The Other Box: Chapter 8 (by Elliot Bowers)
...
Delsea Darkens
...
_____The first thing Gally felt was smoothness beneath her back--felt
through the material of her blouse. It was cool, flat smoothness--metallic.
Wait a moment... Her...skin?
_____Yes, her skin. Not even opening her eyes, Gally knew how she looked: she
now looked like a "normal" human girl. She felt and knew that her physique
was synthetic flesh again: synthetic skin and artificial muscle tissue. And
she knew how she was dressed. Black pleated skirt and white blouse, an outfit
complete with black shoes and knee-length socks.
_____Yes, she looked fully human, though her appearance was a lie. Her skin
was not real, nor was the muscle tissue or bone beneath it: myogel muscle
supported by a titanium skeleton. Silken dark hair made of polymer strands.
Her eyes were made of engineered ceramics. Synthetics was still synthetics,
regardless of how "real" it looked.
_____And, like the last time, false memories filled her head... These were
memories that were not hers, yet came to her anyway. They were memories of
belonging to this place, memories that went with this alternate body. Such were
unreal memories for a girl with an unreal body.
_____Put all together, Gally knew that she must be back in the town of Delsea--
where she was another person. A different mind and a different body. At this
point, Gally could barely remember if she was herself.
_____Was she herself? Or was being a sleek, metal-bodied killer a lie? Which
memories fit the real Gally? Why this...?
_____She had to think. Had to concentrate, had to get back to a real sense
of herself... She thought back the most recently remembered moments. Otherwise,
her sense of self would be gone.
_____Just before this moment, Gally was with the Kindly Old Man. After the
meeting, she had half-hoped for a return to the nameless city. And this
cyborg-girl hoped that she could return at the exact time that she left. But,
no. For some reason, the transition process that took her between the nameless
city and the town of Delsea was a process that twisted time as a side-effect.
_____But what somewhat puzzled Gally was another aspect of the transition: why
how and why did her body change, and why the false memories? She could
comprehend the idea of a device to twist time and space--space warping. Just
perhaps, Dr. Nova's darkness-filled box was such a warping device. But, instead
of just warping space, that accursed thing of darkness warped reality. That
included Gally's reality.
_____Finally opening her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling. It was a ceiling
of perforated white tiles, with florescent lighting--an office-type of ceiling.
This must be Dr. Nova's medical office. Sitting up on the edge of the table,
the synthetic-bodied girl looked around just to be sure. Indeed, to the left
of this metal table was the oversized computer Dr. Nova used to diagnose and
treat problems with synth-type bodies. Right of the table, there were medical
charts and a cabinet against the wall. The floor was hard and shiny.
_____That's it: Gally had all the confimation she needed. This office, she
"remembered," only existed in Delsea--a town where everyone lived with pre-cyborg
technologies. This is a town where Dr. Nova is loved and appreciated because
of his "amazing" knowledge and skill. This is also the town, she remembered,
in which a certain dark disease started brewing...
_____What would happen if she caught that strange disease, that black bile
affliction? She thought back to the victims she encountered: both in Delsea
and in the nameless city. Those infected with the disease seemed simply ill
at first: physical ailment. This continues as blood and body chemistry is
radically changed. Under any other circumstances, even certain minute changes
in body chemistry could kill a person.
_____Yet the black bile disease somehow kept its victims alive--long enough to
drive them into a berserker-rage. It must be horrible, to be physically ill
while slowly losing one's mind. If Gally's brain were infected, then she
would no longer be herself. She wondered how it would feel to be alive while
one's brain rotted bit by bit, as she slowly became a mindless killing machine...
_____But, wasn't that what she became sometimes? A killing machine whose mind
was consumed with white fury? Yet, even in the deepest heat of battle, there
was always a small corner of her mind that KNEW she was still herself.
_____Her eyes then moved to look on one of the medical charts on the right-side
wall. One of them was a cut-away illustration of the human head--showing the
parts inside skull. The black bile illness first changed the body, then
closed in on the cerebrum...
_____The doorknob turned, and Dr. Nova's nurse stepped in. A slender, red-haired
woman in white uniform, Gally remembered that she was dangerous. That woman in
white was also a cyborg, a synth-flesh one--like the girl here was now. This
way, Dr. Nova had himself an assistant and bodyguard.
_____The nurse now came within a meter from the patient. It was close enough
to comfortably speak. And, it was close enough to intimidate.
_____"Well, I see that our little darling has finished her nappy-bye!" said
the nurse. She then patted Gally on the head--getting a glare in return.
"Aww, are you feeling GUMPY? How about a game? A guessing game?" No response
from the girl sitting on the table. "Okay, three guesses. Guess what delicious
food Dr. Nova had to fill his tummy!"
_____"HE CONSUMED FLAN, FOOL!" shouted Gally, her young voice seeming to
explode with loudness in this quiet room. The nurse did not even flinch at
the outburst. "Flan is but the ONLY food he consumes! A prominent aspect of
his MADNESS!"
_____Despite the outburst, the nurse smiled. Not a nice smile, though. "You
know what? I don't like being yelled at. Rude little bitch!" THWACK!
_____...The next thing Gally knew, she lie stunned on the floor, lying beneath
where the medical charts were hung against the wall. Her head was filled with
dizziness and sparkles of pain... She dimly remembered the nurse's right
hand moving impossibly fast. Moving blur-quick.
_____The nurse took two quick steps, and she was suddenly here--standing over
the petite dark-haired girl. "Now look what you made me do to you!" said the
nurse. "You look really messed up... Your hair is all messy, and your blouse
is all untucked...!" She reached down and lifted Gally by the neck. "Get over
here!"
_____Using just one slender arm, the nurse carried the stunned limp girl back
to the table--still carried by the neck. She then lowered the patient, setting
her atop the metal surface. As Gally sat dazed, the nurse first fussed with
the waistband of Gally's skirt, tucking in the blouse. Then she began patting
and stroking the silky dark hair into place.
_____"A mess, a REAL mess, little girl... At least, now you'll look more
presentable. You know, you ought not fool with me--especially after what I
had for lunch." The nurse glanced at the medical chart on the wall.
_____"You ate...brains?" asked Gally. Then she felt a fresh wave of dizziness
wash over her. The dizziness...could have been caused by a concussion. Or,
it could have been caused by fear.
_____"Sure, free brains for lunch! HUMAN brains, the tastiest!" answered the
nurse. "You know what? There are perks that go with working in the medical
profession, especially with the latest disease that's going around now." She
put her hands on her hips. "Just think... Dead bodies going to waste, about
to be buried. It's like throwing away food! So Dr. Nova has some of his
friends in the morgue take out and save the brains...for me! And if the
corpses' heads are empty when they bury them at funerals, who's going to know?
Best of all..." At this point, the nurse leaned closer to Gally.
_____"Best of all, eating brains feels tastier than sex. Well, not that you'd
know that! But it's the thought that counts. Ha ha ha ha ha...!"
_____Gally clenched her pale hands, fingernails into palms. She would not have
her brain eaten so easily. She would not die without a last fight.
_____The nurse stopped laughing, but she still had a cheery tone to her voice.
"Oh, don't be silly! I'm not interested in YOUR brain right now. I just ate.
Besides, Dr. Nova tells me that your brain is denatured anyway--filled with
some kind of advanced engineered chemical. So now your think-meat probably
tastes like ground-up, soggy television parts. Anyway, the good doctor is
still in the reception room..."
_____The door opened, and... "Why, speak of the devil!" exclaimed the nurse.
In walked the labcoat-wearing doctor himself, his coat worn over buttoned shirt
and slacks. Completing his outfit was an ugly tie around his neck and a bowl
of flan in his left hand.
_____"Mmm... How delicious this is!" he began. "Good afternoon, Gally. I see
that you have finally come to consciousness. This time, your transition took
three weeks and six hours. Yet, you departed before I did."
_____Large dark eyes on the flan-eating doctor, Gally spoke. "Dr. Nova, why
do you do this? What is this game you play? By now, you must have performed
your reality-bending experiment several times over. Your box-device clearly
works. Now, let us talk of restoring things as they were..."
_____Dr. Nova's spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. "Restoring things as they
were, hmm? Bring us back to Scrap Iron City, where I can't perform the best
of my reality-bending experiments without being hunted down by bounty hunters?
Hmmm..." He brought the spoonful of flan to his mouth, chewed it thoughtfully.
"Hmm... MMMH!"
_____Swallowing the flan, he answered. "Well, my dear, that may not be possible
at this time. For one point, the device is not quite MY box. It is not under
my control. The device seems to go where it pleases, as if it posesses its
own will... Which brings me to my second point." He took another spoonful of
flan. "For another point, THE box is too unstable to be controlled. In fact,
it seldom remains in a specific form for too long. Think of the box as a
'kink' in reality, a glitch...not necessarily as a solid object, per se.
It's an anomaly."
_____Oh, Dr. Nova was in lecture mode now! Talking up his audience of two, he
continued. "Well, how? Can such an object exist? My latest theory is that
the laws of the universe--or our reality--are not flawless. Perhaps, due to
the laws of probability, glitches in reality do occur... Like, THE box--a
glitch!
_____"I rambling, I'm sorry. But my theories on THE box still require further
development. Yes, more and more experiments! And if you and I are to flip
between two alternate realities, so be it. In the meanwhile, this flan is
truly tasty! It is seriously and seductively scrumptious! Deeply delicious!"
