Chapter 47: It's a Disguise… and You Look… Hot?
So listen ,yeah, I know I said I'd help you. I gave my word, in fact. But… HELL NO.
"Come on, Maddox, it'll look good on you," Mel said, literally rolling on the floor laughing.
"Look, I have my own self-respect and pride as a man. I will NOT. I refuse."
"Think about it, Maddox. A whole civilization of elves is going through way worse. Do it for them."
"There has to be another way. I can't…"
We were back on the Neptune. The scientists and engineers at Split were already working on the final design of the Demon Core and would have it ready when the time came. The issue now was getting everyone out of Glass Beach, which brought us to the second phase of our wacky mission: Infiltrate and Extract (codename: IE).
The problem? Glass Beach is an all-female island. All the elves, workers, everyone ,female. The only exception being the old man….Lucky Hag. Which meant one dilemma: in order to get people off the island, I'd need to touch them and use Hollow Step. Normally, no issue. Except for one teeny-tiny, itty-bitty problem… I'm a guy. And suspicion would rise real fast if some random dude just waltzed into Glass Beach.
So here it was, right in front of me, in all its girly glory: a wig with long brown hair, makeup, and other "yassified tools" (Mara's words, not mine).
I had died, hadn't I? I was dead and this was hell.
Later that day…
"So… what am I looking at here, Mara?" I asked, still confused.
"Glass Beach is known as an independent dictatorship ,or more accurately, a totalitarian island. On top of that, it's a closed society, meaning no media, no news, no outside influence. When I left, I knew little to nothing about where I was going. Bumping into you was a miracle in itself…or maybe not since for some reason the grand elder knew I'd somehow bump into you..
The Grand Elder ,the only male in Glass Beach ,taught me about the outside world and its technologies. He told me to head to Rust Port, the closest free island, to make the battery."
"Now that I'm out here, I'd like to hear more about this world. The Grand Elder told me about a device called a radio. It uses an antenna to catch what's known as radio frequencies, letting people speak or broadcast messages on a wide scale. It blew my mind when I first heard of it. He even said there's something more advanced where images can be broadcast and received through a device called a television.
Considering I don't have much time, I built this a simple radio."
Back at the orphanage, we had never heard of such a thing. We just used letters, owls to send messages, or magical orbs ,but those were reserved for the rich. This truly was a new world.
"I see. That's pretty cool, Mara. Turn it on ,I wanna see it work too," I said, excited.
"Same! I'm so EXCITED. Let's do it."
She flicked a red button on the radio base, and a static hum filled the air. She adjusted a few knobs, and the static turned into chopped-up audio. As she kept tweaking, actual voices began to ring from the speaker.
"Want a break from the heat? Down some C4 Soda ,it's an explosion of flavor!"
We looked at each other and smiled. This was so cool.
"You built this, Mara. This is amazing," I praised.
"I know, right!" she said, jumping for joy.
"Hi, and welcome back to CAM News. I'm your host, as always, Cam Elion."
The broadcast continued
"In today's top story, the explosion at Rust Port that took place a few weeks ago has finally been pinpointed to a leak in one of the factory lines that run through Factory Grove Street. The CEO and head supervisor have issued an apology and say they are buckling down on safety. On a brighter note, there are now confirmed zero casualties.
Some bystanders had words to say. Off to you, Cami."
"Hi, I'm Cami Flage , blending right into the scene here with a bystander who claims to have seen the explosion first hand."
"A gas leak? How dumb does the government think we are, Cami? I saw it, man. That was no gas leak."
"Then what could it possibly have been, Robert?"
"It's aliens, man. The government is hiding them, take my word for it."
"Aliens?" Cami said, amused. "What gives you that idea?"
"I've seen them, man. The government is lying to us. Last week my sandwich went miss–"
"Okay, that's all we have before this story changes colors too far. Cam, back over to you."
"No, no, listen! I've seen them! My sandwich was just the first ,this world is going to spl–"
Cam cleared his throat, hiding a laugh.
"Well, color me interested. We'll keep you filled in as this story progresses," he said.
"In other news, there has been a rise in airship sightings. From a reliable source, we've been informed of one crashing in Brooks Cavern. It's still unknown where they come from, but as always, I'll keep you in the loop.
If any of our listeners have information, please let us know.
Lastly, the Pope from Lovely Garden is still missing. We managed to get a word from the Head Lady on the case:
'What has happened here is devastating. We cannot share much yet, but this is of the utmost importance. He must be found for the sake of all of Lovely Garden.'
As always, if anyone can share information on his whereabouts, it would be greatly appreciated. A reward of 500 gold is offered for his return."
"Anyway, remember ,no matter how the colors of the story shift, we'll keep you in the picture. I'm Cam Elion, and here are some calm tunes to blend your evening into peace. Good night, everyone."
"Well that was… awesome," we both said.
"We need to show Mel and El !" I said, excited.
"Yeah, for sure ,we should!" Mara replied, just as hyped. "It's going to blow their minds."
Later that night…
"Okay, we've come to a compromise," Mel, El, and Mara said, looking a little disappointed.
Mara explained, "The workers wear huge mining gear and helmets, so you don't need to wear the wig or makeup."
"Thank god," I said, relieved I could keep my manhood intact.
"I don't know what your deal is anyway ,it was just a disguise. And honestly, as a girl, you looked kinda hot," Mel said.
"I'll pass, thanks," I replied dryly. "Anyway, we really should prepare everything for tomorrow. Are you ready, Mara?"
You could practically feel the mood shift.
"Ye… yeah," she said softly. "I need to be. It's all riding on us now, Maddox. I just hope we pull through."
"It'll work out. I promise. I won't let anything bad happen."
She smiled. "Maybe I'd believe you more if you said that in the wig and makeup." She grinned, pulling them out from behind her back. "Get over here."
"HELL NOOO!" I yelled, running.
"Mel, El–catch him!" she ordered.
They all ganged up on me, laughter in their voices.
"What the hell is wrong with you guys?!" I shouted, running for my life.