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GPF Archive: Thursday, January 20, 2005 [[Professor Wisebottom's Laboratory, The professor, Nicole Duncan, Fred and Fooker are present]] / Prof. Wisebottom: The size of the number is less important than the EXISTENCE of one, Fred! That alone sets you apart from others of your kind... / Fred: Still, I think it should be higher. / Prof. Wisebottom: I want to run a few more psychological and behavioral tests. Properly documented, I think those will go a long way to proving your intelligence to the judge. / Fred: Hrm... Okay. / Prof. Wisebottom: This could take quite a while, so if you'd like to stay, we can let Jason and Mrs. Duncan retire... / Nicole: I can come by and pick you up in the morning. / Fred: How do I know you won't try to dissect me once we're alone? / Prof. Wisebottom (raising his hand as giving an oath): I swear to you on Nikola Tesla's Teleforce Death Ray that my dissection tools will not leave the cabinet.
GPF Archive: Friday, January 21, 2005 [[In prof. Wisebottom's lab, prof. Wisebottom is giving Fred back to Nicole. In the background some laboratory glasswork and a computer can be seen. A narrator-box reads: "The next day..."]] / Nicole: Well, how did things go? / Prof. Wisebottom: Very well, and as you can see, he is still in one piece. / [[Shot from behind Fred, as he turns to Prof. Wisebottom]] / Prof. Wisebottom: Remember, I'm ready to testify about all of our experiments. Just give me a call and I'll meet you at the courthouse. / Fred: Thanks, Prof. / [[Shot of Fred walking away with (or more accurately, being carried away by) Nicole]] / Nicole: Well, now. It seems someone has changed his tune with respect to prof. Wisebottom... / Fred: I learned a lot last night, Nicole, about Wisebottom AND myself. / [[Frontal shot of Nicole with Fred in her hand, in the background prof. Wisebottom is leaving]] / Nicole: And about your tests? / Fred: Let's just say Trent and Mercedes can try anything they want. I'm ready for them.
GPF Archive: Saturday, January 22, 2005 [[Nicole stands inside an elevator. An ominous shadow appears on the wall as the doors open with a]] / ((Ding!)) / [[Mercedes and Nicole eye eachother, Mercedes with a smug smile, Nicole calm and confident]] / Mercedes De La Croix: Good morning, Nicole! Are you ready to negotiate a settlement, or are you still foolish enough to meet me in court? / Nicole Duncan: I think the fool in this case has yet to be determined. / [[Mercedes is now behind Nicole as the elevator rises]] / Mercedes: My, aren't WE smug this morning. One would almost think you actually had a strategy in place... / Nicole: We do, if you must know, and I think I'm no longer the one to be worried. / [[Nicole leaves the elevator, a confident, ominous grin on her face. In the back, Mercedes looks bothered, her arms folded across her chest]] / Nicole: See you in court, Mercedes.
GPF Archive: Sunday, January 23, 2005 Sharon: Fooker, your birthday is coming up, and since you've become so much more open-minded, I thought I'd give you something extra special. / Fooker: Okay... / Sharon: It's a maxed-out Power Mac! With dual 2.5GHz G5s, 8GB RAM, 500GB disk space, superdrive, and Mac OS X tiger! Of course, it comes with iLife and all the usual trimmings! Isn't it awesome? / Fooker: Er, thanks. / Sharon: Of course, this will help a ton when you come back to GPF, since I convinced Dwayne to go with all Apple products. / Fooker: You did? / Sharon: In fact, now you don't need that old Linux box anymore, or any of those old computers. Everything here will be bright, shiny, and fruity colored! Whee! / [[Sharon removes her clothes, revealing a form-fitting "iMac girl" outfit.]] / Sharon: Including me! / [[Fooker is in bed with Sharon, who is sound asleep. Fooker is lying awake, having dreamt all the previous panels.]]
