Dale steadied himself against the crane. He latched his cord to the metal frame and looked out over the ice pit. At the far end of the steadily rising chain was a chunk of ice the size of a car. He waited impatiently as the ice drew to eye level. The crane clanked to a halt, it's job done. Dale gazed into the ice at the distorted yet familiar form of a man.
The waves thumped the little boat as the four tribesmen sailed to the ice cliffs. Two were expert rowers, the third was a warrior and the fourth was Gebek. He was the wiseman of his tribe. There was a gathering of wise-men to the ice cliffs. The little boat beached on the icy shore. The two disembarked, leaving the oarsmen to take care of the boat.
Professor Gold stared at the block of ice lustfully. She lightly traced the distorted face like the man belonged to her. Dale felt a twinge of disgust for her. He hadn't seen her on the ice fields once. At least until they had pulled the man out of the ice. Now the professor was everywhere.
"He is going to make me so much money," she breathed. "Just think what we could learn from him."
"So much about Benjamin you won't even know what to do with yourself." Dale grumbled. "And I won't get a penny."
"Master Gebek," the warrior started. "What is the counsel all about?"
"I'm not quite sure." He replied as they maneuvered the slippery slopes. "Even if I did know, it's not my place to say."
Deep in thought, the two crunched across the snowy ground towards Uafi, the council of the wise. The rising sun did nothing to stave off the cold. The harsh landscape made it seem like this place was the edge of the world.
"You...Holland. Prepare to transfer to the upstate NewYork lab." Professor Gold said.
"With all due respect, it would be safer to study the subject here," he started.
"No." She said. "We have better equipment in NewYork and I will not stay here longer than I have to."
"As you wish ma'am."
She turned away, already on her phone. Dale might as well have been a wall.
"Well, Tepish," the wiseman sighed. "This is as far as you go."
The young warrior looked up at the wall of ice. If he had another man to stand on, he could see over the edge of it. He then looked into the gap. There was little light at the far end.
"Good luck master," he said, grasping Gebek's forearm. "Be wary of hidden ice."
"It's not worth it, being a wiseman." Gebek said sternly. "If they hear you talk like that, they'll pick you next."
"It's not that," Tepish said. "I just have a bad feeling. A cold one."
The wiseman nodded thoughtfully. He squared his shoulders and started down the tunnel the gap made.
For the thousandth time, Dale wondered why professor Gold chose archeology. She had no interest in history or people. Other than, perhaps, how those things could bring her fame and fortune.
Dale, on the other hand, loved archeology. Particularly when discoveries led to clues about long dead cultures. Examining the iceman would be a dream come true if she wouldn't be there to put her hand in everything.
"Hopefully she'll get bored and leave us to ourselves." Dale said to the highly insulated crate. "You're not her type anyway."
The crate remained silent, slightly cooling the air around it.
"I wonder if Professor Gold feels this way about me." He sighed. "Like a block of ice she has no use for."
Gebek ran for all he was worth. Field upon field of icy plains lay before him. For a brief moment, he wondered why he was rushing towards certain death. Then the wind howled like a lost soul and he remembered what was behind him and he ran harder.
Suddenly, he lost his footing and went tumbling across the ice. Trying not to loose his momentum, he pushed off the ice with frozen, numb hands. With a quick scramble, Gebek was off and running again. With a quick burst of speed, he headed towards an outcropping of ice. He didn't feel the ice shatter beneath his feet.
Suddenly in a free fall, Gebek tried to cry out but found his mouth was numb. Seconds later, he splashed into the icy water under the ice. He tried to swim but found he couldn't move. Darkness engulfed him as he sank to the bottom of the watery cavern.
Dale checked the equipment and monitors surrounding the considerably smaller chunk of ice. From what he could now see from the iceman, his clothes were rotted but his flesh was practically perfect. The man had to have been frozen instantly for his flesh not to rot away.
"You are beautiful." Dale breathed. "You almost look like you're sleeping. Are you sleeping?"
Dale ran a gloved finger lightly down the damp skin of the thawed out iceman. He carefully pulled out a syringe. Concentrating so he wouldn't rupture a vein or horribly mar the skin, Dale inserted the needle to draw some blood. The scientist didn't notice the face of the iceman flinch slightly. Satisfied with his blood sample, Dale left to run some tests on the blood.
Noise. Strange noises like... bugs? Gebek groaned, turning his head. His head throbbed with pain. He decided not to move and instead tried to open his eyes. Finding he couldn't, he drunkenly rubbed his eyes to clear the muck away. His eyes cracked open and bright light flooded in. Gebek blinked a few times to get his eyes to adjust.
"Where...?" His voice broke like glass. "Gurrr..."
The room slowly came into focus. Intricately carved stones surrounded him with cords and flashing lights. At first he was afraid. For a moment, he thought he was some part of a gruesome ritual. Then Gebek remembered that he had ran...
Dale meandered down the hallway, looking over the information the initial blood tests revealed. His job would be so much easier if he had a crew of experts. Then of course, professor Gold would have a harder time to take all the credit. Oh well. Things could be worse, she could be breathing down his neck.
Dale opened the door to the lab without looking up. He absently set the papers down as he looked at the computer monitor. After a moment of scrolling through the readings, he realized something was wrong. Dale looked up. His jaw dropped. The iceman was gone.
Gebek watched from his hiding place as the man in white clothes noticed he was gone. The man stood still for a few moments. He watched interestedly as the man consulted the flashing stones and began to move agitatedly around the room. Apparently the stones told him something because he went running out of the room.
Looking around to make sure he was alone, Gebek emerged from his hiding place. It was then he discovered how dirty and naked he was. He glanced at the door and went about finding something to wear. If he could find clothes like the man, maybe he could deceive him into thinking he was a fellow tribesman. At least till he figures out what they want and what happened to him.
"...if she finds out I let her 'great discovery' get stolen..." Dale hyperventilated.
"She'll what? Fire you?" The female voice from his phone asked.
"No. She'll murder me and use my body as a replacement!" He pulled up the security footage on the screen.
Dale's jaw dropped as his eyes took in what the screen was showing him.
"Dale? Dale?!"
"I'm gonna have to call you back, love." He said as he hung up.
To Gebek's surprise, the man returned much sooner than he had anticipated. He hadn't found clothes but he had found a suitable soft cloth for a wrap around his hips. The white coated man entered the room slowly, as if he expected an attack. Gebek didn't hide this time. The man obviously knew someone was there.
He waited for the man to notice him so as not to startle him.
"Hello." Gebek said after being noticed.
Dale stared at the man dressed in nothing but a towel. He was sure the man had said some kind of greeting, but the word was unlike one he had ever heard. It was almost a guttural fox like sound. At least, if he had to describe the sound, those were the the words he would use.
"Uh, hello?" Dale replied.
Both seemingly shocked by each other's greetings, they stared at each other for a moment. As he stared, Dale slowly realized that this was the ice man. Sure he'd seen him get up on the security tapes but it hadn't really sunk in till now. He slowly pulled out his cell, not really aware of the action.
"George, remember that favor you owe me?"
Gebek was shocked to find that he hadn't heard of the tongue the other man spoke. He knew there were many tongues but the way he said hello, if that was what he had said, was... strange. Sort of like a singsong bark. He had never heard a tongue like it before.
Then this strange man pulled something out of a pocket in his clothes. For all the world, the object looked like a polished stone. Gebek's brow furrowed as the man put it to his ear and began saying things into it. After the man stopped as if to listen to a response, he was pretty sure this strange man was crazy. Gebek glanced around then noticed the man had replaced the rock in his pocket.
The man pointed at him and beckoned to him. Gebek glanced around again for an alternate way out and saw none. The man beckoned more insistently. Seeing no escape, he slowly took a step towards him.
"Ok I'm down for clearing a debt." George walked into the security room. "What can I do for you?"
"Rewind the security tapes bout a half an hour and I think you'll figure out what I want." Dale's voice was slightly higher than normal over the phone. "I want you to erase the tapes."
"Ok. Ok. Now lets end this illegal conversation before I get fired." The slightly overweight security guard said, hanging up.
'Now to get the ice man out of here...' Dale thought as he licked his lips.
The young archeologist quickly discovered that getting the ice man out was the easy part. Getting him to calm down after he saw what was outside was another story. Dale suspected that the ice man had planned to make a break for it but had quickly changed his mind.
If Gebek thought the room he had woken up in was noisy and confusing, that had not even begun to prepare him for the chaos of outside. Great shiny creatures prowled around, growling and barking at each other. Buildings rose higher than mountains and people were everywhere. He took a few steps, back pedaled, tried another direction and swiftly backed up again. In the end, Gebek hid behind the man and watched everything fly by.
"What is this place?" He muttered to himself. "It's mad. Completely mad!"
The man waved at the madness and called out something. To Gebek's astonishment, one of the growling beasts slowed and came to a stop in front of them. Then the crazy man went to walk up to the monster.
To his surprise, the beast didn't eat him. Instead he stroked it and its side opened. The man motioned to him. Gebek stepped forward slowly. Instead of red insides, there was an oddly shaped tanned skin. The man non too gently helped him into the beast.
