Dan drew a card from the deck and looked at it. GUN FU +10. It was something that he needed in order to take the beast down.
He looked down at the pattern of cards on the table: his Max was tapped out, he had used Cigarette Clue and Mystic Java earlier in the fight against the big boss. He knew that if he didn't get the card he needed it would be over. He had never had to depend more on the luck of the draw and he got it.
"Looks like it's going to be curtains for Max," Chance replied. His Darius card had Bible Verse of Doom, Skateboard of Protect +2, and Angelic Wings attached to the kid.
"The game isn't over yet," Dan replied.
Showing posts with label dan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dan. Show all posts
20160213
20150526
Neo Static: The Permutation Particles Polka - End
Aqua was in the middle of the tunnels; she was cut up and badly bruised but she kept swinging. It wasn't long before Suki was with her and she let her know that the job was done.
Darius, Twofeathers and Suki ran through the complex as Ul'ran zombies clambered after them. Wanting them to join the party.
Frank looked at the countdown on his chronometer. Only 18 more seconds to go before they were all aligned.
Angst, Ruffo and Angelissa sat at a table sipping tea as others walked past.
Max hovered off the floor, his fingers moving about seeing the data-streams of timelines before him and shaking his head 'no', dropping a few strings and gathering more and shaking his head 'no'.
Dan picked up the dice once again as everyone around the table waited for what was going to happen. It all resulted in this dice roll. It was all or nothing on this one.
"It's about time you joined the fight," Aqua shot at Suki.
"Sure thing, girlfriend," Suki said. "You think what I was doing was a picnic?"
"Yeah," Aqua replied. She took out a huge beastie with a punch, sending it sprawling back into its buddies. "Now, let's see if we can hold them off!"
"Madness," Twofeathers replied. No matter what corner they turned or what room they entered it seemed that the Ul'ran were already there. "This is madness."
"You don't know the half of it, sister," Suki said. She was rubbing her elbow; her arm was sore after dispensing a lot of charges with the Godhammer. She hoped Max was correct with whatever he was doing since it seemed like it was going to be the end.
Darius took out his cross necklace and gave it a kiss for luck. Twofeathers did a double-take at him and then she let out a chuckle.
Darius, Twofeathers and Suki ran through the complex as Ul'ran zombies clambered after them. Wanting them to join the party.
Frank looked at the countdown on his chronometer. Only 18 more seconds to go before they were all aligned.
Angst, Ruffo and Angelissa sat at a table sipping tea as others walked past.
Max hovered off the floor, his fingers moving about seeing the data-streams of timelines before him and shaking his head 'no', dropping a few strings and gathering more and shaking his head 'no'.
Dan picked up the dice once again as everyone around the table waited for what was going to happen. It all resulted in this dice roll. It was all or nothing on this one.
"It's about time you joined the fight," Aqua shot at Suki.
"Sure thing, girlfriend," Suki said. "You think what I was doing was a picnic?"
"Yeah," Aqua replied. She took out a huge beastie with a punch, sending it sprawling back into its buddies. "Now, let's see if we can hold them off!"
"Madness," Twofeathers replied. No matter what corner they turned or what room they entered it seemed that the Ul'ran were already there. "This is madness."
"You don't know the half of it, sister," Suki said. She was rubbing her elbow; her arm was sore after dispensing a lot of charges with the Godhammer. She hoped Max was correct with whatever he was doing since it seemed like it was going to be the end.
Darius took out his cross necklace and gave it a kiss for luck. Twofeathers did a double-take at him and then she let out a chuckle.
Frank checked the shotgun and was about to join Suki and Aqua in the tunnels.
"There's nothing you can do there," Max said to him.
"What?" Frank looked at him. "You're kidding right?"
"Frank, when have I ever misled you?" Max asked.
"The question is when haven't you misled me," Frank said. His impulse was to go and help the kids out in a overwhelming battle. But he trusted Max to the very end of his life.
"Can I get you ladies anything else?" the waiter asked.
Angst nodded and flashed him a smile and the waiter turned a little shade of red.
"There's nothing you can do there," Max said to him.
"What?" Frank looked at him. "You're kidding right?"
"Frank, when have I ever misled you?" Max asked.
"The question is when haven't you misled me," Frank said. His impulse was to go and help the kids out in a overwhelming battle. But he trusted Max to the very end of his life.
"Can I get you ladies anything else?" the waiter asked.
Angst nodded and flashed him a smile and the waiter turned a little shade of red.
"Mom," Angelissa said.
"I'm not your mother," Angst said to her, "Well, I... I could be your mother... Wait... I am your mother?"
"What are we doing waiting here?" Ruffo asked. She had a sound of agitation in her voice. She didn't know where they were and what they were doing but it was nice just to sit and catch their breath for a little while. "What are we suppose to be waiting for?"
