_____________________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Otherworld <> Chapter 2 StormFront Copyright 1992 Bryce Koike _____________________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Any comments, criticisms, opinions, etc, are welcome. I can be reached on Internet as: bkoike@sdcc13.ucsd.edu or mage@netlink.cts.com -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Author's Note I wrote the first installment of The Otherworld in first person for a very specific reason. For a similar reason I'm writing in the third person for later chapters of The Otherworld. I believe that I have a very deliberate reason to do this even though it may not be good literary practice. (Heck, I'm not looking for any awards.) Enjoy! -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Timeline Note I'm afraid that I may have created some confusion with this chapter of Otherworld (chapter 2). The Eternals introduction makes it seem as if they appeared on Otherworld at the same time or later than Matt and company. This is, in fact, not true. The Eternals were the first to reach Otherworld. Matt, Vince, Chris, Jan, and Tracy were all to come later . . . a few weeks later, in fact. Chapter 3 brings both timelines together, though, so there should be no continuity worries. Sorry for any confusion I may have created. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- The Cast of Characters: Matthew Ryuko: 19 years old, student at UCI. Christopher Mathieson: 20 years old, USC student Janet Russel: 19 years old, USC student Vincent Santiago: 20 years old, student at local JC Tracy Weaver: 19 years old, student at Stanford Any resemblance to people living or dead is not totally unintentional, but certainly not meant to be insulting in any way. Apologies to those offended. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Date: August 24, 1992 Location: Los Alamitos, California Otherworld Time: 8:05 am Chris looked guiltily at the glass window. The others waited patiently. His first blow barely broke the glass. Several strikes later glass was strewn across the floor of of the supermarket. Vince, Jan, and Tracy quickly followed Chris inside, each with their own shopping list in hand. "Okay, gang, we split up from here. Anyone know where Matt went?" "He said that he had something important to tend to," was Tracy's answer. "Like what?" "I don't know." They quickly split up among the aisles, grabbing boxes and cans and tossing them into their respective carts. They didn't take anything that would spoil for there was no active refridgeration available with the electricity gone. The door to the library lay open like some hideous desecration. Inside, Matt cursed when he realized that the computer terminals were not working. He would not be able to easily find the books he needed. The card catalog was still there, though, and so he quickly set to work. Ripping the respective cards out of their slots he cruised the aisles with bags in his hands, pulling books off the shelves and stuffing them into the bags. In a world stripped of its technology, he reminded himself, the library is a true treasure trove. On the way out he paused and stopped in front of one of the shelves. A thick hardback made its way to the bags. It's title was _The Complete Works of Shakespeare_. The group critically looked over Matt's collection of books. "Why do you need all these books?" asked Chris. "Where're we going to store them all?" "Chris, we need these books," was Matt's only reply. Chris pulled a book out of one of the bags and held it up to the morning sky. "The Complete Works of Shakespeare," he read. "Yeah, that's real necessary, alright. What about the rest? Some Edgar Allen Poe? Or maybe some art books, huh?" "Chris, why don't you lay off," Tracy warned, a hint of acid in her voice. Matt dropped the bags. "Survival," he said, "technology, equipment. Books on car repair, on what plants are edible and which are not. Engineering texts. I only picked what was necessary, Chris. And I mean necessary for our survival. There might be other people here and they'll be looting the cities just like we are. How long can we survive looting this world before we've extinguished the readily available sources? No way. We're going to have to learn to fend for ourselves too." "Fine, but all that stuff goes into your car." Matt sighed. "Chris, don't start. Just don't." "Start what? Huh?" Popping the trunk, Matt squeezed the books in between the sleeping bags and other items. "Hey, I'm talking to you, Matt!" Several inches taller than Matt, Chris grabbed him. "You listening to me?" "Yes, Chris, I'm listening. And I'll tell you again. Don't start." "Start what? I have no idea what you're talking about." "Don't start some sort of power war. Don't start the `this is mine and you can't touch it' shit. Don't you dare." "Or what?" Chris gave a little shake to emphasize his words. Matt gritted his teeth and smiled. "Or I'll leave you behind, buddy. And then you'll have the joy of dealing with trying to recreate everything we've lost alone. Yes, I'll do