The Voyager's Aide Finale: A Road not taken

Story III

Chapter 6: Bogg's Dystopia

As far as the eye could see into the darkness, skyscrapers and buildings were destroyed and run-down from disrepair. Bogg rode slow and explained that the city had become nothing short of a wasteland with many inhabitants living underground, or holed up in apartments with modest resources. Not everyone was a Scavenger. There were those who lived quietly and just did their best to survive under the bleak conditions. The Scavengers were a disillusioned and volatile bunch caught in a power struggle. Their desperation sent them spiraling into lunacy and their hatred for Voyagers overrode their reason. The Voyagers were responsible for the destruction of the Earth on many levels and it didn't matter to them who were good or bad.

Bogg finally came to a stop at the South Street Seaport. He parked his motorcycle in an abandoned warehouse.

"Stick very close to me if you want to live, kid. I already lost you once, we wouldn't want to ruin your Bogg's life." He said.

Jeffrey discerned the pain behind his sarcasm. Bogg suffered a lot and had put up an impenetrable wall. However, Jeffrey liked to think he understood Phineas Bogg's true feelings. One thing he knew was that Bogg's heart was always in the right place, despite the situation. Jeffrey noticed brilliant colors shimmering across the sky.

"What are all those lights across the river? They look like they're having a good time!" Jeffrey pointed to a small inlet he recognized as Roosevelt Island, a two-mile stretch of land that used to be owned by the city.

Multi-colored neon lights flashed throughout the island. A giant, Gothic-inspired tower stood in the center with the words, 'UTOPIA' in massive, glittering red letters across the facade. Stealth copters and searchlights canvassed the island and the raucous snippets of punk, heavy metal music, and laughter drifted across. Jeffrey's mouth watered when he caught whiffs of delicious food.

Bogg jumped upon a crate and threw his arms out with a scornful laugh.

"Welcome to the Paradoxian Utopia, kid! It's the dawn of a new age and Paradox rules the world with Billy Ryan as 'The Sovereign!" Bogg crossed his arms over his chest and gave a small mock bow.

"What do you mean? How?"

Bogg pulled Jeffrey atop the crate for a better view. "How do you think? Only Paradox has access to the omnis now. Only they can control the past, present and future!"

"Wait, wait! What about Voyager Headquarters? Why don't they do something?"

Bogg glared at the stars. "Billy had this sick notion from a fiction book about to create a world of his own design. I remember the book from the archives, 1984 or something like that. Paradox laid siege to Headquarters with a few bombs! In the end, the entire planet was nearly obliterated from nuclear war; Voyagers were recalled to various parts of the earth. Those on Field missions were forever stuck in the time zone they were in regardless of a red or green light. Their omnis ceased to function. History unraveled. Billy forced most of the Technicians and survivors into slavery for him. I don't know where the rest of Pioneer is, but I know a few died in the bombings and subsequent battles. Some were left in the time zones, probably better off. If you're looking for any kind of Headquarters, then go to Utopia! Arhhhh! Face it! VHQ is gone, kid!"

Jeffrey jumped off the crate angry. He tugged on Bogg's jacket. "What do you mean, gone, kid? What's wrong with you? Don't you have any feelings at all? Why are they gone? Why didn't Pioneer stop them? Why didn't you? You're the leader! Where did everything go wrong?"

Bogg came down and grabbed Jeffrey's collar. "What does it look like? We lost, dammit! Billy rounded the remainder of us up and dumped us here! We lost!"

"Why'd we lose? Why?" Jeffrey demanded, pulling himself out of Bogg's grip.

Bogg took him by the arm and dragged him across the dock. At the opposite end of the river, swayed a giant, collapsed structure. It spanned halfway across until the rest of it broke into a twisted heap of metal and wood. He was speechless.

"That's why! The Brooklyn Bridge, remember? Billy didn't see the need to restore it. Now Utopia's is expanding into the Boroughs as we speak, so that'll probably be his next project."

"But it's just a bridge! How did that ruin the entire city? The entire Headquarters?"

Bogg dropped his hold on Jeffrey as the memory hit him. He paced the dock frenzied, kicking papers and rubbish.

"Drake and the others had kidnapped you in the hotel and brought you there. John Henry, Regina and I followed and we stopped them in the nick of time, only I didn't know that Drake had already…"

Bogg let out a tortured shout and Jeffrey approached.

"What, Bogg? You have to tell me." He placed a hand on his arm and Bogg turned, his eyes widened at the recollection of that awful moment in time.