"You will know when you see it," Angst said. She leaned over and gave Angelissa a kiss on the cheek, letting her know full well that she would be the mother she would never know.
Max's fingers were moving across like he was playing a huge harp. That's when he noticed blood on the tips of his fingers.
"Now you know how Bryan Adams felt," Maggie whispered.
Max noticed that his fingertips had thin slices like papercuts but it wasn't stinging at all.
"... and that's when you notice the cuts on Max's fingertips, each finger that he's been weaving with has left tiny droplets of his blood in it..." Tim said.
Dan's mouth dropped and everyone around the table looked up and he added, "You mean?"
"Yep," Tim stated with a sly smile. "Exactly. Now make your roll and let's just see how well the code was written."
Dan shook the dice in his hands and let them drop onto the table. They did their dance: the negative dice landed on a 1 (which was good to see) and the positive dice landed on a 6 and this meant he rolled it again and added it to the total.
Dan picked up the die to roll, Tim turned his attention to Peyton.
Aqua had taken a critical wound to the neck. Blood was pumping out due to her adrenaline being pushed to the limits, but she cracked a smile since she was going out on her own terms. She grabbed the huge beast in front of her and with all her might snapped its neck like a twig, letting out a primeval scream of victory before she staggered back.
A wall of beasties swarmed toward her.
"Nooo!" Suki screamed and that's when her face changed from a tween to a woman of rage. Mustering every ounce of strength she had she took the Godhammer in her hands and snapped it in two. "She you losers in hell!"
The explosion ripped through the tunnel.
"What is it?" Darius asked of Suki. She stood still for a second and let out a gasp.
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "It just .... I don't want this to sound corny... but I felt like something bad happened."
There was the sound of an implosion echoing off in the distance. A ripple and a wave of energy began washing through the area.
"Sweet," Twofeathers said. "Now what!"
Frank let the shotgun drop to the floor and he hung his head in shame. "Was this all for naught?"
The waiter placed another round of ice tea in front of the ladies, and they all smiled and raised their glasses in a toast.
"Ha! I win," Morganfokker whispered. "You lose, like the failure that you are!"
"Would it kill you to know that this was the game plan all along?" Maggie said with a knowing smile. "A sleight of hand so simple that you'd not be paying attention to what the other hand was doing."
"What?" Morganfokker said. "No, it can't be."
Max let the strings go from his bloody fingertips and let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm not your mother," Angst said to her, "Well, I... I could be your mother... Wait... I am your mother?"
"What are we doing waiting here?" Ruffo asked. She had a sound of agitation in her voice. She didn't know where they were and what they were doing but it was nice just to sit and catch their breath for a little while. "What are we suppose to be waiting for?"
"You will know when you see it," Angst said. She leaned over and gave Angelissa a kiss on the cheek, letting her know full well that she would be the mother she would never know.
Max's fingers were moving across like he was playing a huge harp. That's when he noticed blood on the tips of his fingers.
"Now you know how Bryan Adams felt," Maggie whispered.
Max noticed that his fingertips had thin slices like papercuts but it wasn't stinging at all.
"... and that's when you notice the cuts on Max's fingertips, each finger that he's been weaving with has left tiny droplets of his blood in it..." Tim said.
Dan's mouth dropped and everyone around the table looked up and he added, "You mean?"
"Yep," Tim stated with a sly smile. "Exactly. Now make your roll and let's just see how well the code was written."
Dan shook the dice in his hands and let them drop onto the table. They did their dance: the negative dice landed on a 1 (which was good to see) and the positive dice landed on a 6 and this meant he rolled it again and added it to the total.
Dan picked up the die to roll, Tim turned his attention to Peyton.
Aqua had taken a critical wound to the neck. Blood was pumping out due to her adrenaline being pushed to the limits, but she cracked a smile since she was going out on her own terms. She grabbed the huge beast in front of her and with all her might snapped its neck like a twig, letting out a primeval scream of victory before she staggered back.
A wall of beasties swarmed toward her.
"Nooo!" Suki screamed and that's when her face changed from a tween to a woman of rage. Mustering every ounce of strength she had she took the Godhammer in her hands and snapped it in two. "She you losers in hell!"
The explosion ripped through the tunnel.
"What is it?" Darius asked of Suki. She stood still for a second and let out a gasp.
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "It just .... I don't want this to sound corny... but I felt like something bad happened."
There was the sound of an implosion echoing off in the distance. A ripple and a wave of energy began washing through the area.
"Sweet," Twofeathers said. "Now what!"
Frank let the shotgun drop to the floor and he hung his head in shame. "Was this all for naught?"
The waiter placed another round of ice tea in front of the ladies, and they all smiled and raised their glasses in a toast.