"Where to, pal?" The cabbie asked, twisting a tooth pick with his tongue.
"139 Amsterdam Ave." Dale replied, pulling the door closed.
"You got it," the cab pulled away from the curb. "What's with the dude in the towel?"
"Uhhh, he's my uncle..." He scrambled for a convincing lie. "And he was playing strip poker and he uh... lost."
"Aw man dat's rough." The cabbie grimaced sympathetically. "I lost strip poker once and not only is it the most humiliating thing to happen to a guy, you lose all your stuff too."
"Yeah, I told him it wasn't a good idea and he goes and does it anyway." Dale shook his head. "To add to that, he's Polish and doesn't speak much English."
"So for all you know, he got scammed into thinking he lost." He adjusted his hat. "You know, I love New York, but sometimes you wanna beat the crap outta some people."
"I know what you mean," Dale nodded. "Here's good."
The cab pulled to the curb. Dale paid the fare and opened the door. The cabbie grabbed a chain hanging from the rear view mirror. There was a silver Aztec calendar the size of a quarter attached to it.
"Hey, Polish," he called. "Good luck for the next time you play strip poker."
The ice man accepted the offered chain. Dale patted the man on the shoulder and guided him towards the building.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Beaten chandelier cont.
Bobby sat at his computer, tapping the keys thoughtfully. He pulled up the search bar and typed in one word; Lyon. A few files appeared. None of the images fit the face of the perpetrator. Then he noticed the last file didn't have a picture readily available. Curious, he clicked on it.
"Something is happening..." A voice in the dark. "Rogue, investigate."
The file was certainly about Lyon. The pictures matched, but the name was wrong. Instead of Lyon it was Löwe. He wondered why that was. He studied the picture in front of him. The man had a pit bull like face and closely shaved hair. Those black eyes almost seemed to draw him in.
"What cha looking at, Bobby?" His partner's voice made him jump.
"Oh um, I found our perp." He said. "Looks like he already has a record."
"How did you find him?" Marie asked. "It's not like we had his name."
"I took a snap shot of him." Bobby indicated the barely visible mechanism by his eye.
"You don't miss a trick, do you Bobby," she smiled. "So, who is... Fitz Löwe?"
They scrolled through the information.
"Dang. This guy is a regular gangster," Marie's mouth dropped open. "How many murder charges is that?"
"Too many for him not to be in prison." Bobby rubbed his face. "Oh here's the prison sentence. Aaand the record of his escape."
"So when we nab this guy, what do we do? Shoot him? Nuke him?"
"Well, we could try tranqing and digging a hole to the center of the earth... However, nuking him sounds safe." He said. "But before that, we need to catch him."
"We need to stop him." The voice was as black as the darkest night.
"Yes sir," Rogue's voice almost seemed light in comparison.
"I want Lyon destroyed. However, if Bobby happens to be alone with him at any point..." The voice seemed to rage like a storm. "Much more could be lost that way!"
"I will stop him." Rogue promised. "Send me and I will stop him."
No one on 5th avenue noticed or really cared about the well dressed man that emerged from a manhole in the alley. He straitened his suit coat and examined his refection in a shop window. The man determined that he had one of those permanently youthful looks and was devilishly handsome.
"You sir, are a demon to be reckoned with." He said, pointing at his reflection.
The man known as Lyon walked down state st. He adjusted his coat in an attempt to lessen the pain in his shoulder. He had tried to clean the blood off his coat and had bandaged his shoulder as best he could. To heal entirely, he needed darkness.
Lyon marched quickly down the subway stairs. He moved through the crowd, shoving the occasional person out of the way.
"Oi! Watch it pal!" Some one shoved back.
Certain he was unobserved, Lyon jumped off to the subway tracks and walked off into the darkness. However, a security guard happened to look up as he jumped off the platform. Rather than follow the man into the darkness, he decided to call it in.
"Come on Marie," her partner grabbed his coat. "We've got a lead."
"Where was he seen?" She asked.
"The subway tunnels on state st." Bobby replied.
"Should we call for back up?"
"And let him know we're coming?" He asked. "No way. He'd kill everyone."
Bobby and Marie stood at the edge of the platform. Neither really wanted to be first to brave the dark tunnel.
"Look, you haven't got all day." The security guard said. "The train will get here soon. Get going."
"Right." Bobby touched the camera next to his eye, setting it to record.
Without another word, the two jumped off the platform.
"Are you as scared as I am?" Marie whispered as they walked down the tunnel.
"Scared? Me?" A rat ran past his feet, making him jump. "Yes."
Something moved in the darkness, waking Lyon from his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly. The red glow from his eyes was muted by the dark.
"Run!" A dark figure shot past the two cops.
"Löwe?" Marie said as she aimed her flashlight at the running figure.
"Train!" Lyon turned and called back.
Bobby was suddenly aware of his shadow. Not bothering to look back both of them booked it. The tunnel shook with the roar of the train as is sped down the rails. A screech tore the air as the brakes were pulled. The light behind them grew as sparks flew and the train came closer. Bobby's chest ached, starving for air as he ran. As the two cops drew closer to the light ahead of them, they realized they could see the perpetrator running in front of them.
The heat from the train was making Bobby's hair stand on end. He could almost feel the air behind him parting for the massive hunk of metal. Light washed over him as he began to feel his legs give way. Giving it one last leap, Bobby closed his eyes not wanting to see the grim reaper cut him down.
Suddenly something hit him from the side, propelling him off the tracks. The world was turned into a mayhem of grass and sound thumps to the head. Bobby wasn't sure if he had actually stopped rolling or if his head was still spinning. He pressed his head into what he thought was the ground and waited for it to stop spinning.
"Hey, Bobby boy," a voice cut his ears. "You still alive, Bobby boy?"
"Are you the devil?" He asked into the ground.
"Nope, but I'm pretty close." Lyon's voice seemed to smirk.
Bobby looked up to see the man he was chasing sitting on a stump, his foot resting on a still Marie. He grabbed his revolver.
"Now now, lets not be too hasty," Lyon pointed Marie's revolver at her still form.
Bobby froze, his gun half drawn.
"Right. So what's your game Löwe?" He asked, watching him carefully.
"Say my real name and I'll tell you," the man's smirk grew wider.
However if Bobby had been looking at his eyes he would have seen a battle raging there.
"Your name is Fitz Löwe," he growled. "You're a murderer, thief and saboteur."
"Right on all counts but one and you know it!" He cocked the revolver. "What's my name, Bobby boy?"
Bobby stared at him for a minute. Lyon stared back at him with a rather impertinent look.
"Lyon." The cop spat.
"Good." Lyon disengaged the trigger. "Now, Bobby boy, we need to talk."
A well dressed man stepped off the chaotic train. He looked at the smoking rails and the stopped train still halfway in the tunnel. People looked out the windows in concern and a few old ladies cried. Only the conductor knew what had happened. Only he knew how close the train had come to ending three lives. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had wanted them to die. The train hasn't reached full speed yet and had fought the brakes like a bull. It was almost like it was possessed...
"First point to you, Lyon." The well dressed man turned and stepped into the shadows of the train tunnel.
"Something is happening..." A voice in the dark. "Rogue, investigate."
The file was certainly about Lyon. The pictures matched, but the name was wrong. Instead of Lyon it was Löwe. He wondered why that was. He studied the picture in front of him. The man had a pit bull like face and closely shaved hair. Those black eyes almost seemed to draw him in.
"What cha looking at, Bobby?" His partner's voice made him jump.
"Oh um, I found our perp." He said. "Looks like he already has a record."
"How did you find him?" Marie asked. "It's not like we had his name."
"I took a snap shot of him." Bobby indicated the barely visible mechanism by his eye.
"You don't miss a trick, do you Bobby," she smiled. "So, who is... Fitz Löwe?"
They scrolled through the information.
"Dang. This guy is a regular gangster," Marie's mouth dropped open. "How many murder charges is that?"
"Too many for him not to be in prison." Bobby rubbed his face. "Oh here's the prison sentence. Aaand the record of his escape."
"So when we nab this guy, what do we do? Shoot him? Nuke him?"
"Well, we could try tranqing and digging a hole to the center of the earth... However, nuking him sounds safe." He said. "But before that, we need to catch him."
"We need to stop him." The voice was as black as the darkest night.
"Yes sir," Rogue's voice almost seemed light in comparison.
"I want Lyon destroyed. However, if Bobby happens to be alone with him at any point..." The voice seemed to rage like a storm. "Much more could be lost that way!"
"I will stop him." Rogue promised. "Send me and I will stop him."
No one on 5th avenue noticed or really cared about the well dressed man that emerged from a manhole in the alley. He straitened his suit coat and examined his refection in a shop window. The man determined that he had one of those permanently youthful looks and was devilishly handsome.
"You sir, are a demon to be reckoned with." He said, pointing at his reflection.
The man known as Lyon walked down state st. He adjusted his coat in an attempt to lessen the pain in his shoulder. He had tried to clean the blood off his coat and had bandaged his shoulder as best he could. To heal entirely, he needed darkness.
