Derek Moore sat on the car looking up at the stars; his father, Andrew, leaned against it making sure that Derek didn't move too far on the hood. It was dusk and the evening was claiming the sky, fading away the blanket of blue and revealing the stars slowly but surely.
"I think I see Max," Derek said as he looked up to see a group of stars clustered like a man flying through the air in some gun-fu maneuvers. "And Maggie is right next to him."
Andrew's eyes looked to the heavens and saw that Max and Maggie were there in the clear evening sky, his eyes taking in the constellations of the cat, Trump, and the bird, Crow, as well.
"It's beautiful sight," Andrew said.
"That it is, Dad," Derek said. He loved the nights he spent with his dad since it meant sitting out under the stars and looking at the constellations.
"Look, there's Aqua," Andrew pointed. "Looks like she has her friend with her as well."
20151005
20151002
C2IP Update.2
The ground shook again, dislodging more rubble from the bombed-out buildings. Shadows swept across the ground from the light of the flares in the night sky, voices hollow and fuzzy with static calling out over malfunctioning sound-systems, repeating emergency protocol directions that were very 'too-little-too-late'. Mick strolled down the centre of the cracked and scorched street as if all the lights and noise were a massive party; this wasn't his first apocalypse. In a lot of ways he felt at home in disaster zones; they were somehow more honest.
His contacts were less brazen, with good reason Mick figured, given that of the ever-increasing number of factions in what appeared to be a cold-war-turned-hot-turning-nova most likely had capture or kill orders out on them. They signalled to him with a pre-arranged series of flashlight blinks from the shadows of a ruined hotel lobby.
"Okay," Mick said, hunkered down behind the front desk. "First off, no I haven't gotten any leads on who the double-agent is. I don't doubt your intel, especially given the source, but there are so many variables in play right now...
"Second, Goner's rejoined Max, Frank and Angst, so they're active again as a cell. Plus they've gotten a lead on Mags - sounds like she's changed too.
"As for Suki, it looks like she's actually shifted along the Chronoplex - that's what we're calling it now, right? She seems to be in a much older version of herself. I know, it's not the first-time Suki's age has altered. No idea if or how she's going to intersect with the others.
"The Diner crew... Things are still different with them too... Like they're on a different frequency from the other Dragons? I dunno, I feel like something's brewing there.
"Max has got his spirit guides in play, the bird and the talking cat. Still nothing from Aqua. Oh, but get this - I found this weird urban legend about this strange warrior-monk type-guy who wanders the globe, actually walking, no planes or buses. He's this dirty bearded vagabond, stops briefly to debate about things like Confucianism or Norse Mythology. Sometimes does a bit of intervening on a street-level if there's some injustice happening, and ain't there always? There's versions of the tale where he seeks out a vision at holy places, the hidden Temple of the Sky on Everest, the sacred glass monolith at the centre of the Sahara Desert, the keystone of the Great Wall of China that contains the last essence of the demon Hrarchuta who sacrificed his immortality to save his love, the angelic Yuriti... It's great stuff; I wish I'd written it. But it's got to be our boy Akimoto, right?
"And lastly, just so I'm keeping track, so far there's the Chronoplex, the Paraplex, and the Ultraplex? Now, how about you share with me: do we know yet what exactly has kicked off this whole mess between the System and Counter-System?"
The contacts exchanged glances.
Suddenly a swarm of sirens began wailing outside and the thunder of helicopters erupted overhead. Mick sighed. "I get it, 'to be continued'."
His contacts were less brazen, with good reason Mick figured, given that of the ever-increasing number of factions in what appeared to be a cold-war-turned-hot-turning-nova most likely had capture or kill orders out on them. They signalled to him with a pre-arranged series of flashlight blinks from the shadows of a ruined hotel lobby.
"Okay," Mick said, hunkered down behind the front desk. "First off, no I haven't gotten any leads on who the double-agent is. I don't doubt your intel, especially given the source, but there are so many variables in play right now...
"Second, Goner's rejoined Max, Frank and Angst, so they're active again as a cell. Plus they've gotten a lead on Mags - sounds like she's changed too.
