Chapter 1: The Happening
It is still all of the same scenery to him. Large lifeless buildings, empty useless streets, and a blindingly bright sky. For the ten years that Dirk Strider has lived with memory, it's never been any different. He still isn't sure if he prefers it that way or not. He knows the history well enough to be jealous of the past. Lush green hills, busy streets with people milling about, and a beautiful blue sky. It all appeals to him, calls for him from this desolate wasteland. Dirk gives a heavy sigh as he walks to his apartment from the grocery store he frequents often yet never pays for. He is very thankful for the fact that he does like technology. He was able to disarm the shoplifting alarm years ago to save himself the headache.
Just as he passes an empty alleyway, something flies into his path, stopping him and slightly shocking him. He would scream if he weren't already used to occurrences such as this. He gently sets down his bags of food and pulls out the thin blade sitting in it's sheath on his belt. He scans the area for his target then points his sword at a bird a few feet away. Unlike the beautiful birds of the past, this bird is a mutant black-brown color with 5 legs, 3 wings, 4 eyes, and a long serpentine tail. As the bird charges for him, Dirk thrusts his sword towards the bird, stinking it in its chest. The bird falls limp against the cold metal. Dirk readjusts his sunglasses, picks up his food bags, and continues walking down the street bird in hand like a trophy.
Once inside his apartment, he makes himself a meal of frozen pizza and set the bird down on a table in view of his computers. He turns on the video camera and steps into view of it behind the table. He glances at Cal, takes a bite of the warm pizza, then turns his attention back to the camera.
"Scientific Journal: Day 3, 6273. As I was making my way home today this bird flew in front of me. Seems as how this bird has mutated differently than the others, I thought it would be a good idea to study it. Without dissecting it first, I can see that this bird is different in many ways. This bird has five legs as opposed to the three legs the other birds have. While the wing count and eye count are the same, the tail is different. Other tails I have seen are just merely the overgrown adaptation of its normal tail. This bird has a thin small tail, very flexible just like a snake," Dirk says gazing at the camera. He then turns his attention to the bird and opens one of its four eyes. "The eyes are green just like the others still with no pupil. That trend continued. Let's get on with the dissection now."
Taking a scalpel and a pair of latex gloves, Dirk began to carefully cut open and inspect the insides of the birds looking for further mutations. After a while, Dirk takes off his gloves and sits in his computer chair. "These further mutation observations will cause me to do more research and further comparisons to previous data. I will re-evaluate my conclusions and continue on with the journal later. Dirk Strider. See you later," Dirk says as he turns off his camera and saves his video to the many others on his computers. He swivels around in his chair to look at Cal. "Hey, little man. How's it hanging?" Cal said nothing but smiled at Dirk. "Fist bump for a bro?" Dirk grabs Cal's hand and gives the puppet a fist bump. A ping from his computer steals his attention away. His pesterchum app has a new message which only means one thing: Roxy Lalonde.
-tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering timaeusTestified [TT] at 13:31-
[TG]: heeeey sexy, hows it hangiongf?
[TG]: *hanging
[TT]: Have you been drinking again?
[TT]: Isn't it only 1:30?
[TG]: its a habbit bby can't help that my mom letf me vodka and brandy steadf of faygo and crush
[TG]: *habbit *letf *stead
[TG]: *letf
[TG]: *fuck it
[TT]: You really are a terrible drunk. How do you get any research done? Have you even been doing research?
[TG]: tots dude. neways i get lots of shit done! i dont just sit around on my ass!
[TT]: Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.
[TG]: well you offended
[TG]: your words stungfd
[TG]: *stung
[TG]: we are supposed to be siblingfs
[TT]: We are. Which is why I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me sexy
[TG]: well who the fuck else am i supposed to call esxy bby? evryone else is DEAD
[TG]: *sexy *wink wonk*
[TT]: I still don't like it.
[TG]: fine fine ill stop but i still get to call you bby
[TT]: Fine I suppose. Anyways what do you want?
[TG]: your latest vidoe journal is it true?
[TG]: are the mutatiuons really changing?