Lyon marched quickly down the subway stairs. He moved through the crowd, shoving the occasional person out of the way.
"Oi! Watch it pal!" Some one shoved back.
Certain he was unobserved, Lyon jumped off to the subway tracks and walked off into the darkness. However, a security guard happened to look up as he jumped off the platform. Rather than follow the man into the darkness, he decided to call it in.
"Come on Marie," her partner grabbed his coat. "We've got a lead."
"Where was he seen?" She asked.
"The subway tunnels on state st." Bobby replied.
"Should we call for back up?"
"And let him know we're coming?" He asked. "No way. He'd kill everyone."
Bobby and Marie stood at the edge of the platform. Neither really wanted to be first to brave the dark tunnel.
"Look, you haven't got all day." The security guard said. "The train will get here soon. Get going."
"Right." Bobby touched the camera next to his eye, setting it to record.
Without another word, the two jumped off the platform.
"Are you as scared as I am?" Marie whispered as they walked down the tunnel.
"Scared? Me?" A rat ran past his feet, making him jump. "Yes."
Something moved in the darkness, waking Lyon from his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly. The red glow from his eyes was muted by the dark.
"Run!" A dark figure shot past the two cops.
"Löwe?" Marie said as she aimed her flashlight at the running figure.
"Train!" Lyon turned and called back.
Bobby was suddenly aware of his shadow. Not bothering to look back both of them booked it. The tunnel shook with the roar of the train as is sped down the rails. A screech tore the air as the brakes were pulled. The light behind them grew as sparks flew and the train came closer. Bobby's chest ached, starving for air as he ran. As the two cops drew closer to the light ahead of them, they realized they could see the perpetrator running in front of them.
The heat from the train was making Bobby's hair stand on end. He could almost feel the air behind him parting for the massive hunk of metal. Light washed over him as he began to feel his legs give way. Giving it one last leap, Bobby closed his eyes not wanting to see the grim reaper cut him down.
Suddenly something hit him from the side, propelling him off the tracks. The world was turned into a mayhem of grass and sound thumps to the head. Bobby wasn't sure if he had actually stopped rolling or if his head was still spinning. He pressed his head into what he thought was the ground and waited for it to stop spinning.
"Hey, Bobby boy," a voice cut his ears. "You still alive, Bobby boy?"
"Are you the devil?" He asked into the ground.
"Nope, but I'm pretty close." Lyon's voice seemed to smirk.
Bobby looked up to see the man he was chasing sitting on a stump, his foot resting on a still Marie. He grabbed his revolver.
"Now now, lets not be too hasty," Lyon pointed Marie's revolver at her still form.
Bobby froze, his gun half drawn.
"Right. So what's your game Löwe?" He asked, watching him carefully.
"Say my real name and I'll tell you," the man's smirk grew wider.
However if Bobby had been looking at his eyes he would have seen a battle raging there.
"Your name is Fitz Löwe," he growled. "You're a murderer, thief and saboteur."
"Right on all counts but one and you know it!" He cocked the revolver. "What's my name, Bobby boy?"
Bobby stared at him for a minute. Lyon stared back at him with a rather impertinent look.
"Lyon." The cop spat.
"Good." Lyon disengaged the trigger. "Now, Bobby boy, we need to talk."
A well dressed man stepped off the chaotic train. He looked at the smoking rails and the stopped train still halfway in the tunnel. People looked out the windows in concern and a few old ladies cried. Only the conductor knew what had happened. Only he knew how close the train had come to ending three lives. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had wanted them to die. The train hasn't reached full speed yet and had fought the brakes like a bull. It was almost like it was possessed...
"First point to you, Lyon." The well dressed man turned and stepped into the shadows of the train tunnel.
Post-apocalyptic Disney nation cont. 5
The Elias protocol.
The door opened and an older gentleman entered. He was wearing a grey suit and had a cane. Zarina looked up at him, startled.
"Excuse me, but this is employees only," she said, standing up. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"This is the Elias protocol, miss Zarina." The man's voice sounded vaguely familiar. "You and him need to come with me."
"What-?"
The well dressed gentleman stood up immediately.
"Wait a second!" Zarina jumped up to follow them.
"How long have we got?" The older man asked as they walked down the hall.
It was then that she noticed the younger man was still tapping his fingers.
"About 30 seconds," he replied. "Although, if we went into the crowds that could buy us time."
"Come along then," the older man said as he pushed a door to the outside open. "Lets get lost."
Walt and Ioan stepped into the clean hospital room. The young man in the bed was bandaged in a few places but most of his wounds had been almost magically healed. He looked up, hearing their feet tap on the tiles. Jack's face broke into a half smile.
"Walter!" He said. "You're alive!"
"And you are too," the older man said.
"What are you?" The imp slung his arms over the frame at the foot of the bed. "You've got a bunch of wires sticking outta various places."
"I'm in big trouble," Jack replied. "That's what I am."
Charlie looked out his portal boardly. Sure being a look out was an important job, but sometimes it got very dull. For reasons unknown to him at the time, his eyes were drawn to Oli's empty station. There was a dark shape nearly at the glass portal. He stared in astonishment as he realized the shape was climbing the wall.
"Wot tha?" Charlie pulled out his spyglass. "Is tha' a woman?"
"Run that past me again," Walt said, holding out a hand. "And sit back down, you're in pieces!"
Jack was attempting to get out of the hospital bed but the older man held him down. Walt had to admit, even as broken up as Jack was, the young man was rather strong.
"People are coming to kill me," he said, pushing the older man's hands away. "The longer I stay, the easier it will be for them to find me."
"Hold up, who are they, what do they want," Ioan listed them off his fingers. "And where exactly are you going to go?"
"It's complicated," he panted from his efforts.
"This is way beyond complicated!" Walt exclaimed. "Start explaining!"
"I don't know where to begin..."
"Anywhere!" The imp interjected.
Jack paused and drummed a quick pattern with his fingers.
"A man named Nickoli Karloff wants me dead. He's already killed my entire family." He said slowly. "I've been running... for a long time..."
"He killed your family?" Walt's voice was quiet. "Why?"
"I have an hour before his agent finds me." Jack rubbed his face. "Then none of this matters."
"We have to get him out of here," Ioan said.
"How?" The older man asked. "He'll fall apart if he tries to walk out of here."
"Get that mountain warrior," the imp pointed to the door. "He can carry him."
"Gentlemen, if I might interject," Jack said calmly. "All I need is my cane. Walter."
The young man held out his hand. The older man looked at him with concern. The imp simply looked confused.
"Promise you won't leave me here." Walt said seriously.
"I can't leave you here." Jack replied. "Things would get serious if I did that."
"What are you two going on about?" Ioan asked, looking at them in turn.
The older man slowly extended the cane towards Jack. The younger man grabbed the end but Walt didn't let go. Jack smirked slightly. The imp shrugged and placed his hand on the wood of the cane. The three remained quiet for a moment.
"Well, gentlemen." Jack sighed, tapping his end of the cane. "Shall we be off?"
"?-" Ioan was cut off as suddenly reality tore open.
Wind flew and lightning flashed. Suddenly everyone fell to the ground. Walt managed to remain conscious this time but felt horribly sick. Seeing a rather sleek trash can, he ran over and emptied himself into it. Ioan lay face down on the white tile floor. Jack was on all fours and had blue liquid dripping from his mouth.
"Where are we?" Walt croaked.
"Janitor closet..." Jack swayed dangerously.
Staggering slightly, the older man opened the smooth grey door. He kicked in a door jam and pulled the imp in. Jack crawled into the rather spacious room.
"Close... The door..." He gasped.
"Right," Walt pulled the door shut. "You're dying. How can I help you?"
"Go find... M-Martin," Jack's eyes rolled back. "Martin... Fox..."
Walt rubbed his face tiredly. He gripped the cane and walked out the door.
Martin Fox straightened his cashmere coat and smiled to himself. Being oldest did have its perks. With a spin on his polished leather shoes, he went to walk back to his post. Then an older gentleman caught his eye. Nothing seemed odd at first then Martin saw the cane he had.
"Where is he?" Martin asked, walking up to him.
"This way." The older gentleman said, gesturing back the way he came.
Ioan woke to find a red haired man looking pensively at Jack with blood on his hands. He tried to get up and was smacked down with a pain in his head.
'Great! He's killing Jack and I've got a flipping hangover!' Ioan gripped his throbbing head.
He forced his eyes open and saw Walt holding out a small brown square.
"He says it will help make the pain go away," the older man explained.
The imp looked at it suspiciously but ate it anyway. Dying would have been a better option at this point. To his surprise, the chocolate square began to calm the pounding in his head.
"What's he doing?" Ioan asked, staggering to his feet.
"I'm practically rebuilding Jack from scratch." The red haired man wiped some of the blood off his fingers. "I watched practically all of my brothers and sisters get put together. However, watching is very different than actually doing it."
"You're his brother?" Walt asked, surprised. "But your last name's Fox and his is Crowley."