"As for Suki, it looks like she's actually shifted along the Chronoplex - that's what we're calling it now, right? She seems to be in a much older version of herself. I know, it's not the first-time Suki's age has altered. No idea if or how she's going to intersect with the others.
"The Diner crew... Things are still different with them too... Like they're on a different frequency from the other Dragons? I dunno, I feel like something's brewing there.
"Max has got his spirit guides in play, the bird and the talking cat. Still nothing from Aqua. Oh, but get this - I found this weird urban legend about this strange warrior-monk type-guy who wanders the globe, actually walking, no planes or buses. He's this dirty bearded vagabond, stops briefly to debate about things like Confucianism or Norse Mythology. Sometimes does a bit of intervening on a street-level if there's some injustice happening, and ain't there always? There's versions of the tale where he seeks out a vision at holy places, the hidden Temple of the Sky on Everest, the sacred glass monolith at the centre of the Sahara Desert, the keystone of the Great Wall of China that contains the last essence of the demon Hrarchuta who sacrificed his immortality to save his love, the angelic Yuriti... It's great stuff; I wish I'd written it. But it's got to be our boy Akimoto, right?
"And lastly, just so I'm keeping track, so far there's the Chronoplex, the Paraplex, and the Ultraplex? Now, how about you share with me: do we know yet what exactly has kicked off this whole mess between the System and Counter-System?"
The contacts exchanged glances.
Suddenly a swarm of sirens began wailing outside and the thunder of helicopters erupted overhead. Mick sighed. "I get it, 'to be continued'."
20151001
The Irreducibility of Explication
"Max! Focus!" the voice shouted.
He blinked and tried to follow the order. He was lost in a memory or a series of memories about a time he was driving around looking for something to eat and just feeling absolutely completely emotionally and mentally fucked up. Of course he had the thought that maybe he still was driving around and that this was another delusion. If he had ever had any delusions; maybe everything that he had thought happened had actually happened?
The voice was sounding frustrated, or maybe it was a different voice? Joining in? "We need to understand more about your actions in the Ultraplex. We need to know about what happened on World: Prefalta."
A file folder appeared on the table in front of Max with symbols on it that Max couldn't decipher.
What's the Ultraplex?
"Go ahead," the (first?) voice said. Max flipped open the folder and scanned the documents inside.
[Prefalta Excerpt]
"Specifically," they continued, "why did you order Aqua to intervene in this scenario? What criteria were met that required this action to be taken? Why did you select Aqua from the roster of Dragons who were available? What was the desired outcome of the intervention?"
Max suddenly had this strong sense that he was immersed in a tutorial for some type of advanced videogame, that the answers he selected to the questions being asked would set his preferences for the gameplay to follow... But there was also a very real chance that the videogame idea was just a psychological defense mechanism allowing him to minimize his responsibility in the incident they were discussing.
"The most important question is, perhaps- " the voices said.
Max couldn't really remember ever giving Aqua any orders... He hadn't even seen Aqua since...
"- why did you choose to intervene in this incident and not any of these?"
Nineteen more file folders landed on the table in a rough stack.
Max felt nauseous.
He blinked and tried to follow the order. He was lost in a memory or a series of memories about a time he was driving around looking for something to eat and just feeling absolutely completely emotionally and mentally fucked up. Of course he had the thought that maybe he still was driving around and that this was another delusion. If he had ever had any delusions; maybe everything that he had thought happened had actually happened?
The voice was sounding frustrated, or maybe it was a different voice? Joining in? "We need to understand more about your actions in the Ultraplex. We need to know about what happened on World: Prefalta."
A file folder appeared on the table in front of Max with symbols on it that Max couldn't decipher.
What's the Ultraplex?
"Go ahead," the (first?) voice said. Max flipped open the folder and scanned the documents inside.
[Prefalta Excerpt]
"Specifically," they continued, "why did you order Aqua to intervene in this scenario? What criteria were met that required this action to be taken? Why did you select Aqua from the roster of Dragons who were available? What was the desired outcome of the intervention?"
Max suddenly had this strong sense that he was immersed in a tutorial for some type of advanced videogame, that the answers he selected to the questions being asked would set his preferences for the gameplay to follow... But there was also a very real chance that the videogame idea was just a psychological defense mechanism allowing him to minimize his responsibility in the incident they were discussing.
