___________________________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **** ** ** ** ** The **** THERWORLD CHAPTER 24 (> Don't Turn Your Back <) Copyright 1992 by Bryce Koike All Rights Reserved ___________________________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Any comments, criticisms, opinions, etc, are welcome. I can be reached on Internet as: bkoike@sdcc13.ucsd.edu -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- "when you lay down do you hear sounds does the silence have a voice what does it say what do you hear what does it whisper in your ear why don't you hear me why don't you hear me when you get up into the light when you come up out of your night what do you see and do you see or have you lost your sense of sight why don't you see me why don't you see me what do you think what do you feel cause this is feeling very real and if you feel what can't you say give me a little damned expression can't you feel me why don't you feel me why don't you feel me" ("Why Don't You See Me" -- Concrete Blonde) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Date: October 3, 1992 Location: Northern California Otherworld Time: 9:33 pm Angela opened her eyes for she knew that a Demon had come. For a moment the world was clouded in her sleep-haze, but in an instant that cleared away in an explosion of awareness. As she struggled with her own fear, she struggled in her sleeping bag, frantic with her search for freedom. Beside her, Norwell slept. The Demon was close, oh so close. If it were to touch her, Angela knew that her heart would turn to ice. Just as she thought that she could not bear her imprisonment any longer, the sleeping bag slid down and freed her arms. Angela collapsed backward and trembled in release, sweat turning cold along her arms and head. Norwell's breathing turned ragged. Eyes so wide that they could be seen in the pale moonlight, Angela turned and tried to stifle the scream in her throat. She wanted, wanted oh so bad, to move away from the man, but the fear paralyzed her as surely as if the Demon itself had clutched her in its arms. Angela whimpered. "Roger," she whispered. "Wake up." The man gave a momentous spasm and then all was quiet. Angela called out his name again and again, but he did not answer. Her arms felt tied around her body and she couldn't move them. Couldn't run away. Soon she wouldn't even be able to think. The fear would rule her. "Go to sleep, Angela," Norwell said. "Got to get some rest before tomorrow." She screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed until finally the Demon had to lean over and stuff his shirt into her mouth and cover her nose with his hand until she couldn't breathe and the world turned dark. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Date: October 3, 1992 Location: Northern California Otherworld Time: 9:00 pm They had stopped along the road to build a fire for the night and they spent a long time telling stories of themselves. When Jiro's turn had come, he spent a long time in silence, so long that Bates began to fidget nervously. Finally, when he had chosen the story, he looked upward to the sky as if he was looking for a sign. None came. "I was born on Mars into the crowded Hichikuru Colony owned and run by the Asian Coalition. From birth I was trained to be a warrior, though my parents were environmentalists and peace activists behind the backs of the government. I was enrolled in the military programs starting at age five and by twelve I had more military training than the average soldier. "I was trained in the ways of stealth, hiding, and killing. Some, the foolish, called us ninja, but they were wrong. We were assassins, and our job was covert death. Our worth as actual soldiers was limited. The invisibility weave which we used could not withstand violent movement and it leaked heat which allowed us to be seen on infrared. As a sneak attack, it worked well once, but soon after the secret was found out and the assassins were recalled for reassessment. We were returned to Mars Base Kissoru in disgrace. One night, I was in the barracks and there was a strange electrical disturbance. When I was able to see again, I found myself here, in the Otherworld." Tova nodded thoughtfully. Xavier's eyes sparkled. "Tell me more about your world," said Xavier. "There was a war?" Jiro cocked his head. "So far as I know," he replied, "there is still war." "Hmm. Where and between who? And I want to know more about this Coalition." "Back in the past, the early 21st Century, sometime after the formation of a collected European State, the Asians followed suit, recognizing the advantages of falling under a single banner. After the evacuation of the Earth because of impending environmental disaster, humans spread to the stars." "Star travel!" whispered Xavier. Tova shrugged. "The Asian Coalition grouped with the Americans and a handful of others to form an alternate people under a different banner. Their reasoning was that the original Alliance had been flawed. I think that it was greed which