Summer of Wheat (Odd Chapters by Wheat Lad, Even Chapters by Nope) Chapter 1 Tim twisted in his plastic seat, uncomfortable as it was. His eyes peered around the train station, his eyes finally resting on the departure board, his train was due in ten minutes. He pushed himself up, resting his head in his hands. He felt a rub on his back, knowing it was his mother.
"Oh Tim, I can't believe you're finally leaving...", she said in a choked voice.
Tim only looked over slightly and smiled, he didn't like his mother blubbering in the train station, but he wasn't about to complain. His father stood up and came closer.
"So you sure you're ready? Saskatchewan is pretty far from Quebec, kid. You sure you're ready?", Tim's Dad asked.
"Of course I am Dad, we talked about it before. My Wheat powers would go to waste here in Montreal, there's no wheat here...well, not ALOT anyway..."
The terminal speaker shouted that the train was due in five minutes, and that all passengers for the number 57 train ought to present themselves at the tracks. Tim stood, grabbed his bag and slung it over one shoulder. He turned and hugged his mother, feeling her blubbering sobs in his shoulder.
"Give 'em heck, kid.", Tim's Dad said, giving him an out of character hug.
Tim broke off and nodded heading out for the train...
The train shook slightly, waking Tim from his slumber. He looked out the window, seeing the rush of scenery going by. He couldn't believe he was finally going, he'd thought it'd never happen. Tim smiled, knowing his parents were worried and concerned, but he'd only be gone for the Summer. And the wheat, he thought, think of all the wheat! I'll be a god out there...
The cabin door flew open as armed men in standard black military garb ran down the center aisle of the train, brandishing rifles. Tim was about to stand, but thought he'd better remain sitting, and not draw attention to himself. A slick looking man in an expensive suit stepped from the recently opened cabin door, smoking a cigarette.
"Hey!", one passenger said, standing. "You can't smoke in here, this is a non-smoking car...!"
One of the black suited military type guards butt-ended the man in the face, sending him back down to his seat in a huff. The slick man at the front nodded, seeming to brace himself. "Attention passengers, we have taken over this entire train. Resistance will create a response not unlike the one our "non-smoking activist" received, or possibly worse."
Another passenger raised his hand, while the slick man nodded his permission to let him speak. "W-where are you taking us..?"
The slick man seemed to glance in Tim's direction before responding, "Well, let me assure you..."
Oh no, Tim thought. This can't be happening...
"...we're not going to...SASKATCHEWAN!!!"
Chapter 2 "...we're not going to...SASKATCHEWAN!!!"
"But what... what do you..." The passenger was promptly interrupted by another.
"Is that so?" The voice coiled out from the shadows of a seat a way up the coach from Tim. "Then I think I'd better get off."
"Really," said the slick man. "Would anywhere in particular suit you, or shall we just let you off here?"
"Anywhere is fine." The voice carried on calmly, ignoring the sarcasm dripping from the slick man's words. "I really don't mind. I can make my own... arrangements."
"You some kind of wise guy," snarled one of the militia. The slick man silenced him with a glance.
"Perhaps you are unaware of your situation." The slick man brushed an imaginary piece of lint from his waistcoat. "This train is being hijacked. There are men with guns standing not two feet from where you are sitting. And you want us to LET YOU OFF THE TRAIN?!?!" The roar startled more than a few of the other passengers, who yelped and cowered in their seats.
"That's right." The tone hadn't changed an iota. "I'm heading for Emerald City, Idaho; anywhere you leave me won't make a difference to my plans. And I'm sure it won't make a difference to yours." The voice became soft and persuasive. "Just let me off the train."
"Ya know, boss, we could just chuck him out," ventured one of the militia.
"Sure," said the voice. "Just... let... me... off... the... train..."
"We can do that," said another of the black garbed men. "We could..."
"Have you all gone mad," hissed the slick man. "There will be no changes to the plan unless I say so." There were a few mumbled apologies from the militia.
Curiosity had, by this time, got the better of Tim. He had to see who that voice belonged to. He edged slowly around on his seat, till he could see the reflections in the window. He was startled to see that the voice belonged to a boy who couldn't have been more than sixteen. He was leaning against the glass with a casual, relaxed air. Despite the shade in the coach he was wearing dark sunglasses.
"You," snapped the slick man. He pointed at the boy. "Get out here. Tell me your name."
"Nope," said the kid. As the slick man began to growl a retort, he raised a placating hand. Tim felt a wave of calm fill the coach. "My name is Nope."
"Nope, huh? Strange name."
"I had strange parents. Now, about letting me off the train?"
"I'll let you off - when we throw your corpse out. Kill him." The slick man pulled on his cigar as the stepped backwards. The militia hesitantly raised their weapons.
"You don't really want to do that," said Nope. "Do you?"
The slick man looked on in rage as his men slowly dropped their weapons.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING," he bellowed. "Do I have to do everything myself?" He pulled a gun from his pocket, cocked it, and shoved it against Nope's head.
"You really don't won't to do that," hissed Nope, backing away.
The other passengers watched with the morbid curiosity of a animal facing the oncoming lights of traffic. Tim edged towards his seat, straining for a better view while trying his best to stay unnoticed. if only he could do something...
"I think you'll find I do," said the slick man. His fingers squeezed on the trigger.
At that moment, Tim's foot caught in his bag, and he slipped, crashing into the man in black next to him. He stumbled to his feet, grabbing his bag up as a shield.
The slick man's eyes flickered Tim's way for a second. In that instant, Nope's foot flicked out, catching the slick man in the stomach. Using the momentum from his kick to push himself backwards, Nope grabbed up his bag and dived towards the side door of the compartment.
The guard he had fallen against shoved Tim towards Nope, bringing his weapon up. Before he could fire, Nope yelled "DROP IT" The guard yelled in pain, dropped the gun and clutched at his head. Nope grabbed Tim, kicked open the side door, and threw the both of them from the train, rolling with the fall.
The slick man screamed obscenities at them as the train moved away.
"Let's get out of here," said Nope.
"But... but those people are in danger," gasped Tim.
"Oh great," moaned Nope. "A hero - I have to go and rescue a hero!"
"We've gotta go back and help them!"
"Kid, any minute now, they're going to stop that train and come hunting for us with guns - and right now my head hurts too much to stop them. So what we are going to do is just walk away. As fast as we can. In a random direction."
"We can't just leave them!"
"I should've left you on the train." Nope shouldered his bag and began walking westwards, away from the track.
"Why didn't you?" asked Tim.
"Because your little... intervention saved my life. So now I'm saving yours - forget about the train."
"Yes, maybe I should... HEY! STOP THAT! Look, if you're not going to help me, I'll go by myself."
"Why do they always have to be heroes? I try to mind my own business and once again I end up with heroes. Look, its your funeral, kid, okay?" Nope continued walking.
"Then I'm going back by myself," said Tim. He walked back up to the tracks.
Nope stood there, watching him go...
MEANWHILE, BACK ON THE TRAIN
The slick man yelled forward to his driver.
"Stop this train! STOP THE TRAIN!" He stalked up and down the center aisle, fuming. "I want that 'Nope' character killed. He's already cost me half of my mission. He better not cost the rest of it. And bring back the Kid. ALIVE! Without him, none of this will work. And hurry - we have a grain shipment to meet in less than twenty-four hours!"
The train screamed to a halt, and a small cohort of his men leapt out and began making there way back along the track.
WESTWARD
"Forget about him," Nope berated himself. "It's not worth it. Don't get involved." He glanced back up to the tracks. The kid was walking along in plain view - definitely a death wish. Nope had done this too many times before to not know the dangers of getting involved. But it was just one kid. And they had guns... "damn, it," groaned Nope, then turned and jogged back towards Tim.
"Hey, Kid," he yelled. "Wait up."
I'm going to regret this, he thought....
Who is the slick man? Why is he immune to Nope's power of suggestion? What does he want with Tim? What is so important about the grain shipment? Why, when Nope was bound for Emerald City, Idaho, was he on a train heading for Saskatchewan? When are you going to stop reading these stupid questions and write the next chapter? ...tbc.
Chapter 3 Tim slung the other loop of his backpack over his other shoulder, and burst into a slow jog along the tracks. "I can't believe he left!", Tim muttered. As he progressed along the tracks, he noticed the end of the train coming within view. He tapped the underside of his backpack, feeling for something as if to reassure himself. Tim started to slow as he saw several of the militia type men in black, dropping from the rear end of the train, and running in his direction.
"Hey, Kid," Nope yelled. "Wait up." I'm going to regret this, he thought...
Tim turned, seeing Nope's dark clothed form running up the incline to the tracks. He came back!, Tim thought.
Nope didn't stop as he reached Tim's side, grabbing him by the backpack and diving into the foresty area on the North side of the tracks. Tim followed Nope's lead and ran flat out for about 5 minutes, before forcing Nope to a stop.
"Where...are we...going?", Tim asked. "We're getting further...from the train..."
Nope turned, facing back the way they'd came. The militia men would be on them soon. "We've got to keep moving kid. The fact that they sent people after us means that train isn't going anywhere, not for a while anyway..."
"Kid?", Tim retorted. "Who're you calling kid? You're younger than-"
Tim was cut off as several shots grazed a tree beside the pair. Nope swore under his breath as he nudged Tim, and they once again broke into a run.
They'd been running for another 5 minutes when Tim seemed to drop from Nope's view. Nope stopped in time to see Tim just getting up from a face down position in a slow running creek, in the middle of a long ditch. He leaped down to Tim's side, helping him up. Looking left and right, he led them along the embankment the creek, until he found a lip of the ditch they could hide under. They both sat for a moment in silence, the huffing of them trying to catch their breath the only sound being made.
"We have to help the people on the train.", Tim insisted.
"We can't help them if we're dead.", Nope replied blandly. "Now keep voice down, you want them to find us?"
Tim sat in silence for a moment, having been rightly scolded. "But we are going to help, right?", he whispered.
"Yeah, yeah.", Nope replied reluctantly. "Now you stay here, I'm going to check around. Don't come out until I get you, Understand?"
Tim's eyes seemed to glaze over slightly. "I...understand..."
Nope nodded and stepped out from the hidden area. He leaped up to the top of the ditch, and began to move about stealthily, looking for any of the militia men. He came upon one following the ditch with the creek, toward Tim's hidden spot. He glanced around and saw that the man was alone, so he stepped into view. The man immediately fumbled for his rifle, leveling it at Nope.
"Get Lost.", Nope said forcefully.
The man dropped his rifle, and started to walk into the woods, disappearing from view. Nope resumed his search around the area, and came upon another militia man, running from tree to tree. Nope circled around him, following at a close distance. When the man reached a clearing, Nope burst out from behind him, chopping him at the legs. The man went down in a heap, Nope leaping on top of him. The man struggled, but Nope grabbed his head. "You're so tired, aren't you? So tired..."
The man seemed to hang on Nope's every word, up until the end, when he passed out, sleeping like a baby. Nope got up, but felt a hard push from a rifle barrel in his back.
"Well, well.", Nope said, raising his hands. "I wondered when you'd show..."
"Shut up!", the militia man ordered. "Not one word, or I swear I'll be decorating the forest in red!"
"How about wheat colored?", came a voice from nowhere.
"Huh?", the militia man grunted, still keeping the rifle barrel on Nope.
Nope stared forward, his nose wrinkled as if trying to focus on something. It was like thousands of bugs were flying at him. He ducked in time, and rolled away, coming up into a defensive stance. When his eyes set on the militia man, he had dropped his rifle, but was scrambling about in one place, waving his arms, as what seemed to be a swarm of small bugs sped around him, diving at all places randomly. The man whined in panic as he whirled around. When he turned once more he received the butt end of his fallen rifle straight into his nose, dropping him to the ground. Nope, stood over him, rifle in hand, but staring agape around him. Whatever had been buzzing around the militia man had all simultaneously fallen to the ground. Nope bent down to examine what it was, gathering a couple of pieces in his hand. It looked like...grain?
"Hey!", Tim said, coming out from some bush cover. "You okay?"
Nope stared at the grain, and back to Tim, a loss for words.
"I have wheat powers.", Tim said plainly, as if that statement would explain everything.
Nope stood and dropped the grain, shaking his head slightly. "Okay..."
Tim opened up his backpack, showing Nope on top of some his clothes, he had a bag of wheat grain, freshly opened. "Comes in handy for situations just like this."
"Yeah, sure.", Nope said, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. "I don't think anyone else is around, but I can't be sure. We'd better head back before they send some others after us..."
Tim nodded, seeming to wave his hand. The many wheat grains that lay about the ground suddenly gathered and flew in the air of their own accord, and back into Tim's bag in his backpack.
Nope looked at Tim with a smile. " 'What about wheat colored'?", he mimicked.
Tim grinned, embarrassed. "It was all I could think of..."
Nope nodded, kneeling. "We can work on your 'action dialogue' later, just gimme a sec, I need to rest a minute. Did a lot of 'pushing' before you got here..."
Tim nodded, looking around. "And then?"
"And then", Nope said, "We got us a trainload of passengers to save..."
Will Nope and Tim successfully save the passengers of train 57, formerly bound for Saskatchewan? I won't know until someone else continues...Chapter 4 SOMEWHERE ELSE ALONG THE TRAIN LINES
"Agent Drybeck, is it really necessary for you to hover like that?"
"Yes, sir, Professor. We have been warned that this grain shipment may be hijacked. It must be protected at all costS." The agent remained perfectly immobile except for his lips while he talked, like some futuristic automaton.
"I suppose so," grumbled the Professor. "But you're putting me off my crossword."
"Millions of lives depend on this shipment getting to its destination, sir. Your crossword really isn't that important."
A CABIN IN THE HIJACKED TRAIN
"Well, Mr. Brandemar?"
"We have had a... minor problem." The slick man pulled at the color of his suit, nervously. Despite the chill in the cabin, sweat was beginning to collect on his face.
"Indeed?"
"We'll soon have it sorted out, sir, I assure you," whined Brandemar.
"You will. You know the penalty if my plans are compromised by your own incompetence."
"Ye-ye-yes, sir, I understand. We'll be ready on schedule."
"See that you are. If I have to come down there, you'll regret it for the rest of your very short, pain-filled life." The screen went dark.
"Bastard..." muttered the slick man. "I'll get you one of these days..."
IN THE NEARBY WOODS
The two heroes peered through the bushes at the stopped train. All was quiet.
"What can you see?"
"Three guards this side." Nope ducked back into cover. "If their leader is a professional there'll be another three on the other side, one on top and at least one man in every carriage."
"So how do we get in?" Tim was busy filling his pockets with grain to save time later. "Any ideas?"
"Not yet." He pulled a small device out of his backpack and flicked it open. A holographic map was projected just above its surface.
"What's that?"
"Global Positioning System. I had someone at NASA link me to their satellite."
"How did you manage that?" asked Tim.
"I asked him," grinned Nope. He scanned the map. "There's really no cover at all near the train."
"If the guards are all on the sides, couldn't we just go in the back?"
Nope looked at him in silence. After a moment he said, sheepishly, "You know, I never thought of that..."
ON THE TRAIN
Brandemar stormed out of his cabin, and grabbed the first one of his men he came across.
"Report," yelled Brandemar.
"Nothing yet, sir."
"Why not?! What do I pay you fools for?"
Somewhere in the carriage a child began to cry.
"You," snapped Brandemar. "Stop that sniveling."
"He's only a baby," said the child's mother. "You're scaring him."
Brandemar back-handed her across the face and she moaned in pain.
"Shut him up or I'll kill him," he snarled. He stormed back into his cabin.
The woman continued to whimper as she tried to quiet the screaming child.
BEHIND THE TRAIN
"Where are the guards," whispered Nope.
"The one on tope is half way down, facing away. There are two close to us... No, wait, one's beginning to head away."
"Just one guard?"
Tim nodded.
"I'll distract him, you go in. It's the mail cart at this end, so it hopefully won't be guarded."
"Got it," said Tim.
"Right," muttered Nope. He took a slow deep breath. "Count to five, then run for the door."
Nope stepped out of the shadows and approached the guard from behind. Tim began slowly to count off. The guard turned at the sound of Nope's footsteps.
"Hello, friend" said Nope. "I was just making the rounds."
The first suspicious glare faded into a vacant look in the guards face. He relaxed. "Yes, sir. Nothing to report, sir."
~Five~ reached Tim, and dodged out of the trees. He made it to the back of the train without being seen.
"Good. I suggest you just go on doing your job, then."
"Thank-you, sir," said the guard, saluting.
Nope returned the saluter and jumped up onto the train. He slipped inside, closing it behind him.
It was cold in the mailvan, cold and dark; Nope almost tripped over the body.
"There was a guard," whispered Tim.
"I'd noticed," replied Nope, dryly. "What did you do to him?"
"I hit him with the mail sack."
"Junk mail does have a use, after all," muttered Nope, but refused to repeat himself when Tim asked. "What's in the next carriage?"
"It's the sleeper cabins - they look empty."
"Appearances are deceptive." Nope unslung the rifle, and checked it. "Fully loaded."
"You're not going to kill anyone, are you," questioned Tim.
"Probably not."
"'Probably'?", Tim retorted.
Nope ignored him, slipping into the next carriage. Tim followed.
As they were making their way around the turn in the corridor, Nope pulled them pack against the wall.
"Another guard," he hissed.
"Can't we just take him out?"
"He's in full view of the next carriage - someone might see."
"What do we do?"
Nope opened the door behind them, glancing into the cabin. It was clearly a woman's cabin - clothes were strewn across the tiny sleeper bed. Nope picked up a hat and scarf. "I have an idea," he said.
The guard looked up as someone approached.
"Hello, sugah, ah'm glad to see ya." For a brief second the guard saw the reality of an outlandishly garbed Nope in hat, scarf and apron. Then, Nope's voice took over, and he saw a beautiful Southern Belle standing before him.
"Can I help you, ma'am," he asked.
"Ah'm shure ya can," Nope said. "Just come into my cabin, luverh boy!"
"I'd love to," smirked the guard, following Nope inside. As the door swung shut behind him, Nope dropped the deception and pulled of his shades. Where once had been a beautiful woman, the guard was now confronted with two blazing crimson eyes. He yelped, and dropped his rifle, at which point Tim hit the guard over the head with it. The guard dropped silently.
"That was fun," smirked Nope, replacing his glasses. He dropped his temporary disguise back onto the bed. "Brings back memories of my days in Los Angeles with that stripper... what was her name?"
"Did you know your eye's glow red," asked Tim, interrupting the reminiscing.
"It makes reading at night a lot easier," said Nope. "Onward, kid."
"Stop calling me kid," snapped Tim.
They stepped back into the corridor.
"Let's check the cabin's before anything else," said Tim.
"Gotcha," said Nope. I'll take this one, you take the next."
The cabin was empty, but had been used recently. A glass of whiskey rested on the side-table, next to a small lap-top computer.
State of the art technology, eh?, thought Nope. I wonder what-
He was interrupted by the door opening behind him.
"Well, well, well," said Brandemar. "I send my men out to find you, and here you are in my cabin. Where's the other one?"
"Behind you," bluffed Nope. "Hit him, Tim!"
"You expect me to fall for that," asked Brandemar. He pulled his pistol from its holster.
"No, I expect you to fall for this," said Nope, and kicked him squarely between the legs. Brandemar went down, squealing. The noise brought Tim running back. He paused in the door way.
"Er... Nope," he said.
"It's okay, I've got him," answered Nope from over the fallen man.
"I really think you oughta look behind you."
"Why," asked Nope.
"You know, if you really need a job done, it's best to do it yourself," said a voice from behind him. "Hello Nope."
Nope swung round.
"You," he gasped...
But who is it? And what is his connection to Tim and the grain shipment? Who really cares? Find out in the next exciting installment of 'Summer of Wheat'!
Chapter 5 Tim struggled against the bonds that held him tight. The mailcar of the train had been emptied, and Tim was tied up in restraints against the wall of the train car. His eyes rose to look across the inside of the car, seeing Nope tied up in the same fashion, only his head was bowed down.
"Nope?", Tim put out.
The head stirred, struggling to look up. Nope's left eye had been bruised shut, the right side of his lip blown up as well. Blood fresh and dried covered his face, as Nope's remaining open right eye attempted to focus on Tim. "...whu..."
Tim grit his teeth, not sure what to say. All his life he'd dreamt of being a hero, of making a difference. Stories, both fiction and real, led Tim to believe that it was worth the struggle to achieve the greater good. Looking across at Nope, he began to wonder. He was starting to question the method in which he had envisioned the 'superhero' life, realizing it must've been strained clean of impurity for the public's view. There was a down side.
"Are you okay Nope?", Tim asked.
Nope's head rocked to the other side, a mix of blood and saliva leaking from his mouth. "Well...it's better...than a...punch... in the face...no wait,...it's worse...much worse..."
Tim shook his head, cursing to himself. "Dammit, I'll do it Nope. It's not worth this..."
"No!", Nope shouted, seemingly more alert than he was seconds ago. "You can't...give in Tim! Never give in, you...can't let this man win..."
Tim shook his head again. "How do you know this guy Nope? Why does he have it in for you?"
EARLIER
"You know, if you really need a job done, it's best to do it yourself," said a voice from behind him. "Hello Nope."
Nope swung round, "You," he gasped...
A frail man in an overcoat stood behind him, back against the cabin window. The flaps of the overcoat were folded back, revealing a circular module embedded into the frail man's chest. From the module, tubes were connected up his chest, inserted into the sides of his neck, and up his nostrils. The man's hair was pure silver, his skin was blue, and his eyes glowed white, giving his face an angular, sinister look. "Surprised to see me Nope?"
Nope shook his head, "This can't be...you're dead...!"
The frail man gestured to the module in his chest, his fingers running along the tubes, "Sometimes, I wish I had, exile. But I am very much alive, unfortunate for us both, wouldn't you say?"
Tim grabbed Nope's shoulder, "What's this guy's beef?"
Nope backed closer to Tim, "Tim, meet General Yup of the Talorian Interspatial Defense Ministry. He's the reason I'm in this dimension..."
"Dimension?", Tim said, eyes wide.
The frail man's arms rose, and his eyes became a blinding light...
THE PRESENT
"...I killed him...", Nope muttered, his head bent low.
"What?" Tim asked, straining to get closer, the bonds too tight. "What do you mean?"
Nope looked up again, "Back in my dimension, on Talor. I told him to 'jump in a lake'..."
"So?", Tim said.
"He did.", Nope said simply. "He drowned, or so I...everyone thought."
"Oh.", Tim said, finally understanding. "You told him..."
"Right.", Nope said, nodding. "General Yup held the only key to Talor's Armory, so when he 'disappeared', our world was ripe for the taking. The Delebrians wasted no time...and attacked. We drove them off, but the world wasn't the same, and it was my fault."
"That's right.", the frail man said, entering, with the slick man Brandemar in tow. "But that's not where the story ends."
Brandemar crossed the room, and backhanded Nope. "What should I do with our captive, sir?"
"'Our' captive?", the frail man said in a coy tone. "Since when did you become my equal, Brandemar?"
"I'm sorry...!", the slick man uttered, clearly nervous. "I didn't-"
"...prove as useful as you thought?", the General finished. "You're right, you weren't. Luckily enough, you're expendable too..."
"No!", Brandemar cried, waving his hands in front of him. "Please...!!"
The frail man's eyes flared again, and Brandemar's body shook, as if in convulsions. The slick man finally fell, his eyes having rolled up into the back of his head, blood leaking from his nose, as the last breath from his body made it's way out his mouth.
"Yup!", Nope screamed. "You're mad!"
The General ignored Nope, and turned to face Tim. "Tim, is it? Allow me to finish the little tale the exile of my dimension started. I'm afraid it doesn't end as well as most of your 'movies' in this dimension do..."