GPF Archive: Monday, January 24, 2005 [[Sharon and Fooker are browsing a bargain computer show]] / Sharon: So have you heard the lastest about Nick and Ki's wedding plans? / Fooker: Mm, don't think so... / Sharon: Ki's stuck trying to find another bridesmaid. You're best man and he's also got Dwayne and Dexter, but all Ki has is me and Nicole. Trish, of course, is out of the question. / Sharon: Persephone is upset that she's not a bridesmaid, which made Fred complain, "What does that make me? Ring bearer?" Then they... Hey, are you listening? / Fooker: Mm hm. / Sharon: I just heard that Microsoft is going to release the source code of Windows XP as open source. / Fooker: That's nice. / Sharon: And that's what I thought.
 
GPF Archive: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 Sharon: Fooker, what's up with you today? / Fooker: Sorry. I've been out in space. / Sharon: Obviously. You just passed a row of dirt-cheap motherboards without flinching. / Sharon: What has you so distracted? / Fooker: I dunno. I had this silly, crazy dream last night, and it got me thinking about... well, US. / Sharon: I'm beginning to LIKE this dream... / Fooker: Er, you might NOT. It didn't exactly paint you in the most flattering light. / Sharon: This isn't the one with me dressed up in plastic wrap while spanking Ed McMahon with a sausage while you're dancing "Swan Lake" in the nude again, is it? / Fooker: Fortunately, No.
GPF Archive: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 [[Sharon and Fooker are at a concessions stand in a bargain computer show]] / Sharon: So what was this dream about? / Fooker: That's not important. It's just random neurons firing in an unconscious mind. / Sharon: Ooh... that means it's a really bad one... / Fooker: No, no, it's... it's what it got me thinking about that's been bothering me, not the dream itself. / Fooker: I love you, Sharon, and there's no other woman I could see myself being with. But we've had this rocky on-again, off-again relationship, and now that we seem to be on for solid, I can't help wondering... / [[Sharon and Fooker sit with their food]] / Sharon: Are we heading for another break-up? / Fooker: Worse. If Nick and Ki are taking the plunge, does that mean we're next?
GPF Archive: Thursday, January 27, 2005 [[Sharon and Fooker are sitting at a table at a bargain computer show]] / Sharon: You mean... you're worried about us getting... married? / Fooker: Dang it! I knew I should have kept my mouth shut! Kernel panic! / [[Sharon blushes]] / Sharon: I... I didn't know you were that... serious about us. / Fooker: You aren't? / Sharon: Yes... er, no. I mean, I am... but I didn't think you... / Fooker: Forget it. I shouldn't have brought it up. Let's just go and-- / Sharon: No, Fooker! Please! We obviously need to talk about this! We won't get anywhere if we don't share... / Fooker: But here? In front of every geek in the tri-county area? / Sharon: Most of them would kill to have a girlfriend, so let them stare... in envy.
GPF Archive: Friday, January 28, 2005 [[Sharon and Fooker are discussing marriage at a computer show's concessions area]] / Sharon: I didn't know you wanted to marry me... / Fooker: Well, that's just it. Technically, I don't. But I thought you might. / Sharon: So... you don't want to marry me...? / Fooker: Gah, that's not what I meant. I love you, Sharon, and if I ever did want to marry someone, it would be you. I just don't want to get married, now or ever. / Fooker: I've had some... bad experiences with failed marriages, including my parents, and I don't want to follow in their footsteps. I just thought with Nick and Ki getting hitched, you might... you know... / Sharon: I promise I will do everything in my power to avoid catching the bouquet. / Fooker: Can we put you on the other side of the lawn? Or better yet, stay inside?