motivated them, but I do not have the information to substantiate my suspicions. Sometime after, as Mars was reduced of its mineral and metal wealths as well as much of the solar system's asteroid belt, the Combined Alliance, as we came to call ourself, sought out new sources. Those which were nearest centered around Jupiter. Unfortunately, Jupiter was owned by the British and that created a slight problem. The Asians possessed an adequate number of planets to satisfy their needs, but the Americans did not and so their decision was to take what they needed. If it meant war, so be it. The Asians had different purposes involved, mainly a deep vendetta against the British, and so they joined ranks. Such did the Jovian War as we call it now, begin. A war of revenge and greed, ever the typical motivators for mindless destruction." Xavier shook his head. "I don't understand this all," he said. "With star travel, I'd think that-" "Shush!" whispered Tova, her hand held up in command. She stood and spun, her eyes dark and foreboding. "A walker. A Walker. Dintarri Cruscazzos. A possessor. One walks this planet." She clenched her fist and released it several times as her brow furrowed. "Our people have done many battles with the Walker people for many generations, from before we had history, before the Walker had a name. Now there is one here and he is no stranger to Earth." Tova spat on the ground and there her saliva sizzled as if it had struck some hot spot on the planet. With her toe she ground it into the earth. "Before my time is over, I will meet this Walker and I will kill it." Bates shuddered. There was hate on her lips at a level that he had never imagined before. It was not the cold despite he held for vampires or the bitter anger which Xavier directed toward the towers. This was a burning rage filled with enough violence to annihilate an entire planet. Tova let out a soft, barely-restrained snarl. "Do not try to follow me," she said. "I wish to be alone." Conversation that night was sparse and tense. As they were putting out the fire, no longer able to wait for Tova to return, they heard a cry of anger in the distance and there a blue hellblaze crackled, lighting up the scenery on the horizon. For a minute it lay there roaring and screaming, then abruptly as it had appeared, it was gone and the night was silent. Bates crawled deeper into his sleeping bag. Whoever the Dintarri Cruzco-thing was, he pitied the day when it crossed Tova's path. In the morning there was something sharp and hard poking Bates in the ribs. It kept knocking into him over and over and calling out his name until he finally had to get up and moan, "What the hell do you want?" Tova stood above him, her arms crossed and a sour look on her face. "We're to travel northward today and then head inland. We're going to the mountains. You might want to pick up some cold weather gear in the next city. Tell the others." "Damn," thought Bates as he watched her stalk away. "Who's really running this show anyway?" Since he was awake, he decided to finish the procedure and got out of the sleeping bag. Stretching, he reminded himself never to wear jeans to bed again. He pulled on the crotch some and tried to loosen things up. Xavier was still sleeping soundly, but there was no sign of Jiro, their new companion. "Now I wonder where the hell he's run off to?" Bates muttered. Breakfast consisted of bread with jam and a can of cold beans for Bates. Sure, he could have cranked up the stove, but he was used to eating like that. It was cheap, simple, and it tended to grow on you over time. You just had to ignore what a savage you looked like doing it. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Date: October 4, 1992 Location: Northern California, Otherworld Time: 6:00 am A hand roughly shoved Angela until she woke up. Norwell, his face pressed near to hers, breathing heavily, stared intently into her eyes. His brow was wrinkled in angry irritation. "Goddamn, girl, how long are you going to lie there? Get up, we've got work to do!" he hissed. "Don't just sit there acting useless, get some breakfast started!" All the while, Angela told herself again and again, "It's just the Demon. It's just the Demon." She could run away, Angela knew that. There were things that she learned which could conceal her from the Demon. If she did that, though, then Norwell would be alone with the Demon inside of him, and then there wouldn't be anything that could save him. Sniffling, she got up and started up the stove as best she could. It was oatmeal for breakfast again and she knew that the Demon wouldn't be doing the cleaning. Norwell raged the whole morning, irritated that THIS was like THAT, or that THIS strap was loose and dammit, girl, don't just stand there looking useless! FILL UP SOME WATER BOTTLES! GET THOSE SLEEPING BAGS STUFFED! He was always on the verge of striking out at her with his large, dark fists, always nearly ready to reach out and snap her little neck. Inside, Angela quailed, but outside she refused to show her fear. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Date: October 4, 1992 Location: Medera, California Otherworld Time: 11:30 am Johnathan Hathaway had entered into Otherworld somewhere north of Seattle and had stumbled in half-starving. Since then he had travelled slowly down the North American coast, visiting city after city and finding either the remains of old carnage (a war? famine? what?) and on occasion, people. Some were as lonely and as confused as he and for a time he might spend time with them and if they were of the right sex, perhaps for a little fooling around. But eventually the wanderlust would hit him and he'd move on. As time passed, people became more common and he wondered if the world was beginning to fill up, but he knew that there were still empty cities across the continent, still miles of abandoned land. Occasionally there would be someone who knew something. It was from people like that, like the Gassers, that John had learned of the Otherworld, of the Eternals, and the Quunan Mur. It was because of them all that he decided to spend a long, long time in Oregon, long enough until he was sure that their little war was over and then he moved on. He'd been heading down in the general direction of San Jose when he had come across a group of Gassers (hadn't he seen them earlier at the border? damn, maybe a car would be a good idea) who had told him about Medera. Weird old town, they said, weird, weird old town. Got a government and everything. And short of the armies, there was more people concentrated in Medera than anyplace else. That, John decided, was certainly something he had to see. Like any intelligent traveller, John packed "heat" as he liked to call it. His heat consisted of a .357 magnum, a shotgun, and a long-distance rifle, all comfortably pilfered from a store whose owner would never be around to miss them. They weighed heavy, but didn't compare to what he had to carry in basic training. Did he mention that he'd been Army? Yes, oh yes, he was an army boy tried and true. Daddy'd spent his time in 'Nam, and his daddy before then was a vet from the second World War. Bitterly, though, John thought, but none of them had a dishonerable discharge. And so John had wandered his way into Medera, wary of the hastily-made signs bearing the words: New Medera City Guns Prohibited by The Appointed Adjudicators He'd wrapped up his guns but good in his sleeping bundle and stuffed the gun away into his pack. John wasn't stupid or slow, although he lacked once in a while in the common sense that most people took for granted, and he knew that any city able to enforce a no guns law was peaceful enough to make it worthwhile. That meant major civilization and that meant something else: Medera was an anomaly by Otherworld standards. John was very curious to find out exactly what it all meant. Once in, John had announced himself to the locals. There were guards who patrolled the outer streets and they'd stopped him, harassed him for a while and then certain that he wasn't some weirdo, they'd taken him in to see the Adjudicators. After asking a few questions, John decided two things. First, Medera seemed a nice town and the guards were just doing their duty keeping the city safe. Second, "adjudicators" was just a fancy term for congressman, representative, or what had you. Just a bunch of people riding high on some ego trip. John knew how to handle that type, though. As they walked, John asked them the reason for all the guards. One of them smiled. His teeth were rotting; obviously the man hadn't learned the meaning of personal hygiene. "We keep the lookout for craggies and paste them when they're stupid enough to come on out." Craggies? Did the idiot mean Eternals? John decided just to nod thoughtfully. After all, these guys were just doing their duty and it wasn't their fault if they were morons. "I thought that the war had ended a bit ago," John said. The guard shrugged. "All the robots and other guys took off down southward to kill off the other craggies 'cept for this cute little chick and her friend; they headed off east." "You're joking, right? East?" John wasn't a fool. He knew very well that there was something stopping things from crossing the desert between the California border and beyond. Anyone who tried to make that trip had a death wish. "Anyone heard from them?" "Nope. Figger they died, right? Pity, she was a cute one." John had an urge to point out with his bad breath, the guy wasn't about to get anything if he didn't pay well and good for it, but he wasn't here to start fights. He wanted to be as polite as possible to these people. Plus, he wanted to know what the hell had brought them all together. "So what're these adjudicators like?" "Well, lesse." The guard got a thoughtful look on his face. "There's 'bout six of 'em, but I can't remember their names all too well. We're supposed to vote for 'em once every four years, but this is the first year of 'em, so we're stuck, right? The big one's Maxwell. He does mosta the thinking and the talking, but they're