that." Chris pushed Matt away. "You call that a threat?" "Only a warning, Chris, and you better seriously consider it." Jan shoved Chris aside. "What do you mean there might be other people here?" she hissed. "You mean we might not be alone?" Shrugging, Matt answered, "I mean that I'm not going to pretend that we're the only ones here. There was the voice I heard yesterday along with the car Vince, Jan, and I saw. We might not even be the first people to set foot here. What I mean, Jan, is that we could run into other people any time. Or . . . other things." "Things?" "Aliens, maybe. This sure as hell isn't Earth, at least not the Earth we know. And that means that anything might be possible. Yeah, maybe aliens, but then again, maybe not. Maybe we are alone." Matt turned away and slammed the trunk shut. "Are we ready to go?" he said as he slid into the driver's seat. Reaching behind himself, Matt produced a gun that was stuffed in his jeans. "Put it in the glove box," he ordered Vince. "Matt, why the hell do you have a gun?" cried Tracy. "Protection." Vince slammed the glove compartment closed, pretending not to care. "Cool it," he said. "Who knows what we'll find here. Better that we've got some sort of protection." "There's a shotgun under your seat, Vince. I put it there early this morning while you were all asleep. You know how to use one?" "If I have to." "Are you going to shoot Chris?" asked Tracy, a touch of fear in her voice. "What? Hell no! He's freaking out some, but I don't think it'll be necessary to kill him." "You talk like a killer, Matt." He turned around for a moment and stared at Tracy. "You've known me for six years," he said, and turned back to watch his driving. "Do you really take me for a killer? I'm not stupid, Tracy. I'm trying to prepare for any possibility, that's all." They pulled onto the 405 north and soon connected to the 5. "Well, looks like we're committed," remarked Vince. "Where'd you want to go, Matt?" "Dunno. Just north a ways. Maybe cut east sometime. Vince, you know how to load a shotgun? There's shells under the seat in a black bag. There's also nine millimeter rounds and three clips. Fill them up." "You're going paranoid on me, bucko. Starting to sound like Clint Eastwood or something." "I'm not going to fool myself, Vince. The gun's just for backup. I don't think we're going to be needing to use it anytime soon. Tracy, how's the fuel cans doing back there?" Tracy turned to check on them. None were leaking. "Just fine." It had taken a long time to get the taste of gasoline out of their mouths, but Matt had demanded that they siphon a large amount of gas from various cars before they left. "We don't know what things are like up ahead," was his reason. "Where'd you learn to use a gun?" Tracy asked. Matt shrugged. "Picked some up from tv and books. The rest I figured out for myself this morning. I'm sure Vince'll be more than happy to give us lessons, eh?" Vince gave his famous wicked smile. "No way, Matt, no way am I going to use a gun," said Tracy. "Anything but that." "Okay, that's up to you. Put some music on, Vince?" "Yeah, sure." Two minutes of Ministry went by before Tracy screamed for them to select something new. Sadly, Vince pushed in a Berlin tape next. The sounds of Masquerade blared over the speakers. "Hey, Matt, you better make tracks. Chris is getting way ahead." "Let's just give him some room." Lunch was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. By the time dinner rolled around they had made it up most of the grapevine. Fog was rolling in like a dangerous blanket and they decided to park the cars and refill. Dinner was top ramen heated up on a camping stove taken from REI. Tracy could not sleep. She sat up in her sleeping bag and looked toward the sky. The thought of the billions of people that once roamed the earth not gone filled her with a sence of great foreboding. Mother Nature had claimed back her world, in a sense. No more pollution from nuclear reactors, no more threat of fallout and nuclear winter. No dying ozone layer. In a sense, they were the invaders, the intruders. What right did they have to be there? She thought back to the guns in Matt's cars. Everything that had been evil about her home world were coming true here. The threat of violence, the anger, the power plays. Would theft be next? Murder, perhaps? Would she ever see her parents again? And why did Matt show no remorse? And what about that headache of his? Her brain seemed to nearly twitch and it took Tracy several seconds before she realized why. The sound of a car's motor was in the distance, gradually growing louder. She clutched at herself as her stomach twisted in fear. "Matt," she whispered, but her voice was hardly loud enough. No one stirred. The sound grew until in the moonlight she could make out the vehicle. No lights adorned its face. It was sleek black as it crept past at no more than thirty miles an hour. Tracy shook violently as it swept past them and their resting places. No human drove that machine, she was certain. "What kind of world is this?" Tracy thought