The sound of static fading...
“Hello Max,” Control said.
“What do you want?” Max asked.
“Relax for a second. It was very hard for me to reach you, but we have time now. Have a coffee. I don't mind if you smoke.”
Max poured himself a cup of coffee. He wasn't sure that he smoked anymore. He took a sip. “It was really hard for me to get here, too. What's going on? Things feel stranger since...”
“Purgatory,” Control said. “Max, I need you to consider the possibility that you are still in Purgatory.”
Max had considered it. He took another sip of coffee.
“Max,” Control said. “I need you to consider the possibility that you are still in the motel room, with the laptops.”
Max had considered it. He took another sip of pop.
“Max,” Control said. “I need you to consider the possibility that you are still in the Lab.”
Max always considered it. He took another sip of tea.
Control glanced at the screens on the wall. “Alright then... Max, it's time that... You need to be made aware of something called The System. It is an organization that seeks to govern plureality. Using advanced Neo-Linguistic Programming, Noo Media techniques and Omega Magic it attempts to participate in the versioning process in such a way that allows it to direct and exploit the possibilities of Noo-Mo Omniism in accordance with its own agenda, the main goal of which is to sustain itself at all costs.”
“They sound like Legacy.”
“The System is what agencies like Legacy, MJ-13 and MK-Omega aspire to be. It operates on an entirely different level. Its activities can manifest as overt authoritarianism or subtle forms of oppression. Its operations are both visible and invisible. It created the Subway, the Elevator, the UFO and the XXXXXXXXX using technology stolen from The They. A great deal of the information that travels between versions is controlled by The System.”
“And you work for them...?”
“There is another organization, designated the Counter-System. Its agenda is even less clear, but it often acts in ways that mediate or even contradict the workings of The System while using many of the same methods. It is suspected that the Counter-System may be involved in maintaining key elements of Continuity as a form of resistance to The System's ultra-colonial goals. For instance, locations such as the Diner, the Bookstore, and the Brownstone. Or items such as uniforms and weapons. It is the likely source of the Metafesto. It may also be behind a pirate data broadcast known as 'Faux News'.”
“Okay, so you work for them...?”
“Current analysis suggests that the Subway has been under the control of a Counter-System operative known as Bishop for quite some time. The System recently undertook a direct action to retake the Subway. It has also deployed a squad of agents to capture a team of Dragons, although that order appears to have been upgraded to kill.”
Max frowned. “So? So why are you telling me all this? After all this time? If any of it is even true.”
“The System is on the move, Max. It is reacting to something. Something is coming. A threat. I'm telling you this as a favour.
"As a warning.”
Showing posts with label cubed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cubed. Show all posts
20150715
20140711
Defrag: Only Death Can Save You Now/Cube Hype
Previously...
And previously...
The troll roared, Max felt dizzy.
“And what do you think the troll symbolizes?” Madison asked him.
Max ducked a swipe from a massive fist.
“You don't think the running-out-of-ammo is the more revealing metaphor, Susan?” another voice asked.
Max tried to roll inside the creature's reach but he ended up just laying down. He was exhausted.
“I told you, my name is Madison Hall. Dr. Longfellow does not work at this facility.”
“Max,” the other voice said. “You have to get up.”
The troll raised its fist again.
“I really don't want to.”
The troll smashed him.
The room on the other side of the glass was empty suddenly.
“Damn,” Madison said. “He's disappeared again. This is never going to work.”
“He's probably just going to finish off the troll. He'll be back,” the voice said.
Madison sighed. “Okay... Let's boot up the Angst program in the meantime and see if we can't decode some more of the cheerleader symbolism.”
And previously...
The troll roared, Max felt dizzy.
“And what do you think the troll symbolizes?” Madison asked him.
Max ducked a swipe from a massive fist.
“You don't think the running-out-of-ammo is the more revealing metaphor, Susan?” another voice asked.
Max tried to roll inside the creature's reach but he ended up just laying down. He was exhausted.
“I told you, my name is Madison Hall. Dr. Longfellow does not work at this facility.”
“Max,” the other voice said. “You have to get up.”
The troll raised its fist again.
“I really don't want to.”
The troll smashed him.
The room on the other side of the glass was empty suddenly.
“Damn,” Madison said. “He's disappeared again. This is never going to work.”
“He's probably just going to finish off the troll. He'll be back,” the voice said.
Madison sighed. “Okay... Let's boot up the Angst program in the meantime and see if we can't decode some more of the cheerleader symbolism.”
20140709
Defrag: Relax, Don't Do It
Previously...
Her cell rang. Lorde ringtone, Baby be the class clown, I'll be the beauty queen in tears.
“Hello? Oh, hiya... Not too bad, how about you?... Actually, well... To be honest, maybe not so good... No, I know, I'm not judging it... I think I was just having an episode... Yeah, fighting demons, it felt like hours but I'm pretty sure I just got home about twenty minutes ago... And the cat, he was here... Yeah, the talking cat... Jesus, I'm shaking now... I'm pretty sure it's over, unless I'm hallucinating this phone call... haha... No, I'm glad you called... No, I'm going to keep going, if this is what it's like for Max then I want to know... Holy, I just had major deja vu!... Ok, listen, I'm going to have a shower... Yeah, I'm safe... I will... Or you call me back if you don't hear from me by ten... Great, thanks again... Bye.”
Maggie looked down to see if there was a cat at her feet...
Her cell rang. Lorde ringtone, Baby be the class clown, I'll be the beauty queen in tears.
“Hello? Oh, hiya... Not too bad, how about you?... Actually, well... To be honest, maybe not so good... No, I know, I'm not judging it... I think I was just having an episode... Yeah, fighting demons, it felt like hours but I'm pretty sure I just got home about twenty minutes ago... And the cat, he was here... Yeah, the talking cat... Jesus, I'm shaking now... I'm pretty sure it's over, unless I'm hallucinating this phone call... haha... No, I'm glad you called... No, I'm going to keep going, if this is what it's like for Max then I want to know... Holy, I just had major deja vu!... Ok, listen, I'm going to have a shower... Yeah, I'm safe... I will... Or you call me back if you don't hear from me by ten... Great, thanks again... Bye.”
Maggie looked down to see if there was a cat at her feet...
20140708
Defrag: Black Magick
Previously...
A few minutes passed. Nothing changed in the city. Someone was on the balcony of the apartment to the left, one storey up. It looked like they were talking on a cell phone.
Something made a shattering sound from the kitchen. Max dashed inside to the bedside table, scrambling for his gun. There was no gun.
Why would you own a gun?
Max ran into the kitchen. It was empty.
Why would there be someone here?
Max sighed. He sat down on the couch, flipped open the laptop. Typed.
Your love is a pareidolia.
There was a loud sound outside, a huge sound. Max dashed back onto the balcony. He was starting to feel dizzy. There were explosions in the city. The figure on the other balcony was pointing into the sky, shouting something.
Max watched the explosions getting closer, screams and sirens rising like a choir.
A few minutes passed. Nothing changed in the city. Someone was on the balcony of the apartment to the left, one storey up. It looked like they were talking on a cell phone.
Something made a shattering sound from the kitchen. Max dashed inside to the bedside table, scrambling for his gun. There was no gun.
Why would you own a gun?
Max ran into the kitchen. It was empty.
Why would there be someone here?