all supposed to vote together. Each one of them represents a different section of Medera so that all our opinions can be heard." John nodded thoughtfully. On paper it sounded good, but in practice? A little common sense and first-hand knowledge told him that systems like this could easily break down. "So they hold council meetings to talk to their people?" Blank stare. "No, they do most of their thinking on their own." "Then how do they know what the people want?" The guard shrugged. "They just know, right? I figure that they get out and talk to the people once in a while and get a feel for things. Plus they're good down to earth men, they'd never do us wrong." Alarms went off. This wasn't a democracy or republic, this was a living lie. Whoever these adjudicators were, they seemed pretty much free to do whatever they wanted "in the name of the people." John knew that he had to be wary, but if he was careful enough, he might just be able to get something out of this. A position of power, maybe, or something better. John smiled inside. He was definitely very glad that he had come to Medera. Maybe they would even have electricity and warm baths. THAT, John decided, would definitely be a plus. Warm baths and cold beer, yeah. Thorven Maxwell, the head adjudicator of New Medera City, asked John to take a walk with him. Maxwell led them out the back of the council house, down the street, and into a park. "There's some people who really wanted a park. We gave the go ahead even though there's not enough running water to go around. They have proven wonderfully innovative in their design, I think." John agreed. The plants which had been chosen were well-suited for dry weather and little rainfall. They were hardy plants, strong. They weren't green and lush and there weren't any long grassy stretches, but it was a very pleasing sight in the city. "So what did you do for a living, John Hathaway, before you came to this strange land?" asked Maxwell. He had a gentle, pleasant smile that masked the conspirator that John knew hid behind the mask. John shrugged. "Well, I worked some odd jobs doing construction and the like. I never went to college, so it was pretty hard." "No, no, I meant before then. You've the look of someone who's used to a steady sort of work. What'd you do before you had to do construction? Were you in the military." John nodded. "Yeah. It was kinda expected of me, you know? My daddy and his daddy before him had both been in the army. They felt it built character, made a boy into a man. So yeah, I worked in the army for a while." "What did you do?" "I ran tanks mostly. Got to fiddle with them too, but the army wasn't too interested in their soldier boys getting their hands in the machines and possibly fouling them up. Stuff like that." Maxwell nodded with interest. "New Medera City needs citizens with useful skills. It's what keeps the community together. We don't accept loafers or good-for-nothings, at least not for very long. Are you planning on sticking around?" "Maybe. I dunno. I heard rumors about this place being the only haven of civilization on the entire west coast, so I decided to check it out. If I like it here, I figger that I might stay for quite a while." "Yes, yes, that would be nice. We'd like that here. I think you could be a useful man to our city, Mr. Hathaway. You should go see Eleanor Frakes. She lives right next door to the deli. Can't miss it. She's in charge of housing because she knows where everyone lives and the conditions of all the houses. Real resourceful woman, Ms. Frakes is. You go see her and she'll see that you get some nice good housing." "Thanks Mr. Maxwell. I really hope that I can help this city out." "Oh, I'm sure you can, Mr. Hathaway. We're always looking for some good talent. Do you need me to show you the way?" "Nah, no need. I saw the deli on my way in, I figure that I can find it. And I'm sure that you adjudicators have lots of work to do." Maxwell chuckled. "Not as much as you think. We organize and try to see where things go wrong. If New Medera City is successful enough, we think that other cities will soon be following at our heels." "You figgerin' on making yourself some sort of President, Mr. Maxwell? That's political talk if I've ever heard it." The adjudicator let out a bark of a laugh. "Oh, I don't think so, Mr. Hathaway, I'm just a poor servant of the people. My ambition is small. I'd just like to see some good civilization brought into this world of chaos." "I fully understand. You've got yourself a really nice city here, Mr. Maxwell." "Yes, yes we do." "Well, be seein' ya." "I'm sure I will. Good day." "'Day." As John walked down the street toward the deli, he thought to himself, "Really nice guy, this Maxwell. Maybe I read him wrong to begin with. Maybe. Still, there was something very strange about his manner." Or perhaps it was something else? The guards? If there was anything that John had learned over the years, though, it was that if his curiosity was aroused, he'd do well to satisfy it. He'd never been dissapointed.