"Ha! I win," Morganfokker whispered. "You lose, like the failure that you are!"
"Would it kill you to know that this was the game plan all along?" Maggie said with a knowing smile. "A sleight of hand so simple that you'd not be paying attention to what the other hand was doing."
"What?" Morganfokker said. "No, it can't be."
Max let the strings go from his bloody fingertips and let out a sigh of relief.
"Game. Set. And Match, Morganfokker!"
It was a sound like someone receiving a call on their cellphone, a little ding that seem to echo about the realms. Max hovered off the ground, light shining around him like beams from multiple lighthouses as cracks began to appear across his body. The ultimate sacrifice, he turned to the apparition of Morganfokker and lifted up a hand and simply waved at him, like he was waving to a friend who was moving away... and that's when Max seemed to implode on himself... creating a black hole sucking in the streams, data, and other realities with him.
Before everything went dark...
It was a sound like someone receiving a call on their cellphone, a little ding that seem to echo about the realms. Max hovered off the ground, light shining around him like beams from multiple lighthouses as cracks began to appear across his body. The ultimate sacrifice, he turned to the apparition of Morganfokker and lifted up a hand and simply waved at him, like he was waving to a friend who was moving away... and that's when Max seemed to implode on himself... creating a black hole sucking in the streams, data, and other realities with him.
Before everything went dark...
20150520
Neo Static: The Permutation Particles Polka VII
"'This transmission is coming to you', why is Maggie constantly saying that?" Chance asked. He pick up his coffee mug to take a sip. Spilling a little on his character sheet. So far this session had been pretty interesting and intense considering that he had shown up late to the session to begin with. "Is it a code of some sort? A clue maybe?"
Dan had been sketching out the scene Tim had described. It was in ink and looked like a quick sketch of Max hovering off the floor in a futuristic bunker with his arms outstretched and his hands picking at data threads around him. With the face of Morganfokker at his right ear and Maggie at Max's left ear.
"I think Tim is trying to give us a clue, that's why Maggie keeps repeating it," Amanda chimed in. She had written out the phrase on a sheet of paper and was also using an anagram app on her cellphone to work out the phrase. "I really don't understand the whole Morganfokker thing though."
"That was before you joined," Dan replied.
"Ah," Amanda said.
Dan looked down at Max's character sheet and then picked up his six-sided dice. One was red with white pips, which was the positive die, and the other was black with red pips, and this was his negative die. "Okay, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to pour all my Fu points and Fortune points out of the pool and add them to my Intrusive Skill."
Since Max was using the strings of data like a keyboard he figured it might just work. He had a hunch what Tim was getting at and he could see the look of approval on the Game Master's face as he had seen it before, knowing that he was write on track.
Dan rolled both dice. Chance, Amanda, Peyton and Mark all waited for the dice to stop rolling. The red die rolled a six and the black die came out a two.
The players around the table erupted because a positive six meant that Dan could roll again and add that to the roll...
Dan had been sketching out the scene Tim had described. It was in ink and looked like a quick sketch of Max hovering off the floor in a futuristic bunker with his arms outstretched and his hands picking at data threads around him. With the face of Morganfokker at his right ear and Maggie at Max's left ear.
"I think Tim is trying to give us a clue, that's why Maggie keeps repeating it," Amanda chimed in. She had written out the phrase on a sheet of paper and was also using an anagram app on her cellphone to work out the phrase. "I really don't understand the whole Morganfokker thing though."
"That was before you joined," Dan replied.
"Ah," Amanda said.
Dan looked down at Max's character sheet and then picked up his six-sided dice. One was red with white pips, which was the positive die, and the other was black with red pips, and this was his negative die. "Okay, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to pour all my Fu points and Fortune points out of the pool and add them to my Intrusive Skill."
Since Max was using the strings of data like a keyboard he figured it might just work. He had a hunch what Tim was getting at and he could see the look of approval on the Game Master's face as he had seen it before, knowing that he was write on track.
Dan rolled both dice. Chance, Amanda, Peyton and Mark all waited for the dice to stop rolling. The red die rolled a six and the black die came out a two.
The players around the table erupted because a positive six meant that Dan could roll again and add that to the roll...
20140809
All In The Dice 3
Dan stopped before the next door. He was trembling. "I can't do this. This is ridiculous."
Mark stepped up beside him. "Hey, we've got your back."
Tim said, glancing down at his notes behind the screen, "Alright, so Dex's assist will give you a +2 on your Will save."
"Right on. Thanks Dex," Max said, smiling across the table at his friend as he picked up the 20-sided die.
Angie placed her ear against the old, wooden door. Ran her fingers along the edges to check for any draft.
Wraith said, "I rolled a 7."
Tim said, his voice neutral, "You don't hear anything..."
Darius said, "Tim, I give him the copy of the book - I guess I'm hoping some of the buffs will transfer over to him?"