[TG]: *video *mutationsda
[TG]: *mutations
[TT]: It looks like it. I wasn't aware you watched my video journals though. I really only kept them for memories in case I get amnesia again.
[TG]: i get ya but yah i watch your vids why wouldnt i?
[TG]: thats how i know your so sexy
[TT]: I'm your cousin Roxy
[TG]: right sory but damn that means more work for us doenst it?
[TG]: *doesnt
[TT]: In a way yes. I'm starting to get a slight headache from this. That's why I cut the last video short.
[TT]: I just wonder what could have happened in the past to make all of this happen.
[TT]: I just wish... I don't know what I want.
[TG]: you wanna visit back then dont you?
[TT]: I guess.
[TG]: youll figuer it out one day dirk youre VERY smart
[TG]: *finger
[TG]: *fiugure
[TG] *god dammit
[TT]: Maybe one day I will. Well I'm going to the roof to spar with Cal. I'll be back in a bit.
[TG]: kk hury back sexy *wink*
[TG]: right cousin sry
[TG]: go hav fun
[TG]: *have
[TT]: Later.
-timaeusTestified [TT] ceased pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG] at 13:59-
Dirk smiles slightly as he pushes himself away from the computer desk. Grabbing a few swords, a towel, and Cal, Dirk makes his way to the roof, training on his mind. Once there Dirk practices his strikes, blocks, parries, and footwork with Cal for a good hour or so before sitting on the edge of the roof. He looks over the empty city with a hint of longing in his strangely colored eyes. Drying himself off with his towel, Dirk flops onto his back shutting his eyes to shield them away from the intensity of the sun. Even with his shades, the sun is still too bright for him to look directly at the sky. Once he is satisfied with himself, he stands and makes his way over to Cal to grab him and go back inside. The wind picks up then, whisking his towel out of his hand and flying it over the city. He stares after it before continuing to Cal. The wind grows even stronger then and pushes Dirk back. Dirk, who was still close to the edge of the roof, falls backwards toppling over the side of the building. A scream leaves Dirk's mouth as he falls, however he doesn't fall long. Soon he feels the rough ground beneath him.
Dirk opens his eyes and is shocked at what he sees. He's lying in the middle of a street, but he's surrounded by people and the things called "cars" are zipping past him, making very loud noises as the pass by. He stands but then is frozen in fear. All around him is the world he always imagined, but it is frightening to him. He tries to leave the street but the cars passing by make it near impossible. Swallowing his fear, he starts running in one direction only to hear a loud screeching sound. He freezes and sees a small green car closing in on him. He closes his eyes as the car makes impact with him. The force buckles his legs beneath him and pushes him back a few feet. He groans and opens his eyes to see the car opening and another person coming out.
"Holy shit! Are you alright, mate? Are you still alive? I hope I didn't kill you. Please say something, anything you can!" a deep voice calls out funnily. Dirk has never quite heard a voice like his before, granted the only other voice he's heard is his own. He manages to sit up and hold his head. He looks at the man in front of him. He has black hair and large brown eyes hidden behind large clear glasses. A few freckles dot his nose and cheeks, and he has slightly large front teeth, but other than that, Dirk had to say he is quite amazed. This man captures his attention. "Blimey, can you say anything! You didn't hit your head did you? That's it, I'm taking you to the hospital." The man helps Dirk stand and walks him to his car. He opens the door for him and sits him inside before walking around the car to his seat. The door closes and the car starts moving again, a strange anomaly to Dirk.
"This may be an emergency, and you may be injured, but you do still have to wear a seat belt, mate," the man says. Dirk glances at him wondering what this "seat belt" is.
"What's a seat belt?" Dirk asks. The man turns to him in shock, his mouth gaping.
"What is a seat belt? Are you dumb or did I give you amnesia?" the man asks obviously appalled by Dirk's question. Seeing Dirk's genuine confusion he grabs the leather belt strapped across his waist and shoulder. "This is a seat belt. You'll find it to your right. Please put it on. Blimey, you Americans and not knowing the things essential to you. All blooming idiots I tell you." Dirk wonders what this man could be grumbling about but says nothing.