Huh? What the heck is going on? Why does the frail man have it in for Nope? Why does he need Tim? Why weren't the Professor or agent Drybeck in this installment? Find out next time...tbc...
Chapter 6 The General ignored Nope, and turned to face Tim. "Tim, is it? Allow me to finish the little tale the exile of my dimension started. I'm afraid it doesn't end as well as most of your 'movies' in this dimension do..."
"Why don't you just kill yourself!" snarled Nope. He strained against his bonds.
"That doesn't work anymore, exile," said Yup, calmly. "So stop wasting your energy."
"Go to hell!"
"I've already been there," hissed the General. "And whose fault was that, my little exile?"
"They threw you out of hell, you evil bastard!", yelled Nope, lunging for the General. The restraints brought him to a halt far short of his intended victim.
"Hardly," said the General. "No, they made me a... deal. An 'exchange', if you will. After your impromptu command..."
The dark-blue waters of the lake closed over his head. He drifted down into the murky depths, struggling to reach the surface against the current and getting nowhere.
His last breath of air burned in his throat. His lungs ached. He had to breathe.
He couldn't breathe.
The mud and weed reached up to grab him from the lakes bed. With a final gasp, he breathed out, choking as the cold, slimy water coiled down his throat.
The dark waters became even darker.
Somewhere in the darkness, things moved...
...he awoke to the drums; he awoke, screaming, to hear the screams of the
damned; he awoke, screaming and gasping for breath, to the heat of the flames."You're awake." The voice was soft and melodic. "Good."
He opened his eyes. He was chained to a rock, high above fire pits that would have put Darkseid himself to shame. In the distant, the eternal torture of the damned continued unabated. Agonized screaming filled the air.
"Holy-" he began.
"Quite the opposite in fact." The owner of the voice walked in front of him, wings rustling. "Welcome to hell, General."
"Huh-huh-hell," he stammered. "Then you're... you are..."
"Lucifer Morningstar, at your service," bowed the fallen Angel. "Though I believe you will soon be in my service."
"I would never work for you," snarled the General with false bravado.
"You already do," said the Fallen. "Allow me to show you some of your best work."
Images began coiling in the air between them. The General standing at the head of an army. The General torturing and killing civilians. The General, ransacking villages. The General...
"But you've seen enough, I see," said the Fallen. The images vanished.
"What do you want?"
"You intrigue me, General. You held the most powerful position on your planet, yet you still relentlessly forced your people to invade other lands. Lands which you neither needed nor ever used. You broke every rule of fair combat. Your acts of violence against innocent civilians are almost awe-inspiring. Not to put too fine a point on it, you are one very evil man."
"I did what was best for my country," snarled the General.
"However you wish to justify yourself," dismissed the Fallen. "You show great potential. So I'm going to offer you a deal."
"What kind of a deal? You want me soul?"
"I already have your soul, General. What I want is your... co-operation. In five months time, famine will strike a world known as Earth. A correctly positioned person would be able to... take advantage of the situation."
"And I'm that person?"
"Perhaps. There is a boy. My... enemy has anticipated my move, and arranged for him to be on hand to prevent the famine. In doing so, he has provided the seed for a new plan. With that child in my grasp, I can hold that world to ransom. His power is... great, indeed. I will take that world and make it mine."
"Why? What's in it for me?"
"Why? Because I can. Because they forced me from my home, simply because they were too closed to suggestion, too closed to the awesome possibilities our exalted position offered. They merely wish to exist. I wish to live. And with a world of souls, I will have power enough to start the final war."
The Fallen raged. Deep in their pits the demons cowered, fearing the Morningstar's anger.
"I fell the furthest," hissed the Fallen. "But I fell the brightest. And when you're as low as possible, there is only one way to go. HEAR ME, MY ENEMY! I AM COMING FOR YOU!" The roar shook the caverns. He swung back to the general. "I offer you a choice. Eternal torture in the pits, or help me of your own free will and I will make you a master in my new world. Join me and live once more!"
"Of course, it was a trick," muttered the General. "Oh, the Fallen may have restored my life, boosted my power... But to live like this! In this body!" The General shuddered.
"My heart bleeds," spat Nope.
"Indeed it does," hissed the General. Power arced between them, and Nope screamed, collapsing forward. Only his restraints stopped him from smashing against the deck of the carriage.
"Nope," cried Tim. "What have you done?"
"He's still alive. It is necessary to my plan. The Fallen may have given me this position, but I shall reap the rewards for myself. And when I have this world, I will take my own back! And you will be the cause of my victory!"
"I'll never help you," snarled Tim.
"Oh, you will," said the General. Power flared in his eyes. "You'll help me whether you wish to or not."
The blast knocked Tim against the wall, and he fell unconscious to the ground. Yup snapped his fingers, and two guards appeared.
"Bring him," the General ordered.
"Yes, sir. And the other?"
"Leave him. He's too busy trying not to choke on his own blood to be of any danger to our plans."
"Yes, sir."
The train began slowly to move.
SOMEWHERE ELSE ALONG THE TRAIN LINES
"That was the first marker, Professor. We've done a quarter of our journey."
"Can't they make this thing go any faster? We're running slow as it is, with all your security checks."
"A nation depends on us, sir. We can't afford sabotage."
The Professor sighed.
Outside the window, the trees flashed past in a multi-hued green blur.
THE TRAIN
Outside the window, the trees flashed past in a multi-hued green blur.
Nope groaned as he began to return once more to reality. Everything hurt.
There was a crackle, like the snap of electricity arcing between poles.
Nope, unsteadily, raised his head. For a second, he thought his eyes were refusing to focus, as the air began to shift and bend. With a muffled pop, a hole opened.
"Well, this is another fine mess you've got yourself into." The figure stepped onto the train, and the portal closed behind him. "You're lucky I was around, big brother."
"Weiran," moaned Nope. "That's all I need..."
Why is Weiran there? How did he find his brother? Will the Professor and Agent Drybeck ever get more than a few lines in a chapter? Where has the General taken Tim? Why are you still reading these questions? tbc...
Chapter 7 FURTHER UP THE TRAIN
The Professor rubbed a finger to his temple, visibly discomforted. "Another...disturbance...?"
"Wha...?", Drybeck asked, noticing the Professor's state. "Sir, you don't look so good."
"Could you get me a pill...some aspirin perhaps?", the Professor said weakly.
"Of course sir.", Agent Drybeck said, sliding the door open to exit the train car.
The door slid shut again, and the Professor's head rose, looking more calmed than it had moments ago, a sinister smile developing on his face...
THE EMPTY MAIL CAR
"Well, this is another fine mess you've got yourself into." The figure stepped onto the train, and the portal closed behind him. "You're lucky I was around, big brother."
"Weiran," moaned Nope. "That's all I need..."
"I'm happy to see you too Nope.", Weiran said, stepping forward and beginning to work on his brother's bonds. "Did the train run you over a couple of times before you boarded?"
"I'm not in the mood Weiran.", Nope spat, frowning, his eyes flashing red. "It's General Yup...he's back!"
"I know.", Weiran stated, managing to loosen one of his brother's hands from the bonds.
"He's different now.", Nope continued. "More dangerous...more powerful than ever..."
"I know.", Weiran repeated. "Believe me Nope, Yup is the least of our worries..."
THE COMMUTER CAR OF THE TRAIN
The guards roughly pushed Tim down to a seat at the front, his arms bound behind his back. He grimaced as he struggled, and General Yup stepped into view.
"So have you changed your mind, and decided to aid me voluntarily?", General Yup asked.
"Never.", Tim said flatly.
"I thought not.", the General said, motioning to one of the guards. A man in his thirties was pushed forward, and the General grasped him at the neck. "This man will suffer until he dies if you do not agree to aid me."
Tim looked at the man sympathetically, but held firm his resolve. "No...way."
The General's eyes glowed, and the man began to scream, falling to the floor in writhing pain. A minute later, his shaking slowed, and he rested eerily still, his eyes staring vacant.
Tim looked away in disgust, as the General smiled and motioned to the guards again. This time they pushed a mid-teenaged girl forward.
The General reached around her neck. "I ask again..."
FURTHER UP THE TRAIN...AGAIN...
Drybeck pushed open the door. "Sir, they didn't have aspirin...but...they...", his speech slowed as he noticed the Professor sitting in the center of the car, a thick sort of darkness about him. "Sir?", Drybeck said, gasping as he suddenly felt hot. "Is it getting hot in here or what?"
The Professor smiled, his eyes glowing orange. "It's just beginning Agent Drybeck."
Drybeck fell to his knees as he struggled to breathe, every air intake seeming to burn his insides.
The Professor's head drew back for a diabolical laugh. "It's just beginning..."
Holy Cow! What's the deal with the Professor? What's the deal between Nope and his brother Weiran? What's the deal with Tim refusing to aid the General at the expense of innocent passengers? What's the deal with everyone's eyes glowing? Tune in next time...same Wheat time, same Wheat channel...tbc...
Chapter 8 THE EMPTY TRAIN CAR
"I know," Weiran repeated. "Believe me Nope, Yup is the least of our worries..."
Nope rubbed at his wrists, trying to get his circulation back, as Weiran went to work on the ankle shackles.
"That was a nicely melodramatic statement," finally snapped Nope, after Weiran failed to elaborate. "What it didn't do was explain anything."
The shackles dropped free, and Weiran helped Nope up to his feet.
"I know," said Weiran, grinning.
Nope stared at him in silence for a second...
THE COMMUTER CAR OF THE TRAIN
Tim looked away in disgust, as the General smiled and motioned to the guards again. This time they pushed a mid-teenaged girl forward.
The General reached around her neck. "I ask again..."
Tim snarled "Never!"
The reply was greeted by an appreciative laugh from the General. "Heartless, eh? That's almost... admirable." He pulled the girl up to face him by her hair. "And what's your name?"
"Ah-ah-Ali," stammered the girl, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh Lord, please... please don't hurt me..."
"That's all up to him, my dear," said the General. He swung Ali around to face Tim. "Well?"
Tim met the girl's clear green eyes...
THE GRAIN TRAIN
"It's beginning..."
The Professor's head drew back in diabolical laughter. The shadows rippled around him as he stepped towards the recumbent Agent. The train began to slowly pull to a halt.
"First, I shall feed, and then the games shall begin."
Long after he was gone from the carriage, the laughter continued to echo...
THE EMPTY MAIL CAR
Nope stared at Weiran in silence for a moment.
Weiran took a step backwards. Nope lunged forward, grabbed Weiran's jacket, and slammed him into the wall of the mail car. The carriage shook with the blow.
"Now you listen to me, kid," hissed Nope. Weiran squirmed and Nope slammed him back into the wall. "I want to know what is going on, right now. And you're going to tell me. "
"No, you listen to me, bro'," said Weiran. "I'll tell you what I want, when I want. AND DON'T CALL ME KID!" There was a crackle and Nope was thrown backwards. "You always have to be the boss man, don't you bro'? Well now it's my turn to keep secrets."
"I have neither the time nor the patience for your little power games, kid. Tell me or don't." Nope reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of shades. He slipped them on. "Either way, I have a train full of hostages and an old enemy to take care of." Nope slid the door open, looking out into the next carriage.
"Aliandra's here," said Weiran, quietly. "Somewhere else on the train."
Nope swung back.
"Somewhere along this track is another train. It's carrying a cargo of grain that is vitally important to a lot of people. We knew it was under threat of being hijacked, that Yup was involved, and that he'd seek you out."
"You've been watching me?"
"The Organization has followed you ever since Yup reappeared on the scene. We were sent to make sure this train never rendezvous with the grain shipment. There are... certain parties who may feel it necessary to stop us. And that's all I'm allowed to tell you right now."
"Is Ali... I mean... Has she...?" Nope ground to a halt. Weiran raised a sardonic eyebrow. Nope shook his head. "Let's sort that out when we come to it," he decided. "Let's go find them"
THE COMMUTER TRAIN OF THE CAR
Tim met the girl's clear green eyes.
"I... I..."
"Such a pretty little thing," smirked the General. "It would be a shame to see her go to waste. Perhaps I should give her to my guards for their own... personal use?"
The guard at Tim's side smirked. Tim lunged at the General, but the guard knocked him back with his gun.
"Your choice, boy," hissed the General.
A CORRIDOR OF THE TRAIN
\Two guards\, signed Nope. He found it amazing how easily the old hand signals came back to him. \Both armed. Some civilians.\
\Hard and fast\ signed Weiran.
Without another word they dodged through the door, running low and flat. The guards swung their guns towards the brothers but, before the guards could fire, they were on them. Nope grabbed the gun from the first guards hand, tossed it aside, and jabbed into the guards stomach. The guard folded.
The second guard whipped his gun up, smashing Weiran in the stomach. A kick followed through, and Weiran fell backwards, gasping for breath.
"Weiran" yelled Nope. He swung towards the guard. "You--!!"
Nope dived forwards, shoving the guard away.
"You..." Weiran pushed himself onto his feet, wiping blood from his cut lip. "You're a dead man, scumbag."
He slammed the guard against the wall, punching him in the face. The guard slid down the wall as Weiran drew back to kick him.
"Knock it off," ordered Nope. "He's had enough."
"Not while he's still breathing," hissed Weiran, kicking the fallen guard again. He raised a fist but, before the blow could fall, Nope grabbed it.
"Are you trying to kill him!?!"
"YESSS!!!"
Weiran yanked his hand from Nope's grasp. He said "I don't take orders from you."
"Say what?!"
"I said I don't take orders from you, Nope, you got that?"
The two brothers stared at each other in silence.
THE COMMUTER CAR
"Your choice, boy," hissed the General.
"I... I'm sorry," said Tim to the girl, closing his eyes and turning away. "I can't... could never..."
The door at the end of the carriage burst open, catching the guard closest to it, knocking him aside. The General swung round as Nope and Weiran bounced into the car, guns at the ready.
"Drop all your weapons!!" yelled Nope.
"They won't obey you if they can't hear you," announced the General, indicating the headsets all of his guards were wearing. He stretched out his right hand with its fingers spread stiff towards the two brothers. His eyes blazed; the air between the opponents rippled.
Weiran stepped forward, hands outstretched. There was an explosion of blue electric light; someone in the passengers crowded back against the window began to scream. When the smoke cleared, Weiran remained untouched. Around his feet, the floor of the carriage hissed and cracked as it cooled.
"You better have another plan, Bro'" hissed Weiran to Nope. "That blast short-circuited my battlesuit - I'm powerless."
"We hit him now," replied Nope, moving further down the carriage, "Before he has a chance to recharge his power." He stopped as the guards raised their weapons.
"...kill them..." gasped the General. "KILL THEM."
Tim grabbed Ali and shoved her to the floor, yelling "DOWN!"
Nope grabbed Weiran and shoved him to the floor.
Someone added a second voice to the screaming.
The guns blazed...
OUTSIDE THE TRAIN
The hijacked train ground to a halt at the intersection. Parallel to it, on the second line, the grain train waited; inside, in the darkest shadows, the Professor began to laugh, softly...
What is Nope's relationship to Aliandra? Why hasn't the Professor's transformation been explained? What is it between Nope and Weiran? Why do more questions get raised than answered in every episode? Read on, intrepid traveler... tbc
Chapter 9 THE COMMUTER CAR
As the train ground to a halt, those not sitting were flung forward. Most of the guards were sent ahead, along with Weiran and Nope. The General had been sent crashing into the doorway between cars, but Tim and the small mid-teen girl Ali had been between seats, and were relatively safe.
"Oh!", Tim stated, feeling something. "There's...."
Ali just looked up at him, confused and crying. Tim rose up and looked out the window, the train had stopped, right beside another unmoving train. Tim could feel power pulsating inside himself. It could only mean one thing.
"Grain.", Tim muttered. He unlocked the emergency escape window, and started to climb out as the people who'd been sent forward started to stir. He looked down at the mid-teen girl, who was still afraid. "Don't be scared, just keep down. Everything's going to be allright."
The girl nodded as Tim leaped out from the window.
-----------------------------------
Nope looked up from where he'd been thrown, seeing many of the guards around him, as the some of the passengers started to shriek. "Quiet down.", he muttered as he came face to face with one of the guards.
"Eat lead.", the guard said, grinning.
"Nice headphones.", Nope stated, grinning back.
"Yeah, they are aren't...they...?", the guard stammered, realizing that the train's sudden stop had made his headphones come off.
"Do me a favor?", Nope asked politely, "Take your guard buddies out of the train, at gunpoint if necessary."
"No...problem.", the guard stated, getting up and gathering up the other guards.
Nope stood, faltering for a second as he clutched his head, "Oy, anyone got some Aspirin?"
Weiran came forward, seeming to limp as held General Yup before him, pushing him roughly to the aisle in front of Nope. "Let's off this trash bro', one less psycho come back from the dead to deal with..."
"No.", Nope said flatly. "That's not what we're going to do. Take him back to the empty mail car, and tie him up."
Weiran gave a spiteful look in his brother's direction and began to walk down the aisle.
"OH, I DON'T THINK THAT WILL BE NECESSARY.", a loud voice called, seemingly from all around them.
OUTSIDE THE TRAIN
Tim climbed to the top of one the transport cars of the neighboring train. He opened the circular hatch and looked down, his body felt so alive. His eyes had a golden glow to them.
"C'mon boys, we've got work to do..."
BACK IN THE COMMUTER CAR OF THE TRAIN
Weiran and Nope turned to face the front of the train, seeing a small man standing, looking at them with an evil grin.
"YUP, YUP, YUP.", the Professor said. "I HAD SUCH HIGH HOPES FOR YOU. YOU'VE LEFT ME NO CHOICE BUT TO DO THE JOB MYSELF."
"N-no...!", General Yup said, trying to stand, Weiran still restraining him. "Please...there's still time...!"
"PERHAPS WE CAN STILL SALVAGE SOMETHING, WHERE'S THE BOY?"
"He's...", the General said, turning around, his eyes searching the car, frantically. "Where is he...!?!"
"HE'S NOT HERE!?!", the Professor yelled. "BEGONE GENERAL, I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER..."
General Yup began to scream as his body disappeared in a mist of fire and brimstone. Nope and Weiran stood, mouths agape.
"Who are you!?!", Nope asked.
The Professor's body seemed to blacken, as darkness almost enveloped the entire commuter car. When the darkness receded, a large demonic being stood before them, eyes glowing orange. The crackling of fire could be heard though no flame was present, and the air in the car seemed to be hotter than it had minutes ago.
"PLEASED TO MEET YOU.", the demonic being stated. "HOPE YOU GUESSED MY NAME..."
Huh? What? Where? How? Who? TBC...
Chapter 10 NOPE'S BACKPACK
Somewhere in Nope's forgotten backpack a small red light flickered into life. Something began to spin, slowly. A dial begin to creep around.
An alarm began to sound, quietly.
THE COMMUTER CAR
"PLEASED TO MEET YOU.", the demonic being stated. "HOPE YOU GUESSED MY NAME..."
"Is it Rumplestiltskin?" said Nope.
"Why do all the bad guys always have glowing eyes?" said Weiran.
"I have glowing eyes," pointed out Nope, his eyes never leaving the demonic form before them.
"My point exactly," smirked Weiran.
The demon laughed, a cruel, mocking sound.
"HOW AMUSING! YOU REALLY THINK YOUR PITIFUL ATTEMPTS AT HUMOR HIDE YOUR FEAR?"
"That was kinda the idea, yeah," muttered Weiran.
"Did you have a plan," asked Nope. "I don't think these rifles are going to have much effect somehow."
"Yes - but it needed Aliandra, wherever she's got to..."
OUTSIDE THE TRAIN : ALI
Ali dropped to the ground outside the emergency window. She could feel the presence on the train, a dark burning fire at the edges of her mind. She could sense the shape of it, the predatory shape, all unkindness and casual cruelty; a mind full of sharp edges, intelligence and cunning, that would use other living things and hurt them because it was fun.
She was scared.
The other laughed quietly in her head. What is there to fear, it asked. That one is a mere drone; our power is more than enough to hold it. Ali pushed the other away. She thought they were powerful enough to take on anything. Ali wasn't so sure.
There was a movement nearby and, pushing herself back against the train, she pulled her aura in tight, fading slowly from sight. Ali needn't have bothered; the guards marched straight past without looking in her direction. Their pupils were tiny pinpoints; faint, permanent smiles were plastered across vacant faces.
Nope's work, she thought. She tried to picture Nope's face, but the other man's face kept pushing its way in front. The look in his eyes when Yup had grabbed her. She shivered at the memory of Yup's icy fingers entwined in her hair. His mind had been full of blood and anger - the screams and the thunder of horses, and the deadly whisper of arrows and the damp, solid sound of spears in flesh - making her frightened-little-girl act so very very easy.
She could still feel Tim's strong hands, digging into her shoulder as he pulled her to safety. Stop it, she berated herself. You're acting like a little girl! The face remained hovering in her minds eye. The other laughed softly.
Ali looked up at the second train. She saw Tim as he opened the top hatch, and dropped though. Power began to build...
NOPE'S BACKPACK
The dial edged into the red. More lights flickered.
The alarm began to warble, louder and louder.
A second alarm joined in. Then a third...
OUTSIDE THE TRAIN : TIM
Never before had he felt so powerful, so... alive. The shadows around him faded in a bright golden glow. Tim, searching for the source of this sudden light was startled to find that he was the source. He laughed in delight as his hands, moving in the air, left a trail of golden light behind it.
The grain began to spin around him.
Power. Oh yes, he would show them power!
THE COMMUTER CAR
"I sorta had a plan," said Weiran, "but it needed Aliandra, wherever she's got to..."
"Oh good," muttered Nope. "And I still don't know what's going on."
"ALL WILL BE EXPLAINED SHORTLY," said the demon. "BUT FIRST," and its voice became cold and menacing, "TELL ME WHERE THE BOY IS."
"Sure," said Nope.
"I don't think that's a very good idea, Nope," hissed Weiran.
"...if you let the passengers go first. Come on - they're hardly important to your plans, are they," Nope guessed. "You let them go, I'll tell you where Tim is."
"THE PASSENGERS?" The demon looked around him as if seeing the passengers for the first time. "YOU'RE RIGHT. THEY ARE UNIMPORTANT." The demon raised a taloned hand.
"Wha--? No, wait," yelled Nope, "that isn't what I..."
Then he felt it pass him - an invisible, incredible bolt of death; a dry, scorched rush of wind. It rolled silently through the carriage. Where it passed, hair burnt away from flesh, flesh melted from bone, bone smashed into white, powdery ash.
"NOO!" yelled Weiran, too late, far, far too late.
"NOW," growled the demon. "I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME. WHERE IS THE BOY?"
NOPE'S BACKPACK
The screaming and shaking of the alarms rocked the backpack. It toppled over.
On a green LCD a message tickertaped across the screen.
%%WARNING%%MAJOR DIMENSIONAL PORTAL OPENING%%WARNING%%
What is going on? Who - or what - is coming through that portal? Why do so many people having glowing eyes? Why does someone else always get the last cookie in the jar? Find out in the next mind blowing installment of 'Summer of Wheat'... tbc
Chapter 11 THE OTHER TRAIN : THE GRAIN CAR
Aliandra looked cautiously as she approached the storage car of the other train. This boy is no concern of ours, a voice in her head seemed to speak, but she ignored it. This young man had saved her life, and she meant to see what he was up to.
The circular lid of the storage train blew off it's hinges at the top of the car, as grain began to spew from the opening like water from a geyser. Ali instinctively raised a hand to shield herself from the falling grain, but felt no impact. Looking up, she saw that the grain was floating, whirling about like bees in a giant swarm. Amidst the grain floated a figure, seemingly coated in grain from head to toe, 'tarred and grained' from the looks of it.