Chance handed Dan his copy of the Metaplex Role-Playing Game Rule Book. It was Chance's favourite game; he spent hours reading and re-reading it. He always told the rest of the group that, even though it was all made up by the writers from Plureality Studios, that it had a lot of guidance about living in its pages.
"Alright Max, that will be another +3 bonus, with Dex's assist for 2, plus Dan's Meditation skill bonus of 2, for a total of +7. And your target number is... 23."
"I got this," Max said as he rolled the die.
Dan reached forward and opened the door...
Mark stepped up beside him. "Hey, we've got your back."
Tim said, glancing down at his notes behind the screen, "Alright, so Dex's assist will give you a +2 on your Will save."
"Right on. Thanks Dex," Max said, smiling across the table at his friend as he picked up the 20-sided die.
Angie placed her ear against the old, wooden door. Ran her fingers along the edges to check for any draft.
Wraith said, "I rolled a 7."
Tim said, his voice neutral, "You don't hear anything..."
Darius said, "Tim, I give him the copy of the book - I guess I'm hoping some of the buffs will transfer over to him?"
Chance handed Dan his copy of the Metaplex Role-Playing Game Rule Book. It was Chance's favourite game; he spent hours reading and re-reading it. He always told the rest of the group that, even though it was all made up by the writers from Plureality Studios, that it had a lot of guidance about living in its pages.
"Alright Max, that will be another +3 bonus, with Dex's assist for 2, plus Dan's Meditation skill bonus of 2, for a total of +7. And your target number is... 23."
"I got this," Max said as he rolled the die.
Dan reached forward and opened the door...
20140808
All In The Dice 2
Max slid across the tile floor with both guns blazing, bullets flying like carrier pigeons to their new homes. He only had a few more rounds left and he had to make them count.
Dan looked down at the sheet and he only had 13 rounds left for "Pain" and only 12 for "Joy".
"So, how many are left in the room?" he asked Tim.
Tim was in the middle of taking a sip from his coffee; he held up his left hand signalling one second.
Wraith popped up her head to do a quick glance and dropped it as soon as bullets began to rain down upon them again. Control had told them this was a "Milk Run", nothing major was going to happen it was just a "verificaton" check. Boy, did Control get this wrong.
Angie looked at the graph paper before them; it showed the warehouse they were in and a bunch of x's dotted about it like a football diagram. "From my count there looks to be 16-17 left," she said as she looked up.
"If they were Mooks this would be easy as pie," Dan replied. "But, no, they all have to be Named."
"You know, Dan," Tim said. "We could always play Little Fears."
Dan looked down at the sheet and he only had 13 rounds left for "Pain" and only 12 for "Joy".
"So, how many are left in the room?" he asked Tim.
Tim was in the middle of taking a sip from his coffee; he held up his left hand signalling one second.
Wraith popped up her head to do a quick glance and dropped it as soon as bullets began to rain down upon them again. Control had told them this was a "Milk Run", nothing major was going to happen it was just a "verificaton" check. Boy, did Control get this wrong.
Angie looked at the graph paper before them; it showed the warehouse they were in and a bunch of x's dotted about it like a football diagram. "From my count there looks to be 16-17 left," she said as she looked up.
"If they were Mooks this would be easy as pie," Dan replied. "But, no, they all have to be Named."
"You know, Dan," Tim said. "We could always play Little Fears."
20140806
All In The Dice
Max dropped down from the upper ledge and onto the platform, landing like a cat leaving no sound whatsoever. He headed for the door and punched in the key code he had been given and the door unlocked and opened. A guard stood there at the door...
"A guard?" Dan asked. He picked up the dice from the table and held them in his hands, glancing down at the character sheet before him. "Shouldn't Max's sixth sense have warned him of the event before the door opened?"
Tim looked up from behind the GM screen and grinned. "He has his back to the door."
Max lifted the butt of the gun to conk the guard on the head but he hit the side of the door.
"FOR FUCK SAKES," Dan said. "A one. Come on, that should of been an automatic hit! I got the surprise on the Mook."
"A guard?" Dan asked. He picked up the dice from the table and held them in his hands, glancing down at the character sheet before him. "Shouldn't Max's sixth sense have warned him of the event before the door opened?"
Tim looked up from behind the GM screen and grinned. "He has his back to the door."
Max lifted the butt of the gun to conk the guard on the head but he hit the side of the door.
"FOR FUCK SAKES," Dan said. "A one. Come on, that should of been an automatic hit! I got the surprise on the Mook."
20140126
All Good Things...
Dan's eyes flickered open. He was covered in a cold sweat.
