Calling Through the Statosphere

Max entered the living room from the kitchenette. He brought with him a cup of coffee and he slid into his computer chair. He was just about to unwind and go on a killing spree after a hard day at the office.

His phone rang.

Unknown name, unknown number, the display read.

Reluctantly he picked it up, knowing all to well that it might be a telemarketer asking him if he had received his sample of free meat, or something silly like that.

"Max?" the voice asked.

"Yes," Max replied into the phone. He was sitting at his desk. Moving the mouse over to the Gang Us Con IV icon and ready to enter a world of violence.

"I've been trying to find you for the longest time," the voice said. 

"Well," Max stated. "You have found me. And who might you be?"

"Brogan Mirk," replied the voice.

"Brogan?" Max questioned; he leaned forward in his chair. A stirring of recognition washed over his face like a panama tide.

"Yeah," Brogan said. "It's been a long time friend."

The Troubling Effect of Waves

EXT. RIVER BED - DAY
Frank is standing on the shore throwing a rock into the river. Max comes down from the roadway and he taps the cellphone off. Frank doesn't turn; he knows it's Max.

FRANK:
Well, what's the word?

MAX:
It's going to be one of those days.

FRANK:
What kind of day would that be?

MAX:
The kind where you wished you would of stayed in bed.

FRANK:
That's not good.

Max picks up a rock and throws it into the river.

FRANK:
Not a bad shot.

MAX:
You find this comforting?

FRANK:
Yeah I do. When all else fails. Nothing says relaxation more than trying to skip stones on water.

MAX:
Symbolic isn't it?

FRANK:
Well, I never thought about it that way.

Riders of the Signal

Frank sat at his station playing a game; he had been here for the past six hours waiting and observing and occasionally listening to the static. Boredom often came with the territory, and it was huge and vast like the Sahara desert. Every now and then something came on but it wasn't what he was waiting for.

He checked the instrumentation again to see if it was working. He knew that he was only second-guessing his work, but at this point he was paranoid, thinking and working overtime.

He sipped the coffee beside him and reminded himself to get a refill. He was in the middle of blasting aliens to kingdom come when he spotted the red light blinking. He rolled the chair over and turned up the receiver and when he turned it up he heard gold.

Max's eyes flickered open when he heard the alarm. Already dressed in last night's clothes he jumped out of his bunk and headed out the door. If this was what they were looking for then he couldn't waste seconds just tidying up.

He moved along the corridor and met Mags along the way. She came out of her bunkroom and smiled at Max.

"You think we found something?" Mags inquired.

Both of them entered the room in time to hear it and Max let out a whoop. Angst was standing behind Frank with a smile, nodding her head.

"We've found it," Frank said.

"Okay everyone, you know the drill," Max cracked off. "Stations!"

Mags jumped into the pilot's chair, strapping herself in and getting everything online. Angst jumped into the navigation seat and her fingers began dancing along the pad.

"Angst, we only have a few more minutes before we lose the signal," Frank warned.

"Tracking it now," she replied. She stared into the screen before her as her fingers danced. "Got it. Feeding the trail to Control now."

"Ready to dance," Mags replied.

Frank cued up the recording chip. "Ready when you are, milady!"

The spaceship turned on a dime; Mags was an exceptional pilot and she was heading back to when the song first started.

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.

The Unforgotten

Max walked down the alley. He was walking with purpose and meaning, a sense of emergency in the strides he took. Time was not waiting and it wasn't for the wasting. He was thinking of how autumn felt when winter arrived.

His fingers felt like they were asleep, like thousands of dull needles pricking them. He glanced at the tip of his fingers and could see through them.

Damn, he thought. Not yet. Not now.

His cell phone chimed, but he wasn't in the mood to answer it. He was glancing around the walls and looking for something. He continued to walk briskly, scanning the walls and the doors. He could feel the pins moving down his fingers, and at the moment he was scared to look at them.

"There it is," Max muttered. He stopped at a wall with several graffiti symbols on it and then he tapped the wall in various places. The wall shimmered a little and Max stepped through, with a look of relief on his face.

A Friend in Need

INT. GONER'S SUITE - MORNING
Goner is sitting on a chair eating a bowl of cereal; he has his cellphone beside him. He is wearing a dirty t-shirt and has the television tuned to a news channel. He is keeping an eye on the news waiting to see if anything is going on.

Goner's cellphone rings and he answers it. He sees Mags' name in the view.

GONER:
Yo Maggie!