"IT ENDS NOW!!", the figure cried, as it and the giant swarm of grain floated over to the commuter car.
THE EMPTY MAIL CAR
The screaming and shaking of the alarms rocked the backpack, toppling it to the floor.
A green LCD message tickertaped across the screen;
%%WARNING%%MAJOR DIMENSIONAL PORTAL OPENING%%WARNING%%
It began with a light, a light that grew in size if not intensity. As the light grew, patches of gray and black began to form, slowly swirling about. The swirling hastened in speed, until the light had grown to the full height of the train car. Amidst the swirling, a rip seemed to tear itself along the middle of the light, a blinding flash emanating from within. A darkened figure stepped through, and the portal dissipated behind it.
A tall woman, wearing high heels, a business type skirt and blazer, circular wire rim glasses, and long brown hair pulled back tight into a ponytail, stood with her hands on her hips. "Tsk, tsk.", she sounded, looking around. "Look at all this damage. HE won't be happy..."
She pulled up a clipboard and started to scribble with her pen upon the notepad. Shaking her head, she began to walk toward the door, and head out further up the train.
THE COMMUTER CAR
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!", Weiran cried, staring at the charred corpses around him, the innocents aboard the train that the demon had seconds ago sent to their fiery death.
"You bastard!", Nope cursed, trying to control his anger.
"AHHH, THE SCENT OF BURNT INNOCENT FLESH!", the demon stated, taking a long intake of breath.
"You realize you're an idiot.", Nope said, caring little of the consequences.
"OH REALLY?", the demon mused.
"Yeah.", Nope stated, stepping forward a pace. "The only thing keeping Weiran and I from coming at you full force were these passengers. What makes you think we won't mop the floor with you now?"
"BECAUSE YOU CAN'T.", the demon replied simply.
Weiran bellowed a mad cry as he charged the demon. The demon in turn raised a hand and let loose a fiery blast that engulfed Weiran completely.
"Weiran, NO!!", Nope yelled.
The demon's blast ended, leaving Weiran down on his knees, looking blackened, but otherwise intact. "...S'okay Nope...battle...suit...took most...of it..."
The demon grinned an evil grin, and leveled a hand in Nope's direction. "I COULD DESTROY YOU BOTH WITH BUT A THOUGHT."
"Then why don't you?", Nope demanded.
"BECAUSE YOU SERVE ME BETTER ALIVE TO MAKE THE BOY BEND TO MY WILL.", the demon said.
"NEVER!!!", came crying from outside the train car.
"WHU...?", the demon muttered, seemingly genuinely surprised.
Nope ducked as the windows all imploded under pressure from the outside of the train car. A mix of glass and wheat filled the space in matter of seconds.
A COUPLE OF CARS BEHIND
The woman paused as she heard the sound of breaking glass, then feeling the entire train being shaken, bracing herself against a nearby seat. She flipped a couple of pages up on her clipboard, and paused to read for but a moment. "Hm, I'm late it would seem. I'll make a note of it in HIS report later..."
The woman tucked the clipboard under her arm and resumed her walk forward, nearing the commuter car of the train.
OUTSIDE THE COMMUTER CAR
Aliandra stood in awe as she saw the figure hovering above the commuter car, racking the train back and forth with it's control over the grain. Such power!, the voice in her head observed. Ali was about to attempt to get the figure's attention, when she noticed someone approaching in the train car just behind the one the figure was assaulting. "Damn!", she cursed, looking between the wheat covered figure, the commuter car, and the woman who approached. "What do I do...?"
What will Aliandra do? Has Tim gone mad with power? Will Nope and Weiran survive? What are the demon's plans? Who is the mysterious woman making her way to the scene, and who is this "HE" she keeps referring to? What has she got on that darn clipboard? TBC...
Chapter 12 THE COMMUTER CAR : NOPE
The air was filled with whirling grain and slashing glass. It whipped past Nope as he crawled along the car towards his brother, bouncing off his sunglasses in screaming lines.
His jacket was in tatters, but it still managed to deflect much of the winds force from his back and arms. Nope's hands and legs were a different story; already he was covered in scratches. Weiran grabbed him with similarly injured arms and pulled him into the relative safety of the gap between the seats.
"You okay?" asked Nope.
"Well, let's see," snapped Weiran. "First, one of your enemies all but destroyed by offensive capabilities. Then, another one of your enemies all but destroyed my defensive capabilities. Right now, my battle suit is basically very expensive biomech trash. And," he added, "not only your friend's untimely intervention is as likely to kill us as it is to help us but he's using the very stuff we were sent in to protect. All in all, I'm not having a very good day!!"
"Good to see you back to your old self, kid," smirked Nope. "Any ideas?"
"Run away," suggested Weiran, adding "Or we could do if there was anywhere to run to."
Nope reached into his back pocket for his key ring, and flicked open his knife. "First thing we have to do is get your suit working again. They haven't changed the design in years; I should be able to get the secondary systems back up. I just hope Tim provides enough cover."
"I don't think that's something you have to worry about," hissed Weiran.
The grain wind continued unabated.
THE COMMUTER CAR : TIM
Bathed in an aura of golden light Tim floated above the commuter car, channeling the flow of grain with casual motions of his hands; a strange conductor, an even stranger orchestra. The grain curled around him, rippling over his clothes and skin, pulling off to spin and swoop in the air before dropping back into the undulating mass.
The grain pounded at the train, finding its way in not only through the smashed windows but through cracks between the doors and the door frames, rising up through the air-vents beneath the seats and even through the bullet holes in the walls and ceiling.
Somewhere at the center of the tornado of grain, the Demon began to howl with, well, demonic laughter.
The power whiplashes through him of its own volition, going directly from the base of his spine to his hands without passing through his brain. One hand gestured angrily. The swarm of grain suddenly became a coherent stream, wrapping itself around the train.
Metal screamed on metal.
The Demon's mocking laughter came again. A column of fire lunged skywards before being smothered.
Someone inside the carriage yelled an oath as metal screeched again.
Tim struggled to damp down the power but it writhed in his grasp, wild and uncontrollable, and slipped free. Once more he plunged his hands into the golden fire and, once more, it escaped his grasp.
And then there was nothing but crimson anger and the golden haze of the wheat...
THE COMMUTER CAR : NOPE
"That's the best I can do," said Nope. "I'd need a couple of days, a tech lab and about thirty qualified bio-engineers to do anything else."
They'd stuffed Weiran's jacket across the air vent to stop the flow of grain, but it still escaped through holes and cracks to join the swirling, shifting mass pushed up against the roof of the train.
"Personal shields on-line. Electron-bolts at quarter power. Minimal – Watch it!!" Weiran pulled Nope down as a fireball bounced past, inches above their heads. The Demon began to laugh.
"So do we charge - er, limp, into battle, bro'," asked Weiran.
"We --" The air pressure in the car suddenly doubled and Weiran and Nope simultaneously slapped hands over their ears. Metal screamed on metal.
The Demon's laughter came again. A column of fire rose, twisting, from the deck of the train and punched a hole in the roof.
"Goddess," swore Weiran. Metal screeched again. "What the fuck is he doing?"
There was an explosion. The top of the train ripped off, torn like the lid from a carton and similarly discarded, smashing to the ground in a second explosion of metal and glass. Somewhere outside someone screamed but Nope was too busy trying to dodge flying shrapnel and watch the floating figure above to pay much attention.
"I don't think he's doing anything," yelled Nope over the whine of high velocity grain smashing into the Demon. "He's lost control of his powers."
"I'd gathered that," yelled Weiran back at him. "Do something!"
"Like what?!"
The door behind them, with nothing much left to hold it up, toppled slowly into the compartment.
THE COMMUTER CAR : ALI
Aliandra cursed, looking between the wheat covered figure, the commuter car, and the woman who approached. "What do I do?"
Stop dithering and think of something. I think your mystery man is losing control, said the other, the spirit of Katsumi Kikuchi, from somewhere inside her head.
"That isn't helping things," snapped Ali, ducking against the side of the train as a second gust of wheat slashed past her. Somewhere in the center of the grain storm, the Demon began to laugh.
Information is the most important part of any magic, quoted Katsumi, adding besides, I can't get inside the woman's head.
Metal screamed on metal in front of her, and Ali half jumped, half fell backwards as the walls of the car in front of her twisted. In doing so, she brought herself directly into the gaze of the other woman, who studied her through wire-framed glasses.
"Two souls in one body," she announced in a voice that implied that it had happened purely as a personal affront. In tones that most reminded Ali of her stuck-up school-mistress, the woman added "This is most improper. These things shouldn't happen. It's obviously a case of very sloppy management on someone's part." The tone left no doubt that that someone would pay heavily.
A column of fire punched a hole in the commuter car, leaping skywards. Demonic laughter echoed again. The woman ignored it, making cryptic notes on her clipboard. Metal screeched again.
This one is extremely powerful, warned Katsumi. I think we ought to --
There was an explosion. Ali was treated to a blurred picture of metal and glass flashing upwards before her eyes before instinct cut in. Snatching at the handle nearest to her Ali ripped open the door and dived through, simultaneously casting a spell.
The roof of the commuter car hit where she had been standing in an explosion of metal and glass. Shrapnel slashed towards her and bounced off the shimmering blue shield she had hastily raised.
Unperturbed, the woman finished writing on her notepad, and opened the door that connected the carriages. She sniffed in disdain at the damage before her, picking her way across the sharp blades of metal rising from the torn floor. The door in front of her, having lost most of its support, slowly fell into the commuter car.
The woman stepped through, surveying the damage. "No, no, no, this just won't do," she announced, her voice cutting clearly though the roar of fire and the raging winds of corn. "HE will be most displeased. Rules are rules; it all must go in the report even if HE doesn't like it." The woman walked into the carriage seemingly oblivious of the continuing battle between Tim and the Demon.
"Who the hell is that," yelled Weiran over the cacophony.
"Don't ask me," snapped Nope. "I'm still not sure what's going on."
A torrent of grain poured in a column into the commuter car as Tim dropped to earth. Through the swirl of grain they could see that his eyes were blazing with golden light. A blast of fire raced down the corridor; Tim flung his arms up and wide and the fire deflected sideways towards Nope and Weiran. The two brothers ducked.
"Tim, watch it," snapped Nope.
"I don't think he can hear you," replied Weiran. "Let's get that woman out of--" He glanced through the door behind the woman, and his eyes widened in recognition. "ALI," he yelled.
Ali summoned her staff, and it appeared in her hand. Deflecting stray blasts of fire that curved her way, she lunged towards the woman calmly walking through the carnage toward the combatants. A column of stray fire blasted straight towards the woman who was still making notes on her clipboard. An arms reach from her it exploded, dropping to the floor in a stream of yellow crystals.
"Did I do that?" Ali was already expecting the other's negative before she heard it. The woman looked up from her clipboard.
"That's quite enough of that," she announced. Tim and the Demon froze motionless, a tableau bordered by crimson fire and golden grain. "I am," she added, "the Auditor..."
Has Tim irretrievably lost it? What is the Demon's name, anyway? Who and what is the Auditor, and what has she got on the clipboard? Why do we never answer the questions we pose in the previous episode? Why don't our hero's stop fighting and talk it out over a nice hot cup of tea? TBC...
Chapter 13 THE COMMUTER CAR
The woman looked up from her clipboard. "That's quite enough of that," she announced. Tim and the Demon froze motionless, a tableau bordered by crimson fire and golden grain. "I am," she added, "the Auditor..."
The swirling grain slowed to pause in the air as Tim gazed at the woman, seemingly enthralled. The floating wheat started to drift towards the floor of the train car, and the wheat that had attached itself to Tim's body started to flake off in chunks.
The demon eyes flared as he looked at the woman. "LEAVE THIS PLACE GABRIELLA, YOU'VE TAKEN AN OATH TO NEVER INTERFERE IN THE WAYS OF MANKIND."
"I need not be reminded of my oath by the likes of you.", the Auditor stated, sighing. "Besides, my directive has been modified with a clause permitting casual contact with mankind, and we both know who gives me my orders..."
Nope rose from his hidden position between the scorched seats of the train car, observing the new arrival. "Gabriella the Auditor? This is getting more strange by the minute..."
"SO WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO GABRIELLA?", the demon continued. "YOUR ORDERS COME FROM HIM NO DOUBT, BUT YOU'RE NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO STOP ME."
"I don't need to do anything to stop you.", the Auditor stated. "You can't win, it's a fact. Deal with it."
"OH REALLY."
"I'll take 'Clues To What The @#$%& Is Going On' for $200 Alex...", Nope muttered.
"Quiet bro'.", Wieran uttered in a low voice, using the seat to help him up. "As usual, you're talking when you should be listening."
"Tactical lessons from you?", Nope said, rolling his eyes. "This is getting strange..."
Gabriella the Auditor brought up her clipboard, shuffling up a couple of pages to scribble something down. "Really. One needs not the power to defeat one who's failure is so destined, Lucifer."
"LUCIFER?", the demon asked. "WHO'S LUCIFER?"
"Oh please.", Gabriella said, sighing again. "Your 'goat-headed demon' appearance is even less convincing that your 'innocent professor' guise. Lose it, Lucifer Morningstar, I'm sure these simpletons have figured out who you really are..."
"Hey!", Weiran said.
"'Quiet bro'.'", Nope replied mockingly.
The demon scowled at the Auditor, as he spun in his spot, the motion a blur of light and darkness, leaving in his place a blackened figure with no features, standing taller than any present. "SATISFIED?"
"The Devil!", Aliandra said to herself, peeking out from behind the Auditor.
"For the moment, Lucifer.", Gabriella continued, pushing up another page on her clipboard. "Now, let's move on to the matter of your presence here..."
Aliandra edged her way past the Auditor, and leaped a couple of seats to come nearer to Nope and Weiran. "Hello Nope, seems we always meet under these sort of circumstances."
"Story of my life.", Nope muttered, still listening to the conversation between the Auditor and the Devil.
Weiran finished checking the diagnostics on his biomechanical battle-suit. "Okay bro', I have enough of a charge for a force field, maybe even a couple of pulse bursts..."
"No way.", Nope uttered. "I have a feeling either of these two could kick our collective @$$es any time they wanted. You two stay here, I'm going to check on Tim."
"Tim?", Ali asked.
"Yeah, Tim.", Nope answered, leaping over a seat. "About 6'1, male...oh yes, he's covered from head to toe in wheat..."
"Oh...okay.", Ali said, kind of embarrassed.
Nope leaped over a couple of seats before reaching the front of the train car at Tim's side. The Devil seemed to be completely engaged in the conversation with the Auditor, and didn't even bat an eye, if he had one. Nope shook a hand in front of Tim, "Tim? Hey Tim?"
Most of the wheat had fallen from Tim's body, and his eyes seemed to glaze over for a second before focusing on Nope. "Nope! You're okay! What...what happened?"
"You went ballistic buddy.", Nope said, turning to face the backside of the Devil's blackened figure. "You really don't remember?"
"I...I remember reaching the grain car on the other train...it's like it was calling to me Nope! After that...nothing."
"Well, not to put to fine a point on it, you gave the Devil here a run for his money for a bit.", Nope said over his shoulder. "Nearly taking out the lot of us as well, until this 'Auditor' showed up, she had you hypnotized or something..."
"The Devil...?", Tim said, seeming to take in the blackened figure for the first time. His eyes went into a golden glow again, as the grain on the floor started to float up slightly. "He...."
Nope turned for a moment, debating whether to use his power on Tim. "Easy Tim, for the moment we should all be on 'watch and listen' mode..."
"THIS HAS BECOME TIRESOME GABRIELLA, UNLESS YOU CAN GIVE ME ANY PLAUSIBLE REASON TO STOP, I'LL HAVE TO CONTINUE WITH MY PLAN TO CONQUER THE WORLD...", the Devil said.
The Auditor reached into her blazer, pulling out something from the inside pocket. It looked like an ancient scroll of some sort, as she extended her arm to hand it to the Devil. "This should explain everything."
The Devil took the scroll and unraveled it, taking a moment to read. His head turned skyward as he bellowed a scream of uncontrollable rage...
What is written on that scroll? Is Tim back in control? Just who does Gabriella the Auditor work for? Should Nope and the others play a more active role in the conversation? Why do Wheat Lad's parts of our tale seem to take longer to get posted than Nope's? TBC...
Chapter 14 STILL IN THE COMMUTER CAR. BELIEVE ME, NO ONE'S GOING ANYWHERE...
"Melodrama. I might have known," sighed the Auditor.
"YOU WOULD NOT DARE TO DO THIS TO ME," thundered the Devil.
"Dare? I already have. And do you really have to TALK LIKE THIS all the time? It is completely unnecessary."
"HE IS TOO MUCH OF A COWARD TO BATTLE FACE TO FACE SO HE USES YOU TO DO HIS DIRTY WORK FOR HIM. YOU'RE BEING USED, GABRIELLA."
"I'm just doing my job, Mister Morningstar. It is not my place to question HIS policy, merely to implement it and make my report." The Auditor straightened the pages on her clipboard, making a small note in the margin. "Now, do you intend to act in accordance with your specified contractual duties?"
"You know, Kid" said Nope in a conversational tone to Tim, "I really don't think he does."
"YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD JUST TURN EVERYTHING OVER TO YOU AND SCURRY HOME WITH MY TAIL BETWEEN MY WINGS?"
"Allow me to point out that your current form has neither tails nor wings," said the Auditor, adding "And you will obey your contract."
"OF COURSE I WILL." There was a flare of light and the featureless blackened figure became a tall man in a business suit, an image only slightly marred by the wings and tail. "OH, WAIT, I FORGOT. I'M LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR, MASTER OF LIES." The scroll in his hand vanished in a blaze of fire.
"This is not good," muttered Ali. "Got any ideas?"
"Don't ask me," snapped Weiran.
Or me, echoed Katsumi.
"Now would be a good time to start backing away," suggest Nope to Tim. "I think a couple of light years might be far enough."
"YOU DARE THINK YOU CAN COMMAND ME, MY ENEMY?" The Fallen's roar shook the remains of the commuter car. "FACE ME, IF YOU DARE!" Power crackled around his hands; his eyes blazed with demonic fire.
"DOWN," yelled Nope, shoving Tim towards Ali and Weiran. Light blazed, blindingly even through closed eyelids; it expanded rapidly, spilling from the wreck of the carriage, instantly vaporizing the surrounding grass and turning the soil into glass. As quickly as it had come, the light vanished. The crackling, bubbling sound of slowly cooling metal slowly filled the silence.
Inside the now considerably more wrecked carriage, the four heroes floated just above the bed of molten metal in a sphere of sapphire colored energy.
"How long can you keep this up?" asked Nope. The strain was plainly visible in Ali's face.
"As long as necessary," she hissed through clenched teeth.
"I'M SUPRISED YOU MANAGED TO SURVIVE THAT, GABRIELLA," said the Fallen. He was holding her off the ground with a hand wrapped around her throat.
"...most...improper..." gasped the Auditor. "...go...report..."
The Fallen laughed.
"I DON'T REALLY THINK YOU'LL BE IN ANY STATE TO MAKE --" The Fallen blinked, looking round him. "IMPOSSIBLE! THAT BLAST WAS HOTTER THAN SUPERNOVA YET, OUTISDE THE CIRCLE OF CHARRED EARTH NOTHING WAS HARMED!?!"
"Because I didn't wish it." The voice was young and soft, but it cut through the cacophony of hisses and bangs the cooling metal was emitting. "I would be obliged if you would put my Auditor down, brother."
"Whoever he is, he's walking across molten metal," said Weiran, peering out through the shield. "Can you make this thing any less opaque, Aliandra?"
"Not unless you want to try that 'walking on molten metal' thing yourself," snapped Ali.
"Did he say 'brother'?" asked Tim.
"SO, YOU FINALLY DEIGN TO FACE ME."
"I could make you put her down, you know, but I'd prefer not to." The newcomer was a boy. He looked only twelve or so with his short blond hair in scruffy curls half hidden beneath a baseball cap. Surrounded by an aura of shimmering white light and dressed in a gray jogging top, black jeans and white trainers he seemed oblivious to the heat of the metal of which he walked.
"I SEE YOU RETAINED YOUR OWN UNIQUE SENSE OF STYLE."
"From someone with a predilection for horns and tails that's not exactly a very meaningful insult. Now, if you don't mind, brother?" He indicated the Auditor, still struggling in the Devil's grasp. The Devil looked down as if he had forgotten what he was holding and dropped her. "Thank-you. I suppose you read the contract. The one you signed?"
"WHICH CONTRACT WOULD THAT BE?" The Devil smiled. The boy matched it.
"This one." A scroll appeared in his open hand. "I'm afraid that the one you destroyed was only a copy."
The Devil gave a roar of anger. Power flared, and boy and demon were hidden from sight by a swirling mass of energy. Floating in the sphere, the hero's surveyed the scene before them.
"Well, I-" began Nope.
"If you even think of saying you have no idea what's going on, I'm going to drop you," hissed Ali.
"But," interposed Tim, "If the little kid is the Devil's brother, who does that make him?"
"The good one," suggested Nope, adding "hopefully."
"Are you trying to tell me that God is some boy who's not even old enough to shave?!"
"Damned if I know," said Weiran. "We could ask someone. Ali, can you get that Auditor woman?"
"Sure, why not, let's have a party," snapped Ali, but she floated the sphere over to Gabriella and they pulled her on board.
"It'll have to go in the report," she mumbled, before lapsing back into unconsciousness.
"Lot of good she'll be," said Weiran.
"You know, kid," said Nope, "if I was you I could have hours of fun banging my head against a brick wall."
"Don't call me kid!"
"I think she's coming to," interposed Tim before the brothers could start fighting again, and indeed Gabriella showed signs of a reluctant return to reality.
"Did anyone get the number of that truck," she moaned. "I hurt in places I'm even sure I have. It really is..."
"Most improper," suggested Nope.
"Exactly! Now they've started squabbling again." She sighed, and began searching for her clipboard. "I've lost my report," she wailed. "HE will be most displeased when HE finds out."
"I think he's too busy fighting to worry about your report," comforted Weiran.
"It was my first real job in almost half a century," moaned Gabriella. "And now everything's going wrong! It's most inefficient." Disconcertingly, she burst into tears. "They're fighting again and it's all my fault. You know what happened last time. HE kicked HIS brother out, and look where that got us. Just because they disagreed about the lios alfar."
"Lios alfar?" asked Nope.
"Elves," said Aliandra.
"Oh, right," said Weiran. "Er... What are elves?"
"You're telling me that the great war of the angels was the result of a sibling squabble?" Tim look shocked.
"That explains a lot," muttered Ali.
"I mean, I quite liked the elves. Nothing like an elf song to brighten up your week, I always said. But HE said they had to get along with mankind and HIS brother disagreed, so they ended up scaring the poor things into hiding and then HE got mad at HIS brother's interference in HIS design. By the time they'd finished arguing, Lucifer had got himself kicked out." The Auditor gave a mournful sigh.
"Then there was all that rubbish about the mankind non-interference policy as regards the metanatural hierarchy, and of course HE abides by the contract because HE always keeps HIS word. HIS brother, however, willfully breaks all the laws and then looks surprised when people complain."
"Well, you would, wouldn't you," extemporized Nope.
"And then there was all this business about the famine and grain shipments..."
Is someone actually going to explain something? Or will some previously unforeseen event interfere and leave everyone in the dark once more? Which do you think is more likely? TBC...
Chapter 15 THE BACK OF THE COMMUTER CAR...WHAT'S LEFT OF IT
In the back : Aliandra, Gabriella the Auditor, Nope, Tim, and Weiran.
