Wastelands…
Chapter 3
Dim Light
Connor awoke to huge, robotic bugs crawling all over him…he almost panicked but quickly realized that he didn't feel them. They were—or maybe I am, he thought—were glowing a dark, vaporous green that almost gave Connor the chills. Then in a quick flash, it was all gone and he could see around him. Where in the world—or time—am I? He was lying next to a road, and, quite suddenly, a car flew by him. Wow…a real convertible, one of those one's from…now, I guess.
It hit a three-way intersection a few hundred meters down the road and whipped a hard right, looking as if it almost tipped over. Then it continued it's way down the road, eventually blinking out of sight. Connor got to his feet and felt a cold chill and then realized that…where's my shirt? He glanced down and saw that his shirt was lying on the ground, next to his feet. He was still wearing his shoes, pants, his coat was still wrapped around his waist, and his socks were on…so how'd my shirt come off? He put it back on, shrugged off the mishap and glanced around the area.
It was nighttime, a small, crescent moon hanging in the midst of the stars in the black night. There was a lot of city lights down the road behind him, probably about ten miles away; it seemed as if he were on a mountain and the city was at the base of it. He looked up towards the top and saw a small settlement a mile or two up the mountain but other than that, it was quiet and the terrain was mainly forest.
Connor started walking when he tripped over something on the ground. He rolled a little bit but wasn't hurt at all. He looked over at what he had—Delia! She seemed okay, her breathing deep and face…still pretty. The edges of his lips went up a little bit at the thought of just sitting here for awhile, Delia asleep and him making sure nothing happened.
His mission…he suddenly remembered what he was here for. It was obvious that they had been sent back in time. The TFP was successful but…their main objective was to stop the war, but how? No one even knew who started it or why. The world just started falling apart in 2007, then, in 2011, somebody decided to just start destroying it, causing everybody else to react which led up to the United States and the rest of North America getting annihilated.
Oh well… Whatever happens, at least we can try and stop it. We might have years to try and stop it…or…it might be 2011… That thought gave him chills. I've got to find where we are and what year it is. Or this project was a waste of important time and supplies.
Connor heard Delia rousing and looked over at her. It suddenly hit him that she wasn't wearing a shirt; the same thing had happened to her. He quickly turned his head away.
"What the—where's my shirt?"
"Look around, it's probably somewhere close by," Connor said. Delia fell back; she hadn't seen him there, leaning against the tree. She smiled when she realized he was looking away. He understands and he's not a pervert…how relieving. Delia looked around for her shirt and found it seconds later, hiding under a bush. "The same thing happened to me."
"Where are we," she asked, putting on her shirt and standing up.
Sensing that it was okay to turn around, Connor looked at her and said, "I don't know. I remember us suddenly being in a stadium and a guy flying right at me, blocking the sun but I blacked out and now…I don't know. We just got here a couple minutes ago. I have no idea what's going on though, or what years it is or what country it is."
Delia could discern the mild fear in his voice. It wasn't panicky fear; it was the fear that you felt when you weren't sure what was going on, or when you might die. "I can tell you one thing for sure though…my wounds from that island battle a few weeks ago are completely healed. I don't know how but I feel as if I never got hurt."
Delia started taking notes mentally. She, too, was scared but she knew that she had to keep focused on what they were supposed to do. "Okay…we don't know where we are or what year it is…so that means that…"
Connor nodded. "It could be minutes before the nukes."
Delia shuddered with as chills washed over her. She took in her surroundings, the city below, the small town up the mountain and the forests. And then she asked the question…, "What do we do?"
He shrugged. "I guess we could walk up to that little town up there and find some simple answers. Somebody is bound to know what year it is." There really wasn't anything else to say so they started walking up the peak, along the street.
§
Alex shook his head frustration. He just remembered that he left his communication/watch/thing back at the MasterDome. He whipped the convertible around the road and took off back toward the town, taking the same road. Big-Air was close to the top of the little mountain he was on and it wouldn't take too long…
As he drover, Action Man wondered what the point of life really was. Was it to make a difference in this overcome-by-darkness, povertized, forsaken world? Or was it to make money, get the fame, and find a good island that you can build a small vacation spot on and live the tropical, cocoa-bongo life? The more the famed Alex Mann thought about it, the worse off he felt. None of those was the point of life; that he knew for sure. Perhaps it was to defend good, you know…fight the fight of good vs. evil and do whatever you can to make the world better for the future generations that are gonna tear it up anyway…
Alex frowned and whipped the car a solid left, cruising down the highway at a good hundred miles-an-hour. The wind rustled his hair and caused his eyes to blink…what if I get in an accident, a voice from deep down seemed to ask. What would it matter? This life is a waste of time that we don't truly have.