_____Annoyed, Gally waited for Dr. Nova to come back from his flan-filled
state-of-mind. The nurse crossed her arms and smiled that pretty--but
false--smile of hers. Both synthetic-bodied females waited for the doctor
to stop spooning that sweet-smelling stuff into his mouth.
_____Omph! Mrmph! Munch, munch, gulp... "AHEM! Well now, as I was saying
to you both, THE box is a manifestation of something. THE box is an anomaly.
Gally, you have been present whenever the box opens. You know what happens...
Flan!"
_____"Yet, what is the role of the Kindly Old Man?" asked Gally, crossing her
arms. "Is he but another anomaly? Just another so-called 'kink' in reality?
Or... Is his presence deliberate?" She stared, waiting for an answer.
_____"The Kindly Old Man?" asked Dr. Nova, a nervous smile on his face. "Ha-ha,
what do you mean by that?" Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
The doctor was clearly nervous, jittery.
_____"Well, ha-ha... Don't talk about HIM. As things stand, I do not have
extensive data on him--or it. Therefore, I presume HIM to be a side-effect of
THE box. I will admit that he seems to be much more than that, but the latter
explanation is sufficient." He shrugged, then changed the subject. "By the
way, your parents are waiting for you. And, more flan is waiting for me!" He
then quickly scampered out of the room, clutching his bowl of flan, leaving
Gally here with the nurse.
...
_____Elsewhere in Delsea, in the suburban residential area, a particular group
of teenagers hung around a friend's front porch. This was Ralph's house, and
three of his friends were here. Just sitting and standing around, talking
about life-in-general. The two girls wore blouses and long skirts; the two
boys had on jeans and white tee-shirts--one of them wearing a leather
jacket over his shirt. Young and relatively carefree, they were typical
youths of Delsea.
_____The one with the leather jacket wore it more stylishly than anyone else
in town. He was Fonzie; of COURSE his leather jacket looked cooler than
anyone else's jacket. Sitting on this porch, he listened to the girl sitting
on a lower step. The girl was Susie, Ralph's girlfriend. And she was sounding
worried about that freaky disease going around...
_____It was pretty odd, talking about a dark subject on a pretty afternoon
like this. And the weather matched the neighborhood: This was a nice-looking
neighborhood, as were most places here in Delsea. A neat and clean-looking
street, with nice-sized houses amidst greenery. Green grass and trees were
also in this neighborhood. And the wind gently blew through. Though carefree,
the youths of Delsea were not totally so.
_____"...It's like something's eating people, from the inside," said Susie
at this point. "My cousin Joe had a really nice dog, you know? One day, it
got bit by some squirrel. Next day, the police come by and kill the poor thing."
She wrapped her blouse-sleeved arms around herself--hugging herself. "If we
all get the black bile disease and go crazy, I wonder what's going to happen..."
_____Ralph got up from this porch. "No, no, no... Don't say THAT, Susie!
This isn't like the Middle Ages. We've got science, and machines, and all
that sort of stuff! If we get sick, the scientists and the doctors will use
machines and... And science stuff to cure us! Fonzie, back me up!"
_____Fonzie glanced at the thin blonde girl, glanced up at Ralph, then rolled
his eyes. "I thought Susie here was YOUR girl, Ralphie. And I don't think
you want that fact to change, do ya? Because once a girl gets comforted by
the Fonze..." Fonzie spread out his arms, indicating himself. "Once she's
comforted by my arms, the girl DOESN'T GO BACK. So it's your show, Ralphie-boy!
Tell Susie here not to worry herself to death."
_____"What? Hmmph..." Ralph looked to Fonzie's own girlfriend--Lynette,
sitting next to Fonzie on the porch. Though she and Susie both wore the same
style of clothes, Lynette wore a different mindset. She was known as a bold
girl. A dark-haired, sexy-looking girl with attitude, Lynette was a good
match for Fonzie.
_____"Okay..." began Ralph. "Lynette, help me tell Susie that everything's
going to be alright. Tell her about who can help us."
_____Lynette reached into her purse and took out some chewing gum. She put
it in her mouth, chewed it a bit. And, she mentally chewed on thoughts regarding
what to say to worrried Susie here. She came up with something to say.
_____"Alright, Susie..." said Fonzie's girlfriend. "Things are going to be
alright. Like Ralphie here said, we've got science and machines on our side.
And if things aren't gonna be alright... Well, what's the use of worrying?
Worrying doesn't make problems go away. Worrying is a waste of mental energy.
If we all get sick, then we all get sick--simple."
_____Leaning forward from where he sat, Fonzie spoke up. "Yeah, that's very
well put there! If we're all gonna die, then we're all just gonna die. Worryin'
just makes life scarier. Ya know what I'm sayin'? I like to try and save my
WORRY for stuff I can fix... Like motorcycles at work."
_____Closing her eyes, Susie shook her head. "No, Fonze. Don't try to compare
people to darned motorcycles! Don't you realize that something really, really
serious is happening? It's real! And we're all going to suffer!"
_____"Aww, don't be like THAT!" answered Fonzie, looking down at the blonde
girl on the lower step. "I know somethin' serious is happenin', Susie. But
let me repeat... I like to save my worryin'. If everybody in Delsea is gonna
die, and there's nothin' we can do 'bout it, then what's the use? Why worry?"
_____Lynette inched over closer to where Susie sat. Chewing her gum, she
looked at the blonde girl. Said, "Besides, thanks to Dr. Nova's fancy new
medical procedure-thing, Fonzie's motorcycle metaphor ain't too far off. We
can all be fixed to be like machines on the inside."
_____"Thank you, doll! Thank YOU!" said Fonzie. "Yeah, think about it, Sue.
We're pretty damned LUCKY that the flan-man himself came all the way here
from Harvard-school--or WHEREVER--to be in this town. If we get sick...
Batta-bing, batta-BOOM, we just walk ourselves over to Dr. Nova's medical
garage and get ourselves fixed up. That man's the best doctor in the whole
world right about now!"
_____Ralph went closer to Susie on the porch. "Yeah, Sue. Listen to them.
We've got the best doctor in the world looking out for us! If there were
really reasons to worry, Dr. Nova would tell us all about it."
...
_____By a sheerly brutal coincidence, there were three teenage boys elsewhere
in town who were suffering from the disease being worried about. They were in
someone's back yard, kneeling on the grass--clutching their abdomens. Mouths
open, they began to retch and spasm. Wait, here it comes...
_____"Bleah-h-h...!" Yes, up it came! Up from their stomachs and out of
their mouths, it was a loathsome, disgusting glop. And it was a loathsome glop
that came from their infected bodies.
_____The substance wasn't vomit. Vomit would have been better than THAT stuff.
Indeed, anything short of poison would have been better. But it wasn't poison
or vomit... It was something much worse. The three boys in that back yard
had vomited the dark, shiny stuff--the black bile. They had THE disease.
_____As they vomited, they began to lose what was left of their minds while
losing what was in their stomachs. Their brains underwent the last stages of
a horrible metamorphisis, something not too different from death. Of course,
the biochemical makeup of their bodies had already undergone the change caused
by the disease; the brain was the final thing to undergo such changes.
_____By the time they stopped vomiting, their brains would no longer be theirs.
Their brains would belong to the disease. They would become rabid, mindless
monsters that only wore human bodies.
...
_____Back at Ralph's house, Fonzie brough up a point to counter what Susie
just said. Then she had changed the subject--started talking about Gally.
Susie said something about Gally being a bit crazy because her body wasn't
real.
_____"Wait a second! WAIT A SECOND!" said Fonzie. "Susie, d'you think somethin'
is WRONG with Gally? She's like the little sister I never had! She's cool--a
doll of a girl that can talk sweet AND can kick some serious tail!"
_____Lynette reached back to slap one of Fonzie's shins. "Hey-y-y! I mean,
you can kick but too, Lynette. Not that I especially go for that tail-
kickin' aspect of your particular demeanor, but you look good enough to go
out with me!" Thwack! "Hey-y-y! Lay off the MATERIAL, will ya?"
_____Susie took on a thoughtful look. "You know what? Whenever I think too
much about Gally or Dr. Nova, I sometimes get a funny sort of feeling in my
head. I try to think back to when I first met either of them, and then..."
She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just weird."
_____"Hmmph," went Ralph, "I thought that I was the only one. Now that I think
about it, they're both a little bit odd. Maybe it's because they're foreign.
I don't know where Dr. Nova came from, but Gally is definitely Japanese..."
_____Ralph was talking, but Fonzie's attention was only partially on what was
being said. His ears were hearing Ralph, but his eyes were seeing somebody
completely different... Over there, at the street. "Ralphie-boy, you got a
camera?"
_____The teen looked confused. "What does that have to do with what we're
talking about? A camera? Wait, what's everybody looking at?" He turned around
to look at the neighborhood street. "Oh-h-h..."
_____"A camera, A CAMERA!" said Fonzie, making gestures with his hands, as if
holding a photograph-taking device. "There he is AGAIN! Look at 'em!" Indeed,
Fonzie was seeing HIM, the Kindly Old Man.
_____The Kindly Old Man was now walking down the street. His legs seemed to
be moving normally, but he was only going about half the speed of a normal
person... That creepy old guy must be walking on air!
_____"Damn," went Lynette, "I'm seeing HIM for the first time, and he's REALLY
CREEPIN' ME OUT! Fonzie, I pretty much believe most of what you say, but I
almost didn't believe in that Kindly Old Man you told me about. But now...!"