"The most important question is, perhaps- " the voices said.
Max couldn't really remember ever giving Aqua any orders... He hadn't even seen Aqua since...
"- why did you choose to intervene in this incident and not any of these?"
Nineteen more file folders landed on the table in a rough stack.
Max felt nauseous.
20150928
Dream Journal
Max's eyes flickered open in the pre-dawn morning. He glanced over at the alarm clock and noticed that it was definitely too early to be up at the moment. He sat up and his feet hit the cold hardwood floor; he flicked on the light on the nightstand.
He grabbed the journal that was there and a pencil and began jotting down the remnants of his dream as it began to fade away from his memory. It was too bad that the dreams couldn't be taped and viewed over and over again to decode what they were trying to tell him, and it would be nice to spot the easter eggs as well. But a pencil and a journal was the next best thing.
A couple of quick sketches: one of a crow sitting on a fencepost with a pipe dangling from his mouth, another of a cat sitting on a rooftop overlooking the city, the last was a man with an eyepatch, a sort of David Hasselhoff as Nick Fury kind of vibe going on. Under each sketch he jotted:
Crow or Raven.... could be a Magpie.
He grabbed the journal that was there and a pencil and began jotting down the remnants of his dream as it began to fade away from his memory. It was too bad that the dreams couldn't be taped and viewed over and over again to decode what they were trying to tell him, and it would be nice to spot the easter eggs as well. But a pencil and a journal was the next best thing.
A couple of quick sketches: one of a crow sitting on a fencepost with a pipe dangling from his mouth, another of a cat sitting on a rooftop overlooking the city, the last was a man with an eyepatch, a sort of David Hasselhoff as Nick Fury kind of vibe going on. Under each sketch he jotted:
Crow or Raven.... could be a Magpie.
Cat... or Trump? Hard to tell
Don't hassle the Hoff?
Don't hassle the Hoff?
20150925
The Moat
In the morning when I awoke,
I was still in my dream,
a livid one at that, a lucid one like that.
In this dream that I had awoke,
I met a girl who was swimming in a moat,
a big moat it was, a deep moat it was.
I asked her what she was doing,
She told me it was none of my doing,
What did she mean by that, what was the meaning of that?
So, now I sit and ponder
In this dream that I'm wanderin'
Maybe the world's like that, maybe it's all been that.
I was still in my dream,
a livid one at that, a lucid one like that.
In this dream that I had awoke,
I met a girl who was swimming in a moat,
a big moat it was, a deep moat it was.
I asked her what she was doing,
She told me it was none of my doing,
What did she mean by that, what was the meaning of that?
So, now I sit and ponder
In this dream that I'm wanderin'
Maybe the world's like that, maybe it's all been that.
20150923
Gemstone
Max rolled over, hit the alarm, dragged himself out of bed.
Cut through some back streets to avoid the crowds. Hot summer weather, low-orbit satellites visible in the clear sky between corporate towers.
Friendly wave from the young woman selling occult trinkets from a stand by the intersection. He had bought a few since moving to the neighbourhood. Her name was something like Melancholy? Agony?
The sounds of traffic reminded him of dreams he couldn't remember. Billboards advertising the new action movie, MAGENTA.
Dropping some coins in the cup of the Veteran camped outside the bank. Young guy, the side of his face burned, missing an arm.
Into the lobby of the office building, pulling his lanyard from his satchel and draping it around his neck just in time for security to check it. The older guard who always wore sunglasses. It was policy at the agency that staff were not to ask the guards' names.
He gave him the nod and Max proceeded towards the elevators.
"Oh, sir?" the guard said, catching his attention. Passed him an envelope that had been left at the desk for him.
In the elevator, heading to the fifth floor, feeling tired, opened the envelope. Handwritten note, unsigned:
'Thank you.'
Cut through some back streets to avoid the crowds. Hot summer weather, low-orbit satellites visible in the clear sky between corporate towers.
Friendly wave from the young woman selling occult trinkets from a stand by the intersection. He had bought a few since moving to the neighbourhood. Her name was something like Melancholy? Agony?
