All Worlds: Fantasy And Science Fiction Series Starters

by Vangjel Canga

  "Stalker? I'm not stalking you," Kimberly insists and then questions, "Why would I be stalking you?"

  "How should I know? You're the stalker, not me," I tell her, glance at her, and then divert my gaze when she looks at me. I'm afraid she'll read my mind somehow. I don't want her to know, but I'm so glad she showed up. I feel safe when she's around. I'm not sure why. Kimberly mostly points a gun at me.

  I move to the table by the machine closest to the front door, remove my vest, and pull down the v-neck of my dingy t-shirt. Sheez... I'm already bruised. I set the screwdriver on the table and examine two welts about an inch below my right collar bone. I also rub near my spine where the first bullet struck.

  Kimberly says nothing as she watches me. I have no idea why she's here. I wish it was to help me. I wish it was to tell me that she does know me, and she's going to tell me about my past. She continues to watch me with her sour gaze, and I've had enough, so I demand, "Tell me why you're here."

  Kimberly answers me, "I want to make it clear that I'm not a stalker."

  "Fine, you're not a stalker," I reply and then mutter, "Freaking stalker..." I quickly glare at her, and after a few moments, I demand, "Tell me what you want." I walk over, wasting no time. I know more Un-Men can show up at anytime, so I grab my backpack and return to the table. I unzip it and place the screwdriver in it. "Tell me and then leave me alone."

  I say this, but I really don't want her to go. I want her to help me. I feel like she should help me.

  "It's a deal," Kimberly tells me as she levels her gun on me. "I want the music box. Give it to me."

  "No!" I utter as I pull the backpack off the table and step away from her. I shake my head as I tell her, "No! It's mine."

  I feel betrayed by her request; I feel as though she has broken some sort of bond we've had for years by demanding such a thing of me.

  "I hate repeating myself," she says. "Give me the music box or I'll kill you."

  I shake my head again, moving backwards toward the front door as my flight or fight instinct kicks in. She should be helping me, not doing this. I yell, "No!"

  "I'm not going to argue with you. Give it to me."

  "No," I say and then insist, "It's mine." I plead with her as if she'll understand, "It's all I have left."

  "Idiot..." Kimberly mutters, shrugs, shoots me, and hits me in the left shoulder. Smoke rolls from the barrel and with an emotionless expression, she says, "I did warn you."

  It happened so fast... I made no move to protect myself... I glance down at the bullet hole, stunned by the assault, drop the backpack, stumble back, fall against the wall, and slide to the floor. I hold my bleeding wound as Kimberly approaches me and kneels to one knee right beside me. She coldly places the barrel of the gun on my right shoulder.

  "Don't make me put another hole in you," Kimberly says and demands, "Tell me where it is."

  This can't be happening. She... Kimberly couldn't have shot me, and she can't be going to steal the only thing that quiets the effects of the Ultra-Epi. Near tears, my lips quiver for the pain and fear of losing the only thing that has kept me going the past year. The pain in my shoulder is no where near the torment I feel over her betrayal. I should have expected this; I should've had my guard up, but I trusted her and felt safe around her.

  "I won't," I tell her and then grunt, "It's... mine."

  Kimberly tilts her head as if she doesn't understand me, then she backhands me across the face, and states with an iciness in her voice, "I really hate this kind of work; it can get quite messy."

  I sit there as if the most shocking thing just happened to me. I stare at her as I can't believe she slapped me. I put my other hand to my burning cheek and don't even have a thought to fight back.

  Kimberly's blank face shows neither pleasure nor remorse as she says, "I'll only ask you once more, then I'll search your dead body."

  A sense of despair and loneliness strikes me as hard as she did, and I contemplate letting her end my existence, but the voice deep inside says no. Live. I move my blood covered hand to my thigh pocket, remove the music box, and stare at it.

  "Give it here," Kimberly's says as she holds out her hand.

  I say to her, "Promise me you'll give it back."

  "What did you just say?"

  "Promise me you'll give it back, and I'll loan it to you."

  "Are you a child? Do you really think I'll..." Kimberly starts and then she says, "Fine, I promise." She snatches the box away from me and then says, "There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

  She stands, turns, and heads for the front. Kimberly's leaving me... she's leaving me alone.

  I start to get light headed, but manage to push myself up the wall to stand and yell after her, "You promised. Don't forget to return it. It's just a loan." I press my hand against my wound. "The music box is all I have." I mumble, "I don't think I can go on without it."

  Kimberly pauses at the front door and questions me with a hint of irritation, "What are you whining about?" Her cool and calm demeanor changes as she questions me, "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't care what happens to you!"

  lub-DUB... lub-DUB...

  I panic and peer out the dust covered window as three vans pull up beside the other two. I turn to her and beg, "Please help me. Take me away from here. I'll die if I stay here."

  "Help you?" Kimberly laughs and says, "Yeah right."