_____Now, there HE was, real and solid as day. He was exactly the way Fonzie
and some other people described HIM. The Kindly Old Man was even wearing the
suspenders.
_____"This can't be real," said Ralph, extremely afraid. "I'm gonna be sick!"
Then he ran up the steps everyone else was sitting on, ran into the house and
into the bathroom. Obviously, he suddenly had to use the toilet.
_____Nonplussed by Ralph's sudden departure, Fonzie got up from the porch steps.
"Tell ya what, girls... I'm goin' over there to try an' unravel some of the
mystery surrounding that mystery-man. Wait right here..." Then, he went
over there.
_____Walking with a confident stride, the cool guy crossed the front yard--
approaching that old man in slacks, button shirt and suspenders. But he
never quite made it over there.
_____Halfway across the yard, Fonzie felt a bit dizzy. No, He felt really
dizzy. He shook his head, then went to a knee. The Kindly Old Man continued
going along the street.
_____Lynette ran over to Fonzie. She knelt close to him, wrapped her
slender arms around his torso. "Baby, what did that spooky old guy do to
you? Talk to me..."
_____Blinking once, Fonzie recovered his senses. "I just had this idea come
into my head, ya know?" He gently pushed Lynette away. "I'm gonna follow
'em. Wait here."
...
_____With Lynette and Susie watching (and Ralph still in his house), Fonzie
straightened the collar of his leather jacket. Then, eyes ahead, he went to
the street--began to follow the creepy old guy in white. Man, he didn't want
to do this! A weird feeling in his gut, a buzzing headache in his head, all
of that feeling... But Fonzie just said to his friends he was going to
follow the Kindly Old Man. And "the Fonze" is a man who does not break his
word! He would NOT chicken out.
_____Weird... The Kindly Old Man stopped at the intersection at the far end
of the street--like he was waiting for Fonzie. Slowing up his walk, Fonzie
played it cool. He hoped the Kindly Old Man chose a direction before he got
to the intersection. Otherwise, Fonzie would have to stop at the same place;
then he would have to confront him.
_____But, he didn't. Shuffling his feet, the Kindly Old Man turned right and
went. He walked beyond some shrubs at the intersection. Almost going out of
sight... Damn those corner hedges!
_____Quickening his pace a bit, Fonzie followed. Good, there was some wind.
The wind would cover up the sound of his riding boots on the sidewalk... The
freaky phantom shouldn't hear him following.
_____Wait a second...! PHANTOM? Fonzie almost laughed at himself for thinking
that. Whoever said the Kindly Old Man was a PHANTOM? For all Fonzie cared,
the Kindly Old Man was just a little funny in the head. He was just somebody
who didn't act like everyone else did. He was not some ghost-thing!
_____Still walking eighteen meters' distance behind that weird old guy in white,
Fonzie was sure to take glances at other houses--acting like he was a bit lost.
When the Kindly Old Man came to another intersection in this neighborhood,
Fonzie crossed the street and went to the sidewalk at the left side of the
street. The Kindly Old Man kept going along the right side of the street
until...
_____There was a bit more wind, making for a pretty breezy afternoon. Then,
the Kindly Old Man began going faster...pretty fast for someone with wrinkles
and gray hair. Fonzie strode faster. He found himself almost jogging to keep
the Kindly Old Man in sight. But the old guy's legs didn't seem to be moving
any quicker! What the HECK is going on here? Where is the old guy going,
anyway?
...
_____Hmmph... Fifteen minutes later, walking and striding, Fonzie still kept
trailing the Kindly Old Man--keeping him in view. "The Fonze" kept his doubts
in mind, and he kept out of sight. Doubts in mind, he followed for at least
a mile. And this part of the residential area was beginning to look just a
bit familiar.
_____In this part of the town's residential area, there were just a bit more
trees. And most of the houses didn't have white picket fences, showing off
the extra-nice lawns. Fonzie glanced around once more to get his bearings,
then he noticed that the Kindly Old Man stopped.
_____What the Hell! Surprised, the rhythm of Fonzie's stride stuttered, but
he didn't trip over. So what, the Kindly Old Man stopped at a particular
house? And whatever the old guy was doing here, Fonzie didn't care. He could
now turn around and tell Ralphie-boy and company where the Kindly Old Man
stopped.
_____Or, at least he would have--if he didn't have to defend himself at this
particular point. Just as he was about to turn and get back to Ralphie's place
and give the news, he heard fast and angry footsteps. He now spun around to
see what the noise was... Oh, damn!
_____Coming along the sidewalk, running hunched-over, there was a beefy-looking
blond teenage guy coming right at him! There was some dark stuff on the guy's
tee shirt and jeans that could have been motor oil. But the eyes looked wrong.
The eyes...!
_____Fonzie saw that sort of look only once before, but he never forgot it. It was
the look of someone with the black bile disease. Setting his feet apart and
clenching his hands into fists, this cool guy with black leather jacket got
ready to deal with what was definitely going to be trouble.
....
_____The black bile victim sped up, arms out. This was going to be a full-force
tackle. Ready to knock Fonzie down! Too bad, Fonzie jumped to the left and
onto the grass of a nearby yard--tumbling once.
_____Getting up from the dodge, Fonzie quickly brushed off his jacket and
jeans. He then saw the strong-looking blond guy SKID to a stop. Yes, he was
moving that fast.
_____Damn, he was going to try that same football tackle again! Fonzie stooped
slightly, fists clenched. And the blond guy came with that same run. Coming
closer.... Almost...
_____THWACK! Fonzie felt the impact on the knuckles of right fist. He had
hit the guy with a right hook just at the right moment. Warm wetness splattered
up into the air, dripping from the shattered nose of the blond guy. But the
stuff wasn't red blood. It didn't even look like blood.
_____"What the...?" went Fonzie, quickly brushing his right fist on his pants'
cuffs. He didn't want this stuff on him! This was that bile-shit!
____As he did this, the blond guy staggered a bit, blinking hard. The punch
should have knocked him out, but didn't. Instead, the blond guy came walking
at Fonzie.
_____Fonzie clenched his fists, ready to finish the blond guy off. But the blond
guy struck first, hitting Fonzie in the gut. He followed that with a blow to
the face! "The Fonze" staggered backwards a step and went to a knee--kneeling.
_____Eyes wide and bloodshot, nose freely dripping, the blond guy now spread
his arms, tilted back his head and HOW-W-WLED. It was the sort of sound
normally only heard out in the wilderness, late at night, when animals roamed
the dark wilds. But this was the afternoon, in the suburbs, and this guy was
making the sound like a natural!
_____Then, that blond black bile victim looked down at Fonzie. Jaws slack,
broken nose dripping, the infected guy started looking less human. Like, he
was going to do something...!
_____Fonzie wasn't going to be done in by a savage animal! Still kneeling, he
grabbed his right fist in his left hand--forming a double-fist. He then stood
and SWUNG up at the same time.
_____The effect was spectacular. When the double-fisted blow HIT, the blonde
guy was knocked off his feet. Darkened blood splashed upward. Then, he landed
hard onto the sidewalk. The back of his head made a hard cracking sound when
it struck the concrete. But then he tried to get up...AGAIN!
_____"No WAY!" said Fonzie. Almost mercifully, he booted the guy in the chest.
A really solid THUMP! Coughing once, the blond guy went back down. This time,
he did not stand up again. Good, this fight was done...
_____Fonzie looked around. The Kindly Old Man was gone. Hmmph, maybe the
fight scared him off? Nah, he didn't think so.
...
_____Well, now to get things squared away. Fonzie just couldn't leave the
blond guy there. It wouldn't be right. That, though he KNEW that the guy was
as good as dead--if not from the injuries, but from the black bile disease.
Nobody recovered from the black bile, but maybe the hospital could keep the
guy alive until that really smart doctor could look him over... Yeah, maybe
Dr. Nova would come up with a quickie-cure just in time.
_____As for himself, Fonzie would be fine. He felt as if someone slammed a
wrecking ball into his chest, and the right side of his face felt broke, but
he'd live. Clutching his abdomen, he used his booted right foot to turn the
blond guy onto his back--so the guy wouldn't choke to death on his own blood...
IF that dark stuff could still be called blood. Then, Fonzie stagger-walked
over to the nearest house. Front door...
_____Knock-knock. A high school girl answered the door. And she promptly put
her small hands to her round face. "Fonzie!" she squealed. "What happened?"
She knew him; EVERYBODY knew "the Fonze."
_____Fonzie jerked his left thumb towards the sidewalk. "See that guy laid out
there on the sidewalk?" The high school girl nodded. "He happened. Then, I
happened to him! Know what I'm sayin'. Now, be a Good Samaratin and call an
ambulance for his sorry self. Lock your door, too. More of those infected
freaks could still be around here."
_____The high school girl gave a glance to the guy on the sidewalk, then returned
her worried blue eyes to Fonzie. "What about YOU! You're hurt! If you wait,
I could take care of you until the ambulance..." But Fonzie gave a wave of
his left hand, interrupting.
_____"No thanks... I'm feelin' a little better already." He straightened up
a bit, though the ache in his midsection still pained him. "I've gotta go
talk to somebody else about this first. Just do me the favor of calling help
for that black bile victim over there. See ya around, toots."
_____That said, "the Fonze" turned from the door and did his best to walk
normally over to the sidewalk--despite the ache in his face and in his midsection.