"This is getting too confusing.", Weiran said, rubbing his eyes. "Is there any chance I can just shoot somebody and it'll all be over?"
"It would be over all right.", The Auditor stated, running a hand through her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail once again. "For you."
"Oooh, I'm shakin'...", Weiran muttered, turning away.
"Forgive my brother...um...Ms. Gabriella.", Nope said, tossing Weiran a dirty look. "He's not quite versed in the ways of etiquette."
"Just 'Gabriella' will do.", the Auditor stated, looking Weiran once over. "I'd advise you all to leave, there's nothing more for you to do. This matter has been deemed worthy of...well...'Divine Intervention', so to speak..."
"Are you kidding?", Tim said, staring at the Devil arguing with the child who brimmed with power. "This is a story I'll want to tell my grandkids!"
"Grandkids?", Gabriella asked, reaching down to retrieve her clipboard. She flipped up a couple of pages, taking a moment to read. "Mm-hmmm, grandkids..."
"Huh?", Tim uttered, looking confused.
"Nothing, nothing.", the Auditor said, tucking the clipboard under her arm. "I'll have to have you all sign documents pertaining to this celestial event, you will of course be compensated for your required silence."
"Compensated?", Weiran asked, looking a little happier.
Aliandra nudged Weiran, trying to get him to be quiet. "Of course you're right Gabriella, but what's going to happen now?"
"What usually happens when these two start bickering.", the Auditor stated, smoothing out her blazer. "There will be a fight."
"A fight?", Nope asked, visibly shaken. "You mean here...now?"
Gabriella looked over to see Nope's face masked with concern. "Oh don't worry, they never fight directly with each other, mostly because HE'd always win. They usually choose people to represent them here on Earth."
Tim didn't like where this was going. "I think I see your reasoning in why we should leave."
"Exactly.", the Auditor said. "Unless any of you wish to see yourself fighting the other, I'd advise you all to make haste and depart."
There's more to this., Katsumi's voice spoke in Aliandra's mind. She isn't telling us everything. "Um...", Ali started to say.
"I tell you what you need to know.", Gabriella said without missing a beat.
She can hear me...?, Katsumi said, sounding shocked. "Surely you can let us in on what's happening, especially since we'll be signing the...uh, 'agreement to button-it'?", Ali asked.
Gabriella paused. Her gaze fell to Aliandra, "Very well...and don't call me 'Shirley'..."
THE FRONT OF THE COMMUTER CAR
"YOU NEVER EXPECTED ME TO ABIDE BY THAT CONTRACT, DID YOU?", the Devil asked.
"Sadly, no I didn't.", the child said, looking up at his counterpart. "I always try to give you the benefit of the doubt Lucifer, but as usual, you go to extreme lengths to break our agreements."
"WHY YOU POMPOUS...!", the Devil said, teething with rage. "WHY SHOULD I WALK THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW? I DO WHAT I LIKE, AND I LIKE WHAT I DO!"
"It has ever been your failing, brother.", the child said, lowering to a sitting position, despite no seat being nearby. "You act like a repressed martyr, when it is well within our limits to do what we wish..."
"YES!!!", the Devil agreed.
"...but not at the expense of others.", the child continued, as if sitting on an invisible chair.
The Devil scowled. "BUT DON'T YOU SEE, THAT'S WHERE THE ENJOYMENT IS, WHEN WE CAN BREAK THE RULES..."
THE BACK OF THE COMMUTER CAR
Gabriella sighed as she broke off from listening to the current conversation. "Well, that debate could last for decades. I might as well tell you all the key to our interest here. You see, if a battle were to take place between the two..."
"But you just told us they would never fight each other directly.", Nope put in.
"It is of little consequence to my point.", the Auditor continued. "Whether they battle themselves, or through chosen champions, it draws much attention."
"The attention of whom?", Tim asked. "I know we've been avoiding the use of the actual title for that 'kid', but these two seem to be the only ones to fear in all this."
"It would appear so to a mortal, so I do not blame you for such a invalid assumption.", Gabriella said, looking over her shoulder briefly. "The truth is we wouldn't want to get the Devil's attention pointed this way."
"Uh, I don't mean to burst your bubble lady...", Weiran said with an sarcastic tone. "But that fella there, arguing with the 'kid'...that's the Devil."
"You are right.", the Auditor said. "But I'm afraid you are also wrong...again."
"What?", Nope, Aliandra, Tim, and Weiran said simultaneously (even Katsumi in Ali's head).
Gabriella the Auditor pointed to Lucifer Morningstar, arguing with the 'kid'. "That is the Devil...from the future..."
What? How can this be? What is she talking about? Is confusion the theme of this tale? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? TBC...
Chapter 16 THE SAME
"Oh, come off it," sneered Weiran. "The Devil's future counterpart? This is starting to sound like some kind of cosmic soap opera. I mean, what kind of a--"
"Weiran," interposed Nope, lowering his sunglasses. "There's something I think you ought to see."
"What? Have they stopped arguing?" Weiran turned towards Nope and met crimson oblivion; his eyes glazed over and he slumped to the floor.
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," commented Nope, repositioning his shades. "Shame it will wear off in a minute or so. Now, you were saying?"
"It's quite complicated," said the Auditor. "I'm not sure we have time..."
"I thought you said that argument could take decades? Doesn't that give us long enough?" asked Tim.
"Yes, but you see, time works differently for them. Look, how much do you know about the Incarnation theory?"
"Katsumi's trying to explain it to me." said Ali. "It's something like: our thoughts shape the universe..."
"Who's Katsumi," asked Tim.
"The spirit of a head of one of the mage clans of this world's Japan," explained Nope. "She's living in Ali's head till she can get her body back after it was destroyed during a feud between the leading..." Nope trundled to a halt as a glazed look similar to Weiran's began to rise in Tim's face. "It's a long story. Remind me to tell you about it later."
The auditor was saying "That's almost right. You see belief has power, but it's a mindless power. It seeks direction; like lightning, earthing itself. Unfocused belief is dangerous; nature finds a focus."
"You're saying that certain objects, certain people, provide focuses for someone's beliefs,"suggested Nope.
"You mean superheroes are focuses for people's belief in justice?" asked Tim.
"Exactly," said the Auditor, clapping her hands. "Like Tim here is an incarnation of Ceres, the god of the corn."
"I am?" asked Tim, stunned. "Wow!"
Does that mean he's also the god of fertility? Despite being just a voice in her head, Ali could still sense Katsumi's smirk. Wisely, she forbore from repeating the remark; Gabriella smiled anyway. Ali asked, "Then Lucifer is the manifestation of evil? And the kid, you know, HE's the manifestation of good?"
"Not exactly," said the Auditor. "You see, no human can withstand the pressure of containing such power for long. Every so often the force which they represent finds itself a new host."
"Then these two aren't the original players?" asked Tim.
"Again, not exactly," sighed the Auditor. "I told you this was complicated. Good and evil are such basic, wild concepts that they cannot be contained long in one body. But, unlike other manifestations, when they change bodies they don't remain fixed in time. So, even though they seem to change form, that form can be anywhere in history or the future, or the present."
"So someone destined to become this --" Nope fumbled for a word. "This incarnation of the Devil could still be walking around somewhere on earth?"
"Exactly. And every predecessor and successor could be here as well," said the Auditor. "Or anywhere else in time for that matter. In one way, they are new to the -- uh -- job, say, but in another they've always had it."
"So," said Ali slowly. "If they should fight and, in doing so, come to the attention of the other incarnations of the Devil..."
"All the incarnations would focus on this one spot," realized Nope. "Every version of the Devil existing simultaneously in one place and one time. This place. This time. Goddess! The effect would be devastating. Pure evil, concentrated a thousandfold and focused here and now..."
"But," interjected Tim, "wouldn't all the other ones come here? I mean, all the other incarnations of HIM?" He faced the others in turn and was met by a bleak look in every eye.
"No," explained the Auditor. "HE will abide by the covenant; Lucifer Morningstar won't."
"Lucifer wishes to force a confrontation," said Ali, "because if all the other versions of himself come together he will win and destroy everything which is his only goal."
"However, should HE seem to be winning," said the Auditor, "then the others won't create the focus, and Lucifer will be defeated for a time. But, HE cannot break HIS word and interfere directly, so they choose mortal champions to decide their fate."
"If HE fought directly, surely HE would win?"
"Yes."
"You mean every confrontation is a gamble?" asked Tim, shocked. "HE just bets everything, the whole of reality on a minor possibility? Why?"
"That is HIS curse."
"Then why fight at all?" asked Nope. "Why not just lose to prevent such a gathering of the Dark?"
"Because HE cares for his children," said the Auditor, simply.
Weiran groaned and looked up, his eyes clearing. "Children? What children?" He tried to stand and moaned again when sharp spikes of pain flared in his head. "You bastard, Nope," he hissed. "If you ever do that to me again, I'll--"
"Kid, I think now is a good time to remain silent," suggested Nope, adding "or your headache might last a very long time."
Weiran subsided, muttering, "I'll 'kid' you one of these days..."
"You understand now why you must leave, and quickly. If you have to fight, it will be to the death," said the Auditor, "and I don't believe any of you would want that."
"But couldn't we just refuse to fight?" Asked Tim.
Gabriella shook her head. "You wouldn't have a choice. It's not really my place to do this, but --" She raised her arms about a foot apart and Nope's backpack appeared between her hands. "Here are your things, you have the means to make your escape. When this is over I'll find you and get you to sign the contracts; after you are compensated, you will gradually forget everything that has happened here." She handed the bag to Nope. "Now go, before --"
"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Gabriella."
Ali's blue shield vanished around them and they floated down to the surface;where once had been the molten metal of the train wreck there was now a cold surface dotted with bumps and craters as if the bubbling metal had been instantly frozen.
"WE ARGUED LONG AND HARD," said the Fallen. "So long that we're still arguing in another place and time," added his brother.
"BUT WE KNOW HOW THE ARGUMENT WILL END." "For we have seen it many times before."
"AND IT WILL NEVER CHANGE." "For this is how things must be."
"SO NOW I MUST MAKE A CHOICE." "Now I too must make a choice."
"A CHOICE FOR A CHAMPION OF THE DARK" "And a choice for defender of the light."
Two beams, one of silver, one of crimson, darted randomly among the four heroes. The silver beam came to a halt on Weiran.
"What the--? YOU're choosing me?" The child gave a silent nod of affirmation. "But my suit, my powers aren't --" Weiran blinked. "Huh? Everything's back to normal! Hey, it's in better condition than it was new."
The crimson beam continued to play across their faces. Finally it came to halt on Tim.
"No way," he said. "I won't do it."
"YOU HAVE NO CHOICE." "This must be."
"FIGHT." "Or we will make you fight."
"NO," yelled Tim. "This is unfair! There must be another way to--"
"THERE IS NO OTHER WAY." "This is the only way."
"THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE WAY." "It will always be the way."
"There is another choice," said Nope.
"THERE ARE NO CHOICES." "For us or for you."
"I can choose," said Nope. "I can choose willing substitution."
The two regarded him in for a moment, communicating silently.
"PERHAPS YOU CAN CHOOSE." "But you must still fight each other."
"NOTHING CAN CHANGE THAT." "Because it has already begun."
"I won't fight either you or Weiran," said Tim, adamantly. "You win."
"THAT CANNOT BE." "You must fight."
"Then," said Nope. "I substitute myself, of my own free will, for Tim." He reached forward and touched Tim's shoulder. The crimson beam moved and stopped on Nope.
"What?!" Yelled Tim.
"Nope, you can't do this," said Weiran. "I can't kill you. damn it, you may be a jerk but you're still my brother."
"I have already done it," said Nope, softly. He placed his bag and his sunglasses on the floor and slipped his knife from its ankle holster.
"Nope, please," begged Ali. "You don't have to do this."
"Yes, I do," said Nope. "I think you know why, Ali. And before either of you two get any silly ideas, that is the final decision." The hypnotic command sank in before Tim or Ali could react.
"SO BE IT." "So be it."
"THE CHOICE HAS BEEN MADE." "You have a moment to prepare yourself.."
"Ali," said Nope. He placed a hand beneath her chin and tilted her face so that their eyes met. "Anata yukkuri suru koto ga dekimasu. Watashi wakaru nan shimasu."*
"I hope you do," whispered Ali, "and I trust you. I have to say, though, your Japanese is atrocious."
Nope laughed softly. "You'll have to teach it to me properly some time."
"She won't have that chance," snapped Weiran. "If you win we all die and if I lose, you die."
"Perhaps." Nope saluted his brother with his knife. The two moved into an open circle and faced each other, weapons at the ready.
"YOU WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH." "You may not yield nor parlay."
"YOU MAY FIGHT ANYWAY YOU CHOOSE." "But you must fight."
"LET IT COMMENCE." "Let it commence."
"We have to do something," said Tim.
"There's nothing you can do," said Ali. "Just wait, and watch, and hope."
"What did he say to you?" asked Tim, curiously. Ali just shook her head.
The Auditor watched the preparations for battle in silence.
Weiran and Nope began to slowly circle each other...
As the two brothers must fight it out, who will survive? Does Nope have a plan or will it take his death to save everybody? Will the fight be finished before the other Devils notice and everything is lost? Did anyone follow that explanation or were they too distracted by Nope's awful Japanese? TBC...
Chapter 17 YOU GUESSED IT...A PRETTY MUCH FRIED, SCORCHED BLACKENED FLATBED OF A TRAIN CAR
Weiran and Nope began to slowly circle each other. Nope made a fake towards his brother, but Weiran sidestepped slightly out of harms way if the blow had continued. Weiran stepped in to attempt a jab at his brother's midsection, but Nope lunged downward with his knife, as a warning that he'd not be taken down so easily.
"Dammit.", Nope muttered as he continued to circle his brother. "This is ridiculous, we both know each others moves."
"Just like you to ignore the fact that we're brothers as well.", Weiran put in, frowning. "Or does that not bother you at all?"
Nope was about to retort, when a voice came to his left ear, "THIS CAN BE EXPLOITED AS A WEAKNESS." The voice switched over to his right ear, "ONCE HIS EMOTIONAL TIES TO YOU SURFACE, STRIKE!"
"It's my unfortunate situation to serve as your champion, but I'll not cheat my own brother!", Nope cursed silently to the voice. "More 'friendly advice' like that from you, and I'll rat you out to HIM for cheating, mark my words!!"
The voice seemed to have left as Nope dodged another thrust from his brother, with him coming down hard on the back of Weiran's neck with the hilt of the knife. Weiran used the momentum and dropped to a roll, coming up in a ready stance.
"Don't go easy on me bro'.", Weiran said through clenched teeth. "That easily could have been a killing blow."
"Who knows?", Nope said, starting to circle again. "This knife might shatter on impact with your biomech suit. I'm not willing to chance it yet kid."
"Don't drag this out Nope.", Weiran said, "Whatever happens is meant to happen, we just have to accept it!"
Nope paused, then changing direction in his circling motion. "I'll never accept it Weiran, no matter what the outcome..."
THE BACK OF THE TRAIN CAR
"What...are they talking?", Tim tried to make out what was happening, still groggy from Nope's 'suggestion' to faint.
"My guess is that they're planning to drag this out as long as they can.", Aliandra said. "Neither of them want to kill the other."
"Yeah, but you heard the decree of the Big Two.", Tim said, rubbing his eyes as he rose to a sitting position. "One of them is going down, permanently."
What a conflict this must be! Katsumi's voice in Ali's head exclaimed. Brother versus brother, to the death! Don't glorify it, Katsumi!, Ali seemed to curse back at her 'guest'. Nope's decision to fight Weiran in Tim's place must have been the toughest thing he had to do in his life! I'll not have you belittle it by appreciating the dramatic tragedy!
"Indeed, this is most unfortunate.", Gabriella the Auditor could be heard to say, standing above the two. She shuffled through the pages of her clipboard, finally being fed up and tossing it aside. "My notes are useless! This whole encounter is breach in protocol! I have no knowledge as to who will be the victor!"
"Guess you'll have to sit it out and watch with the rest of us Gab'.", Ali said, tapping a spot beside her.
The Auditor seemed about to protest, but then gently glided down to the floor beside Aliandra. "I suppose you are correct."
Tim nodded as his hand reached discreetly backward, attempting to gain hold of the fallen clipboard.
THE FRONT OF THE TRAIN CAR
"They seem to be battling admirably, wouldn't you say Lucifer?", the child asked.
"'PREFORMING' MIGHT BE A BETTER WORD.", the Devil replied, scowling. "IT WAS A MISTAKE TO ALLOW THESE TWO TO FIGHT. THEY'LL THRUST AND PARRY WHILE THEY ATTEMPT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO EXTRACT THEMSELVES FROM THE GAME."
"It has always been a failing of yours.", the child stated, smiling. "Thinking that everyone would act as you do, in any given situation."
"YOU THINK MY EGO IS SHOWING?", Lucifer asked, smiling back. "WELL, I AM THE DEVIL."
"Yes you are.", the child said, resuming his view of the battle. "As such, I had anticipated your reaching to your champion, attempting to cheat, hmmm?"
"UMMMM..."
"I understand.", the child replied simply.
"BUT...THEN WHY...?"
"Because it was expected of you.", the child answered. "Because if I were you, I'd have done the same thing..."
THE BACK OF THE TRAIN CAR
Something nagged at Tim, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Something in the back of his mind, a question that needed answering, like a thirst that needed to be quenched. He darted a look over his shoulder as he drew the clipboard closer, hoping Aliandra would keep the woman talking long enough for him to take a look. The first page was blank, so he turned it up, only to discover that the next was blank as well.
"What the he...", Tim cut off his curse, hoping not to draw attention, from Gabriella or the individual who ruled the place he was about to mention. These blank pages represented what Gabriella had recently said, events that she was unable to predict or know of ahead of time, Tim figured. He continued to shuffle through them, before finally seeing something. The letters on the pages seemed to come out at him, speaking into his very mind as he read, the words seeming alive. The events that have passed already, Tim reasoned, they seem as vivid as the moment they happened!
Tim's head seemed to finally gets it's what it wanted as he read the pages of the clipboard, the unknown question being answered. "Of course!", he exclaimed.
Tim set the clipboard down, as he reached out with his power, trying to gain control of the fallen wheat that lay strewn about the train car in from his earlier uncontrolled rampage. In a swift motion, the wheat rose from the ground, and once again grafted itself to Tim's body.
Gabriella the Auditor seemed genuinely startled as Ali turned to face Tim, a figure covered in wheat who now floated in a swarm of grain. She gasped, but then noticed that Tim's features could still be seen despite being covered with wheat. He's maximizing his power again, Katsumi's voice informed Ali. But this time he's in control.
"I'll be back, I promise.", Tim stated, as the swarm with his figure in the middle rose, and darted away at an alarmingly fast rate.
THE MIDDLE OF THE TRAIN CAR
Nope wiped the blood from his nose with his wrist, eyeing his brother. His arms felt tired, and he barely seemed able to carry his knife aloft any longer. "You gotta...do it...Weiran...."
Weiran shook his head as the power surged within his biomechanical battle suit, he held his hands outstretched, palms facing his brother. "I'm sorry Nope." He let loose a string of electric shock in one hand, causing Nope to convulse in his stance, and then released a multiple pulse burst with the other hand, throwing Nope from the train car altogether, landing some twenty feet away amidst some rocky gravel. Weiran slumped to the ground, sensing that most of his systems had been drained with that last attack.
Weiran turned angrily towards the child and the Devil, not ashamed that tears were forming in his eyes. "I hope you're happy!", he cursed, as he rose and ran to the still form of his brother.
Weiran knelt down next to his brother, putting a hand to his neck, checking for a pulse, a part of him wishing he was alive, the other wishing he was dead so this repugnant battle would be over.
Nope's eyes darted open, and in a single motion, he foot swept Weiran off his feet and onto his back, while rising to his knees, overlooking his surprised brother. Weiran struggled against his brothers kneeling stance, but he was also feeling fear seep into him like he'd never felt before.
Nope's bloodied hands both grasped the hilt of the knife as it rose above his head. "Goodbye Weiran.", he said as he came down with all his force in the thrust...
Geez Louise!!! Will Nope kill his brother? How did he survive Weiran's blasts? What did Tim discover on the clipboard, and where did he take off to? Why does this story read like two people who are just making it up as they go along? TBC...
Chapter 18
ELSEWHERE : AMONG THE DAMNED
He awoke with the cold stone against his flesh.
"Well, well, well." An approaching voice. "I have to say I wasn't expecting you." Laughter. "Well, at least not this soon."
He tired to speak, but his throat was dry and his question became a single croak : "Who?"
"Who am I? Come now. Who are you? Surely you remember?"
"Remember?"
"What do you remember?"
"...a fight."
"That's right."
"What?"
"What happened? You lost. You're dead. Quite, quite dead."
"Lying...."
"Am I? Here, drink." A flask at his lips, and cool clean water in his mouth.
"Where?"
"Not where you expected. Not where you planned, though that was very clever on your part, you know."
"I don't...."
"Don't remember? Then let me show you...."
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN CAR : MOMENTS BEFORE
Nope's bloodied hands both grasped the hilt of the knife as it rose above his head. "Goodbye Weiran.", he said as he came down with all his force in the thrust.
Time seemed to freeze; to Weiran, everything became slow and silent as if the sunlight was treacle.
The knife glitters in the air, falling towards him as...
Ali opens her mouth to scream, her lips framing Weiran's name as....
Gabriella leaps to her feet, hair flying loose as....
Tim, a golden streak in an azure sky changes direction sharply as...
The child, swaddled in silver fire, bows his head in salute as...
The Morningstar tilts his head back to laugh as....
Weiran tastes the coppery tang of blood on his lip and suddenly, overwhelming, memory seizes him.
It is a summer day, on another world in another dimension. He is six years old. Somewhere nearby the family wolf barks in alarm. On the ground in front of him, his brother is lying on his back in the grass. An older boy is kneeling on him, face twisted in rage, fists pounding on Nope as moments before they were pounding on Weiran; just another day in the life of a thug.
The older boy leans forward, rising up and Nope twists under him. The older boy goes flying. Weiran remembers being angry that Nope interfered once more, always treating him like a baby; he remembers knowing that if his brother hadn't turned up the older boy would likely have done much more than just bloody his lip, and still hating Nope for it.
Weiran remembers all this is a split second as....
Nope leans forward with the blow, rising up on his knees as...
Weiran sees the sunlight glittering off runes carved into the blade as...
Tim turns again, wheat exploding from the ground along his path as...
Weiran twists frantically freeing a hand as...
Nope closes his eyes in fearful anticipation of impact as...
Weiran deflects the blow, slicing open as his palm against the razor edge as...
The Morningstar cuts of his laughter in sudden, growing alarm as...
The child opens eyes both ancient and sad, tawny and flecked with gold, an owl's eyes, as...
Nope hisses in surprise as Weiran's hand clenches iron tight about his wrist as...
Weiran turns and shoves as hard as he can, shoving Nope up and over as...
Nope rips his arm free, keeping tight grip on his knife, turning push into controlled roll as...
Aliandra screams their names and the Auditor looks on in despair as...
Weiran pushes himself up, turning towards his brother as...
Nope tumbles forward, knife still in his hand as...
Weiran mouths his brother's name as...
The knife slid home, through jacket and shirt, hilt thudding solidly against the ribcage. Blood began to seep from the wound. Nope touched his fingers to the blood, half in astonishment, half in resignation. Weiran screamed his name and lunged forward, catching Nope as he sagged towards the ground.
"Nope," pleaded Weiran.
Nope reached up and, with fingers still drenched in his own blood, marked a rune on Weiran's forehead. Incongruously, Nope winked. "Have...a good one...kid."
