City Of Phase

by George Willson

  “So I know you asked us not to ask any questions,” Blake began, but Jeerson was quick to interrupt.

  “And I expect you to follow that recommendation.”

  Blake grimaced, obviously more used to someone responding to him than being shut out, which she felt had to happen at least as often, given Perry’s assessment of their normal situations. Their journey seemed to move through the forest without any discernible path, though the soldiers clearly knew where they were going. Little by little, the fence of Carburast disappeared behind them, and they finally came upon a thin, dirt path that ran perpendicular to their course. The soldiers locked onto the path leading away from Carburast, and their walk continued.

  Michelle decided to risk talking to her companions, since the soldiers only said that the travelers could not ask them questions, but said nothing about talking to each other.

  “So what do you think is going on now,” she asked casually. Blake looked at her with a smirk, and the soldiers did not react at all.

  “I think they aren’t from that base and kidnapped us.” Blake raised his voice to address them. “Isn’t that right?”

  “Still no questions,” Jeerson replied. Blake shrugged.

  “It’s not as if they denied it,” Perry noted.

  “And don’t mind our chatter,” Blake said. “I would say they want to listen to us to determine what we know or who we are by how we interact with each other.”

  “So why take us and to where?” Michelle asked.

  “Normally I don’t mind guessing games and speculation,” Blake said, “but when someone who knows the answer is right there and refuses to tell you, it seems like they are more interested in hearing your theories, again, to determine who you are and where you came from. It sort of takes the fun out of the deduction.”

  “Well, it will pass the time while we walk to wherever,” Michelle said.

  “True, but what would we say?” Blake asked. “Beyond the obvious, we have no facts here, so there is little to talk about with what is going on.”

  “And talking about ourselves will only give them more about us than we are allowed to have on them,” Perry pointed out.

  “It’s an unfortunate scenario since we don’t know how much we can say around them,” Blake said.

  “So we travel in silence?” Michelle asked with a little frustration.

  “We don’t have to,” Blake said with a shrug. “At this point, they’ve undoubtedly worked out our pecking order, if you want to call it that.”

  “Can’t really call it ranks, huh?” Perry said.

  “We’re equal as far as I’m concerned,” Blake said.

  “Hardly,” Perry scoffed.

  “But you’re saying that they know who is in charge, as it were,” Michelle said. Blake nodded and turned to the soldier.

  “You’ve worked that out, right?”

  “As we’ve said,” Varlin began, but Blake interrupted him.

  “I know,” Blake said, “no questions.”

  “Exactly,” Varlin confirmed.

  “There you have it,” Blake shrugged to his companions.

  The forest ended abruptly, and they came out of the trees into the back of a large building that had clearly been unused in quite some time. The trio paused for a moment, all of them with the same worried thought that they might have come out in Carburast somewhere, and the soldiers might have been leading them to their end.

  “We’re not in–” Perry began, but Jeerson interrupted him.

  “This isn’t Carburast, so don’t worry,” he assured them and continued walking with the expectation for them to follow. Blake took a deep breath and followed with Perry and Michelle close behind and Varlin bringing up the rear.

  Around the building, another small town opened up before them, just as empty as Carburast, but unlike Carburast, this town had definite signs of wear and abuse for its time without a population. The building they walked around was a line of shops like a strip mall with a similar line on the opposite side of the street that they followed as soon as their escorts reached it. Most of the windows were broken, and some of them were boarded over while others were just left open to the elements. The insides of the stores were completely empty except for some shelves here and there, but in some cases, even those were missing.

  As they continued walking, the stores ended with a right hand turn down a street with a variety of free-standing buildings on the right side of the street and houses on the left. All the houses appeared to be of the modest single story three bedroom size, while the run down stores on their right ended at what looked to be a huge municipal building, and this building appeared to be their destination as the soldiers veered towards it. Even with all of this, there was still no movement or sign of life anywhere in the town other than the five of them.

  “What happened, you think?” Michelle asked.

  “It’s been awhile, whatever it was,” Perry said.

  “All questions will be answered in due time,” Jeerson said.

  “You’re really loosening up, aren’t you?” Blake said.

  “The air isn’t as thick in these parts,” Jeerson said. “A lot of things are easier here. However, I’m still charged to save any answers you may require for our leader.”

  “My instinct wants to ask who your leader is, but I’m sure you wouldn’t tell me anyway, and even if you did, the information would serve me no purpose,” Blake said. “It’s actually a rather frustrating position to be in.”

  “You really do like to know everything,” Michelle said.

  “Knowledge is the ultimate power,” Blake replied, “and who doesn’t like a little power now and then?”

  They followed Jeerson down the alley to the right of the building and through a side door to a dark room without windows or lights. He stood in the center of the bare room in the light that streamed in through the door, which Varlin held open, and spoke very distinctly, “Pickles, wallpaper, and a slice of molecular drivel.” Michelle had to suppress a chuckle.

  “Nice password,” Blake commented.