  "Don't be cruel," I plead, "At least leave me some ammo."

  "I'm not going to stand here and listen to this." Kimberly starts out the door.

  "Kimmie, please..."

  She pauses as if I hit her in the head with a soft ball, then turns, and comes back in.

  "What did you say? You little..." Kimberly starts as she marches towards me and aims her gun at me. "No one calls me that! No one calls me that anymore! Now die why don't you?"

  I say nothing as I slide down the wall, land in a defeated heap, and stare at the floor. If I could only cry, at least then I would be doing something.

  "You sicken me," Kimberly says with a snarl. "You..."

  I look up when she speaks and see a shade of deviousness mark her face.

  She questions me, "You want ammo?" Kimberly ejects her magazine and removes one round. "Here then." She pulls a thin permanent marker from her knapsack and writes on the shell casing. She puts the marker back in her knapsack, walks over, and sets the 9 mm round on the floor a short distance from me with the tip pointing up. "If things get unbearable..." Kimberly makes a gun with her left hand and fires it at her own head. "Do us all a favor."

  She takes one more look at me, shakes her head, and leaves.

  I stare at the bullet as the world crashes in on me. I read the words written on the shell, Pale Horse. I lean my head back and close my eyes as my shoulder wound burns. I think about the note, then the man I loved and then lost.

  Preacher, where are your encouraging words of light and hope now that the darkness is about to consume me? How am I going to survive this?

  * * *

  The Sanctum...

  Deep underground, alarms blared, sending the Chamber into chaos as analysts scrambled, examining new data.

  "What is going on?" Mr. Morta demanded.

  "Pandora's vitals are dropping," frantic, a supervisor relayed. "Our sensors are detecting major trauma and blood loss."

  "What about Argus?" Mr. Decuma asked. "What does he have to report?"

  "Two waves of Un-Men have attacked Pandora." Ms. Nona studied the data on her laptop. "It received the usual minor wounds. Argus also reports that a woman known as Ms. Griffin shot Pandora in the shoulder and took the music box."

  Mr. Morta looked to each of the other members of the Council. "We never did figure out who gave Pandora the note, the business card, or the music box."

  "Now it has none of them." Ms. Nona turned to the smaller of the two men. "Should we retrieve Pandora?"

  "No,
not yet," Mr. Decuma answered. "It will be a true test. Pandora has relied too much on the music box for emotional support. I have had my suspicions that an outside force has been interfering, and now that that interference is gone, let us see what Pandora can do."

  Chapter Twenty-five

  A Message From The Past

  The sixth hour tolled on the street clock as Kim rushed out of Etna Toys, and then she hurried around to the back parking lot, not wanting to tangle with the Un-Men. She carried her gun in one hand and the music box in the other. An Un-Man leaned against the passenger side of her car. Wary of it, Kim slowed to a walk as she tucked the music box in the zipper pocket of her jacket.

  The Rogue spoke as she approached, "Ms. Griffin, I do not understand."

  Suspicious of it, Kim asked, "Don't understand what?"

  "Pandora. If anyone else did what you did to her, they would be dead right now, but not you. Actually, I have lost count of how many assassins she has decommissioned." It picked dirt out of its nails. "And before you boast, your skills are why you are standing here, you should know... She trusted you," the Rogue said, not so much accusing, but astonished. "I mean she really trusted you, and only one other did she place such hope, and well, that minister is dead, but that is another story."

  She searched the area to see if other Un-Men were around, but none were. This Un-Man was different; it was more human than the others in its manner and in its smile. It creeped her out.

  The Rogue studied Kim and recorded everything about her. "I do not know why, but Pandora drops her guard when you are around. How else could you betray her?"

  Kim kept a tight grip on her gun as she replied, "You're insinuating she trusted me."

  "Ah, I see you are skeptical, but before I continue, I should introduce myself. They call me the Rogue," it said. "Now back to what I was saying, Pandora trusted you. First case in point, she removed her Ravlek Vest. Why would she do that if threatened by you?"

  She shrugged and readied herself to shoot it at the slightest hint of attack.

  "I cannot figure it out either. What is it about you? I do not think Pandora realizes she is doing it. Maybe deep down in her subconscious, she believes she knows you. Maybe she believes you two have met in the past or maybe you did not point a gun at her when you first met. That quality alone might endear someone to her, but I could be wrong. I do not know. I was not there." It added, "Or was I?"

  Impatient to leave, Kim asked, "What I don't understand is why you're telling me all this?"

  "Oh, that is right." The Rogue mimicked Ms. Griffin's voice. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't care what happens to you."

  Amazed she heard her own voice, Kim started to question, "How did you..."

  "Oh, please. I am a machine. I can reproduce any sound." The Rogue calculated the answer to its next inquiry. "Would you like me to repeat Pandora's plea for you to save her? It was so sweet and innocent. Even I heard the fear in it. I heard the fear that you would leave her to her fate and that she would die alone."