Ali dropped to her knees by the two brothers and Nope reached for her, eyes lighting up and face curving into a smile. Nope whispered, "Cherry blossom in the spring." He coughed, a harsh hacking sound. "Remember the good times. Remember."
"Perchance to dream," whispered Ali, tears coursing slowly down her cheeks.
"Ay, there's the rub." Nope laughed softly then the laughter became a rattle in his throat and he was gone.
Weiran slowly lowered his brother to the grass. When he looked up, his eyes were dark and haunted.
"So it ends," said the child.
"NO, I DO NOT ACCEPT THIS," said Lucifer.
"He's dead," yelled Weiran. "Dead? Don't you understand that?"
"It's over. You lost. Leave," said Gabriella.
"THE BATTLE WAS A FARCE," sneered Lucifer.
"Farce? Farce," hissed Weiran, his voice barbed with ice. "My brother lies dead and you call his sacrifice a FARCE?" Power arced from Weiran's hands, crackling harmless across the Demon.
"ANOTHER COMPETITION WILL BE HELD. YOU WILL FIGHT AGAIN." The Devil raised a hand. "IF NOT, I'LL TERMINATE YOU WHERE YOU STAND."
"Brother, I will not let you," began the child.
"WHAT CARE I FOR YOUR WHINING? YOU ARE LESS TO ME THAN DUST IS TO YOU."
"And that gives you the right?" asked Ali outraged, "The right to do what you want, to whomever you please, without care or consideration? Just because you're stronger than they are?" She rose to her feet, staff appearing in her hand. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"IT SEEMS THERE IS MUCH, SORCERESS, THAT YOU DO NOT COMPREHEND."
"I couldn't care less!" Ali threw off Gabriella's restraining hand and stalked towards the two Powers. "You're cruel, capricious, wicked; you hurt people and, because it doesn't matter to you, you assume it won't to them."
Lucifer stared down at her as Ali raged before him, his expression cold, arrogant, amused.
"You play with us as if we're tokens in a game run solely for your amusement. And now things are going wrong," she hissed, "now that your precious game isn't working out the way you want, you'll simply throw the toys away and start again."
"I REQUIRE A FAIR FIGHT. I WAS NOT OFFERED ONE. MY RIGHT--"
"Your champion was defeated; my brother is dead," said Weiran. "You lost. Go away."
"The battle was fair, the ending determined as it will always be, the choice made, the decision irrefutable," said Gabriella. "Go from this place."
Ali, look at the dagger, yelled Katsumi.
What?, Ali asked.
The dagger! Damn you, girl, look at the dagger.
"....RETRIAL! I DEMAND..."
"You have grounds for neither demands nor requests, Morningstar. You agreed to abide by the rules of engagement. In this you will not break your word."
"MY WORD REMAINS UNBROKEN. NETHER THE LESS --"
The runes! Can't you see it? Katsumi's voice held a trace of panic Ali had never heard before. In the runes! The knife floated into her hand. The runes carved on the handle danced, squirmed and shifted away from Ali's gaze. It's a Soulknife! It's empowered by the souls of those it kills.
Then Nope's soul may still be alive, inside the dagger? asked Ali. Beside her, Gabriella stiffened but remained silent. He may still be alive?
"-- CANNOT DENY MY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY COMBAT."
"Combat took place." All humanity had faded from the child's voice; when he spoke, it was with the ancient cold of long sealed Egyptian tombs. "Accept your defeat."
"NO! IT WILL NOT, CANNOT END LIKE THIS."
Somewhere, in the distance a golden light began to slash towards them, trailing a line of waving corn in its wake....
ELSEWHERE : AMONG THE DAMNED
"Now, do you remember Nope?"
"Yes, everything."
"Even who I am?"
"Especially who you are," spat Nope. He looked up at the frail old man and saluted, sardonically. "My good friend, General Yup."
Yup smiled. "You know where you are, then?" He waved a hand vaguely at the seat opposite, carved directly from the stone.
"Yes. I think the smell of brimstone gave that one away." Nope sank stiffly into the proffered seat. "I presume this is where you were banished to. But why am I here?"
"Why aren't you in the knife, is that what you mean? That was very well down, by the way," said Yup. "I was wondering how you'd manage to stab yourself with your own knife."
"I'm glad you liked it," said Nope. "You didn't answer my question."
"Once I anticipated your plan it was a simply work to divert you here instead of into the knife."
"And you did this because?" prompted Nope.
"Because, my little exile, I wanted you to see the culmination of my plans."
"Let me guess," said Nope. "You intend to seize hell from Lucifer then use me to control Tim and hence hold the grain and a world, gripped by famine, to ransom. And when you have both worlds, what then? Perhaps you shall mount an army and march on Talor? Regain your old power?"
"Perhaps," said Yup. "I must say, Exile, that it's a pleasure working with someone that thinks as quickly as you do."
"And what happens when Lucifer returns?"
"Oh, I don't think that's likely. Your friend, what was his name? Grain boy? He's very ingenious." Yup gestured towards a display set in the table; a landscape appeared, floating holographically above the table. "Do you recognize this?"
"It looks like the display map from my Global Positioning System."
"Very good," said Yup, clapping his hands as if at a dog that has just performed a clever trick. "And this," said Yup as golden lines crisscrossed the surface, "is the path of your friend. You recognize the design, of course."
"Its a pentagram," said Nope. "Made of wheat. But it's not complete, yet."
"No, not quite yet. But very, very soon."
"What happens when he does complete it?"
"That, Nope, is the key to everything...."
General Yup is still alive?! Nope is still alive?! What will happen when Tim completes that pentagram? Will everyone be too busy wondering how many more sci-fi and fantasy novels Nope can shamelessly rip off to notice? TBC...
Chapter 19 SOUTHWARD, IN THE VICINITY OF THE TRAIN CAR WRECKAGE
The news rolled off the backroad, and sped up onto the highway, clearly going faster than allowed. The van zoomed by a passing a sign, reading, 100 KM PER HOUR MAXIMUM.
"Damn @#$%& kilometers!", the driver cursed. "Why can't they just make it 'Miles Per Hour' like everywhere else?"
"Because we're in Canada you moron.", the news reporter said, shaking his head. "They have their own ways of doing things. Now shut up, I didn't have you cross the border illegally for your social skills, our tipster said this area was where...HOLD IT!!! STOP!!!"
The van screeched to a halt, but the reporter was already opening the door. He leaped out and crossed into some of the overgrown grass at the side of the highway. A golden light seemed to be emanating from the other side of the woody area in front of them.
"Chet!", the reporter called, dropping down the slope and nearing the trees. "Bring the camera! We may have the scoop of a lifetime!" Goodbye channel 6, Buffalo, the reporter thought. Hello network, nationwide!
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN CAR
Aliandra distanced herself from the squabbling of the supposed 'higher powers', kneeling down beside Nope's body. The arguments were worth very little, for nothing could change the fact that Nope was dead.
Oh child, did you not hear me? Katsumi's voice said from within Ali's mind. The Soulknife is the key! If Nope's soul is contained within the knife...
Tears began to crawl their way down Ali's cheeks. How Katsumi? How do we know he's in the Soulknife? Ali asked, her frustration showing in her words despite being spoken as thoughts. And even if that's true, how will we know what to do?
I never imagined I'd be the voice of optimism out of our unlikely pairing. Katsumi cackled. We must have hope Aliandra, because I'm of the opinion that this isn't over yet, not by a longshot...
Aliandra touched Nope's still face, so peaceful despite the open wound still in his side, the killing blow as it were. She looked up as she heard a distant rumbling, catching a golden light in the distance. What was Tim doing, she thought. Was he venting the anger at having been replaced by Nope as the Devil's chosen? "Oh my.", she said aloud, the thought just hitting her, Tim didn't know. He didn't know that Nope had died in his place.
Weiran dropped down beside Ali, putting a comforting arm around her. "Ali...", Weiran muttered, as if unsure of himself. "I...I never..."
Ali turned to Weiran. "I know you didn't mean to do this Weiran, and I know you didn't want to."
They both sat near Nope's dead body, silently mourning their loss.
ELSEWHERE : AMONG THE DAMNED
"How touching.", General Yup snickered from his seat across from Nope. "I can't help but feel slighted, you seemed to die more honorably than I had."
Nope's gaze drew away from Ali and Weiran's image in the spectral pool Yup had summoned with but a hand gesture. "You had no honor to spare on your death, Yup. I only regret I hadn't made you 'jump in a lake' sooner."
The General's face momentarily flickered with anger, once again returning to the cool facade. "Nice try exile, but your efforts are wasted. You've lost. I brought you here only so that you could be witness to your final humiliation before you are truly gone forever."
"Don't you sound like the benevolent example of evil.", Nope chided. "You'd fit right back in as the General of Talor's army, it'd be like you never left."
"As you can see, my goals reach further than that now.", General Yup said, smiling. "Look, it is nearly complete."
Nope followed Yup's gesture back to the map of the area, seeing that Tim's pentagram of wheat was almost finished.
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN CAR
"I sense that the pair of you are upset.", the child's voice spoke in melodious tones.
Ali turned, nodding to the child figure, the tears flowing as she faced him. Weiran tried to look back in anger at the child, but couldn't. His stern visage softened, and his head actually sank down into his chest, his shoulders heaving up and down as he cried. The child came forward, and gently took Weiran in a caring embrace, in a genuine attempt to comfort him.
"ALL THIS SENTIMENT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I WAS CHEATED!", the Devil raged as he neared.
"Hold Lucifer!", the child actually yelled, stopping his counterpart with an upraised hand. "You are beginning try my patience, despite how unending it may seem."
"AS EVER, YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME.", Lucifer Morningstar stated, grinning in a way only he could. "YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT LENGTHS I'M PREPARED TO GO TO COME OUT THE VICTOR OF THIS GAME."
The celestial child ignored the Devil, instead bending down to Nope's fallen body. He put a hand to the wound, but his hand would not be soiled by the blood. "This is unfortunate."
"DO NOT IGNORE ME!", the Devil screamed, moving forward as if to grab the child.
Again, the child stopped Lucifer with an upraised hand. "Let me at the very least return the body to the way it was, so that when the time comes for a proper burial, no extra measures will be required when he returns to the soil."
"WHAT!?! WHAT CONCERN OF THIS IS YOURS?"
The celestial child stood. "Surely he who served as your champion can be cleansed of the gash on his side, so that his eternal rest shall be with his body as a whole."
"OH, I DON'T KNOW...", Lucifer considered, turning his gaze to Gabriella the Auditor. "DOESN'T THIS CONSTITUTE A BREACH IN THE AGREEMENT?"
"Since when are you concerned with any agreement being fulfilled?", the Auditor stated, not taking her eyes from her clipboard. "However, he makes the rules in my department, so the decision must rest with him."
The Devil turned his gaze once more to the child.
"I could change the rules to suit my purposes brother, but we both know that is not my style." The child said, a slight frown on his face. "I leave the decision to you Lucifer, let me restore your fallen champion to what he was, and we shall speak of your reservations of the battle's validity."
Lucifer Morningstar seemed to consider for a moment. "WHAT CARE HAVE I FOR COSMETICS? LET IT BE DONE SO THAT WE MAY SETTLE THIS DISPUTE, ONCE AND FOR ALL."
The child nodded, and kneeled again, touching a hand to the wound at Nope's side. A light overtook the child's hand as the blood disappeared, and the wound closed.
Before rising, he seemed to gaze hard at Aliandra, a meaningful glance if ever she'd felt one. "There.", the child said. "I restored him to what he was."
Aliandra nodded her thanks, as the child rose, and stepped away. She once again stared at Nope's body, the wound at his side gone.
"There now brother, we shall speak...", the child said, starting to walk away with the Devil in tow.
NEAR THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE PENTAGRAM
"Chet, tell me your filming, pleeeeease tell me your filming..."
"I am, I am!", Chet whispered, the video camera mounted on his shoulder.
The pair stood just before the treeline ended, and a grass field began. There seemed to be a trench burrowed into the ground, filled with wheat about ten feet in front of them. Just eastward, a golden glowing figure floated, tearing up the ground below him, with what the reporter guessed was wheat falling into the trench.
"Okay.", the reporter said, dropping down to a crawling position. "Let's go to the other side of the trench Chet, we'll get a nice establishing shot before we confront this...whatever it is!"
Chet nodded and followed the reporter through the high grass and over the wheat filled trench to the other side. They settled into the grass, and watched as the floating golden figure neared.
Suddenly, the trench started to glow, a golden light shining upward into the night sky, like some sort of transparent, gold tinted wall. The reporter looked up for the figure, but couldn't see it.
He turned to the right, seeing a boy, looking to be in his late teens to early twenties, stumble along the grass, mumbling.
"What'd he say...?", Chet asked, wiping the lens to his video camera.
The reporter shook his head. "I don't know, something about '...A gram finished, no escape...', never mind that. Go back to the van and make sure you have enough tape, I have a feeling this story isn't over yet."
Chet nodded, and took off toward the golden trench. As he tried to cross the golden light of the trench, he fell backwards, like he'd hit a wall. "Wha...?"
The reporter came over to his side, putting a hand out to the transparent golden light. His hand pressed against something solid, even though nothing was there but the golden glow rising skyward. He tried other places along the trench, but nothing could pass the golden glow.
"Chet.", the reporter muttered. "I think we may have bit off more than we can chew..."
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN CAR
Ali turned around as she felt someone was watching her. Sure enough Gabriella was lingering for a second, before following the child. She seemed to look pointedly at Aliandra, before walking away.
"What was that about?", Weiran asked.
Aliandra, look at Nope's body. Katsumi's voice spoke in Ali's head. Aliandra looked down to the body again, her eyes crossing the closed wound. Not closed, healed!
Aliandra lowered her head to Nope's chest, but couldn't make out anything. She backed up slightly, and looked down at Nope's body. The chest was moving up and down slightly.
Nope was alive.
"'Restore him to what he was!'", Ali exclaimed, though quietly. "He healed him! Nope's alive!"
Weiran looked down at his fallen brother, unable to believe it. He pressed his fingers to Nope's neck. "You're right, I'm getting a pulse! But how?"
"The kid!", Aliandra whispered. "He tricked the Devil, when he said 'restore him to what he was', Lucifer must've assumed he just meant in appearance, what with all the talk of a 'burial' and such! The kid tricked the Devil!"
Weiran started to smile. "That'll learn'im!"
Katsumi!, Ali spoke to her mental guest. What do I do? How do I put Nope's soul back into his body?
I don't know child. Katsumi answered, seeming as excited as her companion. Perhaps piercing the skin where he was originally wounded by the blade will trigger the transfer.
Ali looked to Weiran momentarily, as she took the Soulknife and slightly pierced the skin where the old wound had been. A jolt was sent through Aliandra's body, as all her muscles contracted, yet she held firm to the blade. The spasm stopped abruptly, and she fell to the ground, feeling drained.
Weiran came to her side, "Ali! You okay?"
"I'm fine, just winded!", she said, using Weiran's help to get back to Nope's body.
Nope's back raised slightly, bracing his position on one arm, rubbing the back of his neck with the other hand. He looked at Aliandra and Weiran, and his eyes went wide, backing away as fast as he could.
"Nope!", Weiran said, reaching out to grab him.
"You're alive!", Ali cried silently, throwing her arms around him.
"Get back you dolts!", Nope cursed, pushing them off.
"Wha...?", Weiran muttered. "What's the matter bro'?"
"Nope?", Aliandra asked.
Nope stared at Ali long and hard. "Aliandra, it's me...Katsumi!!"
What? Katsumi's in Nope's body? What will Weiran and Aliandra do now? Why were the two main characters of this story barely in this chapter? TBC...
Chapter 20 ELSEWHERE : AMONG THE DAMNED
Yup began to laugh uncontrollably, slapping the side of his chair.
"Is achieving your plans really that funny?" asked Nope.
"What? Oh, heh heh heh, excuse me. I forgot you couldn't see. Here." Still chuckling Yup gestured and the surface of the pool cleared once more. "This is really quite hilarious."
"Hey! That's me," exclaimed Nope.
"No it isn't," laughed Yup.
"What?!"
"It isn't you. HE healed the corpse and then your sorceress girlfriend went and tried to use the knife."
"She's not my girlfriend," snapped Nope. "She's just... Did you say 'tried to use the knife'?"
"Exactly. Only, you weren't in it." Yup burst into laughter again. "So now..."
"So now I have a dead sorceress inhabiting my body," finished Nope, sighing. "And I thought things couldn't get any worse..."
AMID THE TRAIN WRECKAGE
Nope stared at Ali long and hard. "Aliandra, it's me...Katsumi!!"
"Katsumi?!" Weiran grabbed Nope by the shoulders. "Goddess! What are you doing in there?"
"Take your hands off me," snapped Nope. "I am Katsumi Kikuchi, doyenne of clan Kikuchi, grandmistress sorceress and paramount psionicist. I will not be touched by the likes of you."
"Really? Why don't you--"
"Weiran," cautioned Ali, "Don't antagonize..."
There was a flare of green light under Weiran's hands and he yanked them away from Katsumi, swearing. Smoke rose from the sleeves of his jacket.
"I will not be touched," emphasized Katsumi.
"What happened? Where's Nope?" Asked Ali. "Did we do something wrong? Is he still in the knife?"
"Nope was never in the knife. When you cut him, the knife attempted to pull Nope in," explained Katsumi. "He wasn't there so it attempted to pull me in; instead it ended up transferring me into here."
"But then where's Nope?" Asked Weiran. "Is he... dead?"
"I don't... think so. It's like he was about to go into the knife and then went somewhere else instead." Katsumi and Weiran both looked at Aliandra.
"What?!" She looked from face to face. "You mean? He could be in here?" Ali tapped the side of her head. Nope? Are you in there?
"I guess not," said Katsumi.
"Well this is just great." Weiran's voice dripped with sarcasm. "It brings a whole knew meaning to the term 'cross-dresser'..."
"Watch it, kid," snapped Katsumi.
"Don't," yelled Weiran before Ali clapped a hand over his mouth and shushed him. In a quieter tone, he hissed: "Don't call me kid."
"Sorry," said Katsumi, sounding anything but. "Some of Nope's memories are still in here." She smirked. "You should see what he thinks of you, Aliandra. You wouldn't have thought someone so young could..."
"Katsumi," warned Ali.
"...young could have collected so much junk," continued Katsumi as if it had been what she meant to say all along. "It's like someone's dumped fifteen years worth of academic training in here."
"They did," explained Weiran. "To speed up DEDA training, they 'infodump' everything straight into your mind. It saves having to teach it to you. Not that they tell you about it, of course. You just wake up one morning with a headache and perfect recall of the names of every type of animal, vegetable and mineral."
"I didn't know Nope was in the Organization," said Ali.
"He doesn't like to talk about," said Weiran. "For that matter, I don't like to talk about it."
"Did you know that Indonesia has a population of 129.7 million, and is this world's largest archipelago, consisting of some 13,000 islands of which 500 are inhabited?" asked Katsumi. "Or that the State capital of Tasmania is -"
"Katsumi?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
"Sorry."
"This isn't helping us find Nope," said Weiran. "Or whatsisface, for that matter. I think we --"
"Hey," interposed Ali. "Has the sky always been that shade of gold?"
THE EDGE OF THE PENTAGRAM
"Keep an eye out for the scoop, they said. Follow any lead, they said. Cultivate your sources, they said. Information is the key to investigative journalism, they said."
"Uh-huh," said Chet. He tapped the golden wall which hummed happily.
"So I do keep my eye out for the scoop, follow all leads, gained some sources, and what happens?"
"Dunno." Chet tapped the wall again; it played a higher note.
"I get stuck in the middle of nowhere with an unconscious kid, a monosyllabic cameraman and a circle of wheat that is somehow not only impassable, but is also blocking radio and microwaves while still letting light through."
"Uh-huh," said Chet. The wall played an E-minor.
"Not to mention that your camera's stop working and the only spare batteries are on the other -- WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT?!"
"Sorry," said Chet. He wondered over to where Tim lay unconscious and prodded him with a foot.
"What did he have to say?"
Wheat began growing out of Chet's shoe. "Before or after he fainted?"
"Well, I think I want to know what he said afterwards. OF COURSE I MEANT BEFORE! Sheesh."
"He said 'Excuse me, I think I'm going to lie down'," reported Chet.
"Not very enlightening really. So, now what do we do?"
"You're the reporter," said Chet, shrugging.
"Try shaking him."
"Did that."
"What happened?"
"Wheat started growing out of my jacket," said Chet.
Tim mumbled in his sleep.
"What did he just say?"
"I think he said 'Maize Girl and Barely Woman make three...'"
AMID THE TRAIN WRECKAGE
"There's something else," said Katsumi. "Something important."
"More important than the sky turning gold?" Asked Ali.
"Possibly. I think Nope had a plan."
" 'Get myself killed'…? ," suggested Weiran.
"No, after that."
"After he got himself killed? That's what I call planning ahead."
"It has something to do with you," said Katsumi. "Something..." She grabbed Weiran with one hand and with the other pushed his hair back. "Any idea what this rune means?"
"What rune?"
Katsumi narrowed her eyes and a picture of Weiran manifested before them. Marked, in Nope's blood, on Weiran's brow was a strange symbol.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Lucifer was suddenly standing next to them. "AHH! MY CHAMPION IS ALIVE, I SEE. YOU OVER INDULGED YOURSELF, BROTHER."
"Perhaps I did," said the child, "but that doesn't change anything."
"IT MEANS WE CAN HAVE THE FIGHT ALL OVER AGAIN."
"I don't think so. The rules say the fight is to the death. There are no rules to say the champion has to stay dead."
"HOW VERY CUNNING, BROTHER. I WOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED IT OFF YOU. OF ME, MAYBE."
The child smiled, but remained silent.
"HOWEVER, THERE'S NOTHING STOPPING ME KILLING MY CHAMPION ONCE MORE."
"Just out of spite?"
"WHY NOT? I AM, AFTER ALL, THE EMBODIMENT OF EVIL."
"That's all very fine," snapped Katsumi, "but I'm not your champion."
The child blinked. "What is this?"
The Devil began laughing. "HOW AMUSING! THE OLD BIDDY IN THE BOY'S BODY."
"Old biddy? OLD BIDDY?!" Emerald fire rose up around Katsumi.
"Is this your doing, brother?" asked the child.
"I'M AFRAID NOT; BUT I WISH I'D THOUGHT OF IT! THE CRONE INSIDE..." The Devil's sentence dissolved into laughter.
"I'll crone you, you --" Katsumi's words were cut off as a sapphire muffler closed about her mouth.
"Katsumi," hissed Ali, "Don't mouth off at the Devil. It's probably not very wise."
"THOUGH THAT DOES LEAVE ONE QUESTION," said the Devil, suddenly sober. "WHERE IS MY CHAMPION?"
"What does it matter? You've already lost," said the child. "You know that no matter how much you wriggle you can't get away from that."
"PERHAPS. OR PERHAPS NOT." The Devil gazed into the distance. "AH! THERE HE IS. I'LL JUST - WHAT? YUP? IN MY CHAMBERS? TREACHERY!"
He vanished in a swirl of crimson light and explosion of fire and brimstone.
"Well, that's that over with," said the child. "I'll just --"
There was a second explosion. The Devil reappeared.
"YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO --" He trailed off. "I'M WHERE I WAS! WHAT'S GOING ON? IS THIS YOUR DOING?"
"Why would I want to keep you here?"
"THEN WHAT IS GOING ON?"
"I thought you people were supposed to be omniscient," said Weiran.
"We are," explained the child, "but not even we can know everything simultaneously. It seems your friend has created a living pentagram around us. It seems, brother, that you are trapped."
"YES, BUT YOU'RE FORGETTING ONE THING."
