by Ramy Vance
Rueben-Z threw his arms up in the air. “Why would I make a break for it on a world I destroyed with no way for me to warp back and fix it?”
“Because we don’t trust you,” Marshall said. “Fine. If we all think this is the best plan, I’ll sign off on it.” A few moments later, Martha did too.
Buzz handed the two tracker microchips to the two Ruebens.
“Why does mine smell like goat?” Rueben asked.
Buzz snickered. “Because I had these tracker chips hidden in the collars of my goat and monkey that I kept at my mansion.”
“Why did you put them there?” Martha asked. “Those animals weren’t going to escape.”
Aki glanced at her. “It was a big mansion…”
Buzz scoffed. “The tracking chips weren’t for the animals. They were only a hiding place. These chips are very top of the line. Who would ever think to look for them in the collar of a goat and a monkey?”
He had them there.
“I have a question,” Carolyn said. “What if you and the Ruebens run into big trouble back in the past on Earth-Z when you’re searching for the virus’s Ground Zero? How are you going to contact us here back on Earth-A?”
“A good question.” Buzz straightened. “And one I have anticipated. Rueben and Aki told me about their encounter at the Paper Warriors newspaper place in Brooklyn…”
“I know it,” Carolyn said. “But what’s it have to do with—”
Rueben’s eyes lit up. “The printing press. All those knobs and time stamps.”
“Exactly.” Buzz grinned. “I called them up yesterday to inquire about that printing press. I believe Paper Warriors exists on all the parallel worlds. Furthermore, I believe that it is possible to send a paper—or any printed message—from any of the worlds to the rest of the worlds.” He chuckled. “Those three poor fools running the place don’t even know what it really does.”
“You mean the three stooges?” Aki asked, and Rueben laughed, although no one else understood the joke.
Buzz continued. “If we run into trouble, or even if we want to send an update to those of us back on this Earth, we’ll go to the Paper Warriors on Earth-Z and print a paper to this Earth at this exact date and time. You should be able to adjust the controls and time stamp to send a message back to us, based on the date and time stamp that is on our message.”
“Who do we want to go there and wait for messages?” Aki asked.
After a few moments, Carolyn raised her hand. “I think I should. I’m the most familiar with the paper. Plus, I think it would be cathartic for me after their paper put Thorne on my trail.”
Marshall reached out and touched her hand. “I’ll go with her.”
“Perfect,” Buzz said. “Aki and Martha will stay here and hold down the fort.”
The two women seemed all right with that.
Rueben turned to Buzz. “When do you want to do this?”
Buzz rubbed his hands together. “How about tomorrow morning? Maybe Carolyn can bake us another batch of chocolate chip cookies for good luck before we leave. If all goes according to plan, it shouldn’t take us long to grab the two samples. At least, on this world, only a few minutes should pass. We have a space and time capsule at our disposal, remember?”
Rueben sighed. “Again, Buzz, you make things sound so easy.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sunday, May 28, 6:45 a.m.
Rueben took another bite from his cookie. He was sitting next to Rueben-Z at the breakfast table. Everyone else was congregated in the kitchen, chatting and complimenting Carolyn on the cookies.
“Something’s on your mind.”
Rueben glanced up at Rueben-Z. “What do you mean?”
Rueben-Z smirked. “I was once your age. I know that look on your face.”
Rueben nodded. He still found it strange that the parallel version of himself he was talking to was so calm and reasonable instead of furious and psychotic, the way he’d known him back when the virus was messing with the man’s head. Carolyn and Buzz had been right when they’d said that switching the virus back to dormant would ease his psychotic tendencies. “You and Aki-Z. She really does mean the world to you, doesn’t she?”
Rueben-Z washed down his cookie with a glass of milk. “She does.”
“She’s why you’re doing this, right? I mean, you want to save everyone on all those worlds, but it’s her you really want to be with again.”
“I’ve been so lonely and messed up inside.” Rueben-Z sighed. “If I can just see her face one more time, I’d be content. To look into her eyes, to hold her and my kids again without the virus taking them away again…”
Rueben glanced across the room at Aki chatting with Carolyn. She saw him and smiled. He smiled back. Then he turned to Rueben-Z. “That’s why I trust you to go with us. Look, I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I talked with Buzz, and he said there’s a way to reverse the warping cap we placed on you. Once this virus is gone.”
“I appreciate that,” Rueben-Z said. He ate another cookie and cocked his head at Rueben. “There’s something else on your mind?”
“Yeah. You let your wife name your kid Montauk?”
They both chuckled, and Rueben-Z said, “It is a good movie though.”
Rueben agreed.
Buzz informed Rueben that the space and time capsule would be ready to go in an hour. Rueben went first to find his parents.
He found them in the billiards room, talking softly to each other as they leaned against the pool table. Words couldn’t express how glad he was that the two of them were back together. Part of him felt bad for interrupting their conversation.
“Buzz says we’ll be leaving soon.”
Marshall and Carolyn rose and stepped toward him.
“Be careful.” Carolyn embraced him. “I love you, son.”
“Love you too, Mom.” Rueben pulled himself back and turned to Marshall, wondering how he would react.