Max sighed. He sat down on the couch, flipped open the laptop. Typed.
Your love is a pareidolia.
There was a loud sound outside, a huge sound. Max dashed back onto the balcony. He was starting to feel dizzy. There were explosions in the city. The figure on the other balcony was pointing into the sky, shouting something.
Max watched the explosions getting closer, screams and sirens rising like a choir.
20140707
Defrag: Hunters Stance
Previously...
We decide to hit the pub instead. Settled in at Rob Roy's, I order us four pints. Maggie corrects me; only three please. The beer is good, the atmosphere is cozy, and we feel good about the win.
Something's troubling me, though. By the time we part and I start walking home my mood has darkened. I'm distracted and don't notice how strange it is that I have an apartment in the very town we came to today for the mission.
As I enter the Brownstone and head up the stairs to apartment 23, I realize what's bugging me. It's Max. The way he handles himself, the way he confronted the demon, the way he went to work on the zombies, guns blazing. I'll never be like Max. No matter how many missions they let me tag along on, I'll just never really be like him.
I'm too nervous, I'm not in good enough shape. I always doubt what I'm saying. I don't know enough, I'm not that cool under pressure.
I turn on the TV, start cooking up a can of noodles. I feel edgy, unsettled. I almost feel mad at Max. Like he's a cocky show-off, like he thinks he's so much better. Truth is he wouldn't even be that special without Maggie and Angst. I know that I'm being pathetic, and that just makes me feel worse.
There's a movie on the TV I've seen before but I can't remember the name or the plot.
A knock at the door. As I open it I realize I'm in a motel room. The smell of noodles is coming from a bag of take-out on the bed.
It's Angst and Maggie. Angst says, "The police scanner picked up chatter - sounds like there's still something weird back at the cemetery."
Mags smiles. "Gear up, Max. We must have missed one."
We decide to hit the pub instead. Settled in at Rob Roy's, I order us four pints. Maggie corrects me; only three please. The beer is good, the atmosphere is cozy, and we feel good about the win.
Something's troubling me, though. By the time we part and I start walking home my mood has darkened. I'm distracted and don't notice how strange it is that I have an apartment in the very town we came to today for the mission.
As I enter the Brownstone and head up the stairs to apartment 23, I realize what's bugging me. It's Max. The way he handles himself, the way he confronted the demon, the way he went to work on the zombies, guns blazing. I'll never be like Max. No matter how many missions they let me tag along on, I'll just never really be like him.
I'm too nervous, I'm not in good enough shape. I always doubt what I'm saying. I don't know enough, I'm not that cool under pressure.
I turn on the TV, start cooking up a can of noodles. I feel edgy, unsettled. I almost feel mad at Max. Like he's a cocky show-off, like he thinks he's so much better. Truth is he wouldn't even be that special without Maggie and Angst. I know that I'm being pathetic, and that just makes me feel worse.
There's a movie on the TV I've seen before but I can't remember the name or the plot.
A knock at the door. As I open it I realize I'm in a motel room. The smell of noodles is coming from a bag of take-out on the bed.
It's Angst and Maggie. Angst says, "The police scanner picked up chatter - sounds like there's still something weird back at the cemetery."
Mags smiles. "Gear up, Max. We must have missed one."
20140606
Reflections Of You And Maybe Me
Max blinked his eyes again, looking into the mirror, slightly older, looking mature, with a week old beard and his hair thinning. He blinked again and here he was a slightly younger version of himself, looking like a 19 year old kid with a full head of hair, his eyes a pale green colour.
"What the KLF is happening!" he shouted. His right hand balled up into a fist and he slammed it into the mirror, shattering it.
"What the KLF is happening!" he shouted. His right hand balled up into a fist and he slammed it into the mirror, shattering it.
20140508
Fallen Final
"One day he was gone.
"Max had already been burnt out by the time we stormed the Temple. All the shifting, all his 'cubed' experiences, all the stress and uncertainty. Then being trapped here. Losing Maggie, again. None of us were totally surprised that he left. Dex was bitter, Wraith was angry, Callan was resigned, but none of us were surprised.
"And I was the least surprised of all, because Max had told me that he was going."
Wraith straightened in her seat, her frame tense. This was new to her, a story she hadn't yet heard. Darius glanced at her as he sipped his tea, and continued.
"He had come to believe that he was the problem, that Morganfokker was behind all of it and that he was carrying Morganfokker's signal, his sickness, with him. He thought that he had screwed up and gotten all of us trapped here. And he realized that as long as he was around we might never find our way clear of all the bad weird shit. I know, it's pretty egotistical when you think about it, but he might have been right.
"So he said that he was going underground, that he would go into hiding, use some of that weird identity magic he knew, and we would see what happened. And that he would try and find a way to make things better, and if he did he would come back. I nicknamed it the 'Once and Future Cube' plan. Make no mistake, things were still bad after he was gone - the Demons were relentless - but... Things were less weird without Max around."
Wraith was shaking her head but it was impossible to tell what she was feeling behind the mask.
"So," Marshal said. "Why did he tell you? When he didn't tell anyone else?"
"I'm not sure," Darius replied. "I've wondered about that. Why do you think he might have told me?"
Marshal considered. "The way you talk about everything, you seem to understand a bit of what it was like for Max."
Darius considered, a glimmer in his one eye. "I like to think I did. I tried to. So is that why you decided to tell me?"
"What?" Marshal blinked.
Darius smiled slightly. "You can tell me now, why you decided then to tell me about the 'Once and Future Cube'."
Marshal took a deep breath. A strange look on his face. "I... I knew..." He wasn't sure if he was making things up or remembering them. "I knew that I would need someone's help to get back."
Wraith stood up. Darius asked, "And why would you be coming back?"
"Because there was a chance... A chance to make things better."
"And what would it be?"
He thought about everything he had studied in Haven, everything he had learned from the Arcana. He thought about what he had seen in the borderlands, the ruins, the Demons. The Dragons and the stories that Darius had told him.
"If... If you could use one of the Grids to take control of an Eye... You could fly the Eye through one of the Gutters, out past Frontline... To where the Demons come from. It must be a portal. That would be your way to get out. Or shut them down. Or both. And now that the bulk of their forces have advanced on Haven..." He blinked again.
Darius grinned. "Alright Max, let's try it." Wraith nodded. "And we'll see what happens next."
"Max had already been burnt out by the time we stormed the Temple. All the shifting, all his 'cubed' experiences, all the stress and uncertainty. Then being trapped here. Losing Maggie, again. None of us were totally surprised that he left. Dex was bitter, Wraith was angry, Callan was resigned, but none of us were surprised.
"And I was the least surprised of all, because Max had told me that he was going."
Wraith straightened in her seat, her frame tense. This was new to her, a story she hadn't yet heard. Darius glanced at her as he sipped his tea, and continued.
"He had come to believe that he was the problem, that Morganfokker was behind all of it and that he was carrying Morganfokker's signal, his sickness, with him. He thought that he had screwed up and gotten all of us trapped here. And he realized that as long as he was around we might never find our way clear of all the bad weird shit. I know, it's pretty egotistical when you think about it, but he might have been right.
"So he said that he was going underground, that he would go into hiding, use some of that weird identity magic he knew, and we would see what happened. And that he would try and find a way to make things better, and if he did he would come back. I nicknamed it the 'Once and Future Cube' plan. Make no mistake, things were still bad after he was gone - the Demons were relentless - but... Things were less weird without Max around."
