I actually finished my story after about 43,000 words, and to fill the NaNoWriMo quota started on the sequel; but I saved myself the final scene of the planned NaNo story to write at the end of the month – and it transpired, completely out of the blue, to be the most meta scene in the entire story.
And because that means it almost certainly won’t make the final cut, and because it’s a fitting way to end another month of frantic typing, I’m going to share ot with the universe. So here it is, the final scene of the first draft of Hex Drive: Bit #3 of The Ambivalence Chronicles.
‘Gary?’ Bille said, leaning forward and peering out between Charlotte and Ken.
‘I hope so,’ Charlotte said. ‘Otherwise we are in a whole heap of trouble.’
‘Again,’ Ken said.
The ninja guard pulled his ninja mask up off of his ninja face, and grinned a ninja grin when he saw that it was, indeed, the Ambivalence, and it was, indeed, being piloted by Ken, Charlotte and Billie.
‘Guys!’ he called, sheathing his ninja weaponry and approaching the Ambivalence in a wholly less threatening manner.
Bille jumped out of the back doors of the van and ran over to hug her friend.
‘Get a room,’ Ken muttered, earning himself a nudge from Charlotte.
‘Good to see you two guys as well,’ Gary said with a grin, coming over to hug both their necks. ‘Where’s the other guy?’ he added. ‘The ugly dude?’
‘Metal Guru?’ Ken said, realising that he was with the three of them when they parted company with Gary all those hours and universes ago. ‘Well, there’s a story there,’ Ken said.
‘I was hoping there might be,’ Gary said cryptically. ‘Like to fill me in?’
‘Well, it is like this…’ Ken started, and then went on to explain about the God code, the Kempston Interface, and the importance of various home computers.
‘Great,’ Gary said. ‘A new quest!’
‘No,’ Ken said. ‘No new quests! I need to take a time out, regroup, edit our adventures to date…’
‘Excuse me?’ Charlotte said.
‘Nothing,’ Ken said innocently. ‘I just need to relax, remember who I am – or who I used to be before I got caught up in all these dimension crossing swashbuckling heroics.’
‘But you were a geek,’ Billie said.
‘Thanks for that,’ Ken said. ‘You are too kind.’
‘But we do have a quest, right?’ Gary said. ‘You know, once you have had a night off?’
‘I would like a weekend off at least, if that is ok?’ Ken said. ‘I feel like I haven’t seen my family in a month.’
‘Well, alright then,’ Gary said. ‘But I would like to get away from this weird little suburb at some point in the not too distant future too.’
‘Well, how about this for an idea,’ Ken said. ‘How about, we go home – or somewhere closely approximating the homes one or more of us know – park the Ambivalence up (as grateful as we are for its transport based help, of course), find ourselves a nice pub, and get a couple of cold ones in?’
‘Can we have dinner too?’ Billie asked.
‘I’ve got the perfect solution,’ Charlotte said. ‘There’s the signpost up ahead – Next stop: a Berni Inn.’
Yes, I know it’s badly written, so if you’ll excuse me, I should be editing.