"He'd already killed you! When I saw John Henry carry your lifeless body to me, I completely lost it! I grabbed Drake with me through the cosmos and left the bombs behind. I killed him in cold blood just as he'd done to you! John Henry and Regina got away, but the mission failed and it started a chain reaction of more failures. So there you have it! Everything's my fault! I'm a murderer and I'm the one solely responsible for this mess!"

Bogg ran to the edge of the dock and Jeffrey almost thought he was going to jump into the murky water. However, he dropped to his knees and sobbed. "I didn't even get to have a proper burial, my Jeffrey went down with the bridge! I never had a chance to say goodbye! I couldn't save him!"

Jeffrey crouched beside him. He took the opportunity and held his friend. "I'm sorry, Bogg! I didn't understand." The force of how much Bogg loved him hurt his heart. He would never take that for granted again.

"I'm here, now, Bogg. I'm with you!"

Bogg gazed into Jeffrey's face and he smiled. He pulled him closer and they shared a long hug. Jeffrey was struck with pity and he made a firm decision. If he was trapped in this universe forever, he wouldn't leave his partner alone. He helped Bogg stand and waited while he composed himself. Bogg wiped his eyes and nose with a big shrug.

"I'm sorry kid…Jeffrey…I know you're still burning with questions, that'll never change." He joked weary.

Jeffrey gave him a big smile and another hug for reassurance. "Yeah, Bogg! Just like that old beef Jerky you still carry in your pocket!"

~Oo~

Bogg and Jeffrey mounted the motorcycle. Just as he was about ride off, a deafening peal of alarms broke the stillness. They reminded Jeffrey of old nuclear war alerts. When they went off you had to hide under your desk in case of an impending attack. Not that it'd done any good in the end. He grabbed Bogg in a panic.

"What is that? It's so loud! What's happening?"

Bogg watched the skies; a horde of the black stealth copters circled Manhattan, with their search beams on full power.

"Dammit! I'm sorry, Jeff! I forgot about curfew, or as I call it, population control. Anyone caught roaming the streets after ten will be shot down, no questions asked, we gotta get out of here!"

Bogg slammed on the pedal and they took off. he maneuvered his motorcycle onto the sidewalks to stay within the shadows. The copters were fast approaching and Bogg picked up speed.

"Don't let go of me, Jeff!"

"I won't!" Jeffrey clutched Bogg's waist tighter.

One of the beams landed behind them and Bogg swerved down an alley just as bullets ripped out of the sky. Another copter swooped in and blazed searchlights through the alleys. Bogg jumped off the bike and he and Jeffrey tumbled into a few trashcans. Bogg picked him up and lifted the cover to a large, green dumpster. He tossed Jeffrey inside and dove head first after him. Bogg knocked the lid back down just as a copter's light appeared. Jeffrey scrambled to Bogg's side and they held each other, forcing themselves to ignore the foul smell. Machine gunfire erupted all over the area. Jeffrey covered his ears, hearing the screams of a few people meeting their violent end.

"Please Bogg! Make it stop!" He bawled.

Bogg clutched Jeffrey's head and rubbed his curls. "I wish I could, Jeff! You're gonna be okay…I won't let them hurt you."

After what seemed an eternity, the alarms and gun blasts subsided. Bogg's hand moved cautiously under the lid and he pushed it open. They leaned over the dumpster and retched and gasped for air. He rolled himself off and picked Jeffrey out from the heap.

"We're not too far from the Brownstone, but we better move fast, those copters will make rounds for the next two hours. We should try to hoof it and walk the bike; they'll hear it."

Jeffrey was dizzy from all the noise and he really wanted a bath. As Bogg pushed the bike, Jeffrey lagged behind. He trembled with each sound of the alarm. He was glad to be in the darkness so he wouldn't have to see the victims, but their shadows lay motionless on the streets. All of a sudden he was yanked off the curb.

"Ahhh! Bogg help me!"

Bogg ran to him and jerked the man off; he'd been shot and wasn't going to make it. He clung to Bogg's jacket and slid down, panting on his boots.

"I'm…I'm…sorr…sorry! I want…help! Don't let the Scavengers get me! I heard them coming! They were chasing me!"

Bogg peered into the shadows, the man was right. They couldn't be seen, but they were everywhere, waiting to attack. He looked at Jeffrey.

"Hit them, kid! Hit the lights!"

Jeffrey turned on the motorcycle high beams and the Scavengers growled and scampered away. He bravely rolled the bike closer, keeping the beam steady on them. Bogg got on his knees held the man's head in his lap. He clutched his hand until he breathed his last. With a groan he dragged the body to a dumpster.