The sounds of traffic reminded him of dreams he couldn't remember. Billboards advertising the new action movie, MAGENTA.
Dropping some coins in the cup of the Veteran camped outside the bank. Young guy, the side of his face burned, missing an arm.
Into the lobby of the office building, pulling his lanyard from his satchel and draping it around his neck just in time for security to check it. The older guard who always wore sunglasses. It was policy at the agency that staff were not to ask the guards' names.
He gave him the nod and Max proceeded towards the elevators.
"Oh, sir?" the guard said, catching his attention. Passed him an envelope that had been left at the desk for him.
In the elevator, heading to the fifth floor, feeling tired, opened the envelope. Handwritten note, unsigned:
'Thank you.'
20150921
New Europeans
In a quiet street washed by the rain, the room within the home.
Max sat at the table, his fingers drumming along with the song that was playing from an old battered radio that looked like it had seen better days. There was a chessboard set up with pieces in various locations and he studied their arrangement.
A lonely man sits cheek to cheek, with unique designs in chrome.
He was trying to remember the name of the band that played the song. It was a band that was big in the UK in the 80's but not so much in North America. The lyrics made sense to him now; he hadn't quite understood them back then.
The mellow years have long gone by, but now he sits alone.
"Yes," he answered.
"Yes," Trump replied. "Your move, chum. Depending on what you move I will have you in checkmate in less than five!"
Max sat at the table, his fingers drumming along with the song that was playing from an old battered radio that looked like it had seen better days. There was a chessboard set up with pieces in various locations and he studied their arrangement.
A lonely man sits cheek to cheek, with unique designs in chrome.
He was trying to remember the name of the band that played the song. It was a band that was big in the UK in the 80's but not so much in North America. The lyrics made sense to him now; he hadn't quite understood them back then.
"Was I alive in the 80's?" he muttered.
"I don't know," Trump replied. "Were you?"
The mellow years have long gone by, but now he sits alone.
"Yes," he answered.
"Yes," Trump replied. "Your move, chum. Depending on what you move I will have you in checkmate in less than five!"
"You wish," Max said as his attention went back to the chessboard. He moved his hand to the Queen, which was shaped like an angel with two katanas held in her hands.
"You sure you wanna use her?" Trump questioned.
He has a brand new radio, but never turns it on.
Max moved his Queen across the board where it took out Trump's Bishop.
[Chorus]
New Europeans.
Young Europeans.
New Europeans.
"You sure you wanna use her?" Trump questioned.
He has a brand new radio, but never turns it on.
Max moved his Queen across the board where it took out Trump's Bishop.
[Chorus]
New Europeans.
Young Europeans.
New Europeans.
20150917
CD Three
Max Cube Must Die!
V.2: See You In HELL, Fat Boy!
Music From The Oscar Winning Film:
(interior artwork: Max and Maggie standing on a plain, the word 'Version' above them, the word 'Noisrev' below, an ancient tree beside Maggie, a futuristic city beside Max, a sun between them, setting or rising)
Track 1: Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain (Crystal Method Remix)
Track 2: Crystal Method - She's My Pusher
Track 3: Booker T & The M.G.'s - Green Onions
Track 4: Blue Man Group - X-Files Theme Remix
Track 5: Blood Sweat and Tears - Spinning Wheel
Track 6: Beta Band - Needles in My Eyes
Track 7: Beasty Boys - Body Moving (Fatboy Slim remix)
Track 8: Patient Saints - On Your Mind [Omaha Mix]
Track 9: Monster Magnet - See You in Hell
Track 10: Lunatic Calm - Leave You Far Behind [Version 2 Instrumental]
Track 11: Ecoline Crush - You Don't Know What It's Like
Track 12: BT - Believer
Track 13: Africa Bambaataa - Planet Rock [Swordfish Mix]
Track 14: Korn - Adidas (Techno Remix)
Track 15: Limp Bizkit - Break Stuff
20150916
Borders
The chain-linked fences laced with barbedwire, watchtowers bookending the gate, icy light thrown into the evening darkness by spotlights. The soldiers in grey, weapons flickering, tech scanning.
"Okay, let's run it," Max whispered to his companions in the crowd that was shuffling slowly through the checkpoint.