to herself as she buried her face in the sleeping bag. And all the happy thoughts in the world could not shake the fear from her body. She wished there was someone for her here in this strange world, but she knew there was no one. She was truly alone. It was the voices that woke her. Violence was hinted in their tones and that shoked her awake. Matt was pointing his gun, looked horribly ridiculous in his stance. Chris was across from him, the target, with a bag in his hands. "Put it down," ordered Matt. Chris spat on the ground. "Screw you, man, you think I'm afraid of your gun? I decided that I'm real tired of your company and I'm getting the hell out of here." A look of terror was the only thing Jan was capable of. "This isn't happening," she whispered to herself. "Get in the car, Jan," ordered Chris. Matt cocked the gun. "Chris, drop our food. You know we need that." "Fuck you, Matt! I don't give a shit about you. It's survival of the fittest now and don't you forget that." The shot landed next to Chris' feet. Matt had to hold the gun with both hands to keep the barrel in line. "Don't," he said. "Fine, take your food, man! We don't need it! We don't need you! Jan, I said get in the fucking car!" He shoved her in through the door and tore around to the other side, the tires to his Mazda screaming against the ground before gaining purchase and tearing off down the highway. Vince watched them leave and then picked up the bag, handed it to Matt. He looked at it for a long time before putting it back in the trunk. "Shit," Matt said. "I didn't ask for any of this." He opened the door to his car and pulled out a map. "Okay," he said, "okay. We'll be out of the grapevine by today. Anyone have any special requests? San Fran? Sacramento? I've thought about driving up to Oregon . . . never really been there." "Why not San Fracisco?" said Vince. "Hey, I always wanted to mess up Ghiradelli's Square." He laughed. "Vince, that's not funny!" Tracy said. "Is that what you want to do? Run around the world destroying things?" "Aw, I'm just joking Trace. But, I mean, does it really matter where we go?" "Wait." Matt hit the top of the car. "Damn. I should have thought about it while we were home. DAMN!" "What, Matt? Should have thought about what?" Vince put his arms on Matt's shoulders. "What should we have done?" "Gotten a CB. We should have gotten a CB. Damn. Don't you get it? If someone else has a CB, we might be able to reach them. We might not have had to travel all the way up here!" "Hey, don't get all worked up, Matt. We'll get one at the first place we find." "Yeah, yeah. But, shit, that should've been the first thing we did. The first damn thing." Putting the gun and map back in the glovebox, Matt sighed and said, "Okay, mount up, everyone, we're heading out." As he got in the car he felt a headache coming on. Two hastily- swallowed advils would take care of it, or so he thought. "Where are we going?" inquired Tracy. "Los Banos." After the longest slumber it ever had to face, the lord awoke. Its slits pulsed as it blinked what passed for eyes. The lord's feelings, previously limp, jerked to attention. Only one message reached the lord's mind -- THIS WAS NOT HOME! "GYAH!" he screamed as he reared from the organic displacement champer. Spine-covered arms waving, he shook off the attendents and others who had crowded about him. In pure primal he roared, "What is this?!" Feelers trembled in rage. "Where are my advisors?" "Lord," cried an attendent, "have mercy, we are not at fault!" "What place is this! Answer now, fool, or be destroyed!" Fearing the lord's magic, the attendent babbled, "Lord, lord, there was a grave mistake! We have come to a place that is neither Here nor There, we are lost, but only temporarily! Lord, please, we are not to blame!" The lord cuffed his miserable servant. More calmly, in lord's speech, he asked, "Where are my advisors, Tukas and Eilias?" The attendents backed away in fright. "They were killed," cried one of them, "killed in the transfer! The Elders are coming, they'll tell you! Please lord, mercy, please!" In his irritation, the lord yelled, "Begone! Leave my presence you miserable lot! Leave and back to your holes in the ground! Bring me the Elders and the Constables of the race! Do so now!" The room cleared quickly. As he waited the lord had a chance to investigate his surroundings. His hands traced over the metal bed frame, the strange machines, the intricately-woven cloths. "A strange land this is," he mused to himself, "but to apply metals in such abundance! Surely those who rule this world are rich in skills!" He rubbed his antennae together. Truly ripe for plunder by the Eternal Race! Somewhere in the distance the chanting of the Elders could be heard as they worked their magics. The mad screams of the attendents came to the lord as they fled from the building. "The walls," he mused. The walls were seamless and white. He reached out to touch them and found them warm. Warm! A strange world, this. And something inside of him found a moment to tremble. Beings powerful enough to