Wraith was shaking her head but it was impossible to tell what she was feeling behind the mask.
"So," Marshal said. "Why did he tell you? When he didn't tell anyone else?"
"I'm not sure," Darius replied. "I've wondered about that. Why do you think he might have told me?"
Marshal considered. "The way you talk about everything, you seem to understand a bit of what it was like for Max."
Darius considered, a glimmer in his one eye. "I like to think I did. I tried to. So is that why you decided to tell me?"
"What?" Marshal blinked.
Darius smiled slightly. "You can tell me now, why you decided then to tell me about the 'Once and Future Cube'."
Marshal took a deep breath. A strange look on his face. "I... I knew..." He wasn't sure if he was making things up or remembering them. "I knew that I would need someone's help to get back."
Wraith stood up. Darius asked, "And why would you be coming back?"
"Because there was a chance... A chance to make things better."
"And what would it be?"
He thought about everything he had studied in Haven, everything he had learned from the Arcana. He thought about what he had seen in the borderlands, the ruins, the Demons. The Dragons and the stories that Darius had told him.
"If... If you could use one of the Grids to take control of an Eye... You could fly the Eye through one of the Gutters, out past Frontline... To where the Demons come from. It must be a portal. That would be your way to get out. Or shut them down. Or both. And now that the bulk of their forces have advanced on Haven..." He blinked again.
Darius grinned. "Alright Max, let's try it." Wraith nodded. "And we'll see what happens next."
20140427
Reunion Part Five
The storage room of one of the businesses that Frank did record-keeping for. A laptop playing music. A cocktail of psychotropic drugs. A mashup of pagan ritual, Neo Linguistic Programming, and LEGACY brainwashing techniques.
Marshal had seemed more confused than scared by the abduction. Once the trances had taken over he had become incoherent, then silent.
Goner was on lookout. Frank was checking Marshal's pulse, pupils, whispering mantras in his ear at designated intervals. Angst was reading the notebook from the satchel – it was filled with poetry.
The sun would be coming up soon.
Suki finally walked towards him. Leaned in to look him in the eyes.
“I don't know where you went. I don't know why you left. We never really knew all that much, I guess. When we found each other here we did what we always did: got safe, laid low, started researching, looking for ways we could help. We had done weeks before, not usually as quiet, but... Then it was months. And there were no calls, there was no sign of you.
“And then Angst said, 'We need to start living in what's happening, not what might happen'. And she did, then Frank did, and Goner did. But I couldn't. Couldn't do it. I went crazy instead. Like my mind couldn't stop shifting, even though we had. I wondered if that was how you felt, all the time.
“I took too many pills, too many times, I cut up my arms and legs, I ran away, got arrested. I think I was trying to make a shift happen, somehow. Or maybe I thought that if I got in enough trouble you would come and rescue me.
“Finally they put me in a hospital. Put me on meds. Put me in therapy. And things eventually got to be okay.”
Suki straightened up. A tear rolled down her cheek.
“So why are you here now?” She screamed, “Why now?” She slapped him.
Marshal heard a voice. Okay, we are a go.
“I don't want to come back,” he whispered.
“What did he say?” Frank asked.
Alright Max, it's time to make things happen.
“I want to come back,” he said.
Goner shouted from the doorway. “Three vehicles approaching.”
20140330
Coordinates
There was a hallway, an elevator ride, and another two hallways until reception. Max had that long to figure out which version he was in.
The ritual in the motel room, then the attack... Military? Mercenaries? LEGACY? The Future? Where was he before the motel room? Maggie had been there, then she was gone. He had flashes of a diner, of a subway, of an apartment with a tent set-up inside it... Detectives, a hitman, a cheerleader, a kid in a school uniform with a huge gun and a wicked smirk... It was hard to tell if he was remembering events or scenes from movies, conversations or song lyrics. The lights in the hallway seemed too bright, the chime of the elevator sounded too loud. Ships sailing through space, packs of hell hounds prowling in a ruined city. Faeries dancing on water, a deck of tarot cards. Two pistols, a katana. A crow.
Last hallway. Max figured he would have to make a break for it. Get somewhere safe, meditate. Steal a cell phone, wait for a call. Start searching.
Relax, a voice said. This transmission is coming to you.
The ritual in the motel room, then the attack... Military? Mercenaries? LEGACY? The Future? Where was he before the motel room? Maggie had been there, then she was gone. He had flashes of a diner, of a subway, of an apartment with a tent set-up inside it... Detectives, a hitman, a cheerleader, a kid in a school uniform with a huge gun and a wicked smirk... It was hard to tell if he was remembering events or scenes from movies, conversations or song lyrics. The lights in the hallway seemed too bright, the chime of the elevator sounded too loud. Ships sailing through space, packs of hell hounds prowling in a ruined city. Faeries dancing on water, a deck of tarot cards. Two pistols, a katana. A crow.
Last hallway. Max figured he would have to make a break for it. Get somewhere safe, meditate. Steal a cell phone, wait for a call. Start searching.
Relax, a voice said. This transmission is coming to you.
20131106
It's Only Make-Believe
The man on the bed began to come to.
Well, it's about time. The man heard as his eyes flickered open to a bright fluorescent overhead.
Two men and a woman, all dressed in white smocks, approached the man as he began to regain consciousness.
"Welcome back stranger," the woman said with a smile. "I thought for sure you were a goner."
"His recovery is amazing," one of the men said.
"Why wouldn't it be," the other fellow interjected. "After all he is the perfect specimen."
"What's going on?" the man on the bed asked. "I'm... who am I?"
"This is not a good sign..."
"I told you we shouldn't have taken him off just yet," the younger male said. "His mind is a blank."
"Just give him a moment or two," the woman interjected. "It could be the effect of the serum."
20131102
Metaplexperiment: Remix 2 - the Mashup
Archived Fragment: I Know The Secrets...
Archived Fragment: The Train Kept On...
Archived Fragment: The Snake Moon
Archived Fragment: The Element of Surprise
Archived Fragment: A Matter of Music
Archived Fragment: A Difference of Opinions
Archived Fragment: The Ballad...
Archived Fragment: Wounded Puppy
Archived Fragment: After the Fire...
Archived Fragment: Unlike a Flesh Wound
Archived Fragment: Out of the Frying Pan
Archived Fragment: The Decoy
Archived Fragment: When Do Bullets Cry?
Archived Fragment: Gunfire Choir
Epilogue:
Bailey skipped down the escalator. She was worried that she was going to get in trouble for getting separated from the rest of the kids on the field trip but she had been sure that woman had been the actress who played Katniss and she wasn't going to miss the chance for an autograph. Not her though, so now she was late with nothing to show for it. Mr. Haskins was a cool teacher but he would probably still be upset.
When she arrived on the platform she was amazed at what she found. Dozens of unconscious men in suits scattered about. Some bullet-holes and scorch-marks on the walls. A group of people were gathered at the far end of the platform, shaking hands and laughing. Mr. Haskins was there, and Kelly the volunteer. And was that her sister, Peyton?
Bailey wondered what had happened. Then she noticed that one of the men in a suit was still moving... His hand was reaching slowly towards a weird device that looked like some kind of futuristic bomb. No one in the group noticed...