At first, Marshall stood with his hands in his pockets. Then he came forward too and threw his arms around Rueben. “I’m proud of you. So damn proud.” He mumbled something as Rueben pulled back.
“What was that?”
“Love you, son,” Marshall mumbled again.
Rueben smiled. “Love you both too. And I’m happy for you.”
Rueben was about to leave when Marshall chimed in, “You better come back in one piece. ’Cause you need to lock that down, what you got with Aki. Can’t wait around with that one.”
“Thanks, I guess?”
“Yep.” Marshall made a dismissive gesture. “Now get out of here before the world explodes or whatever.”
Rueben laughed and left to find Aki. On the way, he ran into Martha.
“Rueben, be safe.”
“I will.”
Martha looked like she wanted to say more. Suddenly she leaned forward and hugged him. “You’re a great friend. Thanks for letting me in on this crazy, new part of your life.”
Rueben nodded.
“I totally approve of Aki. You two will be very happy together.”
He found Aki in the bunk room. She saw him and greeted him with a smile. He sat on the bunk beside her. They didn’t say anything, and Aki leaned her head against his shoulder.
Rueben spoke up. “I know Buzz laid everything out nice and easy. But this mission is more dangerous than anything we’ve ever done. There’s a possibility we may never come back.”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
“Well, it’s either that or cry like a baby—”
Aki smacked him playfully on the arm. “Rueben Peet, you’re such a dork.” She brushed the hair out of her eyes and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You’re coming back.”
“Yep, that’s the plan…” He felt the warmth of her hand through his shirt.
She stared into his eyes. “You’re coming back,” she said again softly, pulling herself toward him.
He pulled her tight against him. “I love you.”
&
nbsp; “I love you too.” She kissed him long and hard, and then they made love.
The time had finally come. Rueben, Buzz, and Rueben-Z had strapped into the seats of the space and time capsule. The door—which was more like a glass lid—clicked shut and Rueben stared out at his friends and family standing outside the glass.
Rueben-Z had already set the coordinates on the center console and was ready to make any last-second adjustments if necessary when they arrived on Earth-Z.
“You smell like sex,” Rueben-Z remarked with an approving nod at Rueben.
“Guys, focus,” Buzz said. “Ready?”
They were.
Buzz punched the button that activated the capsule.
Then they were gone.
When the space and time capsule stopped vibrating and was still, sunlight beat down through the capsule’s glass lid.
“Moment of truth,” Buzz said as he unlatched the lid. It rose to reveal the high rises of New York City. The time capsule was resting on the sidewalk. Cars sat jammed up for miles all around them, but there wasn’t a single person in sight.
“Any way to confirm that this is Earth-Z?” Rueben asked. The buildings looked like the buildings he knew from Earth-A, but many of the cars looked sleeker, more futuristic-looking than he was used to. Was this what twenty years in the future looked like? New cars?
Suddenly, there was a loud rustling sound like the wind, and they all turned to see a massive cloud roll in front of the sun. Except it wasn’t a cloud but a big veil of dust.
“This is Earth-Z, all right,” Rueben-Z said as he climbed out of the capsule.
Rueben and Buzz unbuckled their harnesses and started to climb out too.
“I’d feel better with my body armor on,” Rueben-Z muttered as he eyed the dust cloud.
“You’re still on probation,” Buzz said as he planted both feet on solid ground.
Rueben-Z was leaning up against the time capsule, still eyeing the dust. It was a good ways away but moving slowly, almost as if it was sentient and searching for something. “Really? I thought we were all good now. Rueben said you were working on a way to undo my warping cap.”
Buzz flashed Rueben an irritated look.
Rueben patted himself off as he stood on the sidewalk. “Asshole,” Rueben said to Rueben-Z. Rueben didn’t like the serious look on the man’s face. He looked like a mercenary sizing up the enemy.
Rueben-Z shrugged. “Takes one to know one.” He started down the sidewalk toward a six-foot-tall telecommunications structure at the corner of an intersection.
“What the hell are you doing?” Buzz said as he fumbled the virus detector out of the capsule.
Rueben-Z didn’t turn back. “Grab your sample kit and come on.”
“We don’t even know if the virus is present here,” Rueben started to say. Then he saw the virus detector in Buzz’s hands light up.
Rueben-Z stopped in front of the small structure. “Oh, it’s here all right. Now hurry up before it spots us.”
“Uh, Buzz,” Rueben said, suddenly feeling a chill. “Do you feel that?”
A cool breeze whipped past them. The virus detector was going crazy. Buzz swallowed.
Thirty yards away from them, Rueben-Z kicked in the door of the telecommunication structure. It was about the size of a closet. He stepped inside.
“What is he doing?” Buzz asked as he pulled a glass vial from the capsule to take his virus sample.
Up in the sky, the giant dust cloud darkened and grew larger. There was now no mistaking that it had somehow detected them and was somehow coming for them.
Rueben-Z peered out from the structure. “Get over here! Now!”
Buzz closed the space and time capsule. Rueben grabbed Buzz by the arm, and they started for the structure.
When they reached it, they saw it was stocked full of guns, ammunition, and other weapons.