GPF Archive: Saturday, January 29, 2005 [[Sharon and Fooker are talking at a computer show]] / Sharon: Fooker, if you don't want to get married, that's okay. I didn't think we had really been together long enough to even think about it yet. / Fooker: Whew. / Sharon: I've seen lots of successful marriages, including the Duncans. And I'm sure Nick and Ki will be the same. So I'm okay either way, and if at any time you change your mind, you can always ask me. / Sharon: But after what you've shared, I promise I'll never ask you. Nor will I pressure you into something you're not ready for. / Fooker: Even moving GPF to all Macs? / Sharon: Um, yeah. / Sharon: So, does that set your mind at ease? / Fooker: Yep. Big load off. Do you think anyone here knows how to make one of those "iMac girl" outfits?
 
GPF Archive: Sunday, January 30, 2005 [[shows a city in the middle of a blizzard]] / Trudy narrating: I have never believed in fate. There is no such thing as destiny. Providence is only the capital of Rhode Island. / [[A shadowy figure runs through a back alley]] / Trudy narrating: Even when I faced my future self, Ruler of an entire world, I did not believe in it. It was one possible outcome, not guaranteed. Obviously, I proved the guarantee null and void. / [[The figure is revealed as Trudy]] / Trudy narrating: All my life I have manipulated others, but I always felt I was master of my own destiny. The puppeteer, not the puppet. / [[Someone with a gun looks down on Trudy]] / Trudy narrating: But my past torments me. "Friends" I betrayed haunt me. My very sanity is in question; who sees towering maniacal jesters fading in and out of reality? / [[The figure on the roof, revealed as Agent #18, jumps down at Trudy]] / Trudy narrating: Fate, it seems, has had the last laugh. Apparently, it believes in me.
GPF Archive: Monday, January 31, 2005 Trudy narrating: They call him Agent #18. I read up on him while I was still with C.R.U.D.E. Next to Fooker and that #12 chick, he's their best. / [[Agent #18's foot lands on Trudy's back]] / Trudy narrating: Why the UGA sent him instead of Fooker, I don't know. Perhaps Fooker would take it too personally. / [[Agent #18 grabs the front of Trudy's jacket]] / #18 takes it personally enough. / Trudy narrating: Over two years on the run has given me the chance to learn how to really fight. I'm not combat trained like him, but I can hold my own. / [[Trudy knees Agent #18 in the groin]] / Trudy narrating: But the cold, hypothermia, the flu in my lungs. I'm slow. My reactions are off. He has the upper hand. / [[Agent #18 punches Trudy in the jaw]] / I'm weak... and he knows it.
GPF Archive: Tuesday, February 1, 2005 [[Agent #18 kicks Trudy]] / Trudy narrating: He has hounded me, nipping at my heels, for months now. Ever since... since I saw *them* together. I should never have gone to see Yoshi. / [[Trudy blocks a blow from Agent #18]] / Trudy narrating: I haven't had a real moment of rest. And ever since I caught that cold, I've been getting sicker and sicker. It's growing harder to fight back. / [[Agent #18 coughs]] / Trudy narrating: But *he* hasn't rested either. His relentless pursuit has kept *him* on the move as well. Maybe, if I'm lucky... / <> / <> / [[Trudy has an evil grin on her face while she kicks Agent #18 upside the head]] / Trudy narrating: Even the strongest soldier cannot fight at his peak when he's ill. The playing field has been leveled somewhat. / {{Trudy gains the upper hand here}}
GPF Archive: Wednesday, February 2, 2005 [[Trudy punches Agent #18 in the face. Both have scratches on their faces]] / Trudy narrating: The blizzard is getting wrose. The streets are deserted, except for a couple of fools. At least we don't have an audience. / [[Agent #18 kicks Trudy in the chest and knocks her against a dumpster]] / Trudy narrating: He may be weakened, but he still has the upper hand. I think a rib's been broken...it's getting harder to breathe. / [[Trudy slumps against the dumpster and reaches for a metal bar]] / Trudy narrating: We're both taking a lot of damage. Our blood mixes in the virgin snow. I need something, some sort of edge... / [[Trudy hits Agent #18 with the bar and knocks his sunglasses off]] / Trudy narrating: Found it.