"I'm sorry, man…they won't get you now."

He tossed a lighted match into the dumpster and the flames caught onto the greasy papers and trash. They soared into the air. Bogg rushed back to Jeffrey. The boy gripped the handlebars tight, shining light wherever he heard noise. Jeffrey flooded Bogg with light and he backed into the wall and covered his eyes.

"Arrhhh! It's me, kid!"

Jeffrey kept the light on, but turned it away. "Bogg, that man! We have to help him!"

"It's no use, he's dead and we have to jet from here! The lights will only hold the scavengers off for so long. I don't know what I was thinking, usually when I'm out at night, I'm packin!' I left my taser home too!"

"That's because we never carried weapons, Bogg."

Bogg remembered his time with his partner. "You're right, but I was dumb and carefree then."

"No! You were never…" Jeffrey faltered when Bogg stared him down. "Forget it."

Bogg and Jeffrey climbed on the motorcycle and sped away. Smoke and flames blazed from the alley and Jeffrey realized what happened. He choked back his cries. There seemed to be no place for sensitivity in this world of madness. But what Bogg did for the dying man was the most merciful act he could have done.

~Oo~

When they opened the front door, Jeffrey ran for the oil lamps, but Bogg wrenched him back.

"Don't! Curfew also means lights out. If they see light coming from the apartments they'll shoot right into it. I'm sorry, Jeff."

Jeffrey sank to the floor at the foot of the couch. He was exhausted. "This is crazy! No wonder everybody looks like dawn of the dead!"

"Dawn of the what?"

"Nothing. I mean, everyone looks like whacked out zombies. I've never seen you so pale and sick looking, Bogg!"

Bogg joined him on the floor and sprawled his legs out. "Thanks for the compliment. Even when the sun is up, I can barely enjoy it, I have to wear these."

He pulled out a pair of shades with large black frames. "Poor eyesight is a given now. The longer you stay here, the more you'll start looking like a vampire too."

Jeffrey leaned his head back and made himself comfortable. Pain radiated from his bruised shoulder and back. But had to ignore it. He pitied Bogg. His partner loved the sun and being out and about, but now he was prisoner to the night. Another frightening thought occurred to him.

"Bogg, the Scavengers…I'm scared! What if they break in? There's too many!"

Jeffrey huddled close to his old friend. Bogg reached behind the couch and pulled out a machine gun.

"I'll be ready for them. Nobody's going to make me their Sunday dinner!"

He reached into the fold of his boot and withdrew a long hunter's knife. "I'm well protected. I still know how to defend myself and as I always say, Voyagers never run from a fight!"

He put the weapons back in their places. Jeffrey shook his head miserable.

"Bogg, I thought you always said you don't need a gun?"

"That was another time zone kid…another Phineas Bogg."

"No! You and I had the same adventures up until the bridge. You're still the same man!"

"Look, if you're not happy with this version of your precious Bogg, then go out on your own. Why don't you just turn the omni and go somewhere else?" He snapped.

"No! I won't do that. I have no idea where I'll end up next. I've already made the biggest mistake of my life. I'm staying right here with you, whether you like it or not!"

Bogg stood up. It was no use to push him away, Jeffrey would always stick to him like glue. He rummaged the linen closet and threw him a quilt. Jeffrey bundled into a ball on the floor. He was cold and drowsy, and arguing with Bogg got him nowhere. He decided to appeal to his good nature.

"Bogg, thanks for saving my life tonight. I knew I could trust you. Please don't leave me alone here, I need you."

Bogg smiled at the boy as he drifted off into sleep. "I forgot how much we…need each other."

When he was satisfied Jeffrey wouldn't wake up, Bogg leaned over and pulled the omni off his belt, and shuffled it apprehensively. It was only a matter of time before the Sovereign's Tracking system picked up on another omni in the vicinity. Then the Hunters would come. Sovereign's task force was ruthless. Bogg fastened it back to Jeffrey's belt and lay down on the floor with an old throw pillow. He folded his arms in deep thought.

Moonlight mingled with the searchlights and swept across the tattered drapes. The effect was eerie as it illuminated his wide eyes. He had a lot to consider. Anyone who pleased Sovereign and did showed loyalty to the Paradoxian Government would be allowed to live in the other Boroughs with the same benefits as those on Roosevelt Island. Bogg looked at the boy sleeping soundly; apparently his omni was of greater value with elaborate functions. Once he turned it in, he was sure to reap a large reward.