"I have some Divinities bookmarked," Angst went first. "But if they arrive in any way much stronger than a general blessing it will attract a lot of attention."
Frank was studying the guards, the spotlights reflecting in his glasses. "This has got to be the System, right? How many of these have we seen now? It's getting harder to go anywhere."
"Too many, but this is one we can't avoid," Max said. "We need through."
"I know, I know," Frank replied. "I'm sure I can think the troops into not noticing Goner's mods if they check under the hood."
"Appreciated," Goner said. He raised a gloved hand, the one he had had replaced. "And I'm pretty sure I've figured out how this can broadcast a smartwave scrambler signal that will spoof their ID-scanners."
"Well shit," Max said. "It sounds like we have an A-plan. How about a B?"
"Panic?" Goner said.
"Violence," Frank said.
"Improvise," Angst said.
Max chuckled.
"Okay, let's run it," Max whispered to his companions in the crowd that was shuffling slowly through the checkpoint.
"I have some Divinities bookmarked," Angst went first. "But if they arrive in any way much stronger than a general blessing it will attract a lot of attention."
Frank was studying the guards, the spotlights reflecting in his glasses. "This has got to be the System, right? How many of these have we seen now? It's getting harder to go anywhere."
"Too many, but this is one we can't avoid," Max said. "We need through."
"I know, I know," Frank replied. "I'm sure I can think the troops into not noticing Goner's mods if they check under the hood."
"Appreciated," Goner said. He raised a gloved hand, the one he had had replaced. "And I'm pretty sure I've figured out how this can broadcast a smartwave scrambler signal that will spoof their ID-scanners."
"Well shit," Max said. "It sounds like we have an A-plan. How about a B?"
"Panic?" Goner said.
"Violence," Frank said.
"Improvise," Angst said.
Max chuckled.
20150914
Destinations
We could live in maybes.
Standing in the woods at night, an unspecified
age and way, but always the past.
Speaking aloud into the darkness, the trees
somehow made of sounds, implied.
The courage to speak aloud there in the woods
in the darkness alone, real words spoken
out loud, meant to be heard.
We could live in the future.
Sitting at the desk, on the chair, this
furniture all gathered and handmade from the past.
Typing onto the plastic, the smooth lines, the thin
machine. Typing into the new space, electronic
and layered and fictional. Early gray morning in winter
on the laptop computer, tired but too amazed
to let it pass without record.
We could live in each other.
The sense, the way it starts a shining
in my stomach, the barest thought of you and the
idea, the possibility, as strange and as fleeting
as words in the woods and visions of the future,
that when our eyes met we gave each other something,
even if only a shining and words to make
poems from.
Standing in the woods at night, an unspecified
age and way, but always the past.
Speaking aloud into the darkness, the trees
somehow made of sounds, implied.
The courage to speak aloud there in the woods
in the darkness alone, real words spoken
out loud, meant to be heard.
We could live in the future.
Sitting at the desk, on the chair, this
furniture all gathered and handmade from the past.
Typing onto the plastic, the smooth lines, the thin
machine. Typing into the new space, electronic
and layered and fictional. Early gray morning in winter
on the laptop computer, tired but too amazed
to let it pass without record.
We could live in each other.
The sense, the way it starts a shining
in my stomach, the barest thought of you and the
idea, the possibility, as strange and as fleeting
as words in the woods and visions of the future,
that when our eyes met we gave each other something,
even if only a shining and words to make
poems from.
20150912
"I Am The Modern Man" [version.Upgrade]
Goner pulled back the hood. The side of his head was metal. The edges laced with fine-circuitry that flickered faintly, red, blue, green.
"Okay," Max said.
Goner unzipped his jacket and took it off. His left arm was also metal, highlighted with the same almost ethereal wiring.
Max glanced at Goner's pants. "Is that everything?" he asked, lightly, trying to relieve the tension.
Goner smirked. It felt like Max hadn't seen him in a long while, but Goner somehow looked younger. It reminded Max of the time he first recruited him; or the time he first remembered recruiting him. It was a memory that they shared in most versions.
"What do I need to know?" Max asked next.
Goner cleared his throat. Looked around at the trees, leaves catching sunlight, casting shadows. They had arranged to meet outside the city, for safety.