GPF Archive: Thursday, February 3, 2005 [[Trudy raises the bar above #18's head as he reaches out]] / Trudy narrating: I swing the heavy metal bar with all my might. I can hear his bones crunching with each blow, but I dare not stop. It could be my only chance. / [[Trudy hits Agent #18 in the face and draws a lot of blood]] / Trudy narrating: The first shot was the luckiest. I caught him unaware, and he didn't have time to block. I must keep swinging until he stops moving. Must keep swinging... / [[Trudy prepares to swing again as Agent #18 lies in his own blood in the snow]] / [[Trudy slumps to her knees near Agent #18]] / Trudy narrating: That's it. I've used all that I had. Now... now it takes all that I have not to collapse. I am beaten... but did I beat him first?
 
GPF Archive: Friday, February 4, 2005 [[Trudy looks at a bloodied agent #18]] / Trudy narrating: I look at his prone form. Did I kill him? No, I can see him still breathing. He'll live, but he'll need reconstructive surgery. / [[Trudy starts to walk away]] / Trudy narrating: I have to put as much distance between us as possible. Even if I avoid any other UGA drones, I can't let myself get caught by local police. / [[Trudy stumbles and falls]] / Trudy narrating: My legs buckle. They can't hold my weight. Pain seizes every part of my body. I craw out of the alley, toward the street, but not much further. / [[Trudy lies on her chest in the snow]] / Trudy narrating: I feel my life slipping from me. Funny... this isn't how I thought it would end, but I can run no more, and my race appears to be finallly over.
GPF Archive: Saturday, February 5, 2005 [[Trudy lies in the snow, apparently unconscious]] / Trudy narrating: I have never believed in fate. / [[Trudy is still in the snow, but headlights are visible.]] / [[A car stops near Trudy]] / [[Dr. Akhilesh Seghal gets out and bends over near Trudy]] / Trudy narrating: But there's a first time for everything.
GPF Archive: Sunday, February 6, 2005 [[Trudy lays, injured, on Akhilesh's couch]] / Trudy: I have no idea how long I was out. Hours? Days? Did it really matter? / Trudy: I wake to strange surroundings and the overwhelming fear of being caught. / [[Trudy tries to sit up]] / Trudy: But my body fails me. My attempt to sit up brings sharp pains all over. My detached mind hears the pitiful whimper that escapes my throat. / Trudy: Ngh! / Trudy: It seems I'm not the only one who heard it. A noise from the other room announces his presence. / Trudy: I look around desperately for a weapon, but in my condition I couldn't wield one if I tried. Escape is impossible. / Trudy: I fall back in resignation. My flight is now over. The police are sure to arrive any minute, and the long march to my execution is certain to begin. / [[Akhilesh enters, dressed as a clown and carrying a horn]] / Trudy: Of course, by now I should have learned to expect the unexpected. / Akhilesh: Ah, good! You are finally awake! / <>
GPF Archive: Monday, February 7, 2005 [[Trudy lays on Akhilesh's couch. Akhilesh stands nearby, dressed as a clown.]] / Trudy: I could only think of one thing to say... / Trudy: What the @#%&? / Akhilesh: Oh, my! Such language! / Akhilesh: Just for that, young lady, you shall not receive any cookies. They were animal shaped, too... / Trudy: I woke up in the looney bin... / Akhilesh: Oh, no, this is not the bin of loons. It is my apartment! But I will admit it occasionally becomes crazy when I hurl a party! Heh! / Trudy: So when do Bozo and Clarabell show up? / Akhilesh: This is not a bell. It is a horn! And I do not know of this "Bozo" of which you speak.
