Post by jackalope on Jun 26, 2011 16:55:04 GMT -5
Ultimate S.H.A.D.E. #0
New Year's Evolution
New Year's Evolution
December 31st 2010
The wind is calm and slightly damp. From so high above the people below look like ants, faintly yellow in the night's darkness.
“Take this; you seem to need it more than me right now.” A short tubby blond man, in a bowler hat, hands his umbrella to a robotic figure in an ill fitting yellow rubber raincoat.
“Thanks.” The robot figure took it. Opening it, he holds it up. The lights of the city reflect off his bronze coloured face.
The blond man removes his dark pinstripe suit jacket and folds it, placing it near the robot's feet. He rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, and rubs his hands together. “Do you feel that?” He grins, “The excitement. You can taste it in the air.” From below the sound of a hundred conversations is constant, like the waves of the sea washing around them.
“I've never seen you so happy...” The robot leans forward, looking over the edge, and quickly steps back, shuffling back a couple of inches. The wind picks up slightly, pulling the umbrella outwards. “It's weird, even after all these years ...heights.”
“You need to relax, enjoy yourself, you only live twice!” The blond man chortles. “Or in my case... listen to that do you hear it?”
“Dix.”
“Neuf.”
“Huit.”
The words float up from below.
“Here we go.” The blond man turns, “think you'll miss me?”
The robot's face shows no emotion. “I'll tell you later.”
“Trois.”
“DEUX.”
“UN!”
Fireworks explode in spheres of neon green and orange. Cheers erupt from below. A thousand people kiss, and even more stand awkwardly hoping for one. People jump and blow horns, pop corks. 'Auld Lang Syne' starts playing. On very top of the Eiffel tower, covered in lines of golden lights, a grey bearded Indian man turns to his robot companion.
“Bonne Annee, mon ami,” he says. The robotic figure reaches into the pocket of his yellow jacket and pulls out a small mirror. The Indian man turns his head side to side, then takes his bowler hat off and throws it off, letting it sail into the crowds below. “I'm thinking a fez, no, a turban... What do you think?”
The robot shrugs. It lets the umbrella down and shakes it off. “You could've given me the hat, I always fancied a bowler.”
“No Robert. New beginnings my boy. I'll get you a better hat.” He picked up the jacket and laughed, then laughed again as if trying it out for the first time. “I like this laugh much better.”
From above the sound of a helicopter drifted towards them. A rope ladder drops down. A blue skinned lady stretches out of the open side.
“Are you done with the melodramatics?” she shouts.
Father Time grabs the ladder and starts climbing up. He turns back to Robotman.
“I'm excited Robert, this year is going to be a good one, I can feel it.”