“What the fuck?” Buzz said. “How’d you know this was here?”
Rueben-Z smirked. “Because I’m the one who stashed all this stuff here. In case I had to come back.”
Rueben’s face tightened. “You knew that the virus had somehow…I don’t know, gained sentience and would come after us if we came here? Why didn’t you tell us?”
Rueben-Z scoffed. “Coming here is our best chance at finding a way to defeat the virus. I didn’t know if it would’ve scared you from trying it or if you would’ve even believed me.”
“Unbelievable,” Rueben said. “I trusted you.”
“Oh, don’t be a whiner. We’ll be fine. Here, take this.” Rueben-Z thrust a pistol into Buzz’s free hand. “Know how to use this?”
Buzz just stood there slack-jawed.
“Here. Stuff some of these in your pockets too.” Rueben-Z tossed some grenades to Buzz.
Before Buzz could even protest, Rueben-Z was turning to Rueben with a semiautomatic rifle in his hands. “You know how to use one of these?”
“Yeah.”
Rueben-Z handed it to Rueben. Then he gave him a few ammo magazines to slide into his pockets. “Better take some grenades too, this is probably gonna get ugly, and we can’t afford to die now that we know that sucker feeds on time warping.”
“We need to collect a sample…” Buzz said weakly.
Rueben-Z gave a shit-eating grin. “We can take a sample from that thing once we wound it. Come on, get with the program.”
Rueben glanced out at the approaching dust cloud. It was only a block away now, and it had descended to street-level and taken on the form of a massive four-legged beast with giant hollow eye sockets and claws and teeth. It was so large it nearly took up the entire width of the street.
“You can’t be serious,” Rueben said.
“Sure wish I had my body armor on right about now.” Rueben-Z strapped a submachine gun over both shoulders and selected a much larger, drum-fed machine gun for his hands. After stuffing his pockets with grenades, he turned to Rueben and Buzz.
“Oh well.” Rueben-Z shrugged and test-sighted the gun. He growled, “You boys ready?”
BOOK 4 and the EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE DIE AGAIN SERIES WILL BE OUT IN FOUR WEEKS…
The Story Continues
The story continues with From Earth, Z With Love, coming soon to Amazon and to Kindle Unlimited.
Author Notes Ramy Vance
July 19, 2021
I hate camping.
There’s a reason why we left the trees and I’m never going back.
I swore this the last time I went camping. It was my mantra, something I held true with every fibre of my being.
Back in 2003, I was living in Japan and I had the dumbest thought of my life. “I want to improve my Japanese (for all my efforts to learn the language – I can now find the bathroom in any restaurant in Japan. Yay, me!). I like camping (I was delusional). Why not combine the two? I know! I’ll join a Japanese Camping Club.”
Stupid Ramy! Stupid, stupid Ramy!
I joined the local university camping club and got exactly what I asked for. A camping trip.
To hell.
At the time I lived in Okinawa. Okinawa, I discovered as the club leader handed me chin and wrist guards, as well as a jacket that could resist the hardiest of zombie bites, is filled with all sorts of creepy crawlies that can kill you. Snakes, spiders, ticks … the indigenous wildlife is downright dangerous.
As a result, we couldn’t hike in the conventional sense. We needed to ‘hike’ in the river.
For 2 days, we swam. Well, I mostly floated as Akira – I shit you not, that was his name – dragged me in the water. Then for dinner we ate eel that we caught in the river (not bad) and canned dog food (I swear this is true). It was awful!
When we finally got home, I was so sore that I swore to everything I hold, held and will ever believe to be holy that I will never camp again.
Never!
Then I had kids.
And everything changed.
Don’t get me wrong. I still hate camping. But I love my kids more
.
And they wanted to go camping.
Damn me for procreating.
But then again – look at her face…
Author Notes Michael Anderle
July 20, 2021
Thank you for not only reading this story but these author notes as well.
So, Ramy decided to eat dog food, walk on water, and swear. At least, that’s how I took his story. Did you get that message from it?
(I humbly suggest my version made his reality 3x better.)
Back when I was old enough to drive, young enough to still be in high school, and stupid enough to want to stay up all night, I went searching for a solution to my addiction to sleep.
I needed it every night, like clockwork.
However, I was going camping with my cousins on my grandparent’s ranch. Now, I had read all sorts of stories where real men stayed up all night.
So that was going to be me.
It was during the week before the big weekend, and I went looking for a solution to my sleep problem. I found myself in a local Houston grocery chain (Randall’s) and did not have any ideas about what to do other than drink coffee.
Which I despised then and still despise today. Don’t get me wrong, the smell is nice; the bitter flavor is gahh.
Not sure what to do, I asked an employee what I could do to help me stay awake. They suggested I go grab a product called “NoDoz.”
At the time, I remember the box talking about how one pill was equivalent to two cups of coffee.
That should do the trick, right?
(I won’t even get into the guilt where I thought I was purchasing a horrible drug. I solved my existential guilt issue by pointing out to myself I was buying it in a grocery store, not from a shady character on the street.)
I’ll keep this short; I damn near killed myself. Or at least, it felt that way.