Ioan was thinking something else entirely but felt it was best not said.
"Yes." Fox pulled out an unsaveable wire and began to run a new one. "The man who built us gave us our names. Who am I to argue with that?"
"So you're like him?" Ioan asked. "What are you?"
"We are bioengineered temporal engines." He attached a wire which then began to glow blue. "That's a good sign. At least I know he's going to live now."
"Temporal engines? Time engines?" Walt asked in astonishment.
"You can travel in time?" The imp's eyes grew wide. "For reals?"
"Of course." Fox glanced at Walt. "How else do you think Mr. Disney came to be several centuries away from home?"
Ioan turned his head so violently that had his head not been so well attached it would have simply rolled off his shoulders.
The axeman sat quietly in the waiting room. The other two had been gone awhile. He glanced up to watch the people and see if Oli was on his way back. His attention was drawn to a woman who seemed out of place for some reason. She wore dark clothes and was walking purposefully until she stopped suddenly. He watched her glance around then head towards Jack's hospital room.
Curious, the axeman got up and followed her. His instincts told him that she was trouble. However, this was not the place to confront her. Things might turn violent, there would be collateral damage and he was not in the best shape for a fight. He stopped out side the room. The woman was staring at the empty hospital bed.
"He was here." She said to something she held in front of her. "But he's gone now."
The axeman tried to hear the reply.
"Yes sir," she pulled out a device and tapped a few keys.
Without thinking, the axeman jumped at her only to find himself falling through reality.
The door opened and an older gentleman entered. He was wearing a grey suit and had a cane. Zarina looked up at him, startled.
"Excuse me, but this is employees only," she said, standing up. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"This is the Elias protocol, miss Zarina." The man's voice sounded vaguely familiar. "You and him need to come with me."
"What-?"
The well dressed gentleman stood up immediately.
"Wait a second!" Zarina jumped up to follow them.
"How long have we got?" The older man asked as they walked down the hall.
It was then that she noticed the younger man was still tapping his fingers.
"About 30 seconds," he replied. "Although, if we went into the crowds that could buy us time."
"Come along then," the older man said as he pushed a door to the outside open. "Lets get lost."
Walt and Ioan stepped into the clean hospital room. The young man in the bed was bandaged in a few places but most of his wounds had been almost magically healed. He looked up, hearing their feet tap on the tiles. Jack's face broke into a half smile.
"Walter!" He said. "You're alive!"
"And you are too," the older man said.
"What are you?" The imp slung his arms over the frame at the foot of the bed. "You've got a bunch of wires sticking outta various places."
"I'm in big trouble," Jack replied. "That's what I am."
Charlie looked out his portal boardly. Sure being a look out was an important job, but sometimes it got very dull. For reasons unknown to him at the time, his eyes were drawn to Oli's empty station. There was a dark shape nearly at the glass portal. He stared in astonishment as he realized the shape was climbing the wall.
"Wot tha?" Charlie pulled out his spyglass. "Is tha' a woman?"
"Run that past me again," Walt said, holding out a hand. "And sit back down, you're in pieces!"
Jack was attempting to get out of the hospital bed but the older man held him down. Walt had to admit, even as broken up as Jack was, the young man was rather strong.
"People are coming to kill me," he said, pushing the older man's hands away. "The longer I stay, the easier it will be for them to find me."
"Hold up, who are they, what do they want," Ioan listed them off his fingers. "And where exactly are you going to go?"
"It's complicated," he panted from his efforts.
"This is way beyond complicated!" Walt exclaimed. "Start explaining!"
"I don't know where to begin..."
"Anywhere!" The imp interjected.
Jack paused and drummed a quick pattern with his fingers.
"A man named Nickoli Karloff wants me dead. He's already killed my entire family." He said slowly. "I've been running... for a long time..."
"He killed your family?" Walt's voice was quiet. "Why?"
"I have an hour before his agent finds me." Jack rubbed his face. "Then none of this matters."
"We have to get him out of here," Ioan said.
"How?" The older man asked. "He'll fall apart if he tries to walk out of here."
"Get that mountain warrior," the imp pointed to the door. "He can carry him."
"Gentlemen, if I might interject," Jack said calmly. "All I need is my cane. Walter."
The young man held out his hand. The older man looked at him with concern. The imp simply looked confused.
"Promise you won't leave me here." Walt said seriously.
"I can't leave you here." Jack replied. "Things would get serious if I did that."
"What are you two going on about?" Ioan asked, looking at them in turn.
The older man slowly extended the cane towards Jack. The younger man grabbed the end but Walt didn't let go. Jack smirked slightly. The imp shrugged and placed his hand on the wood of the cane. The three remained quiet for a moment.
"Well, gentlemen." Jack sighed, tapping his end of the cane. "Shall we be off?"
"?-" Ioan was cut off as suddenly reality tore open.
Wind flew and lightning flashed. Suddenly everyone fell to the ground. Walt managed to remain conscious this time but felt horribly sick. Seeing a rather sleek trash can, he ran over and emptied himself into it. Ioan lay face down on the white tile floor. Jack was on all fours and had blue liquid dripping from his mouth.
"Where are we?" Walt croaked.
"Janitor closet..." Jack swayed dangerously.
Staggering slightly, the older man opened the smooth grey door. He kicked in a door jam and pulled the imp in. Jack crawled into the rather spacious room.
"Close... The door..." He gasped.
"Right," Walt pulled the door shut. "You're dying. How can I help you?"
"Go find... M-Martin," Jack's eyes rolled back. "Martin... Fox..."
Walt rubbed his face tiredly. He gripped the cane and walked out the door.
Martin Fox straightened his cashmere coat and smiled to himself. Being oldest did have its perks. With a spin on his polished leather shoes, he went to walk back to his post. Then an older gentleman caught his eye. Nothing seemed odd at first then Martin saw the cane he had.
"Where is he?" Martin asked, walking up to him.
"This way." The older gentleman said, gesturing back the way he came.
Ioan woke to find a red haired man looking pensively at Jack with blood on his hands. He tried to get up and was smacked down with a pain in his head.
'Great! He's killing Jack and I've got a flipping hangover!' Ioan gripped his throbbing head.
He forced his eyes open and saw Walt holding out a small brown square.
"He says it will help make the pain go away," the older man explained.
The imp looked at it suspiciously but ate it anyway. Dying would have been a better option at this point. To his surprise, the chocolate square began to calm the pounding in his head.
"What's he doing?" Ioan asked, staggering to his feet.
"I'm practically rebuilding Jack from scratch." The red haired man wiped some of the blood off his fingers. "I watched practically all of my brothers and sisters get put together. However, watching is very different than actually doing it."
"You're his brother?" Walt asked, surprised. "But your last name's Fox and his is Crowley."
Ioan was thinking something else entirely but felt it was best not said.
"Yes." Fox pulled out an unsaveable wire and began to run a new one. "The man who built us gave us our names. Who am I to argue with that?"
"So you're like him?" Ioan asked. "What are you?"
"We are bioengineered temporal engines." He attached a wire which then began to glow blue. "That's a good sign. At least I know he's going to live now."
"Temporal engines? Time engines?" Walt asked in astonishment.
"You can travel in time?" The imp's eyes grew wide. "For reals?"
"Of course." Fox glanced at Walt. "How else do you think Mr. Disney came to be several centuries away from home?"
Ioan turned his head so violently that had his head not been so well attached it would have simply rolled off his shoulders.
The axeman sat quietly in the waiting room. The other two had been gone awhile. He glanced up to watch the people and see if Oli was on his way back. His attention was drawn to a woman who seemed out of place for some reason. She wore dark clothes and was walking purposefully until she stopped suddenly. He watched her glance around then head towards Jack's hospital room.
Curious, the axeman got up and followed her. His instincts told him that she was trouble. However, this was not the place to confront her. Things might turn violent, there would be collateral damage and he was not in the best shape for a fight. He stopped out side the room. The woman was staring at the empty hospital bed.
"He was here." She said to something she held in front of her. "But he's gone now."
The axeman tried to hear the reply.
"Yes sir," she pulled out a device and tapped a few keys.
Without thinking, the axeman jumped at her only to find himself falling through reality.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Post-apocalyptic Disney nation cont. 4
A well dressed man sat quietly in the empty office room. Shahid watched him through the security camera however he couldn't see the man's left hand tapping to rival a metronome. After a few moments, Zarina entered the room.
"Now, this is just routine." She said as she sat down. "So, what's your name?"
"This isn't a good idea." The man replied calmly.
Zarina then noticed his perfect tapping.
"What are you doing?"
"Counting."
"Counting what?" She asked.
"The seconds we have left." The man replied with a resigned expression.
Walt stared in shock at the massive man that had climbed the rope after him. No, climbed was the wrong word. The man had jumped up and latched onto the craft. The pod racer tilted dangerously.
"Is your friend an elephant?!" Ioan shouted as he struggled to make the craft rise.
"No, that would be the giant axe wielder that's attached to the engine." Walt gulped.
"What?!" The imp turned to look.