CUT TO close up on Maggie's face. She has phone jack and mic on.

MAGGIE:
Hey Gondy!

CUT TO Goner in his apartment.

GONER:
What can I do you for this morning?

MAGGIE: (V.O.)
I need a favour.

GONER:
It's your quarter.

MAGGIE: (V.O.)
(background SFX what appears to be sword swings and gurgling sounds)
I am kind of in a jam at the moment and I need someone who is close by to help me out of this.

GONER:
No need to ask. Where are you hiding at?

MAGGIE: (V.O.)
(SFX rapid gun fire)
Two blocks down from you. Near the Tunnel Gate. Go to Nexus 7.

Ticking Away

Max sat on the floor, his legs crossed and the sound of several clicks ticking around him. His eyes closed and his breathing slow and rhythmic, as several black-flies buzzed about the room adding to the ambiance of the clocks.

Occasionally his eyes opened and he recited lyrics of an old song as if saying them as a chant, his mantra. Then he closed his eyes and remained quiet without moving. A sentinel on duty, waiting for the proper moment to act.

His cellphone chimed.

"Max." Mags' voice was somewhere distant. "We're in position."

Max opened his eyes and tapped the cellphone off. He stood up covered in sweat and he nodded.

Mortif'd

Mags backed away from the door. Her hands behind her signaling for Aqua to find someplace to hide quickly. Aqua turned to Suki and motioned for her to back away as well and both girls quietly went into the next room. Suki didn't need to ask questions, she was a soldier that understood the rules of warfare.

"Well Mortif," Mags said; she was backing away to where her katana was sitting. "What brings you here?"

"You know why I am here," Mortif said. He stepped into the room and glanced around. "I owe you for what you gave me those many years ago."

"I'm touched," Mags said sweetly. "And after all these years you never forgot me."

"How could I!" Mortif roared. He couldn't control his anger. "You scarred me for life!"

Mags let out a little sigh before replying, "You know you should let bygones be bygones. That's all water under the bridge for me."

"Not for me, Wench," the demonic beast said. His nostrils flaring and the veins in his neck were beginning to show. "I've hunted you down for these many years and now I have time to extract my revenge."

"Revenge?" Mags repeated. "I shall say something poetic at your banishment."

Mortif let out a huge laugh and as he did several smaller demons came in from behind him. Mags grabbed her katana and smiled a sweet smile, like a warm sun after a cold wintery night.

Suki took out her Godhammer while Aqua donned her gauntlets. It looked like this girl's night out was going to be postponed on account of an old nemesis.

Second Hand Imagery

The summer sun disappeared beyond the horizon making the twilight sky a purplish landscape. Max sat on a park bench watching as the twilight blended with the evening, and the stars began to appear as if they were being summoned.

A lamppost began to hum to life nearby, as electricity began to build and brought forth the glow a few seconds later. Lighting up the area around him, he felt like he was Jimmy Durante at the moment.

Max cracked off a smile. The magic was beginning again.

In the distance he could hear the sirens of police cars, intermixed with a fire truck and not to be outdone by a fire alarm ringing somewhere close by. He took a sip from his styrofoam cup of java, and then brought a smoke to his lips.

After taking a long puff, he exhaled smoke and watched the patterns shift into an image. He stared at the smoke making out the scene and then he nodded. He flicked the cigarette butt across the pathway and stood up. He had a job to do.

Sometimes

Max lay face down on the asphalt, a pool of blood spreading out around him water from a reservoir.  Frank was the first one there; he turned over Max to see the gaping wound in his chest.

"Christ on a pony," Frank stated. He tried to stop the blood from escaping Max's body by slamming his palm over the wound, but to no avail.

"Oh no," Angst said. "This can't be happening. Not now." Angst turned her eyes from Max's body; she saw Suki approaching and went to her, to shield the young girl. Even though Suki had seen a lot, Angst didn't want her to see Max this way.

"It's not stopping!" Frank cried out in vain. Blood covered his hands so that it looked like he was wearing red surgical gloves. "Someone get Maggie! NOW!!!"

"It's no use, Frank. He's gone," Goner said after checking Max's pulse.

"He c-c-an't be," Suki yelled. "He's Max!"

"Now, now, child," Angst said in a motherly tone towards Suki. Angst herded Suki off to one side and you could hear the sobs coming from her. A river of tears began to flow and it spread like a contagion as Angst, Goner and now Frank seemed to be caught in its snare.