Most certainly, the blows were going to leave bruises... He had been in fights
before, once before with a black bile victim. This was his second encounter with
one of those infected people, and he almost lost.
_____Now, he REALLY had to get over to where he was going now. It was a place
not too far away. Walking with just a little bit of stagger, he continued along
the sidewalk. Getting away from that blond guy. And, "the Fonze" hoped he
didn't have another encounter. One for today was enough.
...
_____Luckily, he didn't have any more encounters en route to his destination.
It was nearing 6:00 p.m. by the time he arrived. Though the pain in his gut
lessened, his face still had a hot and aching sort of pain from that hit. He
was able to walk normally by the time he came to a particular house somewhere
else in these suburbs--a nice house with a white-picket fence and a small
decorative flower garden up front. Yeah, a nice-looking place, but Fonzie
knew that the toughest--yet cutest--girl in Delsea lived here. Heck, she was
the toughest girl that ever lived, probably!
_____Rubbing the right side of his face, then instantly regretting it because
of the pain, Fonzie knocked on the front door with the knuckles of his left
hand. Knock-knock...
_____A mousy haired sort of woman answered the door, dressed in a housedress
and apron. An avereage and very plain housewife of a woman. "Hello,
Alphonse..." she began, greeting Fonzie by his proper name. Then came her
look of shock. "Oh MY GOODNESS! What happened to you?"
_____Fonzie turned his head to the right and down. "Aww... Nothin' happened,
okay? Uh-h-h, can I talk to Gally? It's sorta about some advice. I've gotta
ask her some things."
_____The housewife put her hands on her hips. "Well, young man! The FIRST
thing we're going to do is to see to your hurts. I don't think you'd be able
to hold ANY sort of conversation with ANYONE if you look set to pass out!
During the War, I was a nurse!" She opened the front door, then grabbed
Fonzie by a sleeve of his black leather jacket. "Come in here, right this
instant! We'll see about that developing bruise...and that stomach-ache!"
_____Damn, and Fonzie thought he was doing a good job his hiding his hurt!
Trying to decide between not being rude and not being babied, he was easily
pulled into the house by Gally's adopted mother. This was too much!
...
_____Inside the well-furnished and spotless living room, the housewife set
Fonzie on the sofa. The husband was comfortably dressed, sitting in an
armchair. He was reading today's newspaper. He lowered it to look at the
newly arrived guest.
_____"Well, well, well!" he said, looking at the familiar guy in black leather
jacket. "Looks like you've been in quite a dust-up, young man! Ha ha! When
I was your age, I've had my share of fisticuffs. Quite a troublemaker, I was."
_____As the husband sat right of the sofa, he was in plain sight of Fonzie's
facial damage. "To tell the truth, Mr. D," said Fonzie, "I didn't wanna get
into a 'dust-up' with that particular individual. Anyway, he wasn't the right
sorta state of mind when he rushed me." His voice lowered in tone... "And,
I don't think he'll ever be in his right state of mind ever again--if you get
my drift. The disease, ya know?"
_____The husband went quiet for a moment, thinking on that. "Hmmph... Yes, it's
just so," he finally said. "That 'black bile' disease is the newest trouble,
isn't it? It seems like this town is the only place to have it--fortunately
or unfortunately, depending on your outlook."
_____Fonzie nodded. "Yeah, I know what you're sayin'. Then again, we're also
pretty lucky to have the country's smartest doctor around. By the way, I came
here to speak with his premier patient...your daughter. She around?"
_____The housewife came bustling back in, a closed cloth bag in her left
hand and a glass of water in her right. She came over to the sofa, gave the
cloth bag to Fonzie--an ice-bag. "Now, Fonzie... Put this over your right
cheek, and drink this glass of water. I dissolved powdered aspirin in it.
The pain ought to go away in a few minutes."
_____"Aww... Thanks, Mrs. D. You really know how to care for a guy." said
Fonzie. He held the ice-bag to the side of his face that ached hurt. Then
he began drinking the water with the dissolved asprin. "I was just sayin', I
came by here to talk to Gally."
_____The housewife stood up, hands on hips. "You know, it's the oddest thing...
She had a bowl of chocolate ice cream with sugar, then went straight off to
shower and bed. Normally, all of those sweets would make a young lady go
hopping around like mad--but Gally isn't like any young lady now. She's sleeping
now, and I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."
_____"My name was mentioned," said a young voice from the stairway. Fonzie
twisted around on the sofa to look, and he saw the slender girl dressed in
loose pants and sleeveless top--shoulder-length dark hair looking slightly
damp and limp. "If you wish to speak to me, that can be done." She padded
away from the stairs on small bare feet, moving with no sound.
_____The housewife shook her head. "No! Gally, you'll catch cold! Go put on
a robe right this instant! I don't know exactly what type of customs you
practiced as a younger child in Japan, but while you're living here under this
roof, you'll..."
_____"She'll do no such thing!" said the husband. "She won't ever catch a cold, or
any other sort of bodily illness. Dr. Nova's operation saw to that! And if she wants
to talk to Fonzie, let her." He then pulled up his newspaper, continued reading it.
_____The housewife went away from the sofa. Gally walked over. She sat to
Fonzie's right, pulled her knees up to her chest and crossed her pale lithe
arms. Large dark eyes on Fonzie, she waited for him to talk.
_____He spoke, though the ice-bag on his numb face encumbered his speech a bit.
"You see... It sorta goes like this, Gally. I was sittin' around with Lynette,
Ralphie, and Susie. Just talkin' about STUFF. Then HE came along Ralphie's
street. You know, the Kindly Old Man. An' I decided to follow HIM, just to
check things out. I was feelin' a little creeped out an' all, but I followed
him regardless. Oh, man! What a mistake! WHAT a MIS-TAKE!"
_____According to her false memories, Gally knew that Fonzie was very skilled
at anything he did--be it repairing vehicles, talking to people or defending
his honor against the rare rival. But, against someone made insane by the
black bile disease, no one could walk away uninjured. Fonzie must have run
into that sort of trouble.
_____"I now assume that your pursuit of the Kindly Old Man was...interrupted,"
she said. "And, you were correct to have tried to follow him." She half-closed
her eyes. Said, "The Kindly Old Man knows a great deal about what is happening,
yet he is unable to directly tell exactly what happens. Because, he is unable
to communicate as ordinary people do."
_____The uninjured half of Fonzie's face looked surprised. "Huh? Whaddaya
mean the Kindly Old Man knows 'exactly what's going on'? Not even Dr. Nova
knows exactly what's goin' on here in Delsea. Like, where did the freakin'
black bile disease come from? Why is it only in this town? And why is the
Kindly Old Man here?
_____"Ya know what? I once went to Nova's office and asked 'em about
miscellaneous stuff. And, of course, I asked him if there was ever gonna be
a cure. He said that he was workin' on the aanswer. But when he said that,
he patted a weird wooden box on his desk. Then he said to me, 'The solution
and the truth are in THE box.' What's he mean by that?"
_____THE box? Oh yes, Gally knew what Dr. Nova meant by what he said to
Fonzie. Or, she had an idea as to what Dr. Nova meant. The flan-obsessed
metaphysicist was still trying to analyze the reality-twisting properties of THE box.
That object was extremely powerful--and dangerous. Still, Nova would not stop
until he could use it for whatever purpose he wanted.
_____"Hey, don't look like that," said Fonzie, shifting himself on this sofa.
"You got really quiet all of a sudden. What'd I say?" He readjusted the
ice-bag, wincing a bit. But the asprin was beginning to kick in.
_____Putting her feet to the carpeted floor, Gally looked down. She wondered
how she could make this revelation. According to her false memories of this town,
Dr. Nova was highly respected and highly admired as a medical scientist.. No,
admired as a medical GENIUS. People here put him on par with someone named
Albert Einstein.
_____The truth was, according to the clues given by the Kindly Old Man, Dr.
Nova was indirectly responsible for starting the so-called 'black bile'
illness here in Delsea. But she could not tell these people that. It would
be like saying that all parents are liars and want to eat the brains of their
children. That sounded disgusting, but worse things have sometimes happened
in her original hometown of Scrap Iron City.
_____In that dark city, some parents HAVE eaten their children's brains...
That and worse, if such could be imagined. But Gally could imagine. There
was so much more that Gally knew--she knew more trouble than those of this
place did. Maybe, it was better that way.
...
_____Over in the more urban part of Delsea, Dr. Nova was at work in the store-
front building that housed his medical practice. He was in the back, in the
machinery-equipped room, trying to set up an experiment with THE box. The
first thing to do was put it in a relative vacuum.
_____Such primitive technology! He could not find a hard-vacuum field generator
in this town, so he had to make do with something that came close: an annealed
glass case attached to a hand-pump. Now, with the glass case atop the metal
table, he had the nurse work the hand-pump. Inside the case was none other
than THE box.
_____The nurse kept working the pump... Had the flesh of her slender arms
been real, her arms would have tired minutes ago. But because she had the
strength of artificial muscle, she could pump Dr. Nova's pump all day.
_____All the while, Dr. Nova stood close by. He regarded the pressure gauge
on the case... Hmm, no change! "Damn this technology! Unable to create a simple
hard vacuum!" He hit the annealed glass case with THE box in it, making it all
tumble. Inside the case, THE box opened, and darkness swept over everything.
...
_____Something else happened elsewhere in Delsea. "You're doin' it again,
Gally," said Fonzie. "Gettin' quiet all of a sudden." As soon as he said
those words, the synthetic-bodied girl disappeared. She went away again.