"GO!" The axeman roared, swinging his axe at approaching Gresh. "GO!"
"You got it!" Ioan punched the accelerator. "Hold on to your pants!"
The engine groaned as the pod racer shot out of the hole in the roof of the cave. With a choking roar, the craft sped away at half speed. Ioan struggled to maneuver the craft through the desert canyon as they raced towards the gulf. Holding bandages to Jack's wounds as best he could, Walt tried to keep him awake.
"Brace yourselves!" The imp roared, trying to turn the pod racer sharply.
A stone wall was approaching fast. Suddenly the engine whined and the craft banked sharply. Walt threw a glance at the axeman and saw that he had dug his axe into the ground, pulling the craft hard right.
"Good man!" Ioan called, seeing the act. "Keep an eye out for danger!"
They continued like this until the great gulf came into view. The weight of what was about to happen sank deep in their hearts. Only the unconscious Jack was unworried by the rapidly approaching edge.
"Ioan, I have a bad feeling about this..." Walt started.
"Nonsense! If he drops the axe, we'll...be fine..." The imp tried to sound confident.
The axeman raised an eyebrow and reluctantly threw his axe aside. The engines jumped a little but the craft didn't rise any higher. The realization that this indeed was a bad idea came too late for any of them to do anything. The pod racer shot out over the great gulf and plummeted. There wasn't even a brief second of cartoonish suspension.
Ramblers sneaking about the wreckage of the world froze, hearing what they thought were the screams of some fantastic creatures. One looked up out of the bones of an engine. Seeing no great flying predator, the plummeting pod racer caught his eye.
"Yensidian!" He called with a whoop.
Other Ramblers called in return, coming out to watch.
Ioan screamed as the ground rapidly approached. Putting his feet on the dashboard, he pulled up on the controls with all his might, trying to arrest their fall. The engines coughed and shuddered as they struggled to obey. Finally, the nose of the pod racer lifted slowly out of its dive. The imp was almost relived until he saw the wreckage they would have to dodge.
"Holy-!" He yanked the controls, barely missing a shattered wall.
Walt glanced up from his work, and saw some people running next to them. The Ramblers, normally content to watch a crash, were assembling a jump engine on the run.
" Niatnuom roirraw!" One shouted, as he connected two short poles.
" Ronoh ot eht naitnoum!" Another called, configuring something that spun two different ways.
"What are they saying?" Walt asked, yelling over the roar of the engine.
"They speak backwards!" The axeman roared back, tiredly adjusting his grip on the pod engine. "I'm too tired to puzzle it out!"
" Stnenopmoc!" The lead Rambler called.
The other Ramblers tossed their bits of engine to her. She jumped as she ran, grabbing the components with a dancer's grace. As the engine began to take form in her hands, Ioan looked over.
"What is she-?" He started. "Oh snap!"
Before any of them had time to react, she ran in front of the pod. With inhuman skill, the Rambler leaned back as the pod ran over her with inches to spare. With a quick motion, she placed the engine on the underside of the pod. Then she stood up after the craft finished passing over her. Seconds later all heck broke loose.
The jump engine ignited and shot the pod racer straight up. Walt thought for a second that they lost the axman then saw his thick fingers bending grooves in the metal. The shreds of war sped past beneath them as they drew closer to the wall. The craft's trajectory went diagonally up. Ioan realized this and tried to calculate how far up the wall they would be when they reached the solid structure. Had they not had a jump engine quickly bolted to the pod racer, the craft would have automatically prepped for docking. However, Rambler jump engines have no regulations so the imp would actually have to try to drive the pod with an independent engine.
The Ramblers watched, holding their breath. From their vantage point they could see it was going to be close. As the craft drew level with the porthole, a flash of light caught one of the Rambler's eyes. She looked towards the light and saw some one silhouetted in the beam of light. Then just as quickly, the light and silhouette was gone. The Rambler looked back towards the craft and saw the portal closing. There was a scrape on the edge of the wall but no wreckage falling from the sky.
"Woah! Wooah!" Oli shouted. "Turn off your engine!"
"I can't!" Ioan shouted back. "It's a Rambler jump engine!"
The engine sparked madly as it tried to break free of the cradle that had latched on to the craft. With a mighty heave, the axman kicked the engine. Astounding Oli, the engine crunched inwards and fused together.
"Engine off!" He grunted, letting himself fall onto the walkway.
"Help me with him!" Walt called, changing the bandages on Jack.
Tying up the man's arm, he noticed that Jack's blood shimmered strangely. Ioan shakily climbed over to him to help. Pulling off a spent bandage around the young man's middle, Walt saw something sticking out that shouldn't even be in someone's body. He carefully gripped the frayed end of a cord and gave it a tug. Jack lurched awake and grabbed the older man's wrist.
"Don't do that," he said and his eyes rolled back. "You'll pull me apart..."
"Ioan, I've got to call this in," Oli gulped, looking into the craft at the bloody scene.
Walt, Ioan, Oli and the axman sat quietly in the waiting room. The axman had been patched up and given some clothes. He looked rather odd sitting there in grey sweats, overfilling the small chair. Walt fiddled with the cane, trying to focus on the here and now rather than dark past memories. The problem was, the here and now strongly reminded him of the distant past. The four started to attention as Dr. Calico stepped into the room.
"Alright boys," she held up clipboard.
"Is he alright?" Walt interrupted.
"Physically, he'll live," she replied with an arched eyebrow. "However, our scans show he has a mixture of wires and mechanics running through him. We don't know what it's for so we can't tell if its terribly damaged."
"He's a robot?" The older man's eyebrows shot up.
"Not entirely." Dr. Calico flipped a few pages on the screen of her clipboard. "He appears to be mostly organic hence why he bleeds."
"Half android?" Ioan looked at Walt. "What kind of friend have you got?"
"You sir, are an imp." Walt replied. "And you think a man full of wires is strange?"
"Yeah, but at least I know what I'm for." The short man replied. "You're his friend. Do you know why he's full of wires?"
Walt didn't have an answer for that. How could he explain that yesterday he was untold thousands of years into the past? He doubted they would even believe him.
"Now, if you're done squabbling," Dr. Calico said. "He's awake if you want to talk to him."
The four jumped up.
"Woah. Woah. Not all of you at once." She held up her hands.
"That's alright." Oli said, rubbing his hands. "I'll go check on me brotha."
"Oh, what's Stan done now?" Ioan asked.
"He fell outta window."
The others winced.
"Give him my best." The imp said. "And tell him he's getting old if falling out a window messes him up."
"I will stay." The axman said solemnly. "I doubt he wants to see me right away."
"Now, this is just routine." She said as she sat down. "So, what's your name?"
"This isn't a good idea." The man replied calmly.
Zarina then noticed his perfect tapping.
"What are you doing?"
"Counting."
"Counting what?" She asked.
"The seconds we have left." The man replied with a resigned expression.
Walt stared in shock at the massive man that had climbed the rope after him. No, climbed was the wrong word. The man had jumped up and latched onto the craft. The pod racer tilted dangerously.
"Is your friend an elephant?!" Ioan shouted as he struggled to make the craft rise.
"No, that would be the giant axe wielder that's attached to the engine." Walt gulped.
"What?!" The imp turned to look.
"GO!" The axeman roared, swinging his axe at approaching Gresh. "GO!"
"You got it!" Ioan punched the accelerator. "Hold on to your pants!"
The engine groaned as the pod racer shot out of the hole in the roof of the cave. With a choking roar, the craft sped away at half speed. Ioan struggled to maneuver the craft through the desert canyon as they raced towards the gulf. Holding bandages to Jack's wounds as best he could, Walt tried to keep him awake.
"Brace yourselves!" The imp roared, trying to turn the pod racer sharply.
A stone wall was approaching fast. Suddenly the engine whined and the craft banked sharply. Walt threw a glance at the axeman and saw that he had dug his axe into the ground, pulling the craft hard right.
"Good man!" Ioan called, seeing the act. "Keep an eye out for danger!"
They continued like this until the great gulf came into view. The weight of what was about to happen sank deep in their hearts. Only the unconscious Jack was unworried by the rapidly approaching edge.
"Ioan, I have a bad feeling about this..." Walt started.
"Nonsense! If he drops the axe, we'll...be fine..." The imp tried to sound confident.
The axeman raised an eyebrow and reluctantly threw his axe aside. The engines jumped a little but the craft didn't rise any higher. The realization that this indeed was a bad idea came too late for any of them to do anything. The pod racer shot out over the great gulf and plummeted. There wasn't even a brief second of cartoonish suspension.
Ramblers sneaking about the wreckage of the world froze, hearing what they thought were the screams of some fantastic creatures. One looked up out of the bones of an engine. Seeing no great flying predator, the plummeting pod racer caught his eye.
"Yensidian!" He called with a whoop.
Other Ramblers called in return, coming out to watch.
Ioan screamed as the ground rapidly approached. Putting his feet on the dashboard, he pulled up on the controls with all his might, trying to arrest their fall. The engines coughed and shuddered as they struggled to obey. Finally, the nose of the pod racer lifted slowly out of its dive. The imp was almost relived until he saw the wreckage they would have to dodge.
