Chapter 2: An Egg? On a Cell Phone?
"Must be some sort of new game. I've heard of games that you can download onto your cell phone." Drew suggested.
"Yeah, but I didn't download anything. And I doubt the games upload themselves." As they watched, the egg slowly pulsated, and a slight sound barely escaped the earpiece. Jack put it up to his head, and listened. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. It was the sound of a heart beating.
"OK, now this is officially getting freaky." Jack passed the cellular over to Drew, who put it to his own ear.
"Umm, maybe you should call the Phone Company?"
"And what? Tell them that my cell phone laid an egg?" Jack smirked at the thought. "If they don't call the funny farm, they'll dismiss it as a prank phone call. No, I'm just gonna wait and see what happens."
"It's getting late. I'd better head back home. My old lady's gonna yell at me if I'm any more late. Man, you're lucky having your own apartment."
"300 dollars a month, right, luck. See ya tomorrow man."
"See ya. Hey, maybe that digital egg would make a nice digital omelet."
The door closed behind Drew, and Jack was left alone with the bizarre egg. He turned off the cell phone, and went to bed. An egg on his cell phone. What was next?
*******
"Sir, I have. news," the soldier said, worried about the response. The earth saying 'Don't kill the messenger if you don't like the news' wasn't one of the policies there.
"Oh, what is it now?" His commander asked, irritated at the latest interruption.
"Sir, one of the targets we've been watching has, well, escaped our teams. He managed to make it to the other side." The soldier winced, waiting the response he feared.
"That's it? I thought it was something important. Now go away before I decide to get angry."
"Pardon me sir, but what if he manages to find. one of them?"
"Soldier, you well know that there aren't any of them left. You have 3 seconds to be gone from my sight, and stop wasting my time. 3 . 2 . 1"
The soldier was gone before the countdown started.
"The boss won't like this, not one bit. Not that there's any need to tell him, of course."
*******
The next day, Jack headed over to the local arcade, his cell phone clipped to his belt.
"Let me get the two hours," Jack told the clerk, handing over his card. The clerk handed his card back, and he stepped into the arcade. The day started out normally enough. Jack played various games, not spending too much time in any one place. He had just started to play the newest game there, when his cell phone started to go off. The phone vibrated against his hip, but he attempted to ignore it. The other person would just have to call back. He continued playing, but the phone wouldn't stop going off.
Angrily, he turned it on, to see who was calling him this time. He was only half surprised by the burst of static and the flash of light. What surprised him was the light focusing a beam directly onto the screen of the cabinet.
"What the? What is that?"
The familiar egg appeared on the video screen, still pulsating. Jack noticed that the egg was pulsating faster. The sound of the heartbeat, stronger than last night, came clearly through the speakers of the game. The egg shuddered violently, but returned to its normal pulsating. Then, as quickly as it had started, the egg faded from the screen, and the picture returned to normal.
Unfortunately, one of the employees spotted it all happening on the screen. Laying a hand on Jack's shoulder, he said "Sir, you're gonna have to come with me."
"What?? What'd I do?" Jack asked.
"Sir, just come with me. I don't think you want to cause a scene."
"Fine, whatever."
The employee led Jack into the bowels of the arcade, into a back room. To his surprise, a young lady was also in the room. She was lounging in her chair, managing to look compliant while still staring down her nose. She was wearing all black, and there were black highlights in her auburn hair. The manager was looking at them, a stern look on his face.
"So, what sorta scam are you two trying to pull? Hmm? Answer me!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," the young lady answered. "I'm not pulling a scam, and I have no clue who this guy is."
"Even if I knew who this chick was, which I don't, I don't even know how you could think I was with her." Jack added his own two cents worth to the conversation. It was all true, he had no clue.
"How could I not think you two are in on something together? Two of my employees witnessed one of you doing the same thing to two different machines." Both Jack's and the lady's eyes' widened. Both of them had done the same thing? Did that mean that she.?
"Now, will you tell me what the heck that egg was, or will I have to get the police involved?"