"Which is?"
"YOU'RE TRAPPED IN HERE WITH ME..."
ELSEWHERE : AMONG THE DAMNED
"And so they finally see the full extent of their plight," announced Yup.
"Surely you don't expect that to hold them for long?" Asked Nope.
"Long enough," returned Yup. "The living pentagram is one of the oldest wild magics. Now, I think we shall inspect the troops and then I shall have you tortured for the rest of eternity."
"Why, thank-you," said Nope. "You're most kind." He got to his feet.
Yup gestured and the spectral pool vanished along with the area display. "While I'm at it, I think I might take that sorceress girlfriend for a plaything. I'm sure the dogs would find her as amusing as I do." He clapped his hands and a flight of stairs appeared leading down to the fire pits below. Yup began to descend, gesturing for Nope to follow him.
"You know," said Nope from behind him, "I'd never realized that the phrase 'healthy body, healthy spirit' was meant so literally."
"What are you talking about?" Yup glanced up the stairs. Nope's foot connected with his face.
" -- uuhn -- " managed Yup as he fell backwards. Nope kicked him in the stomach for good measure and the general tumbled down the stairs.
"Get up. GET UP!" Nope pulled him up and hit him. Yup fell backwards, smashing his head against the stone stairs. "You really think you can be anything more than a two-bit crook with delusions of grandeur?"
"SHUT IT!" Yup sat up suddenly, eyes blazing. Nope dived forwards as the stairs beneath his feet exploded.
"DIE," yelled Yup. Nope's hands caught Yup's shoulder as he somersaulted past. A single foot touched a stair and pushed. Nope flipped Yup over, driving an arm into the general's throat. They smashed back onto the stairwell, Nope on top, the full force of his fall concentrated against Yup's windpipe.
Yup yelled in agony as Nope continued his fall, rolling to a stop a couple of steps down. Clutching his throat and gasping for breath, Yup doubled over, vomiting.
"What's wrong? Having trouble breathing?"
Yup glared at him with hatred, unable to speak. His eyes blazed, but the power blast went wild and Yup began choking once more with the strain. Nope, reaching for him once more was interrupted by an alarm sounding. With an oath, Nope turned and ran down the stairs.
More alarms began to sound. Yup followed him slowly down the stairs. At the bottom, Nope found a path that led between the pits and into a tunnel up a head. Seeing no alternative he headed towards the darkness.
"Nope," gasped Yup. "You. Won't. Get. Away."
Ignoring him, Nope ducked into the tunnel. The alarms soon faded away as he felt his way along. The tunnel came out into another cavern. Six eyes watched him balefully from the center of the room. Lying on a stone platform in the center of the cave was a giant, three headed dog. It didn't look very happy.
Nope moved left and the eyes continued to follow him. The dog began to growl. Nope gulped.
"Err... Nice doggy?"
Will Nope end up a doggy treat? Will Yup became the next lord of hell? Will Katsumi remain in Nope's body? Will Tim wake up in time for the next part? Will anyone work out what the rune meant? Will anyone notice that Gabriella neither said or did anything for the entire chapter? TBC....
Chapter 21 THE SOUTHERN REGION OF THE PENTAGRAM
"Oh, looks like he's comin' out of it.", Chet announced.
"Uh...", Tim muttered, starting to wake. "Wha...whu...who? The Devil?"
The reporter chuckled. "Well, can't say I've been called that before. I've been accused of being in league with him, but never being him..."
"Heh heh.", Chet laughed. "Yeah, 'member that guy in..."
"Not now Chet.", the reporter cut in, sighing. He looked back down at Tim, "Who are you buddy?"
Tim focused on the reporter hanging over him. "I'm...Tim. Who're you?"
"Dan Eggelstone, Channel 6 News, Buffalo.", the reporter stated, sticking out a hand.
Tim reached out and gave an uncomfortable shake. His eyes crossed over to the cameraman.
"Chet.", the cameraman said, easing his hold on his video camera. "Chet Guthrie."
Tim nodded, rising to an uneasy standing position. "Well, Dan, Chet, I don't have time to...", he trailed off as he saw the golden light wall before him. "Wow. It worked. It really worked!"
"What worked?", the reporter asked. "You did...YOU DID THIS!?!"
"Yeah.", Tim said. "I mean, I never thought it was going to work, it was a longshot to tell you the truth, but hey, here it is..."
"What is it?", Dan asked. "And can you turn it off?"
"Turn off a Pentagram, hmmm?", Tim said over his shoulder. "That's a good question...."
AMONG THE DAMN...THE FIERY PITS OF HADE...OH HELL...
Nope moved left as all the eyes of the giant three-headed dog continued to follow him, a monstrous growling rumbling from each throat.
Nope gulped, "Err... Nice doggy?"
The stone floor rumbled as the dog leapt down from the platform, Nope momentarily losing his footing. Given a different vantage point, Nope could see an opening on the other side of the cavern.
"Aren't you supposed to stop people from coming in, not trying to leave?", Nope asked.
The center head of the giant dog let loose a singular bark that, had Nope been in the right frame of mind (and body), would have made him soil his pants.
Nope turned, hearing steps from the tunnel he'd dashed through. Yup was coming.
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN CAR
"Allright, allright!", Gabriella the Auditor called out, stepping between the Devil and the celestial child. "Let's have a little solidarity here, fighting isn't going to solve the problems here."
The Devil turned to the child. "AS MUCH AS I HATE TO SAY IT, I MUST AGREE. OUR SQUABBLE MUST TAKE A BACK SEAT TO THE CURRENT SITUATION."
The child nodded. "I concur brother."
Aliandra stood, facing the pair. "First things first. Where's Nope?"
The child looked over at the Devil. "Lucifer?"
The Devil growled. "NOPE IS CURRENTLY IN MY DOMAIN."
"What trickery is this?", Katsumi yelled from Nope's body. "How did you obtain Nope in this bargain? He was your unwilling champion, not your disciple!"
"IT WAS NONE OF MY DOING, I ASSURE YOU.", Lucifer Morningstar admitted. "IT SEEMS SOMEONE HAS AN AMBITION TO RULE MY HOME, AND WANTED NOPE PRESENT TO WITNESS HIS FINAL VICTORY."
"General Yup.", Weiran muttered. "Figures."
Ali shook her head. "Okay, next. What's the deal with the sky turning gold?"
"I think I can answer that."
Everyone turned as a figure enveloped in wheat floated down from above. On the ground below, two other men ran along to keep up.
"Tim!" Aliandra exclaimed.
Tim landed near Ali, Weiran and Nope's body. He blinked twice noticing that Nope and Weiran were both alive. "What happened? Was the fight called off?"
"I am not Nope.", Katsumi said from Nope's body.
Tim arched a brow, "Could've fooled me."
"It's not the point right now.", Weiran said. "What's with the golden sky. We heard something about a pentagram."
"That's right.", Tim said, motioning for the wheat to remove itself from his body, and drop to a pile beside him. "I snuck a peek at a page on Gabriella's notebook, one detailing the emergency containment of...well, needless to say, the Devil is trapped here!"
"So...are...we...", the reporter said through rough intake of breaths, puffing from his run. "We tried...to get...back....out, but...it's like...a wall..."
Tim gave an apologetic smirk, "Yeah, that seems to be a downside, we're trapped here too. But I was kind of hoping...", he trailed off, looking at the child.
"Sorry.", the child said with an understanding smile. "I am contained within as well."
Tim frowned, and some of the wheat that lay about him took to the air as he darted a glance at the Devil. "This is all your fault!!"
"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO ERECTED A PENTAGRAM, PREVENTING US FROM ESCAPE.", Lucifer stated. "YOU DID."
"Bastard!!", Tim raged, as wheat instantly flew to his body, covering it. Ali and the others back away from Tim, wheat beginning to swarm about him in the air. "This whole situation is your fault!! You made the slick man capture the train, you made that General Yup-"
"GENERAL YUP, YES.", the Devil said, seeming to look away for a moment. "I BELIEVE I'M ABOUT TO BE REMEDIED OF HIS SCHEMING..."
HELL
"You shall pay for this insolence Nope.", General Yup muttered as he appeared from the tunnel, clutching his throat. "I've suffered the last indignity I'll ever have to bear. This is your end Nope."
Nope stepped away from Yup's appearance in the cavern, trying to distance himself from him, and the giant three-headed dog. "You keep saying that.", Nope stated. "Yet here I am."
"That will soon be remedied.", General Yup said, grinning. He looked up to the giant dog, and pointed in Nope's direction. "Kill him."
The three heads of the giant dog turned to regard the figure giving them orders. All six eyes narrowed.
General Yup gulped. "Him!", he yelled, pointing at Nope. "I order you, kill him!!"
Nope frowned as the giant dog charged forward, not at him, but at the General. The three heads all clutched Yup in their teeth, as if fighting over him, his screams like nothing Nope had ever heard before.
Nope swallowed hard and broke into a run for the opening on the other side of the cavern, ignoring Yup's screams, and hoping this was the way out of Hell...
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN CAR
Dan the reporter and the cameraman Chet hunched behind a small gathering of rocks. They had strayed from Tim and the others, not quite believing or understanding what was going on.
"Y'know, the way they keep calling that demonic looking fellow 'Lucifer', am I crazy, or does it sound entirely plausible at the moment?", Dan whispered.
"Huh?", Chet answered.
"Right.", the reporter said, shaking his head. "Man, I wish your camera was working."
"It does Dan.", Chet said.
"Yeah well, no use crying over spilt milk I guess...WHAT!?!"
"My camera.", Chet stated. "It works. I always pack an extra battery."
Dan looked at the cameraman in stunned regard. "Chet, I could kiss you!!"
Chet shot his hands up, as if to block whatever kiss was coming.
"...but I won't.", Dan continued. He pointed over the rocks. "Shoot Chet. Shoot"
Lucifer Morningstar tossed his head back in diabolical laughter.
"What is it Lucifer?", the child asked.
"OH NOTHING, JUST GENERAL YUP GETTING WHAT HE DESERVES.", the Devil answered.
"Really?", Weiran asked. "How?"
"I'LL TELL YOU SIMPLY THIS; WHETHER HERE ON EARTH, OR IN THE BOWELS OF HELL, DOGS ARE LOYAL TO THEIR MASTERS.", the Devil answered, grinning.
A rush of wheat zipped by Lucifer's face, not harming him, but definitely spoiling his mood.
"Release Nope from Hell.", Tim ordered, the others having finally filled him in as to what the situation was. An implied threat was clearly shown in his appearance, a golden glow from his eyes, with wheat swirling about him.
"IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE.", the Devil said. "MY REACH STRETCHES NO FURTHER THAN WITHIN THIS PENTAGRAM."
"Myself as well.", the child said with a smile.
"And I'm afraid we've another problem.", the Auditor stated.
"What is it Gabriella?", Ali asked.
"The Pentagram.", she said, gazing at her clipboard, then up at the sky. "It's getting smaller..."
Talk about bad luck! Will Nope escape from Hell, and if so, where will he go? Will the rune on Weiran's brow ever be explained? Is Tim losing control again? Will Dan the reporter get the scoop of a lifetime? Will the 'Summer of Wheat' saga continue into the slowly approaching fall? TBC...
Chapter 22 HELL : WE MEAN THAT LITERALLY
The stone corridor began to slowly curve upwards. Nope rubbed his face against his forearm, wondering why spiritforms could sweat. Maybe it was just force of habit. The rise in altitude wasn't bringing a decrease in temperature.
After another ten minutes walk, the corridor opened out into another cavern. This one was filled with a cityscape, the ceiling so high that the stalactites pushed through a layer of cloud; hot, greasy rain fell slowly to vanish in the low lying smog that clung to the buildings base.
Nope moved slowly into the city, trying his best to ignore the rivulets of rain and sweat oozing inside his clothes. Somewhere close by some one wailed, a low, mournful sound; hanging above the smog, the intricate neon of kanji and corporate logos shivered as though with a sympathetic fear.
It was hard to breathe between the buildings. Nope's lungs sucked whiffs of imminent death and left them on his tongue; the air tasted of ashes. A shadow darkened the fog in front of him and, before Nope could dodge aside a man stepped out.
"Oh, hello," he said. "You're new here, I see." He was tall, balding, scruffily dressed with a pair of pince-nez glasses balanced on a long, sharp nose. He spoke in the precise cultured tones of the old British Empire.
"Who are you?" asked Nope.
"Who are you?" countered the man.
"Don't even think about asking me 'What do you want'," snapped Nope.
"Sorry, force of habit," apologized the man. "I'm not sure what my name is, anymore. I've been here too long. I'm a writer, you know. Used to live in India, back when it was under our rule."
"How nice for you," said Nope. "Do you know the way--"
"Nice? Not really," said the Writer, ignoring the question. "Come on. We'll talk inside. It's easier to breathe in there." He vanished back into the fog. After a second he was back again. "Stay close; it's easy to get lost in this mess."
Nope followed him on a 'go with the flow' principle. They entered a nearby building via a fire escape and a broken window. A saxophone solo filtered down to them through the hole pocked ceiling. The room was filled with dust; no real furniture just a few flat cushions and a fire burning in a metal can in the center of the room. The room stank of rotten meat.
"Where are we?" asked Nope.
"This? This is the Writer's block."
"Is that some kind of a joke?"
"You'd think so, wouldn't you. Come on, my room is at the top." They entered a corridor; the smell got worse.
Nope gagged. "What is that smell?"
"It's the lion," sighed the Writer. "It's dead."
"A dead lion."
"That's right."
"Why is there a... Oh."
"Uh-huh."
"Deadline? That's awful."
"This is hell. To be precise, this is writer's hell." The Writer waved a hand at the dust on the walls. "Go on, try and write something. Anything."
Nope wrote his name in the dust. It came out 'ePn'.
"See what I mean? The only thing that can be written here is tragic love poetry, and it has to be done in the style of a limerick"
"Ouch."
"I used to be quite big when I was alive," said the Writer. "People used to come from miles around to get me to sign their copies of my book." The corridor opened out into a stairwell and they began to ascend. "Then my wife left me and I started drinking; it first it helped me forget her and write and then later it helped me forget I couldn't write anymore. Finally, this man comes to me and says 'What would you give to be able to write one more book?'"
The stairs came to an end at a pokey landing, lit by a naked bulb swinging by its flex from a hole in the ceiling. The Writer fumbled at the door, finally opening it. They stepped into a room as bare as the first one.
"What would I give to write another book? Anything," continued the Writer. "Everything. ' Even your soul', he asks. 'Even that', I reply. 'Done.' he says, and off he goes."
"And you wrote a book?" Nope asked.
"Best damn book I'd ever written. Full of fire and ice, passion and intrigue, mystery and infidelity. It should have been a best-seller."
"Why wasn't it?"
"Before I could take it to be published, I got killed in a automobile accident."
"Nasty."
"That's all the deal was for. To write, not publish. I'm sorry about the mess. I used to be quite a neat man but it's not worth it here. Death changes you. You should know, what with the eyes and all."
"The eyes?"
"Your eyes. They're red."
"Actually," admitted Nope, "they've always been red."
"Really? How interesting. I'd ask you to tell me your story, but..."
"Can't you tell stories?" Nope asked "Do you have to write them down?"
"Oh, we tried telling our stories to each other but after the torture you don't remember them."
"Torture?"
"You see, if we did write what little they allow us, we wouldn't even be able to finish that." The Writer sighed. "Every couple of days, randomly, they select a building, destroy all the writings and torture everyone inside it."
"Goddess!"
"As I believe I said before, this is hell. And, since no one can actually die here, we get to experience the same thing until the end of time and beyond."
"What do you mean 'no-one can actually die here'?"
"Exactly that. This is hell. Even death isn't an escape. After a time, depending on how seriously you were injured, you heal. It can take months, years, centuries even but eventually you come back to normal and they can start the torture all over again. This is, after all --"
"Hell," interrupted Nope. "Yes, I know, you keep saying. Look, is there anyway out of here?"
"No."
"There has to be. If there's a way in, there's a way out."
"There is a way out," admitted the Writer, quickly adding: "But you will never be able to use it."
"Why not?"
"Because it's on the other side of the river that borders the outer ring."
"Can't I just cross the river? Swim it, or ford it somehow?"
"No. You see the geography is this place is not static, like you're used to. It moves. Large things can fit inside small things and still have space. Every river is the same river and a different river, all at the same time." The Writer pointed out of the window. "Can you see the water?"
Nope joined him at the window. "Yes, just, through the smog."
"That is what you have to pass. Only the boatman can cross it with impunity. Should you try to swim, halfway across it might become lava, or acid. It could become Lethe and then you would forget why you wanted to cross and just sink to the bottom for eternity."
A pillar of fire roared towards the sky from out of the water,
"It could be filled with flesh stripping fish. And there's no guarantee that if you managed to get out that you would actually have reached the other side. Space bends here. Its possible to walk in a straight line and still come full circle."
"There must be a way out," insisted Nope.
"Only the boatman could get you across."
"Then how do I get him to take me?"
"I have no idea. Who knows what Charon wants? It would be better for you to stay here."
"I have to go back. Besides, if I stay here a certain recently dismembered person will come looking for me."
"Then I guess you must take your leave. Here," said the Writer. He held out a couple of coins to Nope. "These were supposed to be my death toll but when you sell your soul they come for your personally; you don't have to pay the boatman. I don't know what, if any use they'll be to you."
"I --" Nope hesitated, then took the coins. "Thank-you. If there's anything I can do for you?"
"If you do get out, that last manuscript I wrote? It's in a locker at a bus station." The Writer gave Nope the address. "If it's still there, I'd like you to take it."
"And get it published?"
"And burn it," said the Writer. "Unread. Promise?"
"I promise," said Nope. "And thanks." They shook hands.
It was still raining by the time Nope reached the water's edge. He sat on a rock, overlooking the surface. Soon, a dark speck on the horizon revealed itself as an approaching boat. Absently, Nope scrawled a rune in the dust, wondering how long it would be before anyone realized the significance of its twin on Weiran's brow.
While he waited, the water turned slowly from silver to orange...
AMID THE TRAIN WRECKAGE
In Nope's forgotten backpack, a display lit up. Writing began to tickertape across its screen.
%%WARNING%%63 MIN TO P-SPACE MATRIX COLLAPSE%%WARNING%%
A second, smaller display lit up.
%%Remote warning%%Program initiating%%Scanning for OwnerType%%
A quiet chime began to sound.
Voices drifted towards it from the main wreckage:
"Can't you stop it?"
"NO. THIS IS ITS PURPOSE. ANYTHING REMAINING INSIDE IS REMOVED FROM TIME."
"Don't you have more power on your own turf?" asked Weiran. "Can you move the whole pentagram there?"
"Not without taking a sizable chunk of the Earth's crust away with it," said Gabriella.
"And that would destabilize the Earth, destroying everything," added the child. "I can't allow that."
"What about Megrim's point-of-access spell," asked Katsumi. "Open a hole in the wall, teleport out, allow the pentagram to close empty."
"IF WE USED THAT SORT OF POWER IN HERE WE'D KILL ALL OF YOU, INJURE OURSELVES, AND HAVE NO EFFECT."
"Tim, can't you stop it? Kill off the wheat?"
"No. Not now. It's too late," snarled Tim, "and its all his fault."
Wheat blasted into narrowing circles around Lucifer who ignored them.
"Why is it getting so hot in here?" asked Weiran.
"PRESSURE INCREASE RESULTS IN TEMPERATURE INCREASE. IT'LL GET WORSE."
"Well, that's very reassuring," muttered Ali.
%%OwnerType found%%Attempting transfer%%Transfer impossible%%
"Look, it's a pentagram, right. Something you summon things into?" asked Weiran. "Can't you 'un-summon' us or something?"
"No," said the child. "Things aren't summoned into the living pentagram; the pentagram is created around those you wish to contain so it has different properties."
"How about trying to punch a hole through at one of the weak points, the nodes?" asked Katsumi.
"WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH POWER. AND EVEN IF WE DID, WITHOUT PROPER SHIELDING IT WOULD DESTABILISE THE PENTAGRAM, AND WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO CONSTRUCT SUCH SHIELDS."
"It's subsequent collapse would be the equivalent of a black hole suddenly appearing on the Earth's surface," continued Gabriella.
"And that's bad right?"
"Kaboom," said Weiran.
"Exactly."
Dan and Chet, filming this from behind the rocks, exchanged glances and shrugs. Neither was quite sure what was going on.
%%Secondary Program Activated%%Attempting OwnerType retrieval%%Initiating Opener%%Scanning for suitable source portal%%Scanning...%%Scanning...%%
"You know, I'm sure we're missing something really obvious," muttered Katsumi.
"Like what?" asked Tim.
"If I knew that, we wouldn't be missing it," snapped Katsumi.
"Can we add another pentagram here?" asked Ali. "Send it expanding outwards? So the two cancel out when they meet?"
"WE COULD..."
"...but the shockwave would rotate this planet ninety degrees through the dimensions."
"So?" asked Weiran.
"But you wouldn't take your sun with you," added the child. "The whole world would freeze."
%%Source Portal Type Gamma found%%Within required program parameters%%Activating Opener%%Activating Retrieval warning%%Retrieval in 10%% Retrieval in 9%% Retrieval in...
"Hey," asked Weiran. "Can any of you hear something?"
"Like what?" asked Ali.
"A sort of high pitched humming sound?"
"I don't hear anything," said Tim.
"It's coming from--"
The rune on Weiran's forehead suddenly began to blaze with orange light...
What is going on? Does anyone know? Will Nope manage to convince the boatman of the damned to give him a lift? Will anyone wonder why Nope has so much illegal technology in his backpack? Will Tim, Weiran, Ali et al. Actually do something more than stand around talking in the next episode? TBC...
Chapter 23 CHANNEL 6 NEWS : BUFFALO
The station manager came in with a cough, shaking the rainwater from his umbrella. His eyes were squinted, he still wasn't fully awake, but he found his news director at one of the monitors. "Benny, you'd better have a good reason for waking me up at two o'clock in the morning..."
"Take a look boss.", the news director said, not taking his eyes from the monitor. "You remember when you told us to put those broadcast link tracers on our video cameras?"
The station manager came behind Benny, taking off his trenchcoat. "Yeah, that was last week, we've only installed one so far if I remember correctly."
"That's right boss.", Benny said, pointing at the monitor he'd been watching. "Take a look."
The station manager leaned in, looking at the display on the monitor. "That's V-3, the camera with the video link.", he noticed, watching the display, seeing several figures in the picture. "What's going on? Does that guy think he's the Devil or something?", he said, pointing to the fellow in the suit with wings and a tail.
"Near as I can tell, this footage is from about an hour ago.", Benny said, then motioning to another monitor higher up on the wall. He pressed a button, and the higher monitor started to play something. "This is what they'd been filming, before I noticed the live feed."
The station manager's mouth dropped as he saw a flying golden figure tearing up a trench with but a gesture, filling it with what appeared to be...wheat? "Holy shit Benny, what the heck is that?"
Benny smiled, feeling his excitement snagging the station manager. "I don't know, but this is great stuff isn't it? I checked the overnight equipment check-out log, it's Dan and Chet. I don't know where they are but..."
"WOAH!", the station manager exclaimed, staring at the live feed. "Did you see that? That guy just blasted the demonic business man with some flying wheat! And look at that little kid, he's glowing! What's the deal with that guy's forehead, it's glowing orange...!?!"
"So boss?", the news director asked.
"Call the other affiliates Benny!", the station manager yelled, taking a seat. "They've got 10 minutes to let us know if they want in!"
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN
The rune on Weiran's forehead suddenly began to blaze with orange light. "Aaaaaaarghhh!", he cried, dropping to the ground, rolling around in pain.