...
Delsea Darkens
...
_____The first thing Gally felt was smoothness beneath her back--felt
through the material of her blouse. It was cool, flat smoothness--metallic.
Wait a moment... Her...skin?
_____Yes, her skin. Not even opening her eyes, Gally knew how she looked: she
now looked like a "normal" human girl. She felt and knew that her physique
was synthetic flesh again: synthetic skin and artificial muscle tissue. And
she knew how she was dressed. Black pleated skirt and white blouse, an outfit
complete with black shoes and knee-length socks.
_____Yes, she looked fully human, though her appearance was a lie. Her skin
was not real, nor was the muscle tissue or bone beneath it: myogel muscle
supported by a titanium skeleton. Silken dark hair made of polymer strands.
Her eyes were made of engineered ceramics. Synthetics was still synthetics,
regardless of how "real" it looked.
_____And, like the last time, false memories filled her head... These were
memories that were not hers, yet came to her anyway. They were memories of
belonging to this place, memories that went with this alternate body. Such were
unreal memories for a girl with an unreal body.
_____Put all together, Gally knew that she must be back in the town of Delsea--
where she was another person. A different mind and a different body. At this
point, Gally could barely remember if she was herself.
_____Was she herself? Or was being a sleek, metal-bodied killer a lie? Which
memories fit the real Gally? Why this...?
_____She had to think. Had to concentrate, had to get back to a real sense
of herself... She thought back the most recently remembered moments. Otherwise,
her sense of self would be gone.
_____Just before this moment, Gally was with the Kindly Old Man. After the
meeting, she had half-hoped for a return to the nameless city. And this
cyborg-girl hoped that she could return at the exact time that she left. But,
no. For some reason, the transition process that took her between the nameless
city and the town of Delsea was a process that twisted time as a side-effect.
_____But what somewhat puzzled Gally was another aspect of the transition: why
how and why did her body change, and why the false memories? She could
comprehend the idea of a device to twist time and space--space warping. Just
perhaps, Dr. Nova's darkness-filled box was such a warping device. But, instead
of just warping space, that accursed thing of darkness warped reality. That
included Gally's reality.
_____Finally opening her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling. It was a ceiling
of perforated white tiles, with florescent lighting--an office-type of ceiling.
This must be Dr. Nova's medical office. Sitting up on the edge of the table,
the synthetic-bodied girl looked around just to be sure. Indeed, to the left
of this metal table was the oversized computer Dr. Nova used to diagnose and
treat problems with synth-type bodies. Right of the table, there were medical
charts and a cabinet against the wall. The floor was hard and shiny.
_____That's it: Gally had all the confimation she needed. This office, she
"remembered," only existed in Delsea--a town where everyone lived with pre-cyborg
technologies. This is a town where Dr. Nova is loved and appreciated because
of his "amazing" knowledge and skill. This is also the town, she remembered,
in which a certain dark disease started brewing...
_____What would happen if she caught that strange disease, that black bile
affliction? She thought back to the victims she encountered: both in Delsea
and in the nameless city. Those infected with the disease seemed simply ill
at first: physical ailment. This continues as blood and body chemistry is
radically changed. Under any other circumstances, even certain minute changes
in body chemistry could kill a person.
_____Yet the black bile disease somehow kept its victims alive--long enough to
drive them into a berserker-rage. It must be horrible, to be physically ill
while slowly losing one's mind. If Gally's brain were infected, then she
would no longer be herself. She wondered how it would feel to be alive while
one's brain rotted bit by bit, as she slowly became a mindless killing machine...
_____But, wasn't that what she became sometimes? A killing machine whose mind
was consumed with white fury? Yet, even in the deepest heat of battle, there
was always a small corner of her mind that KNEW she was still herself.
_____Her eyes then moved to look on one of the medical charts on the right-side
wall. One of them was a cut-away illustration of the human head--showing the
parts inside skull. The black bile illness first changed the body, then
closed in on the cerebrum...
_____The doorknob turned, and Dr. Nova's nurse stepped in. A slender, red-haired
woman in white uniform, Gally remembered that she was dangerous. That woman in
white was also a cyborg, a synth-flesh one--like the girl here was now. This
way, Dr. Nova had himself an assistant and bodyguard.
_____The nurse now came within a meter from the patient. It was close enough
to comfortably speak. And, it was close enough to intimidate.
_____"Well, I see that our little darling has finished her nappy-bye!" said
the nurse. She then patted Gally on the head--getting a glare in return.
"Aww, are you feeling GUMPY? How about a game? A guessing game?" No response
from the girl sitting on the table. "Okay, three guesses. Guess what delicious
food Dr. Nova had to fill his tummy!"
_____"HE CONSUMED FLAN, FOOL!" shouted Gally, her young voice seeming to
explode with loudness in this quiet room. The nurse did not even flinch at
the outburst. "Flan is but the ONLY food he consumes! A prominent aspect of
his MADNESS!"
_____Despite the outburst, the nurse smiled. Not a nice smile, though. "You
know what? I don't like being yelled at. Rude little bitch!" THWACK!
_____...The next thing Gally knew, she lie stunned on the floor, lying beneath
where the medical charts were hung against the wall. Her head was filled with
dizziness and sparkles of pain... She dimly remembered the nurse's right
hand moving impossibly fast. Moving blur-quick.
_____The nurse took two quick steps, and she was suddenly here--standing over
the petite dark-haired girl. "Now look what you made me do to you!" said the
nurse. "You look really messed up... Your hair is all messy, and your blouse
is all untucked...!" She reached down and lifted Gally by the neck. "Get over
here!"
_____Using just one slender arm, the nurse carried the stunned limp girl back
to the table--still carried by the neck. She then lowered the patient, setting
her atop the metal surface. As Gally sat dazed, the nurse first fussed with
the waistband of Gally's skirt, tucking in the blouse. Then she began patting
and stroking the silky dark hair into place.
_____"A mess, a REAL mess, little girl... At least, now you'll look more
presentable. You know, you ought not fool with me--especially after what I
had for lunch." The nurse glanced at the medical chart on the wall.
_____"You ate...brains?" asked Gally. Then she felt a fresh wave of dizziness
wash over her. The dizziness...could have been caused by a concussion. Or,
it could have been caused by fear.
_____"Sure, free brains for lunch! HUMAN brains, the tastiest!" answered the
nurse. "You know what? There are perks that go with working in the medical
profession, especially with the latest disease that's going around now." She
put her hands on her hips. "Just think... Dead bodies going to waste, about
to be buried. It's like throwing away food! So Dr. Nova has some of his
friends in the morgue take out and save the brains...for me! And if the
corpses' heads are empty when they bury them at funerals, who's going to know?
Best of all..." At this point, the nurse leaned closer to Gally.
_____"Best of all, eating brains feels tastier than sex. Well, not that you'd
know that! But it's the thought that counts. Ha ha ha ha ha...!"
_____Gally clenched her pale hands, fingernails into palms. She would not have
her brain eaten so easily. She would not die without a last fight.
_____The nurse stopped laughing, but she still had a cheery tone to her voice.
"Oh, don't be silly! I'm not interested in YOUR brain right now. I just ate.
Besides, Dr. Nova tells me that your brain is denatured anyway--filled with
some kind of advanced engineered chemical. So now your think-meat probably
tastes like ground-up, soggy television parts. Anyway, the good doctor is
still in the reception room..."
_____The door opened, and... "Why, speak of the devil!" exclaimed the nurse.
In walked the labcoat-wearing doctor himself, his coat worn over buttoned shirt
and slacks. Completing his outfit was an ugly tie around his neck and a bowl
of flan in his left hand.
_____"Mmm... How delicious this is!" he began. "Good afternoon, Gally. I see
that you have finally come to consciousness. This time, your transition took
three weeks and six hours. Yet, you departed before I did."
_____Large dark eyes on the flan-eating doctor, Gally spoke. "Dr. Nova, why
do you do this? What is this game you play? By now, you must have performed
your reality-bending experiment several times over. Your box-device clearly
works. Now, let us talk of restoring things as they were..."
_____Dr. Nova's spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. "Restoring things as they
were, hmm? Bring us back to Scrap Iron City, where I can't perform the best
of my reality-bending experiments without being hunted down by bounty hunters?
Hmmm..." He brought the spoonful of flan to his mouth, chewed it thoughtfully.
"Hmm... MMMH!"
_____Swallowing the flan, he answered. "Well, my dear, that may not be possible
at this time. For one point, the device is not quite MY box. It is not under
my control. The device seems to go where it pleases, as if it posesses its
own will... Which brings me to my second point." He took another spoonful of
flan. "For another point, THE box is too unstable to be controlled. In fact,
it seldom remains in a specific form for too long. Think of the box as a
'kink' in reality, a glitch...not necessarily as a solid object, per se.
It's an anomaly."
_____Oh, Dr. Nova was in lecture mode now! Talking up his audience of two, he
continued. "Well, how? Can such an object exist? My latest theory is that
the laws of the universe--or our reality--are not flawless. Perhaps, due to
the laws of probability, glitches in reality do occur... Like, THE box--a
glitch!
_____"I rambling, I'm sorry. But my theories on THE box still require further
development. Yes, more and more experiments! And if you and I are to flip
between two alternate realities, so be it. In the meanwhile, this flan is
truly tasty! It is seriously and seductively scrumptious! Deeply delicious!"