His hand was almost on the button when Bailey stepped over him and punched him squarely in the face. Knocked him out cold. She pulled a bunch of wires out of the device so that it wasn't a threat anymore and headed towards the group. It had been quite a field trip.
Archived Fragment: The Train Kept On...
Archived Fragment: The Snake Moon
Archived Fragment: The Element of Surprise
Archived Fragment: A Matter of Music
Archived Fragment: A Difference of Opinions
Archived Fragment: The Ballad...
Archived Fragment: Wounded Puppy
Archived Fragment: After the Fire...
Archived Fragment: Unlike a Flesh Wound
Archived Fragment: Out of the Frying Pan
Archived Fragment: The Decoy
Archived Fragment: When Do Bullets Cry?
Archived Fragment: Gunfire Choir
The
train rumbled on.
Max lay across a row of chairs; he couldn't sleep and hadn't been sleeping properly for the past few nights. Though he didn't feel tired at all; he hadn't been since the events that had transpired a few weeks ago.
If I truly fall asleep I will slip away from here.
He didn't want that. He was growing into this comfort zone, he was liking the company, the adventure he was having, and he would die if this reality faded away into the nothingness, like a dream after waking.
He'd grown accustomed to the shunting of the train, and the companions he had met along the way. For the first time in what seemed liked an eternity he felt the feelings of bondship.
It would be shame if I were to disappear.
And then one of the voices – he could never be sure which was which, and they were more of a feeling than an actual voice – said: You know it will end some time.
clickety-clack
A few seats away, Goner plopped down beside Suki. "What's going on at the moment?" he asked.
"A whole lotta nothin'," Suki replied with a smile. She was sipping on a soda and watching the platforms passing by, merging realities into one plureality. "Just watching the worlds meld before me. It's better than television!"
Goner chuckled. He had begun to miss some of the shows he had grown accustomed to.
"We've been traveling for a long while without any stops," Goner noted.
"I know," Suki said. "And I have to go to the bathroom!"
clickety-clack
On a subway platform several men in dark suits took position. They began ushering out people waiting for a train; flashing ID's and assuring them that all was going to be okay. Andy and Jeremiah kept strumming their guitars, cases open before them with a scattering of coins inside, each wearing their busker permit around their neck. They exchanged a wary glance when they saw the swarm of suited men.
clickety-clack
Suki fished a comic book out of her school-bag, the latest adventure of a group of mutants who were at a special school due to their gifts. She enjoyed reading since it helped pass the time between here and there. Depending on where there was and how long it took to get there, she would indulge in a trivial form of reading.
Her attention was focused on the sound bubble of each page, reading the story that unfolded. Drawing her in deeper and deeper into the continued story arc.
She was just getting to a good part when she flipped the page and the story arc was To be continued... and that irked her to no end.
“What's the matter?” Goner asked.
“They just met this cool new hero named Raven – she's got this awesome sortof telepathic reality-warping power – and now I'll never get to find out what happens next! The chances of finding the next issue in the next version are pretty slim...”
Goner nodded. Living a life broken up into strange fragments and shifting moments, it always felt like things were 'to be continued'. You always knew that eventually things would get weird, or dangerous, or both.
clickety-clack
The suits continued their sweep of the platform; Lee wasn't buying it. He knew the type, knew that their motives were usually suspect, and he was pretty sure that the ID's they were flashing were fake. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone nearby who wouldn't think he was just being paranoid...
Adam watched the suits on the march, then noticed Lee, the suspicious look on his face, that rare moment when you know for certain that someone else is thinking the exact same thing as you...
clickety-clack
Angst sat looking out the window, watching the blur and listening to her mp3 player. She was listening to a classic song and moved her head to the rhythmic beat.
Suki sat behind her re-reading the comic book and sipping on a soda...
clickety-clack
Kelly gently nudged the group of children along the platform. The teacher had gone to the washroom, which left her and the other volunteer in charge of the field trip, and now these strange men in suits were herding everyone.
"What's going on?" the other volunteer asked. "Terrorists?" Kelly frowned; some people were so eager to believe some lies and so reluctant to believe some truths.
One of the suits barked at one of the kids to move along and Mark stepped in, back from the washroom, eyes locking on the man's sunglasses. “There's no need for that,” Mark said.
clickety-clack
"No way," Goner said. He had moved on down the subway car to where Frank was sitting. "Did you even watch the same game as I did?"
"Yeah, I did," Frank said. "You must be watching some fantasy version in your head."
"Clearly Redgrin had the ball in his possession before the whistle blew," Goner stated.
"The whistle blew before Redgrin could do the recovery," Frank grinned. "You are just a sore loser. You still owe me."
"Well, I don't have the cash on me," Goner said. "Wait to see if there's an ATM at the next stop and I will get it to you."
Frank rolled his eyes back and said, "That's if you do have an account in this version."
clickety-clack
Debashis and Joy stepped off the escalator onto the platform. “Consequences aren't merely arbitrary effects designated by the person with the power, they become the way that the person being helped understands that their actions are significant and important, as long as the person with the power is exercising it with self-awareness...” Debashis was saying.
“Or as we say on the frontline, 'shit's gotta mean shit',” Joy replied. Debashis laughed, until he saw the scene playing out before them and a suit started walking menacingly towards them.
Joy's cell made a strange beeping noise...
clickety-clack
Mags was sitting beside Bishop's booth, keeping the conductor company. She knew better than to ask him when their next stop was going to be. She hummed a tune as she dragged the whetstone along the blade of her katana. And then a strange feeling came over her...
She stared down the length of car, Max dozing, Suki reading, Angst listening to music, Frank and Goner chatting, the new girl Summer knitting. And someone else, a man sitting at the far end of the car; he was writing in a notebook and paused to roll some oddly-shaped dice. When he did, Maggie suddenly noticed a soft grey glow around Summer, then Frank, then a darker one around Suki...
clickety-clack
Chance and Peyton were listening to the buskers and talking about anime when the suits began their push. They watched for a moment then looked to each other. “Do they look familiar to you?” Peyton asked.
Chance nodded. “Do you feel that? It's the same feeling... from years ago...”
Peyton's eyes widened. “I remember,” she said. Then looked down at her hands, where two massive battle-gauntlets had appeared. Then at Chance's chest, where a gold cross suddenly materialized.
clickety-clack
Tim rolled the dice again.
clickety-clack
Most of the crowd had been chased off. Another LEGACY cell moved onto the platform, carrying some cases and setting them down. They moved with the purpose of a strike team. Opening up the cases revealing heavy weapons. They began to mount them on the platform, quick and efficient; with pressurized drills they were putting the mounts into the floor.
Anthony had been waiting on a bench, reading Nagel's 'What is it Like to be a Bat?'. He had watched the first LEGACY cell move in and begin clearing the platform. It was as if he could see it from different angles. He had noticed the way that the buskers' playing provided a soundtrack for the scene. And he had started having these brief flashes, like jump-cuts, to the interior of an approaching subway car, a strange group on board. A sense of tension rising.
And when the second team appeared and began setting the weapons, that's when the music stopped. And the silence was as loud and as profound as the noise had been. And that's when the shouting started and Anthony knew something very bad was about to happen.
clickety-clack
There were three dozen LEGACY members waiting. Three mounted cannons and each soldier armed to the hilt with weapons.