%%Retrieval in 8%%
"Weiran!", Ali yelled, dropping down to help him. "What's happening?"
"The rune.", Katsumi announced from Nope's body. "I think I've finally accessed Nope's memories on what it means. It's some sort of lifeline."
"Lifeline?", Ali asked, trying to calm Weiran jolting body.
%%Retrieval in 7%%
"Yes, when someone's essence leaves their body, the only way they can return is by following their lifeline, a connection to their physical being.", Katsumi explained. "Amidst the battle, he had no time to mark himself with the rune, so he did the next best thing, he put it on Weiran."
"So Nope intended to come back, but in Weiran?", Tim asked.
%%Retrieval in 6%%
"For all intents and purposes, yes.", Katsumi answered. "When the Soulknife itself contains no 'soul', it acts a conduit, a transfer point. This explains how I was thrust into Nope's body, from Aliandra's mind. Nope probably marked the rune on Weiran as a fail-safe, in case his gambit with the Soulknife hadn't worked. I must commend him on that action, or he might very well be condemned to Hell for all eternity..."
%%Retrieval in 5%%
The Devil and the Celestial child sat nearby, Gabriella the Auditor standing near them scribbling furiously on her clipboard. Despite the situation, the child had a large grin on his face as he watched Tim, Aliandra, Weiran and Katsumi (in Nope's body).
"WHAT'S WITH YOU?", the Lucifer asked.
The child turned momentarily, still smiling, "Do you ever just sit back and watch the things you've made, watch in wondrous fascination?"
The Devil was lost in thought for a moment. "ON THIS, I MUST AGREE."
%%Retrieval in 4%%
Aliandra shook her head, as if it was all to much for her to comprehend. "So, how do we get Nope back?"
Katsumi sighed, "I can't be sure, but I suspect the Pentagram is causing interference in Nope's link to the rune..."
THE RATED 'R' VERSION OF "HECK"
Nope stood back from water's edge, the water having just turned from silver to orange. Not just orange, but a glowing orange. The speck had become a shape, and the shape became the form of a barge. Nope shook his head, as he gazed down to the rune he'd traced in the dirt, it had somehow solidified, and burned at the edges. When he looked up again, a dock had appeared to Nope's left, and the barge was slowly nearing.
Nope sped along the bank, turning as he felt his shoes slap against the creaking wood of the dock. He stopped in his tracks, as a skeletal figure stepped off the barge, dressed in what a typical dock-worker would wear, if he'd been something other than a skeleton. Nope gulped, as the skeleton held out a bony hand.
"Ya comin' kid?", the skeletal dock worker asked.
"Uh...yeah.", Nope said, stepping onto the barge.
A short burst of flame erupted where Nope's foot was to land, and he stepped back. Had the perpetual look of the skeleton's skull not itself looked like a grin, he imagined the being before him would have been grinning anyway.
"Gotta pay da toll,kid.", the dock worker said, motioning to his outstretched hand. "Ain't nuthin' fer free, not even 'n Hell..."
Nope smiled nervously as he searched his pockets. He finally came up with the coins the Writer had given him, and placed them in the skeletal palm.
The skeleton dock worker stepped aside, ushering Nope aboard. He then turned back, to the barge, "Okay Murray, let 'em through!"
Nope edged the rail of the barge as he saw many figures in large chains being led from the boat. They gazed over at Nope pleadingly, but he knew he couldn't do anything for them.
Nope turned and looked out over the orange glow of the water. His gaze stopped on a lone figure at the waters edge, staring at him intently. "Yup.", Nope muttered, staring back. He knew General Yup couldn't reach him now, but he felt the hatred from across the waters, and he knew that this wasn't the last time they would meet.
Nope felt the barge move beneath him, signifying that they were off and running again. "Surprised kid?", the skeletal dock worker said, standing behind him, giving Nope the scare of a lifetime.
"Well, sort of.", Nope answered with a nervous smile. "I was...I expected..."
"A small boat? A lone skeletal figure ta pole his way across da water?", the skeletal dock worker answered for him. "Progress kid, progress. The way Charon's luggin' folks across da water, two or 'tree at a time, it ain't 'cost feasible' as he likes ta put it."
The skeletal dock worker pointed with a bony figure to the top of the boat. Nope saw a black robed skeleton, steering at a large wheel, staring out, oblivious to those below.
"Yeah, he ain't usin' da pole no more, but he still likes da job.", the skeletal dock worker said.
Nope nodded as his eyes crossed to the front of the boat. A large orange swirling portal, larger than the barge itself, was hanging in mid-air, the lower half under the orange waters. He looked back, but the skeletal dock worker was gone. He looked back as the tip of the boat entered the orange portal, disappearing.
Nope looked up, to see Charon's skeletal form gazing at him. ~~Feel honored young traveller.~~ Charon's deep voice spoke, resonating within Nope's head. ~~You are one of few that has made the journey back...~~
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN CAR
%%Retrieval in 3%%
"Uh, Dan?", the cameraman asked.
"What Chet?", the reporter asked, enthralled with the events transpiring.
"What's this light mean?"
Dan looked over to the camera, at the light Chet was pointing to. There was some sort of addition to the camera he hadn't noticed before.
%%Retrieval in 2%%
"Oh. OH! OHHH!!!!", Dan said, getting very excited.
"What?", Chet asked.
"That's the live video feed connection, that means they're picking all this up back at the station!", Dan exclaimed. He leaped over the rocks with his microphone, giving his hair a quick brush with his hand. "Okay focus on me Chet..."
%%Retrieval in 1%%
"This is Dan Eggelstone reporting live from...from somewhere in Canada. The long destined struggle between good and evil has ever been present in our day and age-"
Weiran's scream of unbridled pain shocked all present into dead silence...
Holy Moley! What's happening to Weiran? Has Nope escaped Hell? What of the shrinking pentagram? Will Dan get the scoop of a lifetime? Even if Nope does make it back, what will he, Tim, Aliandra, Katsumi, Weiran, the Devil, Gabriella the Auditor, and the Celestial Child do to escape? TBC...
Chapter 24 CHANNEL 6 NEWS : BUFFALO
The video conference screens lit up.
"You may have wondered why I called you here," began the station manager.
"Cut the bull, Jack; we've seen the feed," said the short, fat man in black. His name tag identified him as Clifford N. Winter.
"Then you understand why I thought a consultation with--"
"I understand that you wanted to boost your fee by getting prime network time," said the tall, balding man in charcoal gray. His badge was entitled Aaron Jackson-Unwin. His aide bustled fretfully in the background.
"The feed is interesting but we don't have enough information for a by-line, let alone a report," put in Clifford.
"I'm sure something along the lines of 'We're getting a report of meta-human conflict in--' Where are they, anyway?" asked Jack. "Benny?"
"We can't pinpoint their exact location. Something is interfering with our direct satellite linkup which is why we're only getting intermittent broadcasts instead of continuous feed. We know they're in Canada, somewhere within a two mile radius of this spot." He tapped the map in front of him. "They're somewhere near where two train line's intersect. That narrows it down to about four or five spots to look."
"We've got our helicopters combing the area," put in Jack. "We're likely to have more information in the next couple of minutes."
"Live feed's cleared up," said Benny.
Dan's voice echoed into the meeting room: "This is Dan Eggelstone reporting live from...from somewhere in Canada. The long destined struggle between good and evil has ever been present in our day and age-" A scream cut the reporter off.
"Who was that?" asked Aaron's aide.
"The scream? We don't have--"
"Not that," interrupted the aide. "Him." He pointed to a black haired figure on the screen. "can you blow this image up?"
"Sure," said Benny. he manipulated a few controls. The image expanded to fill the screen; it was Nope. "I'll try and clear it up but you can't really get much at this resolution."
"You've already got enough," said the aide. "Enough to recognize him."
"Indeed," said Clifford. "And do you?"
"Yes," said Aaron. "Remember, a couple of months back, up north somewhere? All those stories about a vampire hunting cult? That's Reece Karlayna. We never did find out what his exact involvement was."
"We've got a feed from one of our roving helicopter's," said Benny. "I think you ought to see this." Another monitor lit up, showing a jerky picture of a golden dome centered over a train wreckage. "Our men are inside that thing."
"This has suddenly become more interesting," said Clifford. "I believe Winter Inc. would like to back this report. We have a vested interest in Reece Karlayna, or whatever his real name is."
"We agree," said Aaron. "Put a report together. The network will begin transmitting in twenty minutes. I think this may be worth interrupting normal schedule's for."
"We will, of course, pay you for your footage," said Clifford. "I'll have my lawyers draw something up. Gooday, gentlemen." The video screen cut to black and then to the Winter Inc. logo.
"You have twenty minutes to put your footage together," said Aaron. "Contact me again when its ready." His screen cut to the network logo.
"Benny, get Karl in here. I want Sandy to do the anchor from this end. Try and clear up this tapes as much as possible. If you can't get enough from Dan for a proper overlay, make something up and do it yourself. Let's move it; if you can't find enough staff here, get some of the layabouts out of bed. It'll do 'em good to shake 'em up once in a while."
On the screen, Dan's voice came through once again: "...going on; the pentagram shield that is keeping us in here is slowly moving towards us. Right now, there seems to be some sort of emergency going on...."
AMID THE TRAIN WRECKAGE
"...right now, there seems to be some sort of emergency going on. As far as I can make out, an attempt is being made to save someone who was killed earlier; this attempt has gone horribly wrong..."
"We have to break the lifeline," snapped Katsumi.
"No," yelled Ali. "If we do that we condemn Nope to eternal damnation."
"If we don't do it, Weiran will die."
"There's has to be another way."
"I've been strengthening the tie," said Katsumi, " but if I put any more power into it I might overload everything, burn Weiran's mind out neuron by neuron."
%%Retrieval instigated%%Attempting spatial integration%%Compensating for P-Space disruption to radical vectors%%Warning! P-Space instability increasing%%
The rune blazed brighter and Ali let go involuntarily. Tim grabbed Weiran before he could fall.
Weiran's eyes turned from gray to crimson. He lunged out of Tim's grasp, grabbed Katsumi and, in Nope's voice, demanded "Give me your power."
"What?!"
"Damn it, woman, give me your power!"
ON CHARON'S BOAT
The boat slipped silently into the swirling orange portal.
"What is this place?" Asked Nope. They were sailing in a long orange tunnel; dark streaks coiled around them, spiraling backwards along the glowing walls. Occasionally, bright pulses of light sped past in whistling lines.
A voice began singing all around them. "You're everywhere and nowhere, baby; that's where you're at; going down a bumpy hillside, in your hippy hat..." the song dissolved into a woman's laughter, then faded away. A floppy, multi colored top hat appeared on Nope's head.
"Thank-you," said Nope, examining the hat. "And now, can I have an answer I understand?"
~~This is the nexus.~~ said Charon. ~~The nature of the flux that is the border of hell's reality means that it is too mana-depletive to constantly protect the boat against the water's properties.~~
"So you go around it?"
~~Exactly.~~
"Who was that singing?"
~~An aspect of the triad goddess of fate. She finds you amusing.~~
"That explains a lot," muttered Nope.
~~It was her intervention that allowed us to accept your payment for passage.~~, said Charon. ~~Otherwise, you would have remained behind.~~
"I really hate all this 'cosmic' stuff."
~~They know.~~ An alarm began to sound; a second portal appeared in front of them. ~~Re-entering normal space.~~
The boat slipped as silently out of the portal as it had entered it, and they drew up to a dock almost identical to the one they had left. In fact, thought Nope, it looks exactly identical... Uh-oh! The boat stopped against the dock, and a skeletal figure approached.
"That was a quick..." It was the skeleton addressed as Murray. "Hey, what are you doing still on board? Where's the cargo?"
~~What is going on here?~~ asked Charon. ~~This is not our destination. Who has dared interfere with me, Charon, Boatman of the Damned, Purveyor of Souls across the Waters of Hell, first Guardian of the Watery Gates of Hades?~~
"Uh-oh," said Murray. "The boss always uses his full title when he's really mad."
"Did you really think you could escape me?" Yup stepped out of the shadows.
"This is the point where I'm supposed to exclaim your name in shock, isn't it?" asked Nope.
"No, this is the point where you die."
"No one dies in hell. Look at you. You just got eaten by Cerberus..."
"DON'T MENTION THAT NAME!" yelled Yup. He began detailing the tortures he would put the animal through. His voice, and everything around them slowly faded from Nope's sight. For a brief moment he was...
...standing among the wreckage of a train, his friends nearby; he could hear a high pitched humming sound. Suddenly, fire burned at his forehead, screaming through his body and he fell...
...to his knees on the wooden rafters of the dock.
"...boiling tar and a rusty butter knife." finished Yup. "But first, I'm going to remove you once and for all."
~~Who are you?~~ asked Charon, menacingly.
"I am your master." snapped Yup.
~~Did you interfere with my boat?~~ asked Charon with greater menace.
Off to the side, a rune carved into the rock suddenly blazed with orange light. Nope found himself surrounded by a pillar of orange.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" yelled Yup. "YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME?"
Yup's eye blazed as Nope turned and...
...screamed again as the fire burned deeper into his mind. Ali fell away, hand raised protectively to shield her eyes, and hands caught him from behind. Katsumi leaned forward, and he pulled away, reaching for her. Forcing reluctant vocal chords to move, mouth to open, he gasped "Give me your power."
"What?!"
"Damn, it woman, give me your power!"
She hesitated, then said the three most dangerous words a magician can utter; the spell that transfers all of your power to someone else. He was suddenly awash with emerald fire as he...
...raised a hand a conjured a shield between himself and Yup. The power blast arced off.
"I don't know how you did that, Nope," hissed Yup, "but I didn't bring you back here just to let you go again." The power blast doubled, then tripled in intensity.
A bony hand closed around Yup's throat. ~~You interfered with my boat.~~ said Charon. ~~No-one interferes with my boat.~~
"I am your master." gasped Yup.
~~I have no master.~~, snapped Charon. ~~This is Union work.~~ The skeleton squeezed, glancing towards Nope ~~Master Callahan, I suggest you use this opportunity to leave. As I did not manage to complete the passage for which you paid, you may have a free trip at some later date.~~
"Hopefully I won't need to take that up," said Nope, "But thank-you."
~~No thanks are necessary. Union policy. As for you…~~ said Charon, turning back to Yup. ~~I know what I shall do with you. There's a certain dog that owes me a favor or two; he really likes his bones...~~
Nope turned his back on the struggling General, and reached through the link...
...to the anchor. Emerald fire coiled around him as he conjured an opening.
%%...boosting gain%%Compensating for intereference%%Completing spatial integration%%WARNING! Power level below optimum...%%
"Not enough power," he gasped.
"It's all I could transfer without killing you," said Katsumi.
"Quick," said Tim. "Take this." He placed his hands on Weiran's shoulders.
A line of gold wove its way around the orange and emerald lifeline. He caught it and dived forwards, following where it pulled...
AMID THE TRAIN WRECKAGE
...and suddenly, without warning, Nope was back. The multi-colored hat appeared on his head in a flash of gold light.
"Well, that was fun," he began, then glanced down at himself. "Hmm. Wrong body." In Weiran's voice he continued: "Get out of my head, bro'". He answered himself "Would if I could, kid." Weiran again: "You got yourself into this mess, get yourself out of it."
Weiran's body continued to argue with itself.
"Well, he's back," said Tim. "Though I don't think that was the best choice of destination. Can you do anything?"
"Hang on," said Ali. "This is going to get complicated."
"Hey, you two," said Nope - er.. Katsumi. "Stop arguing for a second, will you?"
"Sure," said Weiran, or possibly Nope.
"Sorry," said Nope, or possibly Weiran.
There was a flash of sapphire power; blue lines suddenly connected Nope, Weiran and Ali and the Soulknife. Another flash of blue blazed...
Meanwhile, the demon broke off in mid sentence and gazed into the distance.
"Now what?" asked the child.
"JUST SOME UNION TROUBLE," said Lucifer. "NOTHING TO GET WORRIED ABOUT."
"I see what you mean," said the child. "That dog's going to get fat. Now, where were we?"
"CONSIDERING THE COROLLA SIDE-STEP SPELL."
"Too steep a spatial gradient," said Gabriella, having just worked out the math. "What about Murtoch's Sympathetic Teleport?"
BACK WITH THE OTHERS...
"No, that's not it," said Katsumi from inside Weiran.
"Sorry, I shuffled it the wrong way," said Ali from inside Nope.
"This is worse than before," said Weiran from inside Ali. "You can say that again," he added in Nope's voice. "Though, it does have some advantages," began Weiran.
There was a third blaze of blue power, brighter than before.
"Well?" asked Tim.
"I think that worked," said Ali. I'm here, said Katsumi.
"Phew! It's a lot less crowded with only one person in here," said Weiran.
"You can say that again," said Nope. He took off his shades. "Next time, you can do the old knife in the chest routine, kid."
"Next time, you can stay dead," snapped Weiran. "That rune thing hurt."
"Hurt?" asked Nope. "You must have misactivated it."
"Erm, Nope," said Tim. "We didn't."
"Didn't what?"
"Activate it?"
"Then who did?" Nope glanced around him. "And what's with the reporters? For that matter, have we moved? That shield wall looks a lot closer than it did on the map." He looked at his friends. "It is closer, isn't it?"
"It's not that it's closer," began Weiran.
"Just that it's smaller," added Ali.
"And still shrinking," finished Tim.
"You have a plan, though, don't you,?" asked Nope. "You do have a plan?"
They shook their heads.
"You don't have a plan." Nope sighed. "Could someone send me back to hell? Anyone?"
"Look at it this, way," said Tim. "Things can't get much worse."
Standing behind his camera, Chet focused on each of the group in turn. "You know," he said to Dan, "The one in the stupid hat looks just like Reece Karlayna...."
Will they ever find a way out of the pentagram? Will Nope remember his back pack? Will anyone feel the adverse effects of being in each other's bodies? Will Dan get his scoop or will something unexpected happen? Why was an aspect of fate singing lyrics from 'Hi Ho Silver Lining'? TBC...
Chapter 25 CHANNEL 6 : BUFFALO
"Trouble boss!", the news director called out.
Jack, the station manager, pushed his way through the flow of bodies. What was but an empty production room half an hour ago was now a bustling news gathering, employees rushing around to do their jobs with renewed vigor, the groundbreaking footage having a profound effect on all present. He finally got to Benny's side. "What's up Benny?"
"Just got a call from my 'mole' up in Canada..."
"'Mole'?", Jack asked.
"...my cousin.", Benny said, smiling. "Apparently Canadian television stations are now on the ball. I'm told one of them caught snippets of the video feed, and now many of our northern neighbor's news crews are 'en route' to the scene."
"Damn!", Jack cursed. "How much time?"
"Don't know boss.", Benny answered, cleaning up some of the footage on the nearest monitor. "But I imagine we can't keep this bun in the oven for much longer. Not if we're still shooting for the first place ribbon."
"We'll have to jump the gun.", Jack muttered, pulling out a chair and standing up on it. He waved his hands trying to get everyone's attention. "LISTEN UP PEOPLE! I WANT US UP AND RUNNING IN T-MINUS 10 MINUTES!"
THE WRECKAGE OF THE TRAIN CAR
Standing behind his camera, Chet focused on each of the group in turn. "You know," he said to Dan, "The one in the stupid hat looks just like Reece Karlayna...."
Dan gave an annoyed look, but turned anyway. "Y'know Chet, he sure does! That was that 'vampire hunting cult' story, wasn't it?"
Chet shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno."
"They never did figure out his connection.", Dan continued, muttering to himself. "This could be an added bonus."
"I could use it, with Christmas comin' up soon..."
Dan arched a brow. "Not a cash bonus you moron! Oh....forget it!", he said, looking at the large demonic type person and the glowing kid starting to argue. "Chet, focus on them..."
"NO!", the Devil raged. "I'LL NOT AGREE TO IT!"
"You have no choice, brother.", the child said calmly. "We've run out of options."
"WHAT ABOUT CALEN'S MATTER DISPERSEMENT SPELL? KATRINA'S TEMPERED WAVE ENCHANTMENT?"
"Those spells are limited to you and I alone, and are not guaranteed to be successful.", the child stated. "I'll not leave the others, and neither will you."
"THEN I SHALL SLAY THEM, SO AS TO MAKE YOUR DECISION EASIER.", Lucifer Morningstar said with an evil grin.
"No, you shall not.", the child said, his glow intensifying.
"Okay, we've had just about enough of this.", Nope said, stepping up near the arguing pair. "What are you going to do to get us out of this?" Behind him, Tim stepped up to his left, his eyes glowing gold, as much wheat flowed about him. Weiran placed himself to Nope's right, his biomechanical suit fully charged, ready for anything.
Aliandra and Gabriella the Auditor looked at each other, shaking their heads.
"Boys, boys, boys.", Ali said, smiling. "There's no need to fight, we can resolve this matter rationally."
"Talk, talk, talk, that's all anyone's been doing!", Tim said angrily. "In the meantime, we've got the incredible shrinking Pentagram to worry about, while Johnny Demonic here schemes a way to save his own butt!"
"You are right, Tim. The time for talk is over.", Gabriella cut-in, facing the Devil and the celestial child. "We've no choice, we must summon the Nexus Object."
"Nexus Object?", Weiran echoed. "And just what is that?"
"It is the thing that keeps all creation from dissipating into nothing.", the child explained. "It is the key to space and time."
"Just what do we do with this Nexus Object?", Nope asked.
"We break it.", the child answered.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT.", the Devil raged. "I'LL HAVE NO PART OF IT'S SUMMONS."
"Then you doom us all.", Gabriella stated.
"ALL MY PLANS WILL BE WASTED IF I AGREE.", Lucifer said, his face starting to look a little strained. "ALL MY...PLANS..."
Nope and the others stepped back as the Devil stuck a hand out, balancing himself on a nearby rock. His orange glow started to waver slightly as his appearance seemed less imposing.
"Screw your plans!", Tim raged, sending a stream of wheat circling the Devil's throat. "You won't be around to see if they work!"
The Devil grunted as the stream tightened around his neck. Ali cringed slightly as Katsumi spoke only to her, That young man has courage, brash as it may be, I'll give him that! Were the Devil in better condition, I shudder to think what his reaction would be...
"Not only Lucifer...is troubled, Katsumi..."
Ali turned to see Gabriella kneeling on the ground, holding the child's head in her lap as he lay sprawled before them.
"What is it?", Weiran asked. "What can we do?"
"Nothing...", the child answered, with a brief smile. "We grow weak...as the pentagram...loses it's size..."
"Tim, let him go!", Nope ordered, pointing at the Devil.
Tim looked up angrily at Nope, but nodded, releasing his stream of wheat from around the Devil's neck.
Nope straddled Lucifer, grabbing him by the collar. "Listen up Luke, as you can see, moments from now, you won't be able to save your own ass, let alone all of ours. You might as well do what your 'brother' says and help him summon this Nexus thing."
The Devil mustered enough strength to push Nope away, as he pulled his body up against the rock. He eyed Tim, Nope, Weiran, and Aliandra all in turn. "I'LL NOT SOON...FORGET THIS...HUMILIATION, MORTALS."
The child's head rose briefly, "So Lucifer...my brother...we are agreed...?"
The Devil scowled, "AGREED."
The child's gaze rose up weakly to focus on Gabriella. She met the gaze, and nodded with some obvious regret. She stood, and walked between the two weakened figures. She clutched her clipboard in her hand, and righted her glasses. She looked at the assembled group, muttering, "Goodbye."
"Wha...?", Aliandra voiced, not understanding.
The Devil and the celestial child raised their hands from their lying positions, as mystic forces crossed between them, arcing through Gabriella. She muffled her cries as the forces intensified, rocking her back and forth.