It was dark out and he glanced over at the alarm clock. 3:33am. His throat was dry and parched; he got up out of his bed and into the small bedroom/sitting room. The tent was hot like a furnace; his body produced a huge amount of heat and the closed flaps made it unbearable. Dan slept in a tent in the bachelor apartment, since a man shouldn't eat, sit, and sleep in the same room. And walls or barriers were needed for defining and keeping the mind focused and sharp, due to the changing environments.
Damn. It was a dream.
In the kitchen he poured water from a pitcher in the fridge. He stopped and took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves down a little. He was still going over the things in his minds. His skin had the feeling of a billion pins stabbing into them, like the dead weight of sleep... or were they pencils reanimating him back to this version?
No. No it wasn't - I transcended.
Was it a dream? He wasn't quite sure what the hell had happened, but it was an experience. He scrambled over to where he kept his journal and with pencil in hand began to furiously scribble down notes. He didn't bother on sharpening the pencil when it got dull, he reached over and grabbed a pen and continued to write down every little thing that his dream world had unveiled to him. It was a visionary quest, similar in nature to what the natives of North America have experienced in their sweat lodges. Whatever had happened he wanted to make a record of it before the tendrils of sleep reached out and comforted him again.
He put the pen down at 6:06am and looked over his transcript. 44 pages all jotted down like a madman's scribble. Satisfied, he decided to crawl back into bed and get at least another hour of sleep before heading over to the restaurant for coffee. Just before his head hit the pillow a cellphone rang. And Dan's eyes widened upon the realization that he hadn't bought one.
It was dark out and he glanced over at the alarm clock. 3:33am. His throat was dry and parched; he got up out of his bed and into the small bedroom/sitting room. The tent was hot like a furnace; his body produced a huge amount of heat and the closed flaps made it unbearable. Dan slept in a tent in the bachelor apartment, since a man shouldn't eat, sit, and sleep in the same room. And walls or barriers were needed for defining and keeping the mind focused and sharp, due to the changing environments.
Damn. It was a dream.
In the kitchen he poured water from a pitcher in the fridge. He stopped and took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves down a little. He was still going over the things in his minds. His skin had the feeling of a billion pins stabbing into them, like the dead weight of sleep... or were they pencils reanimating him back to this version?
No. No it wasn't - I transcended.
Was it a dream? He wasn't quite sure what the hell had happened, but it was an experience. He scrambled over to where he kept his journal and with pencil in hand began to furiously scribble down notes. He didn't bother on sharpening the pencil when it got dull, he reached over and grabbed a pen and continued to write down every little thing that his dream world had unveiled to him. It was a visionary quest, similar in nature to what the natives of North America have experienced in their sweat lodges. Whatever had happened he wanted to make a record of it before the tendrils of sleep reached out and comforted him again.
He put the pen down at 6:06am and looked over his transcript. 44 pages all jotted down like a madman's scribble. Satisfied, he decided to crawl back into bed and get at least another hour of sleep before heading over to the restaurant for coffee. Just before his head hit the pillow a cellphone rang. And Dan's eyes widened upon the realization that he hadn't bought one.
The Homecoming
Memories and realities seemed to merge for Dan.
He sat down on a bench, he could hear, feel the sudden rush of wind as a
subway was approaching.
"Dan," Suki said. "You might want to brace yourself."
Dan looked up as the subway pulled in. He could see Max in one car and Simon in another car. A cluster of other figures. They were all caught in some frozen 2-dimensional fight.
"Dan," Suki said. "You might want to brace yourself."
Dan looked up as the subway pulled in. He could see Max in one car and Simon in another car. A cluster of other figures. They were all caught in some frozen 2-dimensional fight.
20140125
Between Here and There, Now and Then
He tapped the phone off
and picked himself up from the ground; he felt like he was in a lucid
dream. His mind swirling with images and afterthoughts that he couldn't
place, what things were where. His body terraformed and his mind seemed
to be sinking in the details of the phone call. A series of random waves
from a voice. The Professor. Was it the Professor; a GMC come to life?
Or had he always been there.
"I'm going mad," he muttered.
"Not really," Suki answered as she returned from a vending machine. She held out a chocolate bar like an offering. "You should eat."
"We eat here?" Dan said.
"We do," she replied with a smile. "You've been around the gaming table long enough to figure that out."
He had been reading psychology books about transcendation and scanning websites about the possibilities of opening doors to other worlds, other realities. That the currently real world he lived in was just a facade of imagery manipulated by his mind to offset his own desires of changes and remorse. He knew that he was either evolving or simply going mad. He preferred evolving since mad men were branded and exiled.
Dan opened the wrapper up and took a bite and it felt like heaven. His taste buds seemed to explode with flavour. Suki smiled.
"That's how I felt once I passed through into your reality," she noted. She sat down on a bench. "It's like being reborn, isn't it? Seeing worlds through fresh eyes and dimensions."