GPF Archive: Tuesday, February 8, 2005 [[Trudy lays on Akhilesh's couch]] / Trudy: What's with the clown costume? / Akhilesh: Oh, I wear this when I visit the Children's Wing at the hospital. / Akhilesh: I have not worn it in some time, and since I did not expect you to awake for a while, I tried it on. It still fits, if a bit snug around the middle. / Trudy: You... volunteer at a hospital? / Akhilesh: Volunteer? No. They pay me. I am a doctor, which is most fortunate for you... / Akhilesh: ... because you are a most sick young woman.
 
GPF Archive: Wednesday, February 9, 2005 [[Trudy lays on Akhilesh's couch]] / Akhilesh: My name is Akhilesh. What is your name? / Trudy: I'd... rather not say... / Akhilesh: I see. I gather you were in some sort of trouble, or else someone would not have injured you so badly. I have not called the police, nor shall I unless you ask. But I hope you will ultimately let me. / Akhilesh: However, if you do not wish to share your name, it would be much easier if we decide on something to call you. Some people have trouble with Akhilesh, so you may call me "Aki" or "Ali" or even "Al." So what may I call you? / Trudy: Call me... Trudy...
GPF Archive: Thursday, February 10, 2005 [[Trudy lays on Akhilesh's couch as he brings a bowl of soup]] / Akhilesh: Ah! You are awake again! And just in time for dinner! / [[Akhilesh gives Trudy the tray with the soup]] / Akhilesh: I am not much of a cook, which is fortunate for you, as all I know how to make is spicy Indian dishes. But I keep canned soup on hand for a friend. / [[Trudy picks up a pill from the tray]] / Trudy: What are these pills? / Akhilesh: An antibiotic and a pain killer. I heard you coughing, and I fear you have pneumonia. Those should help. / Trudy: Do you always keep a small pharmacy in your apartment? / Akhilesh: I am always prepared, like a boy scout! But I can write you a prescription if you feel I must!
GPF Archive: Friday, February 11, 2005 [[Trudy eats soup on Akhilesh's couch as Akhilesh looks out the window]] / Trudy: Why did you bring me here? Why didn't you take me to the hospital? / Akhilesh: The blizzard is getting worse. All the roads have been closed. / Akhilesh: In fact, I was on my way home from there when I found you. I wanted to stay, but they sent most of us home when the heating failed. / [[Akhilesh walks away from the window]] / Akhilesh: Fortunately, your injuries are not too severe, and I can treat you here. And with the roads closed, you are forced to stay and recuperate. Doctor's orders. / [[Akhilesh picks up some board games]] / Akhilesh: Now, I do not have a television, but with you here, I finally have someone to play board games with! / Trudy: Oh, thrill.
GPF Archive: Saturday, February 12, 2005 [[Trudy lays on Akhilesh's couch, playing Sorry with him]] / Trudy: This doctor is so... strange. And not just with his clown suit and obsession with board games... / Akhilesh: Oop! Sorry! / Trudy: I don't know if it is his awkward humor or his odd mannerisms. But I don't feel threatened by him. I should, as he could turn me in at any minute. But I'm not. / Trudy: Perhaps that is why I'm so confused about him. Have I been so manipulative and defensive that I've forgotten what blind trust even looks like? Does he even care what horrors his patient has done? / Trudy: I can feel the weight of sleep creeping upon me again. As I close my eyes, I wonder... does the lamb even know he nurses the wolf back to health?
GPF Archive: Sunday, February 13, 2005 [[Trudy lays on Akhilesh's couch]] / Trudy: The next few days pass slowly as my body painfully rebuilds itself. Meanwhile, the blizzard continues to bury the city, making my escape even less likely. At least the storm has halted the UGA's search for me. / Trudy: Akhilesh continues to care for me, even though I still refuse to tell him who I am or why I am here. Even when a coworker at the hospital picks him up in a 4x4, he returns at lunch to check up on me. / [[Trudy sits up]] / Trudy: But I don't have the luxury of sanctuary. My rest has emboldened me, and I use his absence to try to move on. / [[Trudy tries to get up, but falls to the floor]] / Trudy: I'm still too weak. I spend hours lying there on the floor until he returns. / [[Akhilesh carries Trudy back to the couch]] / Trudy: And yet he doesn't scold or complain. He simply puts me back on the couch, checks on my bandages, and moves on to fix dinner. / Trudy: He jokes about me being a poor guest, but I can still hear the concern in his voice. How can one care so much for someone they don't even know?