Jeremiah and Andy were standing now, clutching their guitars. The appearance of the weapons had surprised them, but not as much as seeing the cross materialize around Chance's neck and the gauntlets on Peyton's hands.
“That's very cool,” Jeremiah said.
Andy looked to the LEGACY team, then back to Chance and Peyton. “I think we're with you guys on this.”
Lee and Adam had instinctively moved towards each other. They were staring down a handful of the suits, who seemed surprised that the two men hadn't followed the order to leave. Close enough now that Lee could see some of the devices that they were carrying. “Dark Tek,” he whispered.
Adam held up a pack of handmade Tarot cards, cutting the deck and handing half to Lee. “Light tech.”
When the LEGACY suit tried to shove Mark backwards he got himself rugby-tackled. The kids behind Kelly cheered, “Yay Mr. Haskins!” The other volunteer started to run. Kelly sighed. “Alright kids, stay behind me!” And she faced the oncoming soldiers, and noticed that the suit Mark had tackled had dropped a device...
Joy was trying to understand how an app that she had dreamed about – there had been a spooky well, and this weird guy, who she somehow knew – was now actually installed on her phone and warning her that an 'OMEGA CLASS ANOMALY' was being detected. Debashis had advanced and was trying to negotiate with an approaching suit, with little effect. Joy was tapping the screen, trying to understand the strange software, trying to remember the dream, the odd conversations she had had with the weird guy...
Debashis, using every counseling trick he had to try and connect with the expressionless agent before him, had his own dreamy memory – a pathworking ritual, years ago, a vision of some trolls attacking a defenseless deer, and the knowledge that sometimes you had to stand up to the bullies...
Anthony stood up. And there was a woman beside him. She was looking at the chaos erupting before them on the platform. Anthony asked, “Aren't you a character from a comic book? A friend of mine reads a lot of them...”
Raven looked thoughtful. “I might be, in this version. What do you say? Shall we watch or shall we join in?”
Anthony smiled back. “Fight scene?”
Raven smiled. “After you, Butch.”
Anthony nodded. “My pleasure, Sundance.”
Kelly grabbed the device, thin like a pen but with a glowing light on the end. Mark was on his feet again, throwing a block at another agent. “You know how to use that thing?” he asked.
Kelly smiled. “I watch a lot of sci-fi.”
Adam smiled as he drew the first card from his deck and began accessing the necessary trance-state to engage the symbolic interface for tulpa summoning. “Do you know how to use those?” he asked Lee.
“I'll figure it out,” Lee said. “I play a lot of role-playing games.” He smiled.
Debashis turned back to Joy. “I'm gonna punch this guy out, if you're okay with that?”
Joy smiled as she finally figured out how to use the app to send a signal over-ride to the LEGACY heavy weapons systems, effectively shutting them down. “I accept that,” she answered.
Chance smiled at Peyton. “Alright, just like the old days!” And he charged the agents.
“Follow us!” Peyton shouted at Jeremiah and Andy, and she followed Chance into the fray, gauntlets swinging wildly.
“This is some pretty weird shit,” Jeremiah said, smiling. “I'm kinda freaked out but kinda excited.”
Andy nodded. “'It's the duplicitous edge which we all walk upon'.”
They raised their guitars and charged.
clickety-clack
clickety-clack
clickety clack
“Hey,” Suki said, tapping Angst on the shoulder. “Did you see that?"
Angst popped out her earphones. “Yeah... The last station we passed through, some kind of crazy battle going on... Did you guys see that?”
Frank and Goner were playing cards. They shook their heads in sync. Summer was still knitting; it was the first time that she looked even a little bit relaxed since they had brought her aboard the subway car.
“How about you, Maggie?” Suki asked. “Should we wake up Max?”
Mags watched as the strange glows surrounding Summer, Frank and Suki faded away. She looked to the end of the car where Tim was packing up his dice and notes.
Maggie smiled. “Let him sleep for a while longer.”
Max lay across a row of chairs; he couldn't sleep and hadn't been sleeping properly for the past few nights. Though he didn't feel tired at all; he hadn't been since the events that had transpired a few weeks ago.
If I truly fall asleep I will slip away from here.
He didn't want that. He was growing into this comfort zone, he was liking the company, the adventure he was having, and he would die if this reality faded away into the nothingness, like a dream after waking.
He'd grown accustomed to the shunting of the train, and the companions he had met along the way. For the first time in what seemed liked an eternity he felt the feelings of bondship.
It would be shame if I were to disappear.
And then one of the voices – he could never be sure which was which, and they were more of a feeling than an actual voice – said: You know it will end some time.
clickety-clack
A few seats away, Goner plopped down beside Suki. "What's going on at the moment?" he asked.
"A whole lotta nothin'," Suki replied with a smile. She was sipping on a soda and watching the platforms passing by, merging realities into one plureality. "Just watching the worlds meld before me. It's better than television!"
Goner chuckled. He had begun to miss some of the shows he had grown accustomed to.
"We've been traveling for a long while without any stops," Goner noted.
"I know," Suki said. "And I have to go to the bathroom!"
clickety-clack
On a subway platform several men in dark suits took position. They began ushering out people waiting for a train; flashing ID's and assuring them that all was going to be okay. Andy and Jeremiah kept strumming their guitars, cases open before them with a scattering of coins inside, each wearing their busker permit around their neck. They exchanged a wary glance when they saw the swarm of suited men.
clickety-clack
Suki fished a comic book out of her school-bag, the latest adventure of a group of mutants who were at a special school due to their gifts. She enjoyed reading since it helped pass the time between here and there. Depending on where there was and how long it took to get there, she would indulge in a trivial form of reading.
Her attention was focused on the sound bubble of each page, reading the story that unfolded. Drawing her in deeper and deeper into the continued story arc.
She was just getting to a good part when she flipped the page and the story arc was To be continued... and that irked her to no end.
“What's the matter?” Goner asked.
“They just met this cool new hero named Raven – she's got this awesome sortof telepathic reality-warping power – and now I'll never get to find out what happens next! The chances of finding the next issue in the next version are pretty slim...”
Goner nodded. Living a life broken up into strange fragments and shifting moments, it always felt like things were 'to be continued'. You always knew that eventually things would get weird, or dangerous, or both.
clickety-clack
The suits continued their sweep of the platform; Lee wasn't buying it. He knew the type, knew that their motives were usually suspect, and he was pretty sure that the ID's they were flashing were fake. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone nearby who wouldn't think he was just being paranoid...
Adam watched the suits on the march, then noticed Lee, the suspicious look on his face, that rare moment when you know for certain that someone else is thinking the exact same thing as you...
clickety-clack
Angst sat looking out the window, watching the blur and listening to her mp3 player. She was listening to a classic song and moved her head to the rhythmic beat.
Suki sat behind her re-reading the comic book and sipping on a soda...
clickety-clack
Kelly gently nudged the group of children along the platform. The teacher had gone to the washroom, which left her and the other volunteer in charge of the field trip, and now these strange men in suits were herding everyone.
"What's going on?" the other volunteer asked. "Terrorists?" Kelly frowned; some people were so eager to believe some lies and so reluctant to believe some truths.
One of the suits barked at one of the kids to move along and Mark stepped in, back from the washroom, eyes locking on the man's sunglasses. “There's no need for that,” Mark said.
clickety-clack
"No way," Goner said. He had moved on down the subway car to where Frank was sitting. "Did you even watch the same game as I did?"