Still, something didn't feel right with Dan. It was like he was here but not here.
"I'm going mad," he muttered.
"Not really," Suki answered as she returned from a vending machine. She held out a chocolate bar like an offering. "You should eat."
"We eat here?" Dan said.
"We do," she replied with a smile. "You've been around the gaming table long enough to figure that out."
He had been reading psychology books about transcendation and scanning websites about the possibilities of opening doors to other worlds, other realities. That the currently real world he lived in was just a facade of imagery manipulated by his mind to offset his own desires of changes and remorse. He knew that he was either evolving or simply going mad. He preferred evolving since mad men were branded and exiled.
Dan opened the wrapper up and took a bite and it felt like heaven. His taste buds seemed to explode with flavour. Suki smiled.
"That's how I felt once I passed through into your reality," she noted. She sat down on a bench. "It's like being reborn, isn't it? Seeing worlds through fresh eyes and dimensions."
Still, something didn't feel right with Dan. It was like he was here but not here.
Reborned Askew
His brain was on fire and there was nothing he
could do about it. He felt like his whole insides were being rearranged,
like molecules in a transporter. Maybe this was why Dr. McCoy had
refused to constantly be beamed aboard.
"Can't breath," he gasped, his voice raw and forced.
"Liar," Suki replied nonchalantly. "You spoke right there."
He was having difficulty breathing. In fact, he was sure he wasn't breathing at all. "This is strange."
"Tell me about it," Suki said as she helped him up.
She was about to say something when Dan's cellphone began to ring.
"Can't breath," he gasped, his voice raw and forced.
"Liar," Suki replied nonchalantly. "You spoke right there."
He was having difficulty breathing. In fact, he was sure he wasn't breathing at all. "This is strange."
"Tell me about it," Suki said as she helped him up.
She was about to say something when Dan's cellphone began to ring.
Fictionless Truths
Dan's vision had gone blurry, staticky. His
vision was trying to focus in on his surroundings. The fluorescent
lighting was stabbing through his eyes and into his brain. Pain was
white and hot and with the ferocity of Wolverine's claws slashing
through his brain.
"What's happening?" Dan asked. He looked at his hands and saw right through them. He could pick up billions of tiny pencils on his skin moving. He felt them drawing on him.
"You're readjusting," Suki said. "Your body is being terraformed to suit this reality."
"Terraformed?" Dan repeated. He sat up and received a mad head rush, vertigo grabbed a hold of him and slammed him down to the ground again.
"Take it easy, Dan," Suki told him. "It might take awhile."
"What's happening?" Dan asked. He looked at his hands and saw right through them. He could pick up billions of tiny pencils on his skin moving. He felt them drawing on him.
"You're readjusting," Suki said. "Your body is being terraformed to suit this reality."
"Terraformed?" Dan repeated. He sat up and received a mad head rush, vertigo grabbed a hold of him and slammed him down to the ground again.
"Take it easy, Dan," Suki told him. "It might take awhile."
20140124
Station Nation
"You okay, Dan?" Suki asked. She was standing
over him with a bottled water. The orb had stopped orbiting around her
and was perched on her left shoulder like a parrot waiting for a
cracker. "I forgot to mention the side effects."
"What happened?" Dan asked. He was staring straight up at Suki. The fluorescent light made her features seem soft. He tried sitting up but vertigo hit him hard.
"You blacked out," she told him. "We shifted. It's a side-effect from shifting."
Dan was lying on a subway platform.
"What happened?" Dan asked. He was staring straight up at Suki. The fluorescent light made her features seem soft. He tried sitting up but vertigo hit him hard.
"You blacked out," she told him. "We shifted. It's a side-effect from shifting."
Dan was lying on a subway platform.
Visitor
There was a knock on the door. Dan went over and answered it. He opened it a crack and saw a gangly looking kid in a huge
trenchcoat standing there. He should know this guy; in fact the kid had
a look of familiarity about him.
"Darius?" Dan asked. That was the first name that came to his mind.
"Huh," the kid replied. "I thought I'd drop by to see how you are doing."
"I'm fine," Dan replied. The kid was waiting for the invite in. Dan stood there, the door opened just a crack, trying to obscure the view inside. He didn't want to reveal secrets. He couldn't explain it either and as if on cue he could feel pressure in his temple; it was a sign that another headache was coming on.
"Well, you didn't seem yourself the other day," the kid said. "I just wanted to know that you were okay. And wanted to talk about what's going on next in the campaign, if you don't mind."
"Honey?" Suki said coyly, from behind the door. She was still at the computer. Her fingers dancing away on the keyboard. Her vision focusing on a certain page and a huge smile on her face.
The kid smiled and nodded. "Ah. Oops, my bad."
Dan awkwardly smiled and shrugged, his face tinting red like a log as the flames died down.