_____Annoyed, Gally waited for Dr. Nova to come back from his flan-filled
state-of-mind. The nurse crossed her arms and smiled that pretty--but
false--smile of hers. Both synthetic-bodied females waited for the doctor
to stop spooning that sweet-smelling stuff into his mouth.
_____Omph! Mrmph! Munch, munch, gulp... "AHEM! Well now, as I was saying
to you both, THE box is a manifestation of something. THE box is an anomaly.
Gally, you have been present whenever the box opens. You know what happens...
Flan!"
_____"Yet, what is the role of the Kindly Old Man?" asked Gally, crossing her
arms. "Is he but another anomaly? Just another so-called 'kink' in reality?
Or... Is his presence deliberate?" She stared, waiting for an answer.
_____"The Kindly Old Man?" asked Dr. Nova, a nervous smile on his face. "Ha-ha,
what do you mean by that?" Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
The doctor was clearly nervous, jittery.
_____"Well, ha-ha... Don't talk about HIM. As things stand, I do not have
extensive data on him--or it. Therefore, I presume HIM to be a side-effect of
THE box. I will admit that he seems to be much more than that, but the latter
explanation is sufficient." He shrugged, then changed the subject. "By the
way, your parents are waiting for you. And, more flan is waiting for me!" He
then quickly scampered out of the room, clutching his bowl of flan, leaving
Gally here with the nurse.
...
_____Elsewhere in Delsea, in the suburban residential area, a particular group
of teenagers hung around a friend's front porch. This was Ralph's house, and
three of his friends were here. Just sitting and standing around, talking
about life-in-general. The two girls wore blouses and long skirts; the two
boys had on jeans and white tee-shirts--one of them wearing a leather
jacket over his shirt. Young and relatively carefree, they were typical
youths of Delsea.
_____The one with the leather jacket wore it more stylishly than anyone else
in town. He was Fonzie; of COURSE his leather jacket looked cooler than
anyone else's jacket. Sitting on this porch, he listened to the girl sitting
on a lower step. The girl was Susie, Ralph's girlfriend. And she was sounding
worried about that freaky disease going around...
_____It was pretty odd, talking about a dark subject on a pretty afternoon
like this. And the weather matched the neighborhood: This was a nice-looking
neighborhood, as were most places here in Delsea. A neat and clean-looking
street, with nice-sized houses amidst greenery. Green grass and trees were
also in this neighborhood. And the wind gently blew through. Though carefree,
the youths of Delsea were not totally so.
_____"...It's like something's eating people, from the inside," said Susie
at this point. "My cousin Joe had a really nice dog, you know? One day, it
got bit by some squirrel. Next day, the police come by and kill the poor thing."
She wrapped her blouse-sleeved arms around herself--hugging herself. "If we
all get the black bile disease and go crazy, I wonder what's going to happen..."
_____Ralph got up from this porch. "No, no, no... Don't say THAT, Susie!
This isn't like the Middle Ages. We've got science, and machines, and all
that sort of stuff! If we get sick, the scientists and the doctors will use
machines and... And science stuff to cure us! Fonzie, back me up!"
_____Fonzie glanced at the thin blonde girl, glanced up at Ralph, then rolled
his eyes. "I thought Susie here was YOUR girl, Ralphie. And I don't think
you want that fact to change, do ya? Because once a girl gets comforted by
the Fonze..." Fonzie spread out his arms, indicating himself. "Once she's
comforted by my arms, the girl DOESN'T GO BACK. So it's your show, Ralphie-boy!
Tell Susie here not to worry herself to death."
_____"What? Hmmph..." Ralph looked to Fonzie's own girlfriend--Lynette,
sitting next to Fonzie on the porch. Though she and Susie both wore the same
style of clothes, Lynette wore a different mindset. She was known as a bold
girl. A dark-haired, sexy-looking girl with attitude, Lynette was a good
match for Fonzie.
_____"Okay..." began Ralph. "Lynette, help me tell Susie that everything's
going to be alright. Tell her about who can help us."
_____Lynette reached into her purse and took out some chewing gum. She put
it in her mouth, chewed it a bit. And, she mentally chewed on thoughts regarding
what to say to worrried Susie here. She came up with something to say.
_____"Alright, Susie..." said Fonzie's girlfriend. "Things are going to be
alright. Like Ralphie here said, we've got science and machines on our side.
And if things aren't gonna be alright... Well, what's the use of worrying?
Worrying doesn't make problems go away. Worrying is a waste of mental energy.
If we all get sick, then we all get sick--simple."
_____Leaning forward from where he sat, Fonzie spoke up. "Yeah, that's very
well put there! If we're all gonna die, then we're all just gonna die. Worryin'
just makes life scarier. Ya know what I'm sayin'? I like to try and save my
WORRY for stuff I can fix... Like motorcycles at work."
_____Closing her eyes, Susie shook her head. "No, Fonze. Don't try to compare
people to darned motorcycles! Don't you realize that something really, really
serious is happening? It's real! And we're all going to suffer!"
_____"Aww, don't be like THAT!" answered Fonzie, looking down at the blonde
girl on the lower step. "I know somethin' serious is happenin', Susie. But
let me repeat... I like to save my worryin'. If everybody in Delsea is gonna
die, and there's nothin' we can do 'bout it, then what's the use? Why worry?"
_____Lynette inched over closer to where Susie sat. Chewing her gum, she
looked at the blonde girl. Said, "Besides, thanks to Dr. Nova's fancy new
medical procedure-thing, Fonzie's motorcycle metaphor ain't too far off. We
can all be fixed to be like machines on the inside."
_____"Thank you, doll! Thank YOU!" said Fonzie. "Yeah, think about it, Sue.
We're pretty damned LUCKY that the flan-man himself came all the way here
from Harvard-school--or WHEREVER--to be in this town. If we get sick...
Batta-bing, batta-BOOM, we just walk ourselves over to Dr. Nova's medical
garage and get ourselves fixed up. That man's the best doctor in the whole
world right about now!"
_____Ralph went closer to Susie on the porch. "Yeah, Sue. Listen to them.
We've got the best doctor in the world looking out for us! If there were
really reasons to worry, Dr. Nova would tell us all about it."
...
_____By a sheerly brutal coincidence, there were three teenage boys elsewhere
in town who were suffering from the disease being worried about. They were in
someone's back yard, kneeling on the grass--clutching their abdomens. Mouths
open, they began to retch and spasm. Wait, here it comes...
_____"Bleah-h-h...!" Yes, up it came! Up from their stomachs and out of
their mouths, it was a loathsome, disgusting glop. And it was a loathsome glop
that came from their infected bodies.
_____The substance wasn't vomit. Vomit would have been better than THAT stuff.
Indeed, anything short of poison would have been better. But it wasn't poison
or vomit... It was something much worse. The three boys in that back yard
had vomited the dark, shiny stuff--the black bile. They had THE disease.
_____As they vomited, they began to lose what was left of their minds while
losing what was in their stomachs. Their brains underwent the last stages of
a horrible metamorphisis, something not too different from death. Of course,
the biochemical makeup of their bodies had already undergone the change caused
by the disease; the brain was the final thing to undergo such changes.
_____By the time they stopped vomiting, their brains would no longer be theirs.
Their brains would belong to the disease. They would become rabid, mindless
monsters that only wore human bodies.
...
_____Back at Ralph's house, Fonzie brough up a point to counter what Susie
just said. Then she had changed the subject--started talking about Gally.
Susie said something about Gally being a bit crazy because her body wasn't
real.
_____"Wait a second! WAIT A SECOND!" said Fonzie. "Susie, d'you think somethin'
is WRONG with Gally? She's like the little sister I never had! She's cool--a
doll of a girl that can talk sweet AND can kick some serious tail!"
_____Lynette reached back to slap one of Fonzie's shins. "Hey-y-y! I mean,
you can kick but too, Lynette. Not that I especially go for that tail-
kickin' aspect of your particular demeanor, but you look good enough to go
out with me!" Thwack! "Hey-y-y! Lay off the MATERIAL, will ya?"
_____Susie took on a thoughtful look. "You know what? Whenever I think too
much about Gally or Dr. Nova, I sometimes get a funny sort of feeling in my
head. I try to think back to when I first met either of them, and then..."
She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just weird."
_____"Hmmph," went Ralph, "I thought that I was the only one. Now that I think
about it, they're both a little bit odd. Maybe it's because they're foreign.
I don't know where Dr. Nova came from, but Gally is definitely Japanese..."
_____Ralph was talking, but Fonzie's attention was only partially on what was
being said. His ears were hearing Ralph, but his eyes were seeing somebody
completely different... Over there, at the street. "Ralphie-boy, you got a
camera?"
_____The teen looked confused. "What does that have to do with what we're
talking about? A camera? Wait, what's everybody looking at?" He turned around
to look at the neighborhood street. "Oh-h-h..."
_____"A camera, A CAMERA!" said Fonzie, making gestures with his hands, as if
holding a photograph-taking device. "There he is AGAIN! Look at 'em!" Indeed,
Fonzie was seeing HIM, the Kindly Old Man.
_____The Kindly Old Man was now walking down the street. His legs seemed to
be moving normally, but he was only going about half the speed of a normal
person... That creepy old guy must be walking on air!
_____"Damn," went Lynette, "I'm seeing HIM for the first time, and he's REALLY
CREEPIN' ME OUT! Fonzie, I pretty much believe most of what you say, but I
almost didn't believe in that Kindly Old Man you told me about. But now...!"