"Yeah, I did," Frank said. "You must be watching some fantasy version in your head."
"Clearly Redgrin had the ball in his possession before the whistle blew," Goner stated.
"The whistle blew before Redgrin could do the recovery," Frank grinned. "You are just a sore loser. You still owe me."
"Well, I don't have the cash on me," Goner said. "Wait to see if there's an ATM at the next stop and I will get it to you."
Frank rolled his eyes back and said, "That's if you do have an account in this version."
clickety-clack
Debashis and Joy stepped off the escalator onto the platform. “Consequences aren't merely arbitrary effects designated by the person with the power, they become the way that the person being helped understands that their actions are significant and important, as long as the person with the power is exercising it with self-awareness...” Debashis was saying.
“Or as we say on the frontline, 'shit's gotta mean shit',” Joy replied. Debashis laughed, until he saw the scene playing out before them and a suit started walking menacingly towards them.
Joy's cell made a strange beeping noise...
clickety-clack
Mags was sitting beside Bishop's booth, keeping the conductor company. She knew better than to ask him when their next stop was going to be. She hummed a tune as she dragged the whetstone along the blade of her katana. And then a strange feeling came over her...
She stared down the length of car, Max dozing, Suki reading, Angst listening to music, Frank and Goner chatting, the new girl Summer knitting. And someone else, a man sitting at the far end of the car; he was writing in a notebook and paused to roll some oddly-shaped dice. When he did, Maggie suddenly noticed a soft grey glow around Summer, then Frank, then a darker one around Suki...
clickety-clack
Chance and Peyton were listening to the buskers and talking about anime when the suits began their push. They watched for a moment then looked to each other. “Do they look familiar to you?” Peyton asked.
Chance nodded. “Do you feel that? It's the same feeling... from years ago...”
Peyton's eyes widened. “I remember,” she said. Then looked down at her hands, where two massive battle-gauntlets had appeared. Then at Chance's chest, where a gold cross suddenly materialized.
clickety-clack
Tim rolled the dice again.
clickety-clack
Most of the crowd had been chased off. Another LEGACY cell moved onto the platform, carrying some cases and setting them down. They moved with the purpose of a strike team. Opening up the cases revealing heavy weapons. They began to mount them on the platform, quick and efficient; with pressurized drills they were putting the mounts into the floor.
Anthony had been waiting on a bench, reading Nagel's 'What is it Like to be a Bat?'. He had watched the first LEGACY cell move in and begin clearing the platform. It was as if he could see it from different angles. He had noticed the way that the buskers' playing provided a soundtrack for the scene. And he had started having these brief flashes, like jump-cuts, to the interior of an approaching subway car, a strange group on board. A sense of tension rising.
And when the second team appeared and began setting the weapons, that's when the music stopped. And the silence was as loud and as profound as the noise had been. And that's when the shouting started and Anthony knew something very bad was about to happen.
clickety-clack
There were three dozen LEGACY members waiting. Three mounted cannons and each soldier armed to the hilt with weapons.
Jeremiah and Andy were standing now, clutching their guitars. The appearance of the weapons had surprised them, but not as much as seeing the cross materialize around Chance's neck and the gauntlets on Peyton's hands.
“That's very cool,” Jeremiah said.
Andy looked to the LEGACY team, then back to Chance and Peyton. “I think we're with you guys on this.”
Lee and Adam had instinctively moved towards each other. They were staring down a handful of the suits, who seemed surprised that the two men hadn't followed the order to leave. Close enough now that Lee could see some of the devices that they were carrying. “Dark Tek,” he whispered.
Adam held up a pack of handmade Tarot cards, cutting the deck and handing half to Lee. “Light tech.”
When the LEGACY suit tried to shove Mark backwards he got himself rugby-tackled. The kids behind Kelly cheered, “Yay Mr. Haskins!” The other volunteer started to run. Kelly sighed. “Alright kids, stay behind me!” And she faced the oncoming soldiers, and noticed that the suit Mark had tackled had dropped a device...
Joy was trying to understand how an app that she had dreamed about – there had been a spooky well, and this weird guy, who she somehow knew – was now actually installed on her phone and warning her that an 'OMEGA CLASS ANOMALY' was being detected. Debashis had advanced and was trying to negotiate with an approaching suit, with little effect. Joy was tapping the screen, trying to understand the strange software, trying to remember the dream, the odd conversations she had had with the weird guy...
Debashis, using every counseling trick he had to try and connect with the expressionless agent before him, had his own dreamy memory – a pathworking ritual, years ago, a vision of some trolls attacking a defenseless deer, and the knowledge that sometimes you had to stand up to the bullies...
Anthony stood up. And there was a woman beside him. She was looking at the chaos erupting before them on the platform. Anthony asked, “Aren't you a character from a comic book? A friend of mine reads a lot of them...”
Raven looked thoughtful. “I might be, in this version. What do you say? Shall we watch or shall we join in?”
Anthony smiled back. “Fight scene?”
Raven smiled. “After you, Butch.”
Anthony nodded. “My pleasure, Sundance.”
Kelly grabbed the device, thin like a pen but with a glowing light on the end. Mark was on his feet again, throwing a block at another agent. “You know how to use that thing?” he asked.
Kelly smiled. “I watch a lot of sci-fi.”
Adam smiled as he drew the first card from his deck and began accessing the necessary trance-state to engage the symbolic interface for tulpa summoning. “Do you know how to use those?” he asked Lee.
“I'll figure it out,” Lee said. “I play a lot of role-playing games.” He smiled.
Debashis turned back to Joy. “I'm gonna punch this guy out, if you're okay with that?”
Joy smiled as she finally figured out how to use the app to send a signal over-ride to the LEGACY heavy weapons systems, effectively shutting them down. “I accept that,” she answered.
Chance smiled at Peyton. “Alright, just like the old days!” And he charged the agents.
“Follow us!” Peyton shouted at Jeremiah and Andy, and she followed Chance into the fray, gauntlets swinging wildly.
“This is some pretty weird shit,” Jeremiah said, smiling. “I'm kinda freaked out but kinda excited.”
Andy nodded. “'It's the duplicitous edge which we all walk upon'.”
They raised their guitars and charged.
clickety-clack
clickety-clack
clickety clack
“Hey,” Suki said, tapping Angst on the shoulder. “Did you see that?"
Angst popped out her earphones. “Yeah... The last station we passed through, some kind of crazy battle going on... Did you guys see that?”
Frank and Goner were playing cards. They shook their heads in sync. Summer was still knitting; it was the first time that she looked even a little bit relaxed since they had brought her aboard the subway car.
“How about you, Maggie?” Suki asked. “Should we wake up Max?”
Mags watched as the strange glows surrounding Summer, Frank and Suki faded away. She looked to the end of the car where Tim was packing up his dice and notes.
Maggie smiled. “Let him sleep for a while longer.”
Epilogue:
Bailey skipped down the escalator. She was worried that she was going to get in trouble for getting separated from the rest of the kids on the field trip but she had been sure that woman had been the actress who played Katniss and she wasn't going to miss the chance for an autograph. Not her though, so now she was late with nothing to show for it. Mr. Haskins was a cool teacher but he would probably still be upset.