What are the answers? Everything seemed to add up to that one question…what is this burning inside? Why do I have the American dream of money and fame and yet…yet there's still nothing…?
§ An hour later…
Alex was flying back up the mountain, the moon now hanging right above him, it seemed. He came to the T-intersection, swerved right and continued down the road.
Dee-Dee!
Alex glanced at his watch to find the good ol' Coach Grey looking him, the log cabin and Canadian woods behind the tan figure. "Coach, I'm sorry but…now is not the time to tell me that the Equation or the AMP Factor or some other math term is telling you that something is going wrong. I need some time away from this whole world, all right?"
Coach Grey's face showed no emotion but his eyes betrayed what his thoughts were; surprise and confusion. "Okay…Alex, uh…well, I caught the following top-secret fax report on the wire that was being sent to a INTERCEPT fax machine to one of the highest offices. No factors on this on Alex…it's big. I'm sending it to Big-Air so check the machine when you get back."
Alex sighed. Some people just can't take a hint, especially when you really need them to back off. "Okay Coach; I'll check it out when I get back but I'm not taking up any missions before…until I get some things and some thoughts and some stuff down…is that okay with you, Coach?"
He looked down for a second and then replied, "Yes Alex. But let me tell you something before you make any hasty conclusions. INTERCEPT thinks that Dr. X might still be alive and making people disappear, these people possibly being Neo-Humans." The screen blinked out and the Action Man logo came on, a mixture of black, yellow and blue.
So INTERCEPT thinks that X is still alive… Alex almost shuddered at the thought; you see, he was very much afraid of Dr. X, even though you would never think he was because of the way he used to face him every time X came up with something. Gangreen might still be alive too…those two were a dangerous combination. Alex remembered when Gangreen put some stuff into the new drink that they had been sponsored by, causing everyone to go crazy. That wasn't much fun either.
Alex was, and always has been, consumed by fear…it's just that the second he sees anyone on the Council of Doom, he remembers the time that Team X-treme's Big-Air almost got shot down by military jets because of Dr. X's auto-pilot bug. That wasn't wrong, it was pure evil that was stopped but not without the risk of their lives, as well as a few hundred thousand people. The nukes at the base they were going to crash in to…those nukes would've killed thousands upon thousands upon thousands…and they probably would've caused a huge war. The US would've reasonably thought out who they think it might have been, blown the crap out of whoever they concluded it to be and then…well, there would be World War Three…and Alex would've had to fight in it. No wait…no, I would already be dead.
Alex switched the brights on his headlights and shifted into a lower gear. He—whoa! Alex swerved into the other lane, dodged a car by getting into the left side of the road's shoulder and then swerved back into his lane, just barely avoiding an eighteen-wheeler. What the hell is wrong with those people…man…! The two people were no longer on the road but a pissed off Alex was.
He pulled the convertible onto the shoulder and switched off the engine. He got out of the car and walked back down the highway, his eyes scanning for any signs of life. The roads were quiet, a gentle breeze blowing around, rustling a few leaves here and there… Alex squinted but could see nobody and no characters anywhere… The scalding, heated rage that was surging through his veins slowly quelled, his thoughts no longer angry, but a little relenting.
Ain't nobody perfect…at least I didn't hit them and hopefully, no one else will; but if I see 'em again, I'm gonna run them down and beat the living shit out of them. Alex walked back to the convertible and started the engine. He felt better. He didn't think that they should be punished—they probably learned their lesson from watching him swerve away and almost cause an accident.
Alex started the convertible and eased back up on the mountain. I think I'll just take it easy the rest of the night, he concluded, letting it go. Relief seemed to come over him but he ignored it and focused on driving…
§ Later…
Mr. Mann pulled the convertible into Big-Air's cargo room and switched off the engine. It was late, he was tired and it seemed like his nice, warm bed was calling for him. He left the cargo room, activated the alarm system, and took a deep breath as the door shut behind him. He smoothly walked through the large plane to his room. Life stinks at times but…you better not put it to waste, he thought.
Action Man lowered himself onto his bed, blinked once and…
§
Back in the car, Connor and Delia silently stared at each other in the red glare of a dim light. It had been a few minutes since the man had left the room but they wanted to be absolutely sure that it was safe for them to come back. Finally, Connor slowly rose up and examined the room, trying to see if there were any computers or anything of the sort…none.