"I chose it," he began. "It was my call." He looked down at his metal hand. "It feels sorta real, sorta... something else. Kind of like everything else has since that day."
Max smiled. The fact that Goner was remembering the same thing as him made him relax.
"I guess I never felt like I had really committed to this. Even when I was a soldier, then working for the private security teams, I was never really all in. And after I died... Well, I still don't really understand everything about that, or how I came back, but I know I was scared for a long time, that it would happen again. And now, with whatever is brewing with this whole System revelation... I know things are going to get weird and probably bad. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be able to help. To really make a difference."
Max nodded. "Thanks Goner." He gave it a moment. "Do I need to know how you got it done? Who you went to for the work?"
Goner looked briefly conflicted. Max noted that the circuitry on the cybernetic modifications didn't flicker in sync with Goner's reactions, which was good; it would be too big of a tell.
"No," Goner said. "Not yet anyway."
"Ok, cool. Let's try and get in touch with Frank and Angst. They missed you."
"Okay," Max said.
Goner unzipped his jacket and took it off. His left arm was also metal, highlighted with the same almost ethereal wiring.
Max glanced at Goner's pants. "Is that everything?" he asked, lightly, trying to relieve the tension.
Goner smirked. It felt like Max hadn't seen him in a long while, but Goner somehow looked younger. It reminded Max of the time he first recruited him; or the time he first remembered recruiting him. It was a memory that they shared in most versions.
"What do I need to know?" Max asked next.
Goner cleared his throat. Looked around at the trees, leaves catching sunlight, casting shadows. They had arranged to meet outside the city, for safety.
"I chose it," he began. "It was my call." He looked down at his metal hand. "It feels sorta real, sorta... something else. Kind of like everything else has since that day."
Max smiled. The fact that Goner was remembering the same thing as him made him relax.
"I guess I never felt like I had really committed to this. Even when I was a soldier, then working for the private security teams, I was never really all in. And after I died... Well, I still don't really understand everything about that, or how I came back, but I know I was scared for a long time, that it would happen again. And now, with whatever is brewing with this whole System revelation... I know things are going to get weird and probably bad. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be able to help. To really make a difference."
Max nodded. "Thanks Goner." He gave it a moment. "Do I need to know how you got it done? Who you went to for the work?"
Goner looked briefly conflicted. Max noted that the circuitry on the cybernetic modifications didn't flicker in sync with Goner's reactions, which was good; it would be too big of a tell.
"No," Goner said. "Not yet anyway."
"Ok, cool. Let's try and get in touch with Frank and Angst. They missed you."
20150911
The Beautiful Majestic Sorrow
It's been several days now and I still don't know what the hell happened. I keep seeing posts on my twitter feed but they are so random and confusing and I can't make heads or tails of any of it. Professor Mox says it's all part of the crisis, and tendrils still seep through this "reality" or "our version of it" and pretty soon it will all be part of a forgotten memory. He explains it's like having a real vivid dream and then it disappears once you are wide awake and her mind has wiped the board clean and you are struggling to remember what the dream you had was all about.
It's hard for me to explain it. But, I feel I have to write it down and get it out there. I think whatever the hell happened that "static residue" of other dimensions bleed through. Like take this buffoon of a billionaire that is suddenly a presidential contender? There's no way in hell I thought he'd be able to even run but now he's on the tip of everyone's tongue. I'm not sure that I'm in my own version of life at the moment. Maybe, I've phased into a realm that is completely similar to my world.
Like a Twilight Zone episode and maybe just maybe I'll phase back into it.
Who am I kidding?
It's hard for me to explain it. But, I feel I have to write it down and get it out there. I think whatever the hell happened that "static residue" of other dimensions bleed through. Like take this buffoon of a billionaire that is suddenly a presidential contender? There's no way in hell I thought he'd be able to even run but now he's on the tip of everyone's tongue. I'm not sure that I'm in my own version of life at the moment. Maybe, I've phased into a realm that is completely similar to my world.
Like a Twilight Zone episode and maybe just maybe I'll phase back into it.
Who am I kidding?
I think my mind will eventually accept this domain and then sweep these thoughts under a rug.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)