When she arrived on the platform she was amazed at what she found. Dozens of unconscious men in suits scattered about. Some bullet-holes and scorch-marks on the walls. A group of people were gathered at the far end of the platform, shaking hands and laughing. Mr. Haskins was there, and Kelly the volunteer. And was that her sister, Peyton?
Bailey wondered what had happened. Then she noticed that one of the men in a suit was still moving... His hand was reaching slowly towards a weird device that looked like some kind of futuristic bomb. No one in the group noticed...
His hand was almost on the button when Bailey stepped over him and punched him squarely in the face. Knocked him out cold. She pulled a bunch of wires out of the device so that it wasn't a threat anymore and headed towards the group. It had been quite a field trip.
20131020
The Theater Goer...
"Thanks Susan," Max said as he placed money on the counter.
"Anytime Max," she replied. She flashed him a smile and Max shot back a wink in a grandfatherly sort of way.
After purchasing a popcorn and a soda he headed into the theater. It was early in the day and the theater wasn't as jammed packed, so he could watch a movie in relative peace and quiet. To immerse himself in the world of the cinema.
He moved across the floor to theater 13. He didn't know why he had to frequent this one and no matter what movie happened to be playing, he just hand the urge for the past twenty years to visit here.
He really didn't know why he constantly did this.
"Anytime Max," she replied. She flashed him a smile and Max shot back a wink in a grandfatherly sort of way.
After purchasing a popcorn and a soda he headed into the theater. It was early in the day and the theater wasn't as jammed packed, so he could watch a movie in relative peace and quiet. To immerse himself in the world of the cinema.
He moved across the floor to theater 13. He didn't know why he had to frequent this one and no matter what movie happened to be playing, he just hand the urge for the past twenty years to visit here.
He really didn't know why he constantly did this.
20131016
The Lobby Room
Max awoke in a white room. His eyes adjusted to the low fluorescent
lighting and he saw that there was a white table and chair in the center
of the room.
He could hear the drone of a lone black fly as it buzzed about his head. As if warning him of the trouble that was about to come. Max sat up and noticed that the clothes he had on were not the clothes that he had put on that morning.
"Are you comfortable?" someone asked through a speaker.
"I don't know yet," Max replied. He got up and straightened up his t-shirt which was also white with a grey logo which looked like a German Shepherd. He couldn't tell. "I will let you know once I have a coffee and a smoke."
"This is a no smoking room," the voice told him.
"Well then," Max said as he stood up. "There's going to be a problem shortly."
He could hear the drone of a lone black fly as it buzzed about his head. As if warning him of the trouble that was about to come. Max sat up and noticed that the clothes he had on were not the clothes that he had put on that morning.
"Are you comfortable?" someone asked through a speaker.
"I don't know yet," Max replied. He got up and straightened up his t-shirt which was also white with a grey logo which looked like a German Shepherd. He couldn't tell. "I will let you know once I have a coffee and a smoke."
"This is a no smoking room," the voice told him.
"Well then," Max said as he stood up. "There's going to be a problem shortly."
20131015
Another Legacy...
Max's cellphone vibrated. He walked down the hall and then ducked into a
room. He flicked the cellphone up like Captain Kirk on an away mission
answering a call.
"Yo!"
"Do what you are going to do man."
"Why?" Max asked. "Where the hell are you?"
"I boogied," Dan replied. "There's three LEGACY teams here."
Max swore.
"You're on your own on this one," Dan replied. "LEGACY scares the hell out of me."
"I'll meet you at Lucky Wong's later," Max told Dan.
Max flipped the phone off and checked his guns. He counted 3 clips. He was going to have to make sure that every bullet counted. He did a quick glance out the window and made a count; there were three sedans and a black van in the lot below. He could see Dan in the building across the street. Dan signaled him and then disappeared.
"Well, let's see what we can do," Dan said to no one in particular.
"Well, I hope you can do a whole lot of shooting," a voice replied from the shadows. Max saw Trump sitting on the ledge.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Dan asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Trump shot back. "Mags will kill me if something drastic happened to you."
"Yo!"
"Do what you are going to do man."
"Why?" Max asked. "Where the hell are you?"
"I boogied," Dan replied. "There's three LEGACY teams here."
Max swore.
"You're on your own on this one," Dan replied. "LEGACY scares the hell out of me."
"I'll meet you at Lucky Wong's later," Max told Dan.
Max flipped the phone off and checked his guns. He counted 3 clips. He was going to have to make sure that every bullet counted. He did a quick glance out the window and made a count; there were three sedans and a black van in the lot below. He could see Dan in the building across the street. Dan signaled him and then disappeared.
"Well, let's see what we can do," Dan said to no one in particular.
"Well, I hope you can do a whole lot of shooting," a voice replied from the shadows. Max saw Trump sitting on the ledge.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Dan asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Trump shot back. "Mags will kill me if something drastic happened to you."
A Whiter Shade of Reality
There was a sense of vertigo when he opened his eyes. It was a drastic shift and he tried to locate the Architect of the Flesh team that he was in the middle of a huge battle with.
There was no blood. No wounds. No guns. Nothing. In fact, it was a big blank that he was in.
He sat in a white room at a table; there was a white cup in front of him filled with a black substance. Steaming. It smelled like coffee. He took a sip and was glad to find that it was in fact coffee.
He saw his reflection in a mirror; he was wearing a white t-shirt with WHAM written in black letters. Great! he thought. I'm a George Michael wannabe.
There was sound of a ding and a door opened up. Three men walked in all dressed in white, each carrying a clipboard. All looking like carbon copies of him.
Max scratched at his chin and discovered he had some stubble. He took another sip of the coffee, and immediately the three clones went to their clipboards and started scribbling.
"Max." A voice came over an intercom.
"Not I," Max replied. "You've got the wrong person."
Remix: The Hellcat
There was a rap at the door.
The doorman turned towards the door and was about to slide the peep-hole open to see who it was, his gun drawn in case it was danger. He didn't realize what hit him and sent him down on the floor.
Maggie kicked the door open and charged in, her katana swung and she caught the other doorman off guard. Sending his head one way while his body fell another.
She was a hellcat unleashed and she was showing no mercy. Her hair alive and looked as if it was on fire, her eyes seemed radiant with the intensity of hate.
"You wanted me," she shouted. "You got me!"
Everything suddenly froze around her. Blood splatters hanging in mid-air like a 3D Jackson Pollack painting. The decapitated head suspended over the floor like a macabre moon. The first doorman cowering in fear at Maggie's feet, still like a statue.
Maggie growled. "What the f-" And then a needle of pain lanced her frontal cortex, right down into her temporal lobe.
The scene around her started to strobe. Horror-movie-meets-rave lighting effects. She winced with pain, had a strange memory of Max telling her once that the secret to a good party was the lighting. The blood in the air casting strange shadows on her body.
And she saw Max's body. On the floor of the room. Still like a statue. Her katana was sticking out of it. But it was also still in her hand. But it was hers in his body too, she could feel it.
"This is how it has to end," the man said. The man had stepped into the stillness from outside it all. Shadow-man, angles like razors. "Surely you know that by now."
Maggie sheathed her katana, the one still in her hands. The other was in Max's body. She felt nauseous.
The man said, "The Professor is trying to use a Plexotron Device to mix Max into this event. I've hacked the signal so I can show you this. Show you the future."
