THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR
What Lies Beyond: Day 6
A scene I wrote fairly early on that ended up having no place in the final fanfic.
It would have taken place on Day 6, in Chapter 6.
It was axed for being extraneous (although it better explains the food generators), and because finishing and including it would have ruined my favorite transition between chapters I've ever written.
Still, I think it's quite a funny scene.
I ended up reusing the last bit of dialogue in the actual chapter, as you will notice.
It would have taken place on Day 6, in Chapter 6.
It was axed for being extraneous (although it better explains the food generators), and because finishing and including it would have ruined my favorite transition between chapters I've ever written.
Still, I think it's quite a funny scene.
I ended up reusing the last bit of dialogue in the actual chapter, as you will notice.
"Kai?"
"Over here!"
Adam turned toward the voice. He still didn't see his friend. "Uh... over where?"
A knocking sounded from within the food generator. "In here!"
Adam approached the generator and crouched down. He peered into one of the empty slots. He was a bit startled when a pair of excited blue eyes stared back at him from behind. Kai grinned and waved. "Hey, Adam!"
"Kai!" Adam barked a laugh. "How did you get back there?"
Kai motioned to Adam's right. "There's a maintenance entrance over there. Here! I'll show you." He darted from Adam's sight. Adam stood and shuffled over to the section of wall at the end of the compartment space--- blank, aside from a small, square metal door just above floor level. The door jerked and flew open. Then an unkempt auburn-haired head emerged. Kai grinned up at Adam. "Wanna come see? It's really cool back here. Literally and figuratively..."
Adam crouched to get a better look inside the crawlspace. He shook his head. "Nah... looks too small."
"Too small?" Kai snorted. "Hate to burst your ego, dude, but you're just as skinny as I am. So I'm shorter than you; what difference does it make?"
"None," said Adam. "I was talking about my shoulders. They're broader than yours; I might get stuck."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Broad shoulders..." He shimmied back inside the crawlspace. "Gimme a break." He slammed the maintenance door in Adam's face.
Adam beamed and rose to his feet. "Look on the bright side, Kai." He paced back to the center of the generator. "You've got that space all to yourself."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Kai. "Just me, the machine, and all this goop. Hard to believe it's food."
"How are the cheeseburgers coming along?" asked Adam. "Any luck?"
Kai snorted. "Do you see any cheeseburgers?" he asked bluntly. "I'm still trying to figure out how this thing makes fruit. I mean, I don't need to know that to have it make stuff. I just want to figure out how this thing works."
"It's matter resequencing."
"What?"
"Matter resequencing," Adam repeated. "The process that takes that stuff and makes it into food."
"I know that!" snapped Kai. "But how does that work? Before this past week I thought this kinda stuff only existed in science fiction."
"Yeah," Adam agreed. He leaned against the center island. "You'll figure it out. You've got a real knack for this stuff."
"Well... thanks for the vote of confidence," said Kai in a flat tone.
"Over here!"
Adam turned toward the voice. He still didn't see his friend. "Uh... over where?"
A knocking sounded from within the food generator. "In here!"
Adam approached the generator and crouched down. He peered into one of the empty slots. He was a bit startled when a pair of excited blue eyes stared back at him from behind. Kai grinned and waved. "Hey, Adam!"
"Kai!" Adam barked a laugh. "How did you get back there?"
Kai motioned to Adam's right. "There's a maintenance entrance over there. Here! I'll show you." He darted from Adam's sight. Adam stood and shuffled over to the section of wall at the end of the compartment space--- blank, aside from a small, square metal door just above floor level. The door jerked and flew open. Then an unkempt auburn-haired head emerged. Kai grinned up at Adam. "Wanna come see? It's really cool back here. Literally and figuratively..."
Adam crouched to get a better look inside the crawlspace. He shook his head. "Nah... looks too small."
"Too small?" Kai snorted. "Hate to burst your ego, dude, but you're just as skinny as I am. So I'm shorter than you; what difference does it make?"
"None," said Adam. "I was talking about my shoulders. They're broader than yours; I might get stuck."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Broad shoulders..." He shimmied back inside the crawlspace. "Gimme a break." He slammed the maintenance door in Adam's face.
Adam beamed and rose to his feet. "Look on the bright side, Kai." He paced back to the center of the generator. "You've got that space all to yourself."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Kai. "Just me, the machine, and all this goop. Hard to believe it's food."
"How are the cheeseburgers coming along?" asked Adam. "Any luck?"
Kai snorted. "Do you see any cheeseburgers?" he asked bluntly. "I'm still trying to figure out how this thing makes fruit. I mean, I don't need to know that to have it make stuff. I just want to figure out how this thing works."
"It's matter resequencing."
"What?"
"Matter resequencing," Adam repeated. "The process that takes that stuff and makes it into food."
"I know that!" snapped Kai. "But how does that work? Before this past week I thought this kinda stuff only existed in science fiction."
"Yeah," Adam agreed. He leaned against the center island. "You'll figure it out. You've got a real knack for this stuff."
"Well... thanks for the vote of confidence," said Kai in a flat tone.