A flash of blinding light seemed to physically push everyone back a pace, as a gut wrenching sound similar to a deep, resonant rip shook the ground. When the light had faded, in a scorched spot where Gabriella stood sat diamond shaped artifact.
"What...what happened?", Tim asked.
"THE STRAIN...WAS TOO...MUCH...FOR US...", the Devil barely managed to say.
"We needed...Gabriella's energies...to make...the transfer...complete...", the child said, lip wavering as he attempted to smile.
Nope walked to the scorched spot, taking the object in his hand. He could feel it in his palm, but it gave no sensation of weight. He looked down to the Devil and the child, both seeming to be unconscious, if that was at all possible for them.
Tim was about to see it for himself, but his foot tripped over something. He looked down to see the clipboard on the ground. He picked it up, gazing at the writings on the first page, seeing his name at the top of it.
"What is it?", Weiran asked, coming to look over his shoulder, Aliandra following as well.
"It's Gabriella's clipboard, she wrote something to me!", Tim announced. "She'd foreseen this happening, that's why she was so quiet that whole time earlier, she'd been writing!"
"Writing what?", Nope asked, still gazing at the object.
"Instructions, and from the looks of it, a description of what the Nexus Object is...", Tim answered.
Dan was sweating as he looked out from behind the rocks, Chet still working the camera beside him.
"Did you see that?", Dan whispered excitedly. "That was...it was...wow...!"
Chet nodded, taking a moment to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he tapped Dan. "Look Dan!"
Dan turned and saw that the transparent golden wall was alot closer now. Through the wall, he could make out some figures and vehicles. What is going on out there?, Dan thought, scratching his head. His head turned skyward as he heard the sound of a chopper fly by. "Chet, keep your camera on the group, I'm gonna see if I can contact someone out there."
"Gotcha Dan.", Chet called, focusing once again on Tim, Nope and the others.
"Okay, it seems the Nexus Object is like the kid said, the key to space and time, blah, blah, blah, okay here..."... keep in mind that the Nexus Object has never been tampered with as you'll no doubt be considering. It is quite unknown as to what the results will be. I do know that once the Nexus Object is broken, there will be an explosion in the fabric of time. What is unknown, is how devastating the result will be, if it will destroy everything for all time, or just a small part of it..."".
"So were damned if we do, damned if we don't?", Nope asked.
"I don't think so, listen to this.", Tim continued, letting the wheat detatch from his body as he powered down. "I have a theory that may prove valuable. The Nexus Object itself cannot cease to exist, so attempting to 'break' it may create a variety of paradoxes within the timestream. As a defense mechanism, when the area of time is destroyed by the shattering of the Nexus Object, it may reach out to a period of time that is untouched by the events that lead to it's destruction, thus perhaps in a sense, repairing the timestream by altering certain events..."
"That's crazy!", Weiran said, shaking his head. "How...I mean, how...?"
"I know it sounds crazy bro', but it's all we have.", Nope said, holding the Nexus Object between the four of them. "Who does the honors...?"
Well, this is a fine mess we're in now! Who will break the Nexus Object? Who CAN break the Nexus Object? Are the Devil and the celestial child really out of it? Will Dan contact someone on the outside of the pentagram? Is Chet wearing jeans that reveal his butt crack? TBC...
Chapter 26 OUTSIDE THE PENTAGRAM
The van bounced across the dirt track, Canadian Network News logo fluorescing in the reflected light of the pentagram wall. It curved to a halt in a spray of dust, its occupants jumping out before it finally came to a juddering stop. Overhead the news helicopter buzzed back and forth.
The first reporter ran up to a group of white coated people standing around a bank of instruments.
"...changing frequency moves the spectrum range that penetrates the wall."
"Then how is the video feed coming through, Doctor Brightman?"
"Coherent light; it's being transmitted by lazer to the V-3 satellite. That's how we intercepted the broadcast in the first place," said the Doctor.
"What's our status, Doc?" Asked the reporter.
"Harry, hi." The Doctor pulled the reporter in front of the instrument bank. "The... er.. anomaly is shrinking. It will be gone completely in about 45 minutes but with the pressure and temperature increase I'm not sure anyone can survive inside it for more than about another twenty minutes."
"Any idea what's caused it?"
"No; our occult-experts say its a 'Living Pentagram' but they're still researching cause and effect."
"Can we get another camera inside?" asked Harry.
"No. Nothing's coming in or out," sighed the Doctor.
There came a yell; people began running.
"What's going on?" yelled the reporter.
One of the running men glanced back. "Someone's come up against the edge; we're going to try and communicate."
"Wait for me." The reporter fished a dictaphone from his jacket. "Thanks, Doc. Can I get an statement later?"
"Sure, Harry," said the Doctor. "I'll try and get more information for you."
"Wait for me." The reporter fished a dictaphone from his jacket. "Thanks, Doc. Can I get an statement later?"
"Sure, Harry," said the Doctor. "I'll--" He stopped, confused.
"Didn't we already do this?" asked Harry with a matching expression. "What the hell is going on?!"
CHANNEL 6 NEWS : BUFFALO
"T Minus 4 minutes," yelled Jack, the station manager.
"We've got the network on the phone," yelled Benny across the tumult. "They've got an opening for us in two minutes. Shall we delay them?"
"No need," said a technician, dumping a tape on the control desk. "We've got a two minute opening segment right here. Used some of the old feed and cuts to the report on Reece Karlyana. Got Annabelle to do a voice over."
"We've managed to boost the signal from the V-3 satellite and we're clearing up the live feed," said another technician. "We'll be able to go to the full report in about three minutes. We just have to get a voice sync and-- What the hell was that?!"
Every screen in the room flickered simultaneously, the images doubling. For a brief moment the room was suddenly filled with a thousand or more ghostly forms. As quickly as they had come, they vanished.
"Did everyone see that?" asked Jack. "What was it?"
"Don't know, chief, but we've got sound back on the live feed," yelled a technician.
"We've got Winter on the phone," put in Benny. "He wants to know what's going on. What shall I tell him?"
"Tell him we're almost ready and we'll keep him informed," snapped Jack. "Annabelle! Get into the recording booth and get those voice overs done. John! Chuck! Drop whatever you're doing and get onto the Boston Tech lab. I want to know how far that -- whatever it was spread and what it was. If they don't know, get them to guess and get them on tape. Move it, people! T-Minus 3 minutes."
INSIDE THE WALL : DAN
"Hey! Can any of you hear me?" Dan pounded against the golden wall which chimed resonantly. "Hey! Over here!"
People began clustering around the outside of the Pentagram. They mouthed, silently like fish; the golden light distorted things to much to lip read. A man, dressed in white, held up a black tube against the wall. There was a flash of red light.
A woman approached the wall carrying a large board. She held it up; written on it was: "We're using a lazer microphone to pick up what you're saying. You're transmitting by lazer link up to the satellite; can you receive?"
"I don't think so," said Dan. "The transceiver's built into the camera. It's one way."
The woman cleared the board and wrote upon it. "We'll have to put up with this. Can you tell us what's going on?"
"Who are you?" asked Dan. "I'd like to know who I'm talking to."
"Canadian Network News; Channel 6; BBCWorld Service; USNews; GBS; PESN; And a lot more. Every major Canadian news channel and a lot of the US ones as well."
Woah! thought Dan. Thank-you lord! This is what I call a scoop! He took a deep, calming breath savoring the image: Dan Eggelstone; internationally renowned journalist!
INSIDE THE WALL
"I know it sounds crazy bro', but it's all we have," Nope said, holding the Nexus Object between the four of them. "Who does the honors?"
"What makes you think we can break it all?" asked Weiran.
"I'm not sure we actually have to break it," mused Ali. "If Gabriella's theory is correct, just attempting it should have the required effect."
"I know it sounds crazy bro', but it's all we have," Nope said, holding the Nexus Object between the four of them. "Who does the honors?"
"What makes--" Weiran trailed to a halt. "Er... Did anyone else notice that?"
"Notice what?" asked Nope.
"It was like--"
SHIFT
... and they were standing in a field of wheat. A blond haired kid ran towards them chased by a group of thugs. The kid tripped and fell; the thugs were upon him. The wheat rose up around them, weaving around their legs. It flowed forward, engulfing the thugs, smothering their cries as...
SHIFT
... and they were standing in below a near vertical cliff of stone. Silver hair whipping in the wind, Nope clung to the rock, pulling himself slowly upwards. A dark shadow passed overhead; a woman screamed his name. Two crimson orbs opened in the shadow as it struck against the cliff. Nope slipped and fell, tumbling as...
SHIFT
... and they were standing in a open, circular auditorium. Two woman faced each other, seeming oblivious to the crowd that stood to watch. The smaller woman flung out arms crossed at the wrist; fire lunged towards the tall, thin woman who vanquished it with a gesture returning the favor with emerald lightning. A young, green eyed girl ran up yelling a warning as...
SHIFT
"--a loop..." Tim staggered as the shifting tides of time let him go. "What the hell was that?"
There was no response. The others remained perfectly still; there was no movement anywhere.
"You fools!" The man was suddenly standing among them. "Do you have any idea what damage you're causing?"
"Damage? Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"Who am I? Who am I?" The man seemed to be questioning himself, rather than time. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit with a pair of silver wings embossed on the chest. "You can call me Brokk. That saves working out who I was the last time I was here."
"What have you done to them?" asked Tim. His eyes began to glow. Wheat rose and danced around his ankles.
"Them? They're just paused in time. I think. You shouldn't have interfered with the Nexus Object. You've disrupted the whole strata. The Citadel of Reality is phasing into real time-space."
"Let them go," ordered Tim. Wheat blasted towards Brokk who raised a hand. It stopped suddenly a foot from him.
"I don't think so. This is my power; to absorb your talent." Brokk clenched his hand into a fist. "Amplify it." He pointed the fist directly at Tim. "And redirect it." His fist opened wide, violently. The wheat smashed back into Tim, knocking him to the floor. "I am the guardian of the Citadel of Reality. Your actions are disrupting time and space. You removed the Nexus Object and disrupted the Citadel's balance and now everything is going six shades of shit. It must be returned."
"No," gasped Tim. "We need it to escape."
"That's not my problem. Right now, someone or something is attempting to destroy my universe and I need to get back to stop him. I can't do that while your screwing around with the nature of reality." He reached for the Nexus Object.
Tim lunged forward, shoving Brokk away with wheat blasts. He grabbed the Nexus Object. Brokk moved his hand in a throwing motion. Wheat hissed towards Tim, who raised the Nexus object to defend himself. The wheat struck it, driving Tim back a step as...
SHIFT
... a young boy ran up to him, yelling: "Daddy! You're back!" The boy bounced into his arms. Tim looked around him. He was standing on the porch of a farm house. The screen door opened and a red-haired woman stepped out.
"So, you're home," she said in a lilting Irish accent. "How long for?"
"I don't know," said Tim as...
SHIFT
He staggered once more. Nope reached out a hand to steady him.
"Are you okay?" asked Weiran.
"Sure." Tim looked around. "Where'd he go?"
"Where'd who go?" asked Ali.
"The guardian! You were all frozen and he appeared and..." Nope raised an eyebrow; Tim continued: "And you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
"Not really," said Nope, "But don't let that bother you."
"Hey - your hair's gone silver!"
"It's always been silver," said Ali.
"Erm... excuse me," said Chet. "No it hasn't. It was black. I've got it on tape."
"Who are you?" asked Ali and Weiran simultaneously.
"Wait a minute," said Nope. "He's one of those reporters. But you don't remember that, do you?"
"No," said Ali. .
Weiran shook his head. "It must be the effect Gabriella talked about. Reality has changed."
"But not enough," said Tim. "We're still here."
"And the effect will probably get worse the closer we get to destroying the Nexus Object."
"If that happens," said Weiran, "we'll never get close enough to do anything. We'll just end up trapped in those time-flash things. If only we had an Opener..."
SHIFT
"I do," said Nope. He reached into his backpack, then paused. "I wasn't carrying this before, was I?"
"Try not to think about," said Ali. "You'll just get confused."
Nope pulled out a black, handsize device. It was burbling and warning lights were flashing across its face. "I don't like cannibalizing such expensive equipment," he began.
"Which, incidentally, you didn't pay for," pointed out Weiran.
"Details," snapped Nope. He fiddled with the Opener. "Now, let's see. Temporal stability quotient. Chronosynth armed." He pulled a couple of wires out and put them back in crossed over as...
SHIFT
"I felt a change," said Tim. "Did anything happen?"
"I don't think so," said Nope.
SHIFT
"My staff reappeared," said Ali. "And Weiran's coat changed color. Nothing major."
"How can we tell," asked Weiran. "These time shifts partly affect our memories as well."
SHIFT
"I don't suppose you'd like to tell me what you're doing?" asked Chet.
"Not really." Nope pressed a couple of buttons. "That should hold us steady. We'll have to deactivate at the same time as we break the Nexus Object." He turned to Tim. "How good's your aim, kid? The deactivation sequence is 3-5-1, but the control has be over six feet from us or it'll have no effect. I'm not sure what effect being linked to time that suddenly ceases to exist would have, but I don't think it's going to be pretty."
SHIFT
"I can do it," said Tim. "We better hurry. Those time-shift things are getting closer together."
SHIFT
"Right," said Nope. "Ali, you throw it." He took the staff from her hand. "On the count of three."
SHIFT
"One," said Weiran.
SHIFT
"Two," said Ali.
SHIFT
"Three!" said Tim.
SHIFT
Ali threw the Opener. Nope lifted the staff above the Object. Tim raised a hand and sent three thin blasts of wheat, striking 3-5-1 on the control panel. The staff smashed down against the Object in a blaze of sapphire light.
SHIFT
OUTSIDE THE WALL
"...battle between good and evil was being played out today within this arena," reported Dan. "Three young heroes fighting..."
There was a blaze of sapphire light. Everything and everyone inside the pentagram shrank to a pinpoint which flared and vanished. The pentagram paused for a moment then began to close in on itself once more, with even greater speed.
In a matter of moments, it too collapsed to a pinpoint and vanished, leaving a field full of shocked and confused journalists standing around a circle of fused earth and the remains of a broken train...
Uh-oh!!! Now what? TBC...
Chapter 27 A WHITE VOID
Tim floated in a white expanse of nothing. Nothing as far as the eye could see, as if floating above a white canvas.
"Well, now you've done it…"
Tim searched for the voice, and found a floating form nearby, turning end over end, though not seeming bothered by it. The person in question was wearing a black jumpsuit with silver wings embossed on the chest. "Brokk."
"Where?", the figure said, turning around. "Oh…me, that's right."
"What's going on?", Tim asked.
"I was about to ask you the same…", Brokk started to say, stopping in midsentence as if it just came to him. "Oh yes! You and your companions broke the Nexus Object!"
"So we did.", Tim replied. "So where are they?"
"They'll find their way here soon enough.", Brokk answered. "I mean, look at this place, it's hard to miss anything that isn't pure white nothingness!"
Tim looked around, bringing his hand up above his eyes, as if to shield the sunlight. He shook his head, a habit obviously, but then got a look at his hand. It was…"Transparent. I can see right through my hand, my body…!"
"Weird, huh?"
Tim turned in his floating position to see Weiran approaching slowly. Tim rose his hands to protect himself as Weiran came near, but Nope's brother simply floated right through Tim, stopping a few feet away.
"Yow! Now THAT was weird…!", Weiran said.
Brokk shook his head, looking angrily at them both. "You fools! Do you have any idea how long this mess will take to clean up?"
"What mess?", Tim asked. "There's nothing but white here."
"No, no!", Brokk cursed. "Back on Earth, where you made the golden Pentagram, where you broke the Nexus Object."
"Oh yeah.", Weiran said, smiling.
"So then it can be 'cleaned', as you put it?", Tim asked.
"I'm using terms you'd understand obviously. 'Cleaned' is just an easy way of putting it. As we speak, the Nexus Object is repairing the damage you've caused.", Brokk said, frowning.
"So what are you complaining about then?", Nope said, floating closer from behind Tim and Weiran. "If it repairs itself, then there's no problem."
"OH REALLY?"
Everyone turned to see the fiery form that was the Devil. He appeared more solid than the rest, and seemed to have returned to his powerful self from his weakened state prior to the pentagram's collapse.
"Oh great.", Tim and Nope said in unison.
"OH, NOW DON'T BE THAT WAY.", the Devil said, grinning evilly. "YOU ALL DID SPLENDIDLY CONSIDERING THE ODDS YOU WERE UP AGAINST. I HAVEN'T HAD THIS MUCH FUN IN EONS."
"Glad to be of service.", Weiran muttered.
"So what happens now?", Nope asked.
"NOW…", the Devil said, his eyes ablaze, a surge of power gathering about his outstretched hands. "…YOU ALL DIE!!!"
A large bucket of water appeared over Lucifer Morningstar, dousing the flames that had raged all about him seconds ago.
"Bad form, brother.", the celestial child called, floating down from above.
The Devil snarled in rage. "YOU COULDN'T HAVE JUST SNUFFED MY POWER OUT, YOU HAD TO DO THE 'BUCKET OF WATER' ROUTINE FOR THESE SIMPLETONS' AMUSEMENT, HUMILIATING ME IN THE MEANTIME!"
Tim, Nope, and Weiran couldn't help but let out a chuckle, for which they all in turn received a stern, hateful glance from Lucifer.
"What care you my brother, it'll all be over soon, none will remember.", the celestial child stated with a smile.
Tim and Nope exchanged glances.
"NEVERTHELESS!", the Devil continued, in a diabolical stew.
"You deserve it you foul fiend!", Ali cursed floating over. At her side, the form of a woman coasted along at the same speed, slowing as the two of them neared.
"Katsumi!", Weiran said, startled. "You've been separated from Aliandra!"
"Only for the time being, I assume.", Katsumi said, darting a glance at the celestial child. The child gave a reluctant nod, but with a comforting grin.
"Woah, woah, WOAH!!!", Brokk said, looking to the celestial child and the Devil. "Look, boss, boss, I appreciate the visit here, but this is my department. I'm sure you're aware that the Nexus Object is already-"
"Yes, yes Brokk, and we appreciate all your work.", the child stated.
"Hold on!", Tim called out. "What's happening? Are we…dead?"
"NOT YET.", Lucifer growled.
"Hush brother!", the child added. "You are simply caught in stasis here in the Citadel of Reality."
"Citadel of Reality, huh?", Nope asked. "Nice decor. Might want to add some color…"
Weiran tried to elbow his brother, but the force sent him right through, putting him a few feet away.
"Stasis?", Tim asked. "So were going back…to Earth?"
"NO CHANCE IN HELL!", the Devil screamed, turning to the child. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS, THEIR SOULS ARE MINE!"
"Um, no.", the celestial child replied.
The Devil's fiery form came back in a blaze, as he screamed in rage.
"Surely you can agree to a tie in this game brother?", the child asked.
The Devil's eyes perked slightly. "A TIE? ARE YOU SERIOUS? A TIE!?!"
"Yes.", the child said.
"IT'LL BE OFFICIAL? IF I CHECK THE STATISTICS BOARD LATER AND FIND THAT YOU LIED…"
"Oh come now, have I ever lied to you Lucifer?"
The Devil was lost in thought, smiling. "IT'LL BE A FIRST, FINALLY SOMETHING TO PUT IN THE 'TIE' COLUMN…!"
"Hold it, hold it.", Ali interjected. "This is all a game?"
Tim and the others suddenly felt a stretching sensation, as if they were being ushered away, yet their perceptions, for the most part, remained fixed on the celestial child and the Devil.
"Of course My children.", the celestial child called as they seemed to fall further and further away. "What better game is there than that which we called life…?"
SHIFT
The train shook slightly, waking Tim from his slumber. He looked out the window, seeing the rush of scenery going by. He couldn't believe he was going, he'd thought it'd never happen.
Tim smiled, knowing his parents were worried and concerned, but he'd only be gone for the Summer. And the wheat, he thought. Think of all the wheat! I'll be a god out there…
Tim watched out the window as they passed a terminal on the route, several police cars were gathered, and a large paddy wagon. He couldn't be sure, but it looked like several men in black military garb were being led in the wagon, all handcuffed. Tim shrugged his shoulders and continued to look ahead.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
Tim turned, seeing a teenager in sunglasses, with a backpack over his shoulder, eyeing the seat beside him. Tim moved his own backpack from the seat and put it between his legs. "Go ahead."
The kid nodded and stepped sideways, then dropping down the seat. "You don't have any Aspirin, do you?"
Tim shook his head, "Sorry."
The kid nodded, pressing the button, making his chair recline back. Tim looked closer at him, something in the back of his mind giving him a weird feeling.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer.", the kid said, starting to rub his temples.
"Sorry.", Tim said, looking embarrassed. "I thought you looked…familiar…"
"No problem.", the kid said, putting his hand out. "What's your name?"
"Tim.", he said, reaching out to the hand, and shaking it. "Tim Cappelli."
"Nope Callahan.", the kid said back.
"Nope?", Tim asked.
"Don't ask.", Nope said. "So when do you suppose this train'll reach the Emerald City?"
"Emerald…", Tim repeated, never having heard of a city by that name. "Um, this train is bound for Saskatchewan."
"Saskatchewan?", Nope echoed. "Now I really need some Aspirin…"
Epilogue EPILOGUE 1 : HADES
"YOU IRRITATE ME, MORTAL.", snarled Lucifer. "I GIVE YOU A MOMENTS CHANCE AND YOU TRY TO WRESTLE MY REALM FROM ME. THAT WASN'T VERY SPORTING, WAS IT? I SUPPOSE SINCE EVERYTHING CHANGED, I REALLY OUGHT TO LET YOU GO - BUT I NEVER WAS FAIR. I'D GIVE YOU TO THE PITS FOR AZMODEUS TO PLAY WITH, BUT I THINK THIS IS MORE FITTING. BESIDES…"
Yup screamed incoherently. Occasionally the words "Not the dog, not the freaking dog." were distinguishable amid the babbling.
"…I THINK CEREBUS HAS TAKEN A LIKING TO YOU."
The dogs laughter rose to mingle with it's masters.
EPILOGUE 2 : TALOR
"So, what's big brother up to at the moment?", asked Weiran. "Ali?"
The girl at the screen turned towards him with confused eyes. "Weiran? Weren't we just…I mean…?"
"Probably just deja vu.", said Weiran, dismissing Ali's ramblings. "You get it in here all the time. Comes from being so near to the dimensional portals."
"Perhaps.", Ali sighed, turning back to view the screen. She traced Nope's profile with her finger. "You're probably right."
"Sure I'm right.", said Weiran. He moved to stand beside her. "Hey, where did you get this?"
She looked down to see a floppy, multi-colored top hat lying on top of the computer banks. Weiran dropped it on her head, ignoring her protests, and stepped back to admire the view. Catching sight of herself reflected in the screen, Ali started laughing.
After a moment, Weiran joined in. "Groovy hat.", he said.
She hit him with it.
EPILOGUE 3 : FROM THE JOURNAL OF ZACH CALLAHAN
There is a saying often quoted by members of our group. Inscribed in the ancient tongue along the edge of my grandfather's desk, here at Callahan Inc. it reads:
That which is past - is prologue…
Hope you enjoyed the story, if you've got any comments please mail them to sconnery@sympatico.ca or its_nope@hotmail.com
If you wish to continue reading the further adventures of Nope and Wheat Lad, check out the sequel; Winter of Wheat
To visit the message board where this all started, please visit the Never Ending Board at Jonah Weiland's Comic Board Resources
To visit my partner in crime's (The crime? Having way too much fun writing this stuff!) web page for more stories revolving around his character, visit Conn Seanery's House O' Stuff (Now With: Things!)
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