  “They’re personalized, and change every time we enter, so I wouldn’t try using it,” Varlin warned.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Blake said.

  A light appeared in the darkness in the depths of the room as a door opened, but no one appeared in the doorway. “Let’s go,” Jeerson said kindly, gesturing to them in the dim light as Varlin allowed the outer door to close behind them, and they made their way through the room whose floor was littered with a variety of low-sitting items to trip up anyone who tried to get across the room in the dark.

  They walked through the door into the end of a hallway with a security station in the form of a single desk. The woman sitting at the desk, dressed more casually in jeans and a T-shirt, pressed a button on the desk, and the door behind them closed of its own accord. She looked to be in her late twenties with dark blonde hair and blue eyes, and she smiled directly at Jeerson as soon as he stood in front of her.

  “Well, well, Mr. Jeerson,” she said, sounding amused, “don’t you look all important dressed up like that?” She sauntered around the desk and stood directly in front of him.

  “Well,” Jeerson said with his own smirk and placing his hands on her waist, “you know how it is when you’re saving the world and such.”

  “If we might finish the job first,” Varlin suggested with a sigh.

  “I take it you all aren’t actually military, then,” Blake said, amused.

  “It’s a sort of a long story,” Varlin said, “but the short answer is no, we aren’t the regular military that we took you from.”

  “Are your names actually Varlin and Jeerson then?” Perry asked.

  “Of course not,” Jeerson laughed. “Varlin and Jeerson were in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up a bit more naked than they had planned. They’re fine, of course, but it’ll take them a little while to find their way back home, especially since they’re walking about in their skins.”

/>   “That’s wicked,” the woman laughed, still held by whoever Jeerson really was.

  “I’m Hector,” the soldier formerly known as Varlin said, holding out both hands, palms up. Michelle was uncertain how to respond, and Blake and Perry appeared equally uncertain. He withdrew his hands and regarded his companions. “And the one with the Jeerson patch is Prink. The woman is Prink’s wife, Jara.”

  “So is it time for explanations, then?” Blake asked hopefully.

  “Not from us,” Hector said. “I suspect Prink is going to be useless from here on out. Jara always sits at the entrance till he returns. Follow me.” Hector led them past Prink and Jara who had taken hands and walked away from them. They followed Hector down a plain hall, which looked more like off-white sheetrock this time instead of the hard stone of the military headquarters. He stopped beside a door labeled “Mayor” and stepped aside, holding out his hand to invite them into the office.

  Blake opened the door and looked across the spacious and lavish office to a man sitting behind an ornate desk with intricate carvings decorating its frame. It looked so valuable that it was a wonder that no one had stolen it, but given the way they entered, it was entirely likely that these people had, for all intents and purposes, stolen this building and everything in it by simply staying here. The man behind the desk looked like he was in his early forties with a winning smile and an intelligent look about him. He was dressed as casually as Jara, but with an air of superiority and even conceit to him. He moved out from behind the desk and held his hands out, palms up, in the same sort of greeting that Hector had given them earlier.

  “Good day to you,” he said. “I am Gerard Keppler. And you three are…?”

  “I’m Blake, and this is Perry and Michelle.”

  “I understand that you were captured by Major Halloway, and in his questioning of you, you indicated an interest in fixing the problem of the city of Carburast.” Gerard walked back behind his desk and sat down to listen to them.

  “You understand correctly,” Blake confirmed. “He told me that he was not the one in charge, and he would have to consult with his higher-ups over the matter before deciding what to do with us. Whatever that means.”

  “Do you believe him?” Gerard asked.

  “Sometimes, it isn’t for me to believe or not to believe,” Blake said, “it’s just to go with the flow.”

  “The flow?” Gerard asked.

  “Yes,” Blake said. “I was willing to simply follow the path presented to me until it reaches whatever conclusion it leads me to.”

  “So you were not certain as to what was coming for you?”

  “Not at all.”

  “That must have been dreadful.”

  “Not at all.”

  “Interesting,” Gerard said. “You gave the same response twice.”

  “I suppose I did,” Blake shrugged. “Never really thought about it before.”

  “Where are you from?” Gerard asked. “Clearly you’re not from around here.”

  “Not at all,” Blake smiled.

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “We are a bit complicated to explain,” Blake said.

  “I assure you that I have nowhere to be,” Gerard said.

  “We are travelers,” Blake said. “We showed up inside the city of Carburast, and got out just before Michelle, here, could phase out entirely.”

  “You were in the city limits?” Gerard said, surprised. “Inside the zone?”

  “Yes. We didn’t know about it before the people there seemed pretty insistent that we leave.”

  “What people?” Gerard asked.

  “The ones that are trapped there, we assume,” Blake said.

  “I knew they were still alive,” Gerard said quietly to himself.

  “Can you tell us anything about it?” Blake asked. “We’ve been asking since we got here, and no one appears interested in telling us anything. Is it something forbidden? Is it a mystery? Is it a cover-up? What?”