"Must be some sort of new game. I've heard of games that you can download onto your cell phone." Drew suggested.
"Yeah, but I didn't download anything. And I doubt the games upload themselves." As they watched, the egg slowly pulsated, and a slight sound barely escaped the earpiece. Jack put it up to his head, and listened. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. It was the sound of a heart beating.
"OK, now this is officially getting freaky." Jack passed the cellular over to Drew, who put it to his own ear.
"Umm, maybe you should call the Phone Company?"
"And what? Tell them that my cell phone laid an egg?" Jack smirked at the thought. "If they don't call the funny farm, they'll dismiss it as a prank phone call. No, I'm just gonna wait and see what happens."
"It's getting late. I'd better head back home. My old lady's gonna yell at me if I'm any more late. Man, you're lucky having your own apartment."
"300 dollars a month, right, luck. See ya tomorrow man."
"See ya. Hey, maybe that digital egg would make a nice digital omelet."
The door closed behind Drew, and Jack was left alone with the bizarre egg. He turned off the cell phone, and went to bed. An egg on his cell phone. What was next?
*******
"Sir, I have. news," the soldier said, worried about the response. The earth saying 'Don't kill the messenger if you don't like the news' wasn't one of the policies there.
"Oh, what is it now?" His commander asked, irritated at the latest interruption.
"Sir, one of the targets we've been watching has, well, escaped our teams. He managed to make it to the other side." The soldier winced, waiting the response he feared.
"That's it? I thought it was something important. Now go away before I decide to get angry."
"Pardon me sir, but what if he manages to find. one of them?"
"Soldier, you well know that there aren't any of them left. You have 3 seconds to be gone from my sight, and stop wasting my time. 3 . 2 . 1"
The soldier was gone before the countdown started.
"The boss won't like this, not one bit. Not that there's any need to tell him, of course."
*******
The next day, Jack headed over to the local arcade, his cell phone clipped to his belt.
"Let me get the two hours," Jack told the clerk, handing over his card. The clerk handed his card back, and he stepped into the arcade. The day started out normally enough. Jack played various games, not spending too much time in any one place. He had just started to play the newest game there, when his cell phone started to go off. The phone vibrated against his hip, but he attempted to ignore it. The other person would just have to call back. He continued playing, but the phone wouldn't stop going off.
Angrily, he turned it on, to see who was calling him this time. He was only half surprised by the burst of static and the flash of light. What surprised him was the light focusing a beam directly onto the screen of the cabinet.
"What the? What is that?"
The familiar egg appeared on the video screen, still pulsating. Jack noticed that the egg was pulsating faster. The sound of the heartbeat, stronger than last night, came clearly through the speakers of the game. The egg shuddered violently, but returned to its normal pulsating. Then, as quickly as it had started, the egg faded from the screen, and the picture returned to normal.
Unfortunately, one of the employees spotted it all happening on the screen. Laying a hand on Jack's shoulder, he said "Sir, you're gonna have to come with me."
"What?? What'd I do?" Jack asked.
"Sir, just come with me. I don't think you want to cause a scene."
"Fine, whatever."
The employee led Jack into the bowels of the arcade, into a back room. To his surprise, a young lady was also in the room. She was lounging in her chair, managing to look compliant while still staring down her nose. She was wearing all black, and there were black highlights in her auburn hair. The manager was looking at them, a stern look on his face.
"So, what sorta scam are you two trying to pull? Hmm? Answer me!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," the young lady answered. "I'm not pulling a scam, and I have no clue who this guy is."
"Even if I knew who this chick was, which I don't, I don't even know how you could think I was with her." Jack added his own two cents worth to the conversation. It was all true, he had no clue.
"How could I not think you two are in on something together? Two of my employees witnessed one of you doing the same thing to two different machines." Both Jack's and the lady's eyes' widened. Both of them had done the same thing? Did that mean that she.?
"Now, will you tell me what the heck that egg was, or will I have to get the police involved?"