Soon the car stops (for which Dirk was grateful for) in front of a large building with the word "HOSPITAL" in large red letters on it. The man hastily gets out of the car and pulls Dirk inside. While Dirk is taking what the building looks like, the man talks to a woman behind a counter. Soon, his exploring is interrupted by another woman grabbing his hand.
"Come this way please. The doctor will see you immediately," the woman says rushing him away. He's led to a strange device on wheels with a black mattress on it. He is ushered onto it and is then pushed around the building. Something is pushed into his arm and he cries out in pain, but it doesn't last long. Soon, he finds himself falling asleep due to an unknown force.
What seems like immediately, Dirk wakes to sounds in his room. "He doesn't seem to have any brain damage or broken limbs, so you can be lucky for that. He did have a few cuts and a bit of internal bleeding though. We dressed his wounds though, so he should be free to go at any time," a fragile voice says.
"Yes, thank you, nurse. This is great news!" the same deep voice from before says happily. Dirk opens his eyes stunned at the brightness of the room. Everything is white; the walls, the curtains, the floor, the bed sheets on top of him, everything. The man from before stands at the foot of his bed accompanied by a woman wearing a multi-colored shirt and a small white jacket. The man notices Dirk's consciousness and smiles at him. "Ah! So you're awake! Good, now I can formerly introduce myself." The man walks closer to Dirk as the woman leaves the room. It is then that Dirk notices that the man's hair isn't Black, but a dark brown brown color very close to black and that his eyes aren't brown, but instead a vibrant green. His sunglasses had hidden those colors to him which Dirk found slightly upsetting. "My name is Jake English. It's nice to meet you!" the man says sticking out his hand towards Dirk.
"I'm Dirk Strider," Dirk says glancing at the mans hand curiously. The man, Jake, nervously pulls back his hand and Dirk feels awkward for accidentally insulting the man so. He just doesn't know what to do.
"So, um... As my way of an apology, let me treat you to lunch. It is just after 2 o'clock after all. Are you the tiniest bit hungry?" Jake asks hopefully. Despite eating lunch just a while ago, Dirk has to admit that is feeling hungry. He gives a slight nod and stands up. Jake smiles at him and leads him away. Dirk once again follows him outside to where Jake's car is. He stares at it distrustfully.
"So this is a car right? I've seen them before but what exactly do they do?" Dirk asks cautiously walking towards the green car. Jake just stares at Dirk a bit more than just confused. The doctors had said that he suffered no brain damage, so why doesn't he know what a car does?
"Well, when people get in it, it moves a lot faster than people can by themselves. It's a way to travel," Jake says walking past Dirk to his car. "Have you really not ridden in one before?" Seeing Dirk just stand there still suspiciously eyeing the car, Jake lets out a sigh. "Come on. It's totally safe." Again, Dirk didn't even try to budge. "Come on, Mate. Think of it as an awesome adventure of some sort." Dirk isn't sure why, but those words paired with the smile on Jake's face makes Dirk shuffle over to the car and get inside himself. He puts on his seat belt and glances at Jake, who is humming happily beside him. Dirk doesn't recognize the song but finds himself at ease anyways.
"So if you don't mind my asking, Mate, why don't you know what a car is? The doctors said you didn't have any brain damage from the hit I gave you... I hope you don't press charges by the way," Jake adds nervously.
"Press, what? No, um, I won't. And while you didn't give me any brain damage, I got amnesia somehow when I was 14. After that I was just really... isolated I guess you could say. This really is my first time seeing anything like this. Even that... doctor place," Dirk says unable to think of the name of the building.
"Wow, that must have been a very lonely life. Not very full of adventure is it?" Jake asks glancing at Dirk every now and then.
"Oh, I wouldn't call it lonely per say. I had my best friend Cal with me. We would always fist bump each other. Then I had Sawtooth, and Longfoot, and even Squarewave. I love Squarewave. We always have rap battles, even though he never wins," Dirk says, a small smile gracing his features.
"That's great! So were those... gang names or something? You boys sure do sound tough," Jake says with a small laugh.
"Gang names? No, I named them myself after I built them. They're robots," Dirk says.