Max's lifeless eyes where staring up at the heavens, and with a wave of his hand Frank closed them.

"Cut!" a voice shouted out. "THAT WAS AWESOME! It's a wrap!"

Max's eyes fluttered open. He saw Frank, Goner, Angst, and Suki standing around him; beyond that he saw two dozen other bodies now moving about. All seemed to be in a state of celebrating something that just happened.

"That's it boys and girls," the voice said. "We've done all we could do, now it's up for the editors and FX crew to work their magic."

He didn't know what happened. He stared down at the gaping wound in his chest, his finger examining the wound, and he brought his finger up to his nose to smell. Sugary red syrup.

"Let me help you up, buddy,"Frank said to him as he offered his hand. "I think that scene has Oscar written all over it!"

"Denver," Suki said as she came over to Frank. "Are you going to The Den for the wrap party?"

"I'll be over later, Lon-Rii. Need to shower and get this shit off me."

Max sat there and looked around, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"What do you think Aaron?" Frank asked him. "You think we'll get a nomination this time around?"

Do You Feel That?

Max stepped out from his apartment, stopped and looked up at the morning sky; he saw the three red blinking eyes flying overhead. He was dressed in a pressed white t-shirt and had on khakis and nice brown dress shoes. His hair was cut and styled much akin to a James Dean movie.

He tipped a wave to the blinking eyes and then moved merrily on his way, whistling a tune. The sun was rising and the birds were singing, as if in unison and in a very Disneyesque way. Max shuddered slightly but still held his composure.

He walked with a spring in his step and a smile upon his face.

"Morning Max," the newspaper vendor said to him. The vendor had just opened his stand, and was laying out the newspapers in neat stacks, alphabetical order.

"Morning," Max acknowledged as he flipped a dollar coin onto the stand and took a paper. He tucked it underneath his arm.

"You going to the Renewal event?" the vendor ask. "It promises to be the grandest one yet."

"You'd have to be some sort of nut to miss it!" Max exclaimed excitedly. "I heard the morning announcer declare it was going to be quite the event this afternoon."

Max continued down the street; he passed by other shops and buildings and waved at shop keepers and passersby with friendly greetings. When no one seemed to notice and the three eyes had passed over the city, Max ducked down an alley. He made sure it was dark and that there was a balcony overhead.

He fished out a bent cigarette from the the fold in his pants and put it to his lips.

After he took a puff he fished out a cellphone and hit a speed-dial number.

"Professor, you got to get me the fuck out of here!" he said in a whispered voice. "One more day here and I will go on a rampage like this reality has never seen!"

"Now Max," the Professor's voice came through the phone among the static. "We are working on it at our end. Hold on!"

The Hunger

INT. FRANK'S CAR - EVENING
FRANK is driving down a busy street. MAX is riding shotgun. ANGST is sleeping in the backseat. 
FRANK is dressed in a dark suit and a loose tie over a neon yellow shirt. MAX has a t-shirt that declares SUBMIT on it. He is dressed in khakis, and has a cigarette dangling from his lips. ANGST is covered up in with a blanket in the back seat.

FRANK
Well. What do you want to do this evening?

MAX
I really don't know. It's feels like years since I haven't done anything in a while. Feels weird not doing anything.

FRANK
You wanna shoot some pool?

MAX
Nah.

FRANK
Catch a game at the arena. The Blues are in town this evening.

MAX
Not my cup of action.

FRANK
How about a movie?

MAX
I really don't want to subject myself to another reality at the moment.

FRANK
You're a heck of a date.

MAX taps FRANK's shoulder and points to the BURGER REDUX restaurant that is up ahead.

MAX
I could go for a tasty burger though.

FRANK
(laughing)
Anything you want JULES.

Infinity Radio

"Staff meeting," Angst called out as she walked through the room. She cuffed Goner on the side of the head. "That means you too Gonzo!"

"Oh geez, do we have to?" Goner replied. He set the pile of vinyl on the edge of his desk. "What's the gripe this time around?"

"Don't know. Don't care," Angst replied. She continued to walk through the office proclaiming the news from the head honcho.

Frank was by the coffee maker, pouring himself a fresh cup of java. Max came out of the booth and stopped to get a cup.

"You know what this is about?" Max asked.

"Don't have a clue," replied Frank. "Ain't you on the air?"

"Well, I'm a clone," Max said with a wink. "So I can get away with it."

"Playing some taped, eh?" Frank asked.

"A good disc-slinger never reveals his trade secrets," Max said...