"Holy-!" He yanked the controls, barely missing a shattered wall.
Walt glanced up from his work, and saw some people running next to them. The Ramblers, normally content to watch a crash, were assembling a jump engine on the run.
" Niatnuom roirraw!" One shouted, as he connected two short poles.
" Ronoh ot eht naitnoum!" Another called, configuring something that spun two different ways.
"What are they saying?" Walt asked, yelling over the roar of the engine.
"They speak backwards!" The axeman roared back, tiredly adjusting his grip on the pod engine. "I'm too tired to puzzle it out!"
" Stnenopmoc!" The lead Rambler called.
The other Ramblers tossed their bits of engine to her. She jumped as she ran, grabbing the components with a dancer's grace. As the engine began to take form in her hands, Ioan looked over.
"What is she-?" He started. "Oh snap!"
Before any of them had time to react, she ran in front of the pod. With inhuman skill, the Rambler leaned back as the pod ran over her with inches to spare. With a quick motion, she placed the engine on the underside of the pod. Then she stood up after the craft finished passing over her. Seconds later all heck broke loose.
The jump engine ignited and shot the pod racer straight up. Walt thought for a second that they lost the axman then saw his thick fingers bending grooves in the metal. The shreds of war sped past beneath them as they drew closer to the wall. The craft's trajectory went diagonally up. Ioan realized this and tried to calculate how far up the wall they would be when they reached the solid structure. Had they not had a jump engine quickly bolted to the pod racer, the craft would have automatically prepped for docking. However, Rambler jump engines have no regulations so the imp would actually have to try to drive the pod with an independent engine.
The Ramblers watched, holding their breath. From their vantage point they could see it was going to be close. As the craft drew level with the porthole, a flash of light caught one of the Rambler's eyes. She looked towards the light and saw some one silhouetted in the beam of light. Then just as quickly, the light and silhouette was gone. The Rambler looked back towards the craft and saw the portal closing. There was a scrape on the edge of the wall but no wreckage falling from the sky.
"Woah! Wooah!" Oli shouted. "Turn off your engine!"
"I can't!" Ioan shouted back. "It's a Rambler jump engine!"
The engine sparked madly as it tried to break free of the cradle that had latched on to the craft. With a mighty heave, the axman kicked the engine. Astounding Oli, the engine crunched inwards and fused together.
"Engine off!" He grunted, letting himself fall onto the walkway.
"Help me with him!" Walt called, changing the bandages on Jack.
Tying up the man's arm, he noticed that Jack's blood shimmered strangely. Ioan shakily climbed over to him to help. Pulling off a spent bandage around the young man's middle, Walt saw something sticking out that shouldn't even be in someone's body. He carefully gripped the frayed end of a cord and gave it a tug. Jack lurched awake and grabbed the older man's wrist.
"Don't do that," he said and his eyes rolled back. "You'll pull me apart..."
"Ioan, I've got to call this in," Oli gulped, looking into the craft at the bloody scene.
Walt, Ioan, Oli and the axman sat quietly in the waiting room. The axman had been patched up and given some clothes. He looked rather odd sitting there in grey sweats, overfilling the small chair. Walt fiddled with the cane, trying to focus on the here and now rather than dark past memories. The problem was, the here and now strongly reminded him of the distant past. The four started to attention as Dr. Calico stepped into the room.
"Alright boys," she held up clipboard.
"Is he alright?" Walt interrupted.
"Physically, he'll live," she replied with an arched eyebrow. "However, our scans show he has a mixture of wires and mechanics running through him. We don't know what it's for so we can't tell if its terribly damaged."
"He's a robot?" The older man's eyebrows shot up.
"Not entirely." Dr. Calico flipped a few pages on the screen of her clipboard. "He appears to be mostly organic hence why he bleeds."
"Half android?" Ioan looked at Walt. "What kind of friend have you got?"
"You sir, are an imp." Walt replied. "And you think a man full of wires is strange?"
"Yeah, but at least I know what I'm for." The short man replied. "You're his friend. Do you know why he's full of wires?"
Walt didn't have an answer for that. How could he explain that yesterday he was untold thousands of years into the past? He doubted they would even believe him.
"Now, if you're done squabbling," Dr. Calico said. "He's awake if you want to talk to him."
The four jumped up.
"Woah. Woah. Not all of you at once." She held up her hands.
"That's alright." Oli said, rubbing his hands. "I'll go check on me brotha."
"Oh, what's Stan done now?" Ioan asked.
"He fell outta window."
The others winced.
"Give him my best." The imp said. "And tell him he's getting old if falling out a window messes him up."
"I will stay." The axman said solemnly. "I doubt he wants to see me right away."
Post-apocalyptic Disney nation cont. 3
In the security room at Disneyland
"You would not believe what I just saw!" Shahid said.
"Do keep me in suspense," Zarina rolled her eyes.
"Alright, alright!" He practically hyperventilated. "Your man reaches the beginning of the line and ( without stopping) the camera jumps and he is at the front of the line."
"What?"
"Let me explain again.."
Walt wandered down Main Street in almost a daze. The majority of it was exactly as he created it. There were a few additions and something seemed to be missing but it was overall the same. The oddest thing he observed however was that the people walking around acted like normal people rather than tourists.
"Come on Walt," the imp called. "We've got to arrange papers for you."
"Papers?" Walt asked, trotting after him.
"Yes papers." Ioan said. "If you want to go anywhere past Main Street, you have to have papers.
"Hold on fella, all I want to do is go find my friend!"
"Well look, Walt, I don't make the rules, follow?"
"I know you don't," the man interrupted. "But I'm worried about him. And the princess said he'd been taken by something."
'And' he thought, 'the less I know about this place the better.'
"Taken? Wait, was he," Ioan stopped and turned. "Was he taken by a Gresh?"
"I think that's what they said, yes." Walt said. "Is that a bad thing?"
The imp balanced on his left foot and flexed his toes.
"Ok, here's the shimmy." He said. "You go to the emporium and get your papers then meet me by the dapper dans. I've got a... I'll explain later."
With that, the imp dashed off. Walt stared after him for a moment and turned towards the emporium.
After his strange encounter with a rather crusty gentleman in a bright yellow pinstriped suit, Walt now had papers. At least he supposed this comfortable, close fitting wristband held the necessary information. As he walked towards where the dapper dans were singing, he noticed that everyone seemed to either have a wristband similar to his own or arm band or in rare cases a necklace. Upon reaching the dapper dans, he realized he didn't recognize the song they were singing. Walt watched them for a moment, enjoying their talent and how similar they looked to the boy's he had hired.
"Hey ,Walt." A voice next to him whispered.
He looked around and remembered that his friend was short and looked down. To his surprise, he found himself looking at the top of a fuzzy brown bear creature.
"Who-?"
"It's me!" The little bear looked up to reveal Ioan's face. "I'm in disguise."
"Why?" Walt asked.
"Because you have to jump through hoops to get permission to go out." He adjusted a back pack he was wearing. "I've got one for you too. Come on!"
"Wait a minute!" The man called as he followed the little bear. "You don't plan to put me in a bear suit too, do you?"
Walt watched the forest whip by as the... pod racer thing they were riding sped along faster than the train. The long fur on his suit billowed almost like seaweed. Ioan told him it wasn't a bear suit but he was certain he had made up the word Wookie. Still, it had taken a lot of convincing to get him to put on the hairy suit. The face paint wasn't so bad but the suit was making him itch.
"So, Ioan." He started. "Are you really a fairy?"
"A fairy? No. They have wings." Ioan replied.
"I mean are you really a magical creature rather than human?" Walt corrected.
"Oooh. That's sort of difficult to explain..." He drummed his fingers on the controls for a moment. "Before the apocalypse, or the war they say ended the world, people could decide what they wanted to look like. That knowledge was lost after the war. And the alterations stuck and, I guess, became races."
Walt rubbed his face for a while, processing this information. The future was much crazier than he could have ever imagined.
"So, you're human. You just look different because of the choices of your ancestors?"
"That's the basic idea, yeah."
In record time, they reached the wall. The pod glided to the portal as the engines ran down. The Charles Dickens character that manned the portal folded his arms expectantly. As they landed, Walt could see that the man was the same one he met on the way in. He leaned against the controls for the portal with an amused look on his face.
"Well, well," he laughed. "A Wookie and an Ewok lookin ta go out. I wunda if that's good ole Ioan under there. Ye wouldn't ta be tryan to sneak out woul'ya?"
"Now, Olie!" Ioan jumped off the pod, looking rather silly in his bear suit. "Would I come all this way to sneak past you?"
"Yeah, ye would now." The man replied. "Why do ye wanna break probation and who's your Wookie friend?"
"Walt." The older man held out his furry had.
"Oh, yer the one tha' patrol brought in eh?" Olie said. "Eager ta leave already?"
"No, I'm just worried about my friend-" Walt started.
"And we're just going out to fetch him." Ioan interrupted.