"Oh... Robots," Jake repeats obviously surprised by that statement. "Well that's... interesting. I bet that cool though to live with robots."
"Yeah, it really is, but before I go on about my self, why don't you tell me a little about you?" Dirk asks glancing at Jake. Jake smiles at him then glances back to the road.
"You know, Strider, I didn't really notice it before because of your weird shades, but you have amazing eyes. A discoloration is it? Anyways, I like they're orange," Jake says causing Dirk's eyes to widen in shock. He hadn't seen his sunglasses in a while. He needs those for his time. Did he leave them at the hospital or are they still lying in the road? Dirk can't remember when he last had them on. "Relax, I have your shades here with me. I'll give them to you when we pull up at a stop light or something. Are they really that important?"
"You could say that," Dirk says relaxing again. He makes it a point to be very straight faced around this man for a reason unknown to Dirk.
"Alright, well anyways, I guess you could say that I'm a man of action! I love going on adventures and fisticuffs and whatnot. There's nothing more I'd like in my life than to go to the lost temple to find treasure or something of the sort. It really gets me going you know?" Jake asks with an enthusiastic smile on his face. Dirk gets absorbed by that smile, just seeing how it lights up Jake's face, but then he remembers something.
"Oh yeah, when you came to help me, you spoke with a funny voice, but now you sound different. You can pronounce things like me. How is that?" Dirk asks. Jake eyes him suspiciously and parks the car in front of a bistro. He sits in his seat with the car running for a while before sighing. "I guess I'll tell you. Let's head inside and get something to eat first though." Jake shuts off the car and walks inside, Dirk quickly following behind.
Inside is a shock to Dirk. The building is very well lit with lights hanging on the wall and from the ceiling. The brown and black paint on the walls is still intact instead of chipped and peeled. Also, people fill the room, moving about, eating, chatting, it all just makes the room feel alive. Jake walks forward to a polished counter and starts talking to a girl in a white shirt and green apron. Soon, he turns to Dirk.
"What would you like to eat? You can get whatever you want. I'll pay for it," Jake says pulling out a leather pouch from his pocket. Dirk stares at Jake for a second wondering what he has in his hands then becomes mesmerized by the menu board. On it are many food choices, most of which Dirk has never heard before. He turns to Jake who somehow instantly understands that Dirk doesn't know what to do. "He'll just have the same thing as me," he says to the lady behind the counter. She nods and they talk some more. Dirk is too interested by his surroundings to pay attention. Soon though, Jake places a hand on his shoulder and smiles at him. "Let's go find a table, Strider. They'll call us for our food soon." Dirk nods and soon they find a table in the front of the shop by the windows. Jake leaves for a small while then comes back with two cups. "I wasn't sure which soda you'd like, so I brought you a Coke. I hope you're okay with that." The cup is placed in front of Dirk and he stares at it.
"Is it anything like Orange Crush? Or Orange Faygo? Or Orange Fanta?" Dirk asks eyeing the drink.
"Well, it's not orange but I guess you could say they're similar. Try it," Jake suggests, taking a sip of his own Dr. Pepper. Dirk puts the thin straw in his mouth and stares at the cup trying to figure out how Jake uses the strange device. Seeing Dirk's struggle, he laughs a bit before getting Dirk's attention. "Here, this is what you do. Suck on it and the soda will come." Jake demonstrates, and Dirk nods. He tries the same only to choke on the soda when it goes down his throat prematurely. He has a short coughing fit then pushes the soda away.
"I'll just wait a while to drink," Dirk says. Jake laughs a bit which makes Dirk smile. Jake's laughter and jolliness is quite infectious to Dirk, and Dirk for the life of him can't figure out why.
"Well anyways, chap, I suppose I should tell you a secret that hardly anyone else knows now. While my name might be Jake English, I'm not from England. I can't stand those blokes with their tea, novels, and rules. I'm from Australia. I moved here when I was younger, but I was picked on a lot because of my name so I did away with my Australian accent. It was hard, but once I stopped I wasn't picked on as much so it was worth it," Jake says playing with th straw in his cup.