"I see that you are entertaining," the stranger said. "Give me a call later, okay?"
"Darius?" Dan asked. That was the first name that came to his mind.
"Huh," the kid replied. "I thought I'd drop by to see how you are doing."
"I'm fine," Dan replied. The kid was waiting for the invite in. Dan stood there, the door opened just a crack, trying to obscure the view inside. He didn't want to reveal secrets. He couldn't explain it either and as if on cue he could feel pressure in his temple; it was a sign that another headache was coming on.
"Well, you didn't seem yourself the other day," the kid said. "I just wanted to know that you were okay. And wanted to talk about what's going on next in the campaign, if you don't mind."
"Honey?" Suki said coyly, from behind the door. She was still at the computer. Her fingers dancing away on the keyboard. Her vision focusing on a certain page and a huge smile on her face.
The kid smiled and nodded. "Ah. Oops, my bad."
Dan awkwardly smiled and shrugged, his face tinting red like a log as the flames died down.
"I see that you are entertaining," the stranger said. "Give me a call later, okay?"
20140123
The Carousel Effect
The kitchen floor was tiled, all white and
polished. Dan grabbed a cup from the counter and poured hot water over a
tea bag. His head was fuzzy, feeling more like an arm after having lain
on it for awhile.
"What do you take in your tea?" Dan asked to Suki.
"Just a little sugar," she replied without taking her eyes from the screen.
Dan looked around at his kitchen; it seemed bigger than usual. The walls were tiled and had taken on the look of Danforth Street platform.
He brought the two cups into his living/sitting/bed-room. Placed one on the table beside the laptop. The little metallic orb was still circling her head, every now and then a small click would be heard. Like a wasp trapped in a glass.
"I know," Suki answered.
Dan turned his attention to the television set. He had turned it on earlier as a background noise to help drown out the drunks that were in the apartment next to his. He thought it would be only decent for his guest not to hear the ramblings of several alcoholics that cry, sing, yell, scream and cry about nothing in particular. On the tv screen Michael York was dressed in a black tunic and was screaming at the people of the city, "You don't have to die! You can live! LIVE!"
Dan knew this movie. He had it in his collection, but there was something quite not right. He didn't know what was wrong. Just that the movie seemed off; heck, his whole evening was off so he shouldn't let a classic movie bother him.
Both Dan and Suki stopped and looked at the screen as the announcer's voice came on:
"We will return to Max Cube's Plight right after these messages."
"What do you take in your tea?" Dan asked to Suki.
"Just a little sugar," she replied without taking her eyes from the screen.
Dan looked around at his kitchen; it seemed bigger than usual. The walls were tiled and had taken on the look of Danforth Street platform.
He brought the two cups into his living/sitting/bed-room. Placed one on the table beside the laptop. The little metallic orb was still circling her head, every now and then a small click would be heard. Like a wasp trapped in a glass.
"I know," Suki answered.
Dan turned his attention to the television set. He had turned it on earlier as a background noise to help drown out the drunks that were in the apartment next to his. He thought it would be only decent for his guest not to hear the ramblings of several alcoholics that cry, sing, yell, scream and cry about nothing in particular. On the tv screen Michael York was dressed in a black tunic and was screaming at the people of the city, "You don't have to die! You can live! LIVE!"
Dan knew this movie. He had it in his collection, but there was something quite not right. He didn't know what was wrong. Just that the movie seemed off; heck, his whole evening was off so he shouldn't let a classic movie bother him.
Both Dan and Suki stopped and looked at the screen as the announcer's voice came on:
"We will return to Max Cube's Plight right after these messages."
Designer Dreams
The sound of a subway shuttling past made him
do a double-take. He was used to hearing trains shunting back and forth
but the sound of a subway on a platform seemed a little unnerving. When
he looked around the room the image had taken on a blurry kind of static
feel to it. Like trying to tune in a station on the UHF channel. His
mind was trying to comprehend a million things now and nothing was
making sense.
"I found something," Suki said aloud. It was aimed at the metallic orb. She was going through his mac, scanning through various websites and reading; every now and then she would jot a few things down on a piece of paper. "I think we're close."
The kettle in the kitchen began to whistle. It sounded like a subway train stopping.
"I found something," Suki said aloud. It was aimed at the metallic orb. She was going through his mac, scanning through various websites and reading; every now and then she would jot a few things down on a piece of paper. "I think we're close."
The kettle in the kitchen began to whistle. It sounded like a subway train stopping.
Station 23: Tea & Crumpets
Dan sat there and took a sip of
his coffee. Suki was scrolling through the orange-coloured mac laptop
on the table. She was pausing now and then to see something and then
continued to scroll down the pages. The little metallic-insect creature
hovered around her head like a moon orbiting a planet. It continued to
change colours every so often as it clicked. Dan kept an eye on it. He
wasn't sure, his head was pounding again. Like a wave on a distant
shore.