_____Now, there HE was, real and solid as day. He was exactly the way Fonzie
and some other people described HIM. The Kindly Old Man was even wearing the
suspenders.
_____"This can't be real," said Ralph, extremely afraid. "I'm gonna be sick!"
Then he ran up the steps everyone else was sitting on, ran into the house and
into the bathroom. Obviously, he suddenly had to use the toilet.
_____Nonplussed by Ralph's sudden departure, Fonzie got up from the porch steps.
"Tell ya what, girls... I'm goin' over there to try an' unravel some of the
mystery surrounding that mystery-man. Wait right here..." Then, he went
over there.
_____Walking with a confident stride, the cool guy crossed the front yard--
approaching that old man in slacks, button shirt and suspenders. But he
never quite made it over there.
_____Halfway across the yard, Fonzie felt a bit dizzy. No, He felt really
dizzy. He shook his head, then went to a knee. The Kindly Old Man continued
going along the street.
_____Lynette ran over to Fonzie. She knelt close to him, wrapped her
slender arms around his torso. "Baby, what did that spooky old guy do to
you? Talk to me..."
_____Blinking once, Fonzie recovered his senses. "I just had this idea come
into my head, ya know?" He gently pushed Lynette away. "I'm gonna follow
'em. Wait here."
...
_____With Lynette and Susie watching (and Ralph still in his house), Fonzie
straightened the collar of his leather jacket. Then, eyes ahead, he went to
the street--began to follow the creepy old guy in white. Man, he didn't want
to do this! A weird feeling in his gut, a buzzing headache in his head, all
of that feeling... But Fonzie just said to his friends he was going to
follow the Kindly Old Man. And "the Fonze" is a man who does not break his
word! He would NOT chicken out.
_____Weird... The Kindly Old Man stopped at the intersection at the far end
of the street--like he was waiting for Fonzie. Slowing up his walk, Fonzie
played it cool. He hoped the Kindly Old Man chose a direction before he got
to the intersection. Otherwise, Fonzie would have to stop at the same place;
then he would have to confront him.
_____But, he didn't. Shuffling his feet, the Kindly Old Man turned right and
went. He walked beyond some shrubs at the intersection. Almost going out of
sight... Damn those corner hedges!
_____Quickening his pace a bit, Fonzie followed. Good, there was some wind.
The wind would cover up the sound of his riding boots on the sidewalk... The
freaky phantom shouldn't hear him following.
_____Wait a second...! PHANTOM? Fonzie almost laughed at himself for thinking
that. Whoever said the Kindly Old Man was a PHANTOM? For all Fonzie cared,
the Kindly Old Man was just a little funny in the head. He was just somebody
who didn't act like everyone else did. He was not some ghost-thing!
_____Still walking eighteen meters' distance behind that weird old guy in white,
Fonzie was sure to take glances at other houses--acting like he was a bit lost.
When the Kindly Old Man came to another intersection in this neighborhood,
Fonzie crossed the street and went to the sidewalk at the left side of the
street. The Kindly Old Man kept going along the right side of the street
until...
_____There was a bit more wind, making for a pretty breezy afternoon. Then,
the Kindly Old Man began going faster...pretty fast for someone with wrinkles
and gray hair. Fonzie strode faster. He found himself almost jogging to keep
the Kindly Old Man in sight. But the old guy's legs didn't seem to be moving
any quicker! What the HECK is going on here? Where is the old guy going,
anyway?
...
_____Hmmph... Fifteen minutes later, walking and striding, Fonzie still kept
trailing the Kindly Old Man--keeping him in view. "The Fonze" kept his doubts
in mind, and he kept out of sight. Doubts in mind, he followed for at least
a mile. And this part of the residential area was beginning to look just a
bit familiar.
_____In this part of the town's residential area, there were just a bit more
trees. And most of the houses didn't have white picket fences, showing off
the extra-nice lawns. Fonzie glanced around once more to get his bearings,
then he noticed that the Kindly Old Man stopped.
_____What the Hell! Surprised, the rhythm of Fonzie's stride stuttered, but
he didn't trip over. So what, the Kindly Old Man stopped at a particular
house? And whatever the old guy was doing here, Fonzie didn't care. He could
now turn around and tell Ralphie-boy and company where the Kindly Old Man
stopped.
_____Or, at least he would have--if he didn't have to defend himself at this
particular point. Just as he was about to turn and get back to Ralphie's place
and give the news, he heard fast and angry footsteps. He now spun around to
see what the noise was... Oh, damn!
_____Coming along the sidewalk, running hunched-over, there was a beefy-looking
blond teenage guy coming right at him! There was some dark stuff on the guy's
tee shirt and jeans that could have been motor oil. But the eyes looked wrong.
The eyes...!
_____Fonzie saw that sort of look only once before, but he never forgot it. It was
the look of someone with the black bile disease. Setting his feet apart and
clenching his hands into fists, this cool guy with black leather jacket got
ready to deal with what was definitely going to be trouble.
....
_____The black bile victim sped up, arms out. This was going to be a full-force
tackle. Ready to knock Fonzie down! Too bad, Fonzie jumped to the left and
onto the grass of a nearby yard--tumbling once.
_____Getting up from the dodge, Fonzie quickly brushed off his jacket and
jeans. He then saw the strong-looking blond guy SKID to a stop. Yes, he was
moving that fast.
_____Damn, he was going to try that same football tackle again! Fonzie stooped
slightly, fists clenched. And the blond guy came with that same run. Coming
closer.... Almost...
_____THWACK! Fonzie felt the impact on the knuckles of right fist. He had
hit the guy with a right hook just at the right moment. Warm wetness splattered
up into the air, dripping from the shattered nose of the blond guy. But the
stuff wasn't red blood. It didn't even look like blood.
_____"What the...?" went Fonzie, quickly brushing his right fist on his pants'
cuffs. He didn't want this stuff on him! This was that bile-shit!
____As he did this, the blond guy staggered a bit, blinking hard. The punch
should have knocked him out, but didn't. Instead, the blond guy came walking
at Fonzie.
_____Fonzie clenched his fists, ready to finish the blond guy off. But the blond
guy struck first, hitting Fonzie in the gut. He followed that with a blow to
the face! "The Fonze" staggered backwards a step and went to a knee--kneeling.
_____Eyes wide and bloodshot, nose freely dripping, the blond guy now spread
his arms, tilted back his head and HOW-W-WLED. It was the sort of sound
normally only heard out in the wilderness, late at night, when animals roamed
the dark wilds. But this was the afternoon, in the suburbs, and this guy was
making the sound like a natural!
_____Then, that blond black bile victim looked down at Fonzie. Jaws slack,
broken nose dripping, the infected guy started looking less human. Like, he
was going to do something...!
_____Fonzie wasn't going to be done in by a savage animal! Still kneeling, he
grabbed his right fist in his left hand--forming a double-fist. He then stood
and SWUNG up at the same time.
_____The effect was spectacular. When the double-fisted blow HIT, the blonde
guy was knocked off his feet. Darkened blood splashed upward. Then, he landed
hard onto the sidewalk. The back of his head made a hard cracking sound when
it struck the concrete. But then he tried to get up...AGAIN!
_____"No WAY!" said Fonzie. Almost mercifully, he booted the guy in the chest.
A really solid THUMP! Coughing once, the blond guy went back down. This time,
he did not stand up again. Good, this fight was done...
_____Fonzie looked around. The Kindly Old Man was gone. Hmmph, maybe the
fight scared him off? Nah, he didn't think so.
...
_____Well, now to get things squared away. Fonzie just couldn't leave the
blond guy there. It wouldn't be right. That, though he KNEW that the guy was
as good as dead--if not from the injuries, but from the black bile disease.
Nobody recovered from the black bile, but maybe the hospital could keep the
guy alive until that really smart doctor could look him over... Yeah, maybe
Dr. Nova would come up with a quickie-cure just in time.
_____As for himself, Fonzie would be fine. He felt as if someone slammed a
wrecking ball into his chest, and the right side of his face felt broke, but
he'd live. Clutching his abdomen, he used his booted right foot to turn the
blond guy onto his back--so the guy wouldn't choke to death on his own blood...
IF that dark stuff could still be called blood. Then, Fonzie stagger-walked
over to the nearest house. Front door...
_____Knock-knock. A high school girl answered the door. And she promptly put
her small hands to her round face. "Fonzie!" she squealed. "What happened?"
She knew him; EVERYBODY knew "the Fonze."
_____Fonzie jerked his left thumb towards the sidewalk. "See that guy laid out
there on the sidewalk?" The high school girl nodded. "He happened. Then, I
happened to him! Know what I'm sayin'. Now, be a Good Samaratin and call an
ambulance for his sorry self. Lock your door, too. More of those infected
freaks could still be around here."
_____The high school girl gave a glance to the guy on the sidewalk, then returned
her worried blue eyes to Fonzie. "What about YOU! You're hurt! If you wait,
I could take care of you until the ambulance..." But Fonzie gave a wave of
his left hand, interrupting.
_____"No thanks... I'm feelin' a little better already." He straightened up
a bit, though the ache in his midsection still pained him. "I've gotta go
talk to somebody else about this first. Just do me the favor of calling help
for that black bile victim over there. See ya around, toots."
_____That said, "the Fonze" turned from the door and did his best to walk
normally over to the sidewalk--despite the ache in his face and in his midsection.
Most certainly, the blows were going to leave bruises... He had been in fights
before, once before with a black bile victim. This was his second encounter with
one of those infected people, and he almost lost.