He motioned that to Delia that she could get up; they had been hiding behind the passenger and driver seats of the convertible that they snuck into when the guy got out and looked for them. Connor glanced at the door that the man had disappeared through and wondered what was on the other side. He knew he was on grounded plane but other than that, he knew exactly nothing.
It's time for the mission to get going, he thought aversely. He, as quiet as he could, slowly opened the door and stuck his head inside. Delia's head popped out under his, eager to see. Connor didn't like it but what could he say, she was basically doing what he was doing…she just didn't know what to do if a someone suddenly stepped out with a gun aiming at them…
Connor silently stepped inside. A light blue light on the back wall nebulously lighted the room. The room consisted of a nice, polished table, a few counters and cupboards on the walls and what looked like an old coffee machine sat on one counter. There were five doors that exited the room, two on both the left and right sides of the room and one at the cardinal. Connor guessed that the one at the front led to the cockpit.
He had seen pictures of the older planes; they were a lot stronger than nowadays—the future's. Connor walked over to the front door, very carefully because this half wasn't lit. He found the metal slot that opened the door and pulled it, revealing a lighted display of gauges, lights, and switches. Yep, the cockpit, thought Connor, proud that he was getting a few of the guesses and assumptions right.
He whirled around at the sound of something hitting the floor, sounding a muffled thump. He saw Delia on the floor, her feet close to a thick wire that was just barely in the light. She's gonna get us caught, he thought but quickly realized she had no training whatsoever in sneaking around—she was the mission's scientist, not spy or war tactics specialist.
He quietly walked to her and helped her up—he didn't see the appreciative smile on her face. He put a finger to his lips, indicating her to try and keep quiet and he turned, facing one of the two doors on the right-hand wall. He walked up to it and gently twisted the doorknob, opening it just a crack. There were two beds that were full of one person each, both sleeping soundly. Connor checked the next door and saw that there was a bunch of equipment such as suits, a helmets, a bike and other various things. The other two rooms contained a person sleeping in each.
Connor figured that the room he was now in was a conference or briefing room and that whoever's plane this was, it belonged to some kind of global-traveling sports team or something similar to that. The team was three guys and a girl, that much he could tell because he could see, thanks to dim lights in every room, what sex each sleeping person was.
Delia had been silent quite awhile, Connor realized. He frowned and started to turn around to look for her only to find—BAM! Connor fell back against the table, his nose suddenly bleeding an emission of dark blood that fell down his face and onto his shirt. He immediately acted unconscious while flexing for another attack, hoping to fool his attacker and get him/her to let their guard down.
The second attack didn't come and Connor heard footsteps come up next to him. He could feel their breath on his face and, quite abruptly, his right fist shot up and hit what felt like a man's jaw. He heard them stumble backwards, a grunt of surprise coming from his throat. Connor rolled off the left side of the table, putting the table between him and the attacker.
Delia was on the floor, unconscious and next to Connor's feet. He could see a bruise forming on the back of her neck; the aggressor must've knocked her out by hitting her neck. I didn't even hear anything, thought Connor.
He watched his enemy slowly stand up and feel his jaw. "I don't want to hurt you," he said. Judging by the masculinity and height, he was the same guy that they had hitched a ride with.
"I don't want to hurt you either," replied Connor.
"But you're on my plane," said the figure. "You're trespassing, snooping, probably vandalizing, breaking and entering…all that stuff." This guy didn't sound too happy.
Connor didn't answer. After a few seconds, the man suddenly jumped across the table, placing one arm for balance and bringing up his two legs and swinging them around, kicking Connor across the face and temple.
Connor fell to the ground but the hit was clean and hard…he tried to fight it but…the void of darkness singed in and took control…
Author's NoteDoes anybody remember where the MasterDome is, the one that Nick Masters had just made in the episode that introduced Tempest? I can't remember; if you do, please write it down in your review. I thought it was somewhere in Europe but I'm not sure.
I've gotten a few questions/comments asking whether or not this is a sequel to X's Dream; no, it isn't but it is related (only a little right now) a lot to Asazi. Bits and pieces of Alex's past and his feelings for her and other things will have a few spoilers for Asazi so…
No, this isn't a sequel to X's Dream but it is commensurated to Asazi. Hope you are enjoying the fic. I think that it will turn out nicely in the end. And thanks for reviewing!!! J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J J