"Hmmm. Woteveah," he rolled his eyes. "Ye know da toll."
"Right...." He said quietly. "Sorry in advance, Walt."
The little imp cleared his throat, paused and made a strange sound. For all the world, it sounded like a yawning/stuttery growl.
"What was that?" The older man laughed.
"Tha' was a Wookie bellow." Olie said. "You're turn."
"What?"
"You wanna leave wiv-out permission you gotta pay da toll." The portal operator said. "You wanna leave, you gotta Wookie bellow."
"Hey you," the man at the desk said. "You're late for your shift."
"Yes I am." Jack said apologetically. "It won't happen again."
"You know I have a problem with that." The man held out a hand.
"I don't understand?"
"You're a time machine. You're physically capable being anywhere at any time." He glared at him. "And you waste time with a little kid."
"Excuse me! Am I not allowed to have feelings?" Jack asked, affronted.
The man leaned forward and flicked him in the forehead.
"You're a computer wrapped in a meat suit." He said condescendingly.
The darkness that had enveloped Jack shattered in a burst of light. He cracked his eyes open. Multicolored figures were running around and a tall figure was looking up. Silhouetted by a hole in the roof of the cave was a whirring metal craft. A shape detached from the craft and lowered towards him.
"Is that a Wookie?" Jack croaked.
"You would not believe what I just saw!" Shahid said.
"Do keep me in suspense," Zarina rolled her eyes.
"Alright, alright!" He practically hyperventilated. "Your man reaches the beginning of the line and ( without stopping) the camera jumps and he is at the front of the line."
"What?"
"Let me explain again.."
Walt wandered down Main Street in almost a daze. The majority of it was exactly as he created it. There were a few additions and something seemed to be missing but it was overall the same. The oddest thing he observed however was that the people walking around acted like normal people rather than tourists.
"Come on Walt," the imp called. "We've got to arrange papers for you."
"Papers?" Walt asked, trotting after him.
"Yes papers." Ioan said. "If you want to go anywhere past Main Street, you have to have papers.
"Hold on fella, all I want to do is go find my friend!"
"Well look, Walt, I don't make the rules, follow?"
"I know you don't," the man interrupted. "But I'm worried about him. And the princess said he'd been taken by something."
'And' he thought, 'the less I know about this place the better.'
"Taken? Wait, was he," Ioan stopped and turned. "Was he taken by a Gresh?"
"I think that's what they said, yes." Walt said. "Is that a bad thing?"
The imp balanced on his left foot and flexed his toes.
"Ok, here's the shimmy." He said. "You go to the emporium and get your papers then meet me by the dapper dans. I've got a... I'll explain later."
With that, the imp dashed off. Walt stared after him for a moment and turned towards the emporium.
After his strange encounter with a rather crusty gentleman in a bright yellow pinstriped suit, Walt now had papers. At least he supposed this comfortable, close fitting wristband held the necessary information. As he walked towards where the dapper dans were singing, he noticed that everyone seemed to either have a wristband similar to his own or arm band or in rare cases a necklace. Upon reaching the dapper dans, he realized he didn't recognize the song they were singing. Walt watched them for a moment, enjoying their talent and how similar they looked to the boy's he had hired.
"Hey ,Walt." A voice next to him whispered.
He looked around and remembered that his friend was short and looked down. To his surprise, he found himself looking at the top of a fuzzy brown bear creature.
"Who-?"
"It's me!" The little bear looked up to reveal Ioan's face. "I'm in disguise."
"Why?" Walt asked.
"Because you have to jump through hoops to get permission to go out." He adjusted a back pack he was wearing. "I've got one for you too. Come on!"
"Wait a minute!" The man called as he followed the little bear. "You don't plan to put me in a bear suit too, do you?"
Walt watched the forest whip by as the... pod racer thing they were riding sped along faster than the train. The long fur on his suit billowed almost like seaweed. Ioan told him it wasn't a bear suit but he was certain he had made up the word Wookie. Still, it had taken a lot of convincing to get him to put on the hairy suit. The face paint wasn't so bad but the suit was making him itch.
"So, Ioan." He started. "Are you really a fairy?"
"A fairy? No. They have wings." Ioan replied.
"I mean are you really a magical creature rather than human?" Walt corrected.
"Oooh. That's sort of difficult to explain..." He drummed his fingers on the controls for a moment. "Before the apocalypse, or the war they say ended the world, people could decide what they wanted to look like. That knowledge was lost after the war. And the alterations stuck and, I guess, became races."
Walt rubbed his face for a while, processing this information. The future was much crazier than he could have ever imagined.
"So, you're human. You just look different because of the choices of your ancestors?"
"That's the basic idea, yeah."
In record time, they reached the wall. The pod glided to the portal as the engines ran down. The Charles Dickens character that manned the portal folded his arms expectantly. As they landed, Walt could see that the man was the same one he met on the way in. He leaned against the controls for the portal with an amused look on his face.
"Well, well," he laughed. "A Wookie and an Ewok lookin ta go out. I wunda if that's good ole Ioan under there. Ye wouldn't ta be tryan to sneak out woul'ya?"
"Now, Olie!" Ioan jumped off the pod, looking rather silly in his bear suit. "Would I come all this way to sneak past you?"
"Yeah, ye would now." The man replied. "Why do ye wanna break probation and who's your Wookie friend?"
"Walt." The older man held out his furry had.
"Oh, yer the one tha' patrol brought in eh?" Olie said. "Eager ta leave already?"
"No, I'm just worried about my friend-" Walt started.
"And we're just going out to fetch him." Ioan interrupted.
"Hmmm. Woteveah," he rolled his eyes. "Ye know da toll."
"Right...." He said quietly. "Sorry in advance, Walt."
The little imp cleared his throat, paused and made a strange sound. For all the world, it sounded like a yawning/stuttery growl.
"What was that?" The older man laughed.
"Tha' was a Wookie bellow." Olie said. "You're turn."
"What?"
"You wanna leave wiv-out permission you gotta pay da toll." The portal operator said. "You wanna leave, you gotta Wookie bellow."
"Hey you," the man at the desk said. "You're late for your shift."
"Yes I am." Jack said apologetically. "It won't happen again."
"You know I have a problem with that." The man held out a hand.
"I don't understand?"
"You're a time machine. You're physically capable being anywhere at any time." He glared at him. "And you waste time with a little kid."
"Excuse me! Am I not allowed to have feelings?" Jack asked, affronted.
The man leaned forward and flicked him in the forehead.
"You're a computer wrapped in a meat suit." He said condescendingly.
The darkness that had enveloped Jack shattered in a burst of light. He cracked his eyes open. Multicolored figures were running around and a tall figure was looking up. Silhouetted by a hole in the roof of the cave was a whirring metal craft. A shape detached from the craft and lowered towards him.
"Is that a Wookie?" Jack croaked.
Post-apocalyptic Disney nation cont. 2
Back in the present...
Being a security guard at Disneyland had some perks and a few downsides. You got to work for Disney, see all the characters, and, if you were a people watcher, watch people from all over the world. The downsides were holiday crowds, angry patrons, and lost children. Now that Zarina thought about it, sick children might be the worst. Parents had gone out of their way, parted with a good bit of money only to have the lucky kid barf himself senseless.
She scanned the crowds, hoping to find a suspicious character. Though in this crowd... finding herself would be a miracle. Then she spotted a rather attractive looking man walk into the fastpass lane for the Indiana Jones ride. The line wait was about 20 minutes but it was still less than the hour for the regular line. Then Zarina noticed something strange. The attractive man, she knew it was him because he was wearing a very red shirt and black waistcoat, exited the ride ten minutes later.
"Shahid, can you access the cameras in the Indiana Jones ride?" She asked into her walkie talkie.
"Yes ma'am," he replied. "Who am I looking for?"
"A rather attractive man with a red shirt and black waistcoat." Zarina said. "He just left the ride."
Jack Crowley was not a violent man. His entire family prized a calm and composed nature. Only one of his many brothers and sisters actually considered any kind of violence. So being placed in a sand pit with an eight foot opponent with an axe... Jack was pretty much at a loss of how to deal with the situation. However, not at such a loss that he couldn't avoid an axe.
The horrible creatures watching the spectacle hooted and howled in approval as the axeman came closer with his swings. Jack knew this situation couldn't be sustained as he would tire faster than the axeman. Which would then lead to proving that he was not immortal by any stretch. Also, without his cane he had little option but to fight back. Searching for a weapon, Jack ran his hands through the sandy floor. His hand caught on a sharp object. Dodging the axe again, he quickly drew the object from the sand.
Much to his horror, Jack found he had pulled out a bone about a foot long. Sure it was sharp but to get past the axe...and then land a hit... The axe whipped past him, barely missing him. Thinking fast, Jack grabbed the shaft of the axe and swung himself at his opponent. His feet connected with a thump. And he bounced off like a kitten.
"Omph!" Jack grunted as he landed in the sand.