  Gerard stared at Blake for a long time with his arms crossed, apparently disbelieving Blake’s assertion that he was unaware of Carburast. “You really don’t know, do you?” Gerard finally asked.

  “I promise I wouldn’t keep asking if I did,” Blake said, flustered. Gerard stood up and walked back around the desk to sit on the front of it.

  “Well, first, where we are now is the closest town to Carburast,” Gerard said. “It was called Point Light. I’ve heard it was a wonderful place to live before it all went wrong. What changed was Carburast. That’s when everyone left. No one made them leave, mind you, but they considered being so close to Carburast to be dangerous. One person goes, and it seems they all go. With the town abandoned, only those interested in Carburast remain.

  “As for your friend, Major Halloway, I promise you’ll get no help from him. He acts like someone important, but he’s actually a coward in every sense of the word.”

  “How so?” Blake asked.

  “You know how the world is: wars, battles, killing, bloodshed. Which do you think is safer? Running toward enemy lines or guarding a city no one wants to get close to? You can guess what he chose. Most of the military fight it out to get stationed at the quietest base in the world. One that exists for the sole purpose of keeping people out of a city that no one in their right mind would ever enter. Not only will Major Halloway not help you fix Carburast, but he will most likely do what he can to stop you.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Blake, Perry, and Michelle sat patiently in the office of the abandoned municipal building listening to Gerard doling out his side of the Carburast story, and how he believed his government was involved in keeping the status quo. Everything Gerard had said to this point told him little of the problem and sounded more like a conspiracy theory than a legitimate issue, but he was certain that at the very least, Gerard might be able to shed some light on the most obvious question: what happened to Carburast?

  Gerard sat on the front edge of his desk with his arms folded, head down in thought. He appeared to be working out where to start, and if he could get through it all. Clearly, whatever happened was big: big enough to warrant a military base and to clear out a neighboring town. Only by hearing the tale, however, could Blake hope to weed out the legitimate from the hearsay, so at some point, someone would have to tell him something. He looked at Gerard, hoping that whatever block that Gerard was struggling with would break and he would finally share the big secret.

  Finally, Gerard talked. He talked for several hours about the town, its history, and the incident that led to the phasing of its residents. For all of his occasional sensationalizing of the facts, Blake was able to work out the truth.

  Carburast was a city in a country called Pilkrand that was the center of arts, science, technology and invention on their entire planet and had been for decades prior to the accident. It started with a laboratory here and a theater there, but over the years, scientists gathered to theorize and invent, while artists gathered to compose and perform. The population exploded as the families of these geniuses grew, and those families passed their legacies of invention and imagination from one generation to the next, creating genealogical empires within its city limits.

  Every major development that this world had seen in the past century came out of Carburast with rare exception. Anyone with an idea and the drive to put it into action came to the city and shared with fellows who were not only like-minded, but open-minded enough to welcome new blood into its fold. Each new idea merged with the old, and civilizations around the world flourished. Music and technology made their world smaller by bringing peoples who would never have associated closer together and bridging the cultures like nothing Blake had ever heard of on any world.

  Of course, not every country on the planet was part of this revolution. Impossible to say whether they were simply uninvited, unwelcomed, or turned out of town, but some economies did not profit from the studies of the jewel of Pilkrand. Jealousy led to rifts, and rifts le
d to hatred. With each cheer of progress, these outsiders grew more bitter until they apparently snapped. Believing themselves to be bereft of the profits of Carburast’s developments, they managed to buy, steal, or reverse engineer their way into many of them.

  One of the smaller countries that Pilkrand tried to help develop was called Hetralu, and despite Pilkrand’s help, the citizens of Hetralu drove out the Pilkrand diplomats and encouraged other smaller countries to do the same while abandoning their embassies in Pilkrand. With all dependencies to Pilkrand fully severed, Hetralu had stolen enough of Carburast’s technology and had enough allies to lead several attacks against the shores of Pilkrand sending the world into war. Carburast did the best it could in the face of the conflict against the Hetralu group who called themselves the Allied Forces, but war inhibits progress except in the way of weaponry. The geniuses worked to create better arms for their people, the Pilkrand Coalition, which contained the might of seven countries, all of whom were regular participants in the wealth that Carburast provided.

  Fearing that the Allied Forces might be able to work their way to Carburast, the scientific minds went to work in an attempt to protect the town itself from any sort of invaders. Their big idea was something they had been testing extensively at the time to shift something from the moment of now to in between now and a second from now. They had conducted multiple experiments even before the war where they had moved objects, animals, and even people to invisibility by shifting them out of the moment and back to no ill effects. Feedback from their test subjects even indicated that subjects could see everything they did and hear everything they said, though they were unable to interact with them. The scientists decided that if they could widen the field of the machine, they could envelope the entire city and hide it from their enemies should the need arise, and if it worked for Carburast, then it would be possible to install the defense system in other major cities as well. That was the theory anyway.