shape metal to their wildest desires, to use it carelessly in their objects, and to shape such utterly perfect walls, to proudly set huge windows in their buildings. Surely these are people to be feared! Their enemies must be few or vanquished for them to live so oblivious and care free. Perhaps he should exercise caution in the rape of this world. He nodded to himself. Yes, that would definitely be the wisest course of action. But soon, very soon, he would test their mettle. "Boy, someone should have told me about this place earlier," remarked Vince as he sat on the hood of a pickup. "Los Banos, man, this is the happening place." "I'm laughing to pieces," sighed Tracy. She took the last sip from her warm Coke and tossed it in a trashcan. "Matt? How's it going?" "Eh. Why don't you two stop babbling about and help me," grunted Matt. He tried the CB again. Nothing. "Damn." "Help you do what, my man?" crowed Vince as he leapt off the hood of the truck across from them. "Los Banos. Hmph." "First off, we're going to need some more gas. And food. And get a map while you're at it. Mine's about to fall apart." "Ahyessir! Anything you say sir!" Vince saluted, bowed, and then turned to jog down the road. Tracy smiled. "What a smartass." "Ah, but a servile smartass." "Matt?" "Hmm?" "Where do you think Chris and Jan went?" Matt dropped his tools and sat up. "You want my honest opinion? Hmm." He scratched his chin for a moment. "You know, I honestly don't care." He picked up the screwdriver and went back to work. "That's all you're going to say?" "Uh-huh." "You just don't care?" "Isn't that what I told you?" "What if they're lost or in trouble somewhere?" Matt sighed. "`It's survival of the fittest now,'" he quoted. "I don't have the time to be worried about them, Tracy. I've got to worry about us. Chris decided that he'd be better off without us and that's his prerogative. I don't like it, but there's nothing I can do for him or Jan." "I guess you're right," Tracy said with doubt in her mind. Manlings were the land-owners of this world. Manlings, of all the creatures in the multiverse! The lord rubbed his barbed arms together with a slow, gleeful ease. And yet these were different manlings from those the lord was accustomed to. These had no use for magic. Instead they chose machines and tools. And such strange machines! Some that broke with but a touch and others that would do nothing at all. Ludicrous species! The Hunt was gathering finally. Tollyre and Empis Hannut had lead a scout team and located fairly suitable beasts. Their visciousness was intensified by the Elders and their magics and even now they were on the trails of prey. Not prey but Presence! Presence needed to feed the Movers so that they could send troops across the realities, so that their true position could be located. The lord was troubled, though. The small portion of the city he had viewed versed him on the untold abilities of the manlings. And yet their numbers were so few. How could it be possible that they were the ones who had created the splendour of the cities? Or perhaps they were slaves left behind by their masters? It was not the first time that a race enslaved its own kind and then abandoned them. Certainly the Eternals were not free from this crime. Soon, soon they'd have the Presence required to locate their position in the multiverse. Soon they'd know precisely where all the pieces stood. Ah, the ache for Presence! The lord gently stroked his feelers and antennae, desiring his advisors to toy and banter with. But alas, they were dead, defiled by the Quunan Mur! A beast-species of living metal! They were too much like the manlings of this world, living in their sprawling cities, flashing their technology like expensive gems. The lord clenched his fist. It would have had to be the Quunan Mur. Yes, and they would pay soon enough. "Static," was the only thing Matt could say. He left the CB set on the emergency channel. "Well, that just means that no one was using their sets at the moment. Right?" "Yeah," agreed Vince. "I mean, I'm sure if there's anyone else here they'd have better things to do than sit around playing with their CB." "Alright, here's the plan. We'll send out a message every half hour and listen for replies. Got that? I figure half an hour is a good round time." Tracy shifted. "Look," she said, "why's it so important that we find other people?" "Why?" Matt set to helping Vince with the groceries. "Because it is important, Tracy. It's important because we might not be the only ones here. We can't expect everyone on this planet to play by the rules. Who knows, there might be someone with dictatorial plans for the world. It'd be best to know what's going on." "Or is it just that you're lonely?" "Me? Lonely? Nah. I'm enjoying the fact that I'm one of the last few people on this planet, Tracy. God how wonderful it is." The sarcasm dripped like ichor from his mouth. "Do you just want to be alone with us two horny guys for the rest of your life?" "Jesus, no!" They laughed at that and for a moment things were alright among them.