The Arrow of Time

Disaster

"When did you start thinking that?" Taranza entered lounge c to talk to Magolor, who was laying on the couch. "About the paper, I mean."

Magolor got off the couch and looked around to see if there was anyone else there. There wasn't. "I read that paper after I got back to my room. The laundry thing wasn't actually true, but when I read that paper, I got really scared. I wanted to stay close to you after that, because I know I can trust you. That, and I really did miss you."

"You're really not worried that there's more than one OSO and that I might be possessed?"

"I'm positive that's the real you. I see it in your eyes. I would believe you if you told me you were being hunted by a big blade of grass with googly eyes."

Taranza looked about ready to start having some kind of emotional outburst, but he held it back. "You promise?"

Magolor flinched. "Are you being hunted by a big blade of grass with googly eyes?"

"Not that I know of, no. It's not impossible, though."

Magolor giggled a little, then rubbed the side of his head. "You know, now that I think about it, you might be onto something with there maybe being more than one OSO."

--. .- -.-- / .--. . --- .--. .-.. .

"Oh, good afternoon, Kirby. Are you well?" Meta Knight opened the door to the hallway, and saw Kirby looking distressed.

"Since we got here, I learned that my thoughts don't make for very good company when everything is scary and I don't know where I am."

"...Would you like to come in?"

Without another word, Kirby stepped through the door and hugged Meta Knight. Before anything else happened, they heard the sounds of Kine stomping down the hallway and into the warehouse. Kirby let go and walked further into the room. "I really don't think you're doing anything bad." He sat down on the bed.

Meta Knight sat next to him. "I never thought you did."

Kirby stared blankly at him for almost fifteen seconds, and then ran out of the room. He skidded to a halt, then took a sharp right turn and opened the door to the warehouse. The scene that played out before his eyes grounded his vague fear into something much easier to visualize. An arm, made of metal. A leg, also made of metal. One more of each of those.

They all lay in a heap on the floor.

Meta Knight rushed in. "Kirby, are you-" He stopped cold. "What?" He took a step back. "I'll get the others. Kirby, see if he's okay." He turned to leave. "Kirby? Can you hear me?" Of course he was in shock. The limbs that had been attached to Kine's tank were completely severed, and the tank itself was nowhere to be seen. No matter how you looked at it, it was wrong.

Shakily, Kirby staggered to the pile of severed limbs. He pulled something out of it. It was a blue piece of cloth with white spots on it. Immediately, he recognized where it came from. "M-Marx..."

The door opened again. It was Rick. "Hey guys, what's all the hub... bub..." He started shaking. "Kine?"

Meta Knight turned away from his two distraught companions. "I'll get everyone else." He left.

.. - / ... . . -- ... / ... --- -- . --- -. . / .... .- ... / --. --- -. . / ..-. .. ... .... .. -. --.

"The king is out rounding up everyone on floor h. Kirby, have you calmed down?"

Kirby sat on the floor, looking like a shell of himself. "I'm sorry for running, I just got a little freaked out and I thought that maybe, since it's happened before..." Tears were welling up in his eyes. "Now, I'm definitely sure though!" He put on a smile that was visibly forced.