_____Now, he REALLY had to get over to where he was going now. It was a place
not too far away. Walking with just a little bit of stagger, he continued along
the sidewalk. Getting away from that blond guy. And, "the Fonze" hoped he
didn't have another encounter. One for today was enough.
...
_____Luckily, he didn't have any more encounters en route to his destination.
It was nearing 6:00 p.m. by the time he arrived. Though the pain in his gut
lessened, his face still had a hot and aching sort of pain from that hit. He
was able to walk normally by the time he came to a particular house somewhere
else in these suburbs--a nice house with a white-picket fence and a small
decorative flower garden up front. Yeah, a nice-looking place, but Fonzie
knew that the toughest--yet cutest--girl in Delsea lived here. Heck, she was
the toughest girl that ever lived, probably!
_____Rubbing the right side of his face, then instantly regretting it because
of the pain, Fonzie knocked on the front door with the knuckles of his left
hand. Knock-knock...
_____A mousy haired sort of woman answered the door, dressed in a housedress
and apron. An avereage and very plain housewife of a woman. "Hello,
Alphonse..." she began, greeting Fonzie by his proper name. Then came her
look of shock. "Oh MY GOODNESS! What happened to you?"
_____Fonzie turned his head to the right and down. "Aww... Nothin' happened,
okay? Uh-h-h, can I talk to Gally? It's sorta about some advice. I've gotta
ask her some things."
_____The housewife put her hands on her hips. "Well, young man! The FIRST
thing we're going to do is to see to your hurts. I don't think you'd be able
to hold ANY sort of conversation with ANYONE if you look set to pass out!
During the War, I was a nurse!" She opened the front door, then grabbed
Fonzie by a sleeve of his black leather jacket. "Come in here, right this
instant! We'll see about that developing bruise...and that stomach-ache!"
_____Damn, and Fonzie thought he was doing a good job his hiding his hurt!
Trying to decide between not being rude and not being babied, he was easily
pulled into the house by Gally's adopted mother. This was too much!
...
_____Inside the well-furnished and spotless living room, the housewife set
Fonzie on the sofa. The husband was comfortably dressed, sitting in an
armchair. He was reading today's newspaper. He lowered it to look at the
newly arrived guest.
_____"Well, well, well!" he said, looking at the familiar guy in black leather
jacket. "Looks like you've been in quite a dust-up, young man! Ha ha! When
I was your age, I've had my share of fisticuffs. Quite a troublemaker, I was."
_____As the husband sat right of the sofa, he was in plain sight of Fonzie's
facial damage. "To tell the truth, Mr. D," said Fonzie, "I didn't wanna get
into a 'dust-up' with that particular individual. Anyway, he wasn't the right
sorta state of mind when he rushed me." His voice lowered in tone... "And,
I don't think he'll ever be in his right state of mind ever again--if you get
my drift. The disease, ya know?"
_____The husband went quiet for a moment, thinking on that. "Hmmph... Yes, it's
just so," he finally said. "That 'black bile' disease is the newest trouble,
isn't it? It seems like this town is the only place to have it--fortunately
or unfortunately, depending on your outlook."
_____Fonzie nodded. "Yeah, I know what you're sayin'. Then again, we're also
pretty lucky to have the country's smartest doctor around. By the way, I came
here to speak with his premier patient...your daughter. She around?"
_____The housewife came bustling back in, a closed cloth bag in her left
hand and a glass of water in her right. She came over to the sofa, gave the
cloth bag to Fonzie--an ice-bag. "Now, Fonzie... Put this over your right
cheek, and drink this glass of water. I dissolved powdered aspirin in it.
The pain ought to go away in a few minutes."
_____"Aww... Thanks, Mrs. D. You really know how to care for a guy." said
Fonzie. He held the ice-bag to the side of his face that ached hurt. Then
he began drinking the water with the dissolved asprin. "I was just sayin', I
came by here to talk to Gally."
_____The housewife stood up, hands on hips. "You know, it's the oddest thing...
She had a bowl of chocolate ice cream with sugar, then went straight off to
shower and bed. Normally, all of those sweets would make a young lady go
hopping around like mad--but Gally isn't like any young lady now. She's sleeping
now, and I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."
_____"My name was mentioned," said a young voice from the stairway. Fonzie
twisted around on the sofa to look, and he saw the slender girl dressed in
loose pants and sleeveless top--shoulder-length dark hair looking slightly
damp and limp. "If you wish to speak to me, that can be done." She padded
away from the stairs on small bare feet, moving with no sound.
_____The housewife shook her head. "No! Gally, you'll catch cold! Go put on
a robe right this instant! I don't know exactly what type of customs you
practiced as a younger child in Japan, but while you're living here under this
roof, you'll..."
_____"She'll do no such thing!" said the husband. "She won't ever catch a cold, or
any other sort of bodily illness. Dr. Nova's operation saw to that! And if she wants
to talk to Fonzie, let her." He then pulled up his newspaper, continued reading it.
_____The housewife went away from the sofa. Gally walked over. She sat to
Fonzie's right, pulled her knees up to her chest and crossed her pale lithe
arms. Large dark eyes on Fonzie, she waited for him to talk.
_____He spoke, though the ice-bag on his numb face encumbered his speech a bit.
"You see... It sorta goes like this, Gally. I was sittin' around with Lynette,
Ralphie, and Susie. Just talkin' about STUFF. Then HE came along Ralphie's
street. You know, the Kindly Old Man. An' I decided to follow HIM, just to
check things out. I was feelin' a little creeped out an' all, but I followed
him regardless. Oh, man! What a mistake! WHAT a MIS-TAKE!"
_____According to her false memories, Gally knew that Fonzie was very skilled
at anything he did--be it repairing vehicles, talking to people or defending
his honor against the rare rival. But, against someone made insane by the
black bile disease, no one could walk away uninjured. Fonzie must have run
into that sort of trouble.
_____"I now assume that your pursuit of the Kindly Old Man was...interrupted,"
she said. "And, you were correct to have tried to follow him." She half-closed
her eyes. Said, "The Kindly Old Man knows a great deal about what is happening,
yet he is unable to directly tell exactly what happens. Because, he is unable
to communicate as ordinary people do."
_____The uninjured half of Fonzie's face looked surprised. "Huh? Whaddaya
mean the Kindly Old Man knows 'exactly what's going on'? Not even Dr. Nova
knows exactly what's goin' on here in Delsea. Like, where did the freakin'
black bile disease come from? Why is it only in this town? And why is the
Kindly Old Man here?
_____"Ya know what? I once went to Nova's office and asked 'em about
miscellaneous stuff. And, of course, I asked him if there was ever gonna be
a cure. He said that he was workin' on the aanswer. But when he said that,
he patted a weird wooden box on his desk. Then he said to me, 'The solution
and the truth are in THE box.' What's he mean by that?"
_____THE box? Oh yes, Gally knew what Dr. Nova meant by what he said to
Fonzie. Or, she had an idea as to what Dr. Nova meant. The flan-obsessed
metaphysicist was still trying to analyze the reality-twisting properties of THE box.
That object was extremely powerful--and dangerous. Still, Nova would not stop
until he could use it for whatever purpose he wanted.
_____"Hey, don't look like that," said Fonzie, shifting himself on this sofa.
"You got really quiet all of a sudden. What'd I say?" He readjusted the
ice-bag, wincing a bit. But the asprin was beginning to kick in.
_____Putting her feet to the carpeted floor, Gally looked down. She wondered
how she could make this revelation. According to her false memories of this town,
Dr. Nova was highly respected and highly admired as a medical scientist.. No,
admired as a medical GENIUS. People here put him on par with someone named
Albert Einstein.
_____The truth was, according to the clues given by the Kindly Old Man, Dr.
Nova was indirectly responsible for starting the so-called 'black bile'
illness here in Delsea. But she could not tell these people that. It would
be like saying that all parents are liars and want to eat the brains of their
children. That sounded disgusting, but worse things have sometimes happened
in her original hometown of Scrap Iron City.
_____In that dark city, some parents HAVE eaten their children's brains...
That and worse, if such could be imagined. But Gally could imagine. There
was so much more that Gally knew--she knew more trouble than those of this
place did. Maybe, it was better that way.
...
_____Over in the more urban part of Delsea, Dr. Nova was at work in the store-
front building that housed his medical practice. He was in the back, in the
machinery-equipped room, trying to set up an experiment with THE box. The
first thing to do was put it in a relative vacuum.
_____Such primitive technology! He could not find a hard-vacuum field generator
in this town, so he had to make do with something that came close: an annealed
glass case attached to a hand-pump. Now, with the glass case atop the metal
table, he had the nurse work the hand-pump. Inside the case was none other
than THE box.
_____The nurse kept working the pump... Had the flesh of her slender arms
been real, her arms would have tired minutes ago. But because she had the
strength of artificial muscle, she could pump Dr. Nova's pump all day.
_____All the while, Dr. Nova stood close by. He regarded the pressure gauge
on the case... Hmm, no change! "Damn this technology! Unable to create a simple
hard vacuum!" He hit the annealed glass case with THE box in it, making it all
tumble. Inside the case, THE box opened, and darkness swept over everything.
...
_____Something else happened elsewhere in Delsea. "You're doin' it again,
Gally," said Fonzie. "Gettin' quiet all of a sudden." As soon as he said
those words, the synthetic-bodied girl disappeared. She went away again.