The axe came flashing down. The man rolled to get out of the way. The blade crashed down and Jack's eyes widened. He looked down. The tip of the axe was buried in his side. Blood began to ooze from the wound. No one else could see but Jack knew there would be a few flecks of blue amongst the red. The axeman picked up his weapon to strike again. A switch then flipped in Jack that he was unaware that he had and he jumped into survival mode.
Time seemed to stop as he jumped up, wielding his bone. His blue eyes flashed as he dodged past the axe. With a practiced stroke, he cut a line across the axeman's torso. Using his momentum, Jack circled round the tall man and dug the bone into the back of his knee. Crippled, the tall man fell sideways and crashed to the ground. The spectators cheered as he leapt onto the big man's chest and raised his bone to strike. Jack looked into his opponent's eyes and saw something that woke a long forgotten memory.
Twelve years ago (for Jack)
The little boy stood in the middle of the room crying. He looked to be about three and his light brown hair was sticking up everywhere. Tears streamed down his red face. People passing by either averted their eyes or looked to see where his parents were. They were no where to be seen because this small sobbing child was lost.
Jack, on his break, noticed the small boy. He looked around, surprised that no one was stopping to help the poor child. Brushing off his dark pants, the man stood and walked over to the little boy.
"Hey, hey," he said quietly. "Are you alright?"
"Nooo!" The boy sobbed.
"Where are your parents?"
"I dunnooo!" He started to cry louder.
"Hey, it's ok" Jack crouched down. "Look, we'll go find them. Would you like that?"
The boy nodded, choking on a few sobs. With a smooth motion, he picked up the small boy as he stood up. He carefully dried some of the boy's tears.
"Now, where did you see them last?" Jack asked kindly.
Suddenly Jack was returned to the present as the air was driven from his lungs. The eight foot terror had sensed his hesitation and acted. Stumbling to his feet and hoisting his axe, the axeman favored his left foot. Jack held his bleeding side as he stood, getting his breath back.
'Well, I clearly can't kill him.' Jack thought. 'So... I guess I'll have to prevent him from killing me.'
Walt was riveted to the window on the strange futuristic train. The sleek bullet like train cut through the forest silently. So far, he had seen Indians, a medieval gypsy camp, what appeared to be some knights, and a strange dark figure with a bow. Then Main Street station came into view. The station was ornately carved and painted in bright pastels. Something about it seemed familiar. The train glided into the station and the party disembarked.
A short figure ran up the station steps to greet them. After the three and a half foot boy had bowed to the princess, Walt recognized him. It was the face on the screen they called imp.
"Well, hello!" Walt held out a hand. "I don't think I caught your name, my fine young sir."
"Hear that princess? He calls me young!" Imp pointed at the man proudly. "I'm Ioan Ceadre."
"Mr. Ceadre, are you aware that you have a tail?" The man asked, seeing a flexible appendage swinging back and forth.
"Yes. Call me Ioan," he bowed. "Now come this way! I've got lots to show you!"
Ioan ran towards the steps. Walt followed him, noticing his feet were bare and didn't seem right. The creature, an imp he now realized, leapt from the stairs to a lamp post. Gripping with his tail and toes, he gestured at the scene before them.
"Welcome to Disney Nation!" Ioan proclaimed with a sweep of his hand.
Then everything clicked for Walt. This Jack had some how torn reality and spirited him away. Whether in time or a twisted reality he wasn't sure.
"Dis... Disney what?" Walt asked, rubbing his face.
"Disney Nation," Ioan replied. "One of the safest nations ever since the apocalypse."
Time then. A great deal of time.
"I... I need to find Jack."
Being a security guard at Disneyland had some perks and a few downsides. You got to work for Disney, see all the characters, and, if you were a people watcher, watch people from all over the world. The downsides were holiday crowds, angry patrons, and lost children. Now that Zarina thought about it, sick children might be the worst. Parents had gone out of their way, parted with a good bit of money only to have the lucky kid barf himself senseless.
She scanned the crowds, hoping to find a suspicious character. Though in this crowd... finding herself would be a miracle. Then she spotted a rather attractive looking man walk into the fastpass lane for the Indiana Jones ride. The line wait was about 20 minutes but it was still less than the hour for the regular line. Then Zarina noticed something strange. The attractive man, she knew it was him because he was wearing a very red shirt and black waistcoat, exited the ride ten minutes later.
"Shahid, can you access the cameras in the Indiana Jones ride?" She asked into her walkie talkie.
"Yes ma'am," he replied. "Who am I looking for?"
"A rather attractive man with a red shirt and black waistcoat." Zarina said. "He just left the ride."
Jack Crowley was not a violent man. His entire family prized a calm and composed nature. Only one of his many brothers and sisters actually considered any kind of violence. So being placed in a sand pit with an eight foot opponent with an axe... Jack was pretty much at a loss of how to deal with the situation. However, not at such a loss that he couldn't avoid an axe.
The horrible creatures watching the spectacle hooted and howled in approval as the axeman came closer with his swings. Jack knew this situation couldn't be sustained as he would tire faster than the axeman. Which would then lead to proving that he was not immortal by any stretch. Also, without his cane he had little option but to fight back. Searching for a weapon, Jack ran his hands through the sandy floor. His hand caught on a sharp object. Dodging the axe again, he quickly drew the object from the sand.
Much to his horror, Jack found he had pulled out a bone about a foot long. Sure it was sharp but to get past the axe...and then land a hit... The axe whipped past him, barely missing him. Thinking fast, Jack grabbed the shaft of the axe and swung himself at his opponent. His feet connected with a thump. And he bounced off like a kitten.
"Omph!" Jack grunted as he landed in the sand.
The axe came flashing down. The man rolled to get out of the way. The blade crashed down and Jack's eyes widened. He looked down. The tip of the axe was buried in his side. Blood began to ooze from the wound. No one else could see but Jack knew there would be a few flecks of blue amongst the red. The axeman picked up his weapon to strike again. A switch then flipped in Jack that he was unaware that he had and he jumped into survival mode.
Time seemed to stop as he jumped up, wielding his bone. His blue eyes flashed as he dodged past the axe. With a practiced stroke, he cut a line across the axeman's torso. Using his momentum, Jack circled round the tall man and dug the bone into the back of his knee. Crippled, the tall man fell sideways and crashed to the ground. The spectators cheered as he leapt onto the big man's chest and raised his bone to strike. Jack looked into his opponent's eyes and saw something that woke a long forgotten memory.
Twelve years ago (for Jack)
The little boy stood in the middle of the room crying. He looked to be about three and his light brown hair was sticking up everywhere. Tears streamed down his red face. People passing by either averted their eyes or looked to see where his parents were. They were no where to be seen because this small sobbing child was lost.
Jack, on his break, noticed the small boy. He looked around, surprised that no one was stopping to help the poor child. Brushing off his dark pants, the man stood and walked over to the little boy.
"Hey, hey," he said quietly. "Are you alright?"
"Nooo!" The boy sobbed.
"Where are your parents?"
"I dunnooo!" He started to cry louder.
"Hey, it's ok" Jack crouched down. "Look, we'll go find them. Would you like that?"
The boy nodded, choking on a few sobs. With a smooth motion, he picked up the small boy as he stood up. He carefully dried some of the boy's tears.
"Now, where did you see them last?" Jack asked kindly.
Suddenly Jack was returned to the present as the air was driven from his lungs. The eight foot terror had sensed his hesitation and acted. Stumbling to his feet and hoisting his axe, the axeman favored his left foot. Jack held his bleeding side as he stood, getting his breath back.
'Well, I clearly can't kill him.' Jack thought. 'So... I guess I'll have to prevent him from killing me.'
Walt was riveted to the window on the strange futuristic train. The sleek bullet like train cut through the forest silently. So far, he had seen Indians, a medieval gypsy camp, what appeared to be some knights, and a strange dark figure with a bow. Then Main Street station came into view. The station was ornately carved and painted in bright pastels. Something about it seemed familiar. The train glided into the station and the party disembarked.
A short figure ran up the station steps to greet them. After the three and a half foot boy had bowed to the princess, Walt recognized him. It was the face on the screen they called imp.
"Well, hello!" Walt held out a hand. "I don't think I caught your name, my fine young sir."
"Hear that princess? He calls me young!" Imp pointed at the man proudly. "I'm Ioan Ceadre."
"Mr. Ceadre, are you aware that you have a tail?" The man asked, seeing a flexible appendage swinging back and forth.
"Yes. Call me Ioan," he bowed. "Now come this way! I've got lots to show you!"
Ioan ran towards the steps. Walt followed him, noticing his feet were bare and didn't seem right. The creature, an imp he now realized, leapt from the stairs to a lamp post. Gripping with his tail and toes, he gestured at the scene before them.
"Welcome to Disney Nation!" Ioan proclaimed with a sweep of his hand.
Then everything clicked for Walt. This Jack had some how torn reality and spirited him away. Whether in time or a twisted reality he wasn't sure.
"Dis... Disney what?" Walt asked, rubbing his face.
"Disney Nation," Ioan replied. "One of the safest nations ever since the apocalypse."
Time then. A great deal of time.
"I... I need to find Jack."
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