"Headaches," Suki told him. "You're out of phase at the moment."
"Really," Dan replied dryly. His tongue felt like fuzz.
"Honestly," Suki said. "I haven't the foggiest, but there are several factors at work here."
"But how?" he wanted to know.
"This is a weird thing to be happening," Suki said. "I sought you out because it was the only factor I know."
"Headaches," Suki told him. "You're out of phase at the moment."
"Really," Dan replied dryly. His tongue felt like fuzz.
"Honestly," Suki said. "I haven't the foggiest, but there are several factors at work here."
"But how?" he wanted to know.
"This is a weird thing to be happening," Suki said. "I sought you out because it was the only factor I know."
20140122
Station 23
He fitted the headphones on and pressed play on the
walkman. One of the mix-tapes made for him by the man behind the
cardboard screen. KLF, 3am Eternal. Walking home, past the baseball diamond, over
the tracks. After tonight's session - they had called it right when the
gunfight was about to start on the subway. Leave it at a cliffhanger,
keep them all excited for the next session.
He might be gone by then. Didn't know how to tell them yet. That he was likely going to be moving. Felt like he had just got here. New Order, Touched By The Hand Of God Remix.
It had been a strange few months. Tonight too, the way playing had started to feel. Like something more was happening than just a game.
Dan unlocked the front door to the small brownstone. Up the stairs quietly, the walls between apartments were thin. His room, number 23 on the door. He remembered the day the landlord first showed him the bachelor apartment and he knew it was where he was going to live.
Clicked off the walkman as he opened the door. Turned on the light and saw someone standing in the room, waiting for him. A Japanese woman in her early 30s. For a second he had the strange thought that she was supposed to be a kid.
"Hey Dan," Suki said. There was a clicking noise.
He might be gone by then. Didn't know how to tell them yet. That he was likely going to be moving. Felt like he had just got here. New Order, Touched By The Hand Of God Remix.
It had been a strange few months. Tonight too, the way playing had started to feel. Like something more was happening than just a game.
Dan unlocked the front door to the small brownstone. Up the stairs quietly, the walls between apartments were thin. His room, number 23 on the door. He remembered the day the landlord first showed him the bachelor apartment and he knew it was where he was going to live.
Clicked off the walkman as he opened the door. Turned on the light and saw someone standing in the room, waiting for him. A Japanese woman in her early 30s. For a second he had the strange thought that she was supposed to be a kid.
"Hey Dan," Suki said. There was a clicking noise.
Dice & Demon
Dan dropped the pencil onto the table and it
danced, hit both the positive and negative dice on top of his character
sheet. He rubbed his temple due to the sharp pain in his frontal lobe.
His eyes opened up and he was sitting at a table with several others.
"Headache?" someone asked.
Dan looked over and saw a fellow sitting there with thick black hair, glasses, and a goatee. And a sense of deja vu hit him; he recognized the face but couldn't put a name to him.
"Uh-huh."
"Did you make it?" another fellow asked. Dan looked over and saw a huge native looking at him over the cardboard screen.
"Wha..what?" Dan repeated.
"Did you make your saving roll?" the fellow asked. "Simon is having a splitting headache and I asked you to roll the dice to see if he could figure it out."
"Simon?" Dan said. "It's... supposed to be Max."
He glanced around at the others at the table. Other than the native and the dark-haired fellow, there was an athlete who was wearing a rugby shirt, a blonde haired girl that was sitting there with a smile on her face wearing a cowboy hat - she seemed to be in her teens, another fellow with dark and curly hair who looked like he could be related to the goatee fellow. And there was a young lad with dirty blonde hair and glasses sitting there looking at him.
"This is wrong," Dan said.
"Headache?" someone asked.
Dan looked over and saw a fellow sitting there with thick black hair, glasses, and a goatee. And a sense of deja vu hit him; he recognized the face but couldn't put a name to him.
"Uh-huh."
"Did you make it?" another fellow asked. Dan looked over and saw a huge native looking at him over the cardboard screen.
"Wha..what?" Dan repeated.
"Did you make your saving roll?" the fellow asked. "Simon is having a splitting headache and I asked you to roll the dice to see if he could figure it out."
"Simon?" Dan said. "It's... supposed to be Max."
He glanced around at the others at the table. Other than the native and the dark-haired fellow, there was an athlete who was wearing a rugby shirt, a blonde haired girl that was sitting there with a smile on her face wearing a cowboy hat - she seemed to be in her teens, another fellow with dark and curly hair who looked like he could be related to the goatee fellow. And there was a young lad with dirty blonde hair and glasses sitting there looking at him.
"This is wrong," Dan said.
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.
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."
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