"I know who you are," Maggie said.
"But do you know that the war you fight, the demons you battle, are because of him?" The man pointed at Max's body.
"That's a lie."
"He didn't start it. But the way he Shifts, the way he is always coming and going, it makes it worse. It summons the demons, it weakens the borders."
"Max helps me fight the demons." The pain was getting worse.
"And every time he follows you into battle, there is mission left unfinished, a world somewhere left unsaved. It won't end until..."
Morganfokker pointed at Max's corpse.
"Welcome to your Remix."
20131012
Remix: A Realization In Time Saves Nine
Archived Event: A Realization In Time Saves Nine
The bullets zinged past him like angry hornets after a bear. Max stood there looking about the scenery, assessing the situation. Suki was firing the godhammer back at the pack of hellhounds down one hallway, while Mags did her dance among two dozen no-named mooks with the katana sending body parts parcel post. Frank watched it all from the van, studying the streaming feeds from the drone hovering just above Max.
He saw Max bring his hand to his face, staring intently at it. Frank tweaked the camera angle to get a better view - the Dragon Girls were in the thick of it, but something about Max was making Frank uneasy... He saw Max take the pointing finger from his right hand and slowly bring it to the palm of the left, and Frank saw Max's finger disappear into his hand. Like a magician amused at a parlor trick he did it a few times. Frank checked the feeds to make sure it wasn't a glitch in the camera.
Max muttered something, too low for the drone's mic to pick up, looking up at the ceiling, as if looking up from a table-top. Looking directly into the camera. He spoke again, louder. "Show yourself, you bastiche."
Frank toggled the panel-mic. "Max? Who are you talking to? What the hell just happened?" Then he saw the hellhound on the second camera feed, it managed to dodge the blast from Suki's weapon, it was leaping towards Max, Max was still staring at the drone, the strange look on his face, the hellhound's teeth like razors and fire...
"Max! Be here or don't be here but pick one!" Frank shouted into the mic.
Max blinked and spun and drew his guns.
The bullets zinged past him like angry hornets after a bear. Max stood there looking about the scenery, assessing the situation. Suki was firing the godhammer back at the pack of hellhounds down one hallway, while Mags did her dance among two dozen no-named mooks with the katana sending body parts parcel post. Frank watched it all from the van, studying the streaming feeds from the drone hovering just above Max.
He saw Max bring his hand to his face, staring intently at it. Frank tweaked the camera angle to get a better view - the Dragon Girls were in the thick of it, but something about Max was making Frank uneasy... He saw Max take the pointing finger from his right hand and slowly bring it to the palm of the left, and Frank saw Max's finger disappear into his hand. Like a magician amused at a parlor trick he did it a few times. Frank checked the feeds to make sure it wasn't a glitch in the camera.
Max muttered something, too low for the drone's mic to pick up, looking up at the ceiling, as if looking up from a table-top. Looking directly into the camera. He spoke again, louder. "Show yourself, you bastiche."
Frank toggled the panel-mic. "Max? Who are you talking to? What the hell just happened?" Then he saw the hellhound on the second camera feed, it managed to dodge the blast from Suki's weapon, it was leaping towards Max, Max was still staring at the drone, the strange look on his face, the hellhound's teeth like razors and fire...
"Max! Be here or don't be here but pick one!" Frank shouted into the mic.
Max blinked and spun and drew his guns.
20131011
The Director's Version...
Max pulled the trigger. He felt the gun vibrate in his hand and the
bullet spat forth in a wake of bullet time, leaving a trail for those to
follow. It seemed like he was falling into forever, his body still
gliding across the sky as he pulled the trigger a second time.
It was like a scene in a summer blockbuster where it's all style and the story takes a back seat. He hoped whoever was playing him in the movie was cool looking.
He could see the scene like a movie, and his peripheral vision was catching the camera crew off to one side. He was wondering at the moment during battle who was calling the shots on this one, and whether this story they were working on was going according to plan.
It was like a scene in a summer blockbuster where it's all style and the story takes a back seat. He hoped whoever was playing him in the movie was cool looking.
He could see the scene like a movie, and his peripheral vision was catching the camera crew off to one side. He was wondering at the moment during battle who was calling the shots on this one, and whether this story they were working on was going according to plan.
20131004
The M is for Moxie
"Max," the voice on the cellphone said, "are you ready?"
"That I are," I answered. I butted out the cigarette and fished another one out of the pack that said Smoking is dangerous to your Health. How dare they tell me something that I already know? A warning is like Dr. Phil stating the obvious. Makes me upset.
"I'll be in front of your place in nine minutes and thirty two seconds," the voice stated. "Be ready."
"You telling me what to do?" I asked.
"You want to play the game don't you?" cellphone said.
"Under my rules," I replied. "I am not your Pavlovian dog. If that's all you want then find someone else."
There was a long pause before cellphone finally said, "Sorry."
"Not accepted," I said. "I will be waiting."
I placed the phone back in its cradle; it somehow reminded me of a youtube video that I had watched when I was a few years younger. Before the opening. Before the gates of plureality opened. I laughed. I was ready.
"That I are," I answered. I butted out the cigarette and fished another one out of the pack that said Smoking is dangerous to your Health. How dare they tell me something that I already know? A warning is like Dr. Phil stating the obvious. Makes me upset.
"I'll be in front of your place in nine minutes and thirty two seconds," the voice stated. "Be ready."
"You telling me what to do?" I asked.
"You want to play the game don't you?" cellphone said.
"Under my rules," I replied. "I am not your Pavlovian dog. If that's all you want then find someone else."
There was a long pause before cellphone finally said, "Sorry."
"Not accepted," I said. "I will be waiting."
I placed the phone back in its cradle; it somehow reminded me of a youtube video that I had watched when I was a few years younger. Before the opening. Before the gates of plureality opened. I laughed. I was ready.
20130923
The Moment Forgotten in Sync
Max butted the cigarette in a sparkling clean ashtray. It was his first
in the diner.
He looked up at the clock on the wall and watched the second hand tick. It hit 12 and his watch chimed. Perfection. Everything was in sync again. It'd been a long while since he had felt in tune with his surroundings, a hell of a long time before he was able to sleep at night and not worry about the nightmares.
"Indeedios" a tiny voice seemed to say. Max turned to see a housefly zip past his nose fly off.
He was about to call after it but then he heard the chimes above the door. The doors had opened and a goddess walked in.
Maggie.
She stood by the door and scanned the area and spotted her intended. He reached for another cigarette and put it to his lips. He turned to signal the waiter for another cup as Maggie slide into a chair across from Max.
"Hiya," she said.
"Hey," he replied.
He looked up at the clock on the wall and watched the second hand tick. It hit 12 and his watch chimed. Perfection. Everything was in sync again. It'd been a long while since he had felt in tune with his surroundings, a hell of a long time before he was able to sleep at night and not worry about the nightmares.
"Indeedios" a tiny voice seemed to say. Max turned to see a housefly zip past his nose fly off.
He was about to call after it but then he heard the chimes above the door. The doors had opened and a goddess walked in.
Maggie.
She stood by the door and scanned the area and spotted her intended. He reached for another cigarette and put it to his lips. He turned to signal the waiter for another cup as Maggie slide into a chair across from Max.
"Hiya," she said.
"Hey," he replied.
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