"Um... What's an accent? And what do you mean by 'you were picked on'?" Dirk asks.
"Oh, that's right. Amnesia and isolation. You wouldn't know that stuff. Anyways, an accent is something people from other countries have when they try to speak a language. It's because they're so used to the way they speak, somethings don't sound right. Like Germans usually replace their w's with v's and such. My accent sounds a lot like this: Blimey! It's a large, saltwater croc right in front of me. You have to be very careful approaching this buggers, or you'll lose an arm!" Jake says sounding like the Crocodile Hunter. Dirk stays silent, amazed by the sound of Jake's accent. He doesn't notice exactly how silent he is until Jake leaves with an awkward wave to go retrieve their food. Dirk shakes himself out of his slight stupor and smiles. This man, Jake English, is quite the study subject, one the Dirk is enjoying so far.
Jake returns to the table setting a basket down in front of Dirk. Inside of the basket is food Dirk has only seen pictures of. A chicken honey mustard wrap with fries lies in the basket. A bit shocked, Dirk looks up at Jake to see Jake smiling at him. Realizing the shock is showing on his face, Dirk puts on a straight face and looks down at his food again. "You don't have to be so nervous you know. I don't bite. Well, unless you're food that is," Jake laughs before taking a bite of his chicken wrap. Dirk follows his lead and courageously takes a bite of his own wrap. His mouth is soon taken over by the flavor that enters his mouth. Never before had he had food like this. Suddenly overcome, Dirk begins to eat faster and a bit sloppily. Jake lets out another laugh. "Is it that good or are you just that hungry?" Dirk tries to force down the flush on his cheeks but fails to do so. He sets down his wrap and plays with his hands under the table so Jake doesn't see.
"Um... Sorry, this is all just new to me. I don't quite know that much," Dirk states trying to keep his face impassive though his heart is beating wildly. Had he ever been this nervous before?
"That's quite alright, Strider. I understand. You are quite the swell fellow though if I might add," Jake says with a wink as he continues eating. Dirk can't stop the smile from coming onto his face so he let's it come full force. He sees Jake notice the smile, but does nothing to fix himself. Instead he continues eating but at a much more controlled pace. "Oh, before I forget, here. I believe these are yours." Jake pulls out dirk's sunglasses from his jeans pocket and hands them to Dirk. Dirk smiles appreciatively and places his shades back to its familiar place on his face. Jake pouts slightly but says nothing.
The two continue chatting and eating, their conversation never faltering in the slightest. Dirk, nor Jake for that matter, has ever felt a connection this close before. The two chatted like old friends chatting through good times not like strangers who had met due to an unfortunate accident. The meal has put Dirk at ease and his nervousness from before has completely vanished. Their chat has to be interrupted though. Soon they finish eating and Jake pays for the check. Jake stands and Dirk follows his lead.
"So, Strider, is there anywhere you would like me to take you?" Jake asks stopping at the edge of the sidewalk to wait to cross the busy street. Dirk, oblivious to this continues walking onto the busy street.
"Um, I actually am not to sure on where to go. I really don't know-"
"Strider!" Jake shouts nervously. Dirk looks to Jake, but Jake isn't look at Dirk. Instead he is eyeing a large 18-wheeler truck driving right for Dirk. Dirk allows a confused expression to show and before Jake can say anything else, the truck closes in on Dirk, horn blaring. Jake's breath caught in his throat as he watched the truck collide with Dirk. Once the truck passed, Jake desperately searched the streets for the man he had been talking to just a few seconds ago. "Strider! Strider, where are you! Strider!"
Dirk felt something rush into him, knocking him to his side and successfully knocking the wind from his lungs as well. He struggles to catch his breath before opening his eyes seeing the blindly bright sun that's familiar to him. He looks around to see the same barren wasteland he lives in. In a quick bout of anger, Dirk punches the ground and lets out a curse. He flops to the ground defeated but thinks of the man he had met today. The man with the dazzling green eyes and infectious smile. The man who is the best research subject he's ever known.
Jake English.
So that was the first official chapter of Us Against Time! I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions just PM me or put them in your review! (See what I did there? ;D) See you next time!
