The audio cracked again and the voice of the professor came back into the room. “Eh yeah I forgot to mention that this test runs with an automatic tutorial system. I haven’t figured out how to disable it yet, so just bear with the protocols okay?”

                “How can you forget something important like that?” Jason called out.

                “Ha ha,  must of slipped my mind.”

                “Right,” Shiri sighed. She straightened up and smiled at her companion. “Let’s get out of here. The sooner this test is over the better I’ll feel.” 

Both of the them walked to the back and saw a scanner with the shape of a handprint. Shiri offered her hand on the pad first. It lit up with a grid-like light and ran over the palm of her open hand. The robotic voice chimed in “Contact with Element 217 confirmed! Next test subject please!” Jason offered his gray hand in the same way and a green light flashed above the exit. “The test trials will now begin. Good luck!” the friendly voice offered.

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