 
GPF Archive: Monday, February 14, 2005 [[Trudy sees images of Ki, Fooker, Chuck, and Dr. Nefarious]] / Trudy: But while my body rests, my mind is still tormented. The dreams are there every single night. Faces haunt me... / [[Trudy sees images of Future Trudy, the Gamester, and Todd]] / Trudy: Three now take prominence. The kid and my future self are easy to understand, but the jester... he begins to surface more and more. / [[Trudy wakes up and still sees a ghostly image of the Gamester]] / Trudy: As usual, I am startled awake by my nightmare. But now I wonder if the line between dream and reality has blurred beyond recognition. / [[Akhilesh sleeps across the room from Trudy]] / Trudy: Have I lost my grip on my sanity? Have I lost touch with the true world and driven myself mad? Either way, what have I become, and what future do I have left?
GPF Archive: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 [[Trudy carries some dishes to Akhilesh's kitchen]] / Trudy: Before long, I regain enough strength to be more independent. Not enough to run, of course, but enough to do most things for myself. / [[A snowplow goes down the street]] / Trudy: The city slowly recovers from its own white virus, but in my condition, flight is still too risky to attempt. / [[Trudy helps Akhilesh prepare food in the kitchen]] / Trudy: Although my mind is still tormented by dreams, I try not to let Akhilesh see. I have shown too much weakness already; my inner demons I must bottle deep inside. / [[Trudy looks at the knife she was cutting tomatoes with]] / Trudy: And then, in one instant, I lose myself into the darkest moment of my entire life.
GPF Archive: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 [[Trudy is in Akhilesh's kitchen, looking at a kitchen knife]] / Trudy: I stare at my reflection as if I am drawn into a whirlpool, drowning in its viselike grip. I hear a voice, my voice, whispering, beckoning... / Trudy: Yes, it would be so simple. It would be over so quickly. And no one would know until it was too late. The solution to my problem, right in the palm of my hand... / [[Trudy holds the knife and looks towards Akhilesh's back]] / Trudy: It wouldn't be fair to Akhilesh after all he has done for me. But who said life was fair? It certainly hasn't been fair to me... / Trudy: Just one cold, impassionate action, and it will be all over. It would be the last thing he'd expect, and then I'll finally be free to move on...
GPF Archive: Thursday, February 17, 2005 [[Akhilesh looks behind him in his kitchen]] / Akhilesh: Trudy? / [[Akhilesh looks for Trudy]] / Akhilesh: Trudy? / Akhilesh: Oh! You are in the bathroom! I apologize! / [[Akhilesh stands by his bathroom door]] / Akhilesh: Are you all right? Do you need anything? / Akhilesh: Hello? Are you okay? / Akhilesh: I am coming in! / [[Akhilesh opens the door to a bloody Trudy and the knife]] / Akhilesh: Oh my god...
GPF Archive: Friday, February 18, 2005 [[Trudy sits on Akhilesh's bathroom floor, covered in knife wounds]] / Trudy: I lie there, sobbing, blood seeping from self-inflicted wounds, but none lethal. / Trudy: I... can't even do this right... / Trudy: It is an odd thing to say, yes, but that is all I can think of worth saying. / Trudy: The first thing he does is check my wounds. He wraps them quickly to stop the bleeding. But then he does something I never expected. / [[Akhilesh hugs Trudy]] / Trudy: Then I cry. / Trudy: I cry harder than I ever have, harder than I thought was possible.
 

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