  "I don't have time for this, so if you don't mind, I'm leaving." Kim started to walk around to the driver's side, keeping her distance from the Rogue.

  It ignored her and mimicked Pandora, "Please help me. Take me away from here."

  "Stop it!" she snapped. "I said I didn't..."

  "Want to hear it. I know, but I am supposed to be heartless." The Rogue eyed her accusingly. "Humans are the ones who have to work at it."

  "Why are you here?" She snarled, agitated by the accusations. "What do you want?"

  The Rogue turned to the warehouse and moved its hand and caressed the handle of its large knife. "I want to kill Pandora." Disappointed over the current circumstances, it said, "But it seems the T-3s will beat me to her." The Rogue turned to Kim. "You know they have been acting strange lately, but then, what does a rogue know?" It moved from the car and walked a couple of paces away from her. "Well, be seeing you. I am too depressed to watch the outcome of the battle. Pandora does not have a chance." The Rogue took off running and soon disappeared from sight.

  She slid into the seat of her car, took one more look at Etna Toys, started up the engine, and pulled away. "Finally, I'm rid of this Pandora mess." She drove for twenty minutes, getting some distance between herself and the warehouse. She pulled over, anxious to look at the music box, then Kim removed it from her pocket, held it in her palm, and examined it. Some of that woman's dried blood covered the top.

  Kimberly's view...

  Mom, why did you want me to get this? Father said it's a data storage unit. I turn it over and over, studying it, trying to figure out how it works and what kind of information is on it.

  I think how badly I missed my mom and how I'll make whoever took her away from me pay dearly. Maybe it will tell me who murdered her, so I open the lid, and Unfinished Melody plays. I close it and turn it over, examining every side again. Nothing... There's nothing... I stare at the music box. Now what am I suppose to do? How am I to find your murderer? I don't even know where to start.

  I whisper, "Mom, I..."

  End Kimberly's view...

  A hum emanated from it, two tiny squares on each end of the music box glowed blue, and the light radiated through the metal surface. Kim examined each square then placed her thumb and index finger over them. The music box vibrated, and a 3-D image of her mother's head and shoulders materialized above the lid.

  The hologram spoke, "Voice identity confirmed as Kimberly Griffin. Data storage unit activated." The hologram blinked a couple of times, and she glanced around as if awakening from a deep sleep. The hologram scanned Kim and stated, "Kimmie, if you are viewing this, I am probably dead. There are so many things I want to tell you, but now isn't the time. I hope... no I pray, not too much time has passed. There is something you must do. You are so young, eighteen."

  "You're two decades too late," Kim said as she ran her hand through the image. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come across the photo."

  "Two decades have passed? It does change things," the hologram spoke, and then paused, processing the information. "It may be too late then."

  Surprised the hologram spoke to her, she lifted the music box and asked, "You can hear me?"

  "Yes, I am programmed to interact."

  A child like joy spread across Kim's face as she said, "I have so many questions, but you said too late. Too late for what?"

  "First promise me you will do this thing. Do this thing for your mother." The hologram added as an after thought, "It will be dangerous."

  She chuckled, thinking of her years as a Life Closer and glanced at the gun she'd laid on the passenger seat. "I think I can handle dangerous."

  "Then all I need to hear is that you promise, and I will tell you."

  Kim said eagerly, "I promise."

  "Theresa hates giving this task to you, but there is no one else she can trust." The hologram looked worried as she spoke, "Theresa had made so many enemies in and out of the corporation." The hologram raked her bangs out of her eyes. "As Project Manager of Research and Development, Theresa was privy to many projects in other departments. You may not remember, but one unspeakable one caught her attention. It involved children, and she tried to put a stop to it. Now you must take up where she failed." The hologram's image flickered as she spoke, "I don't know how you will find her, but there is this girl..." The hologram paused and then said, "Well, she would be a woman now. Her name is Katharine."

  A bad feeling came over Kim as she gasped and murmured, "Hades... No... It can't be."

  The hologram continued, "You must save her from them. The only other thing I can tell you is the project name she is under."

  In disbelief, Kim put one hand to her temple and muttered, "Don't tell me. It's Pandora."

  The hologram replied, "Yes, but how did you know?"

  "Let's say I've encountered her."

  A beeping alarm went of
f, and the hologram said, "Someone is monitoring this transmission." She turned her head as if looking outside. "I must terminate communication."

  "Wait!" Kim exclaimed. "I have so many questions. Who killed my mom?"

  "There are many possible suspects, but that isn't important right now. You must save Katharine. Save her. She's the Key." The hologram stared right at Kim as she spoke, "You will not be able to activate this unit until it is safe. Find her."

  Kimberly's view...

  Her image disappears, and I'm left alone with my questions.

  "Key to what?! Wait!" I shout as I shake the music box. "Tell me!"

  I slam my fist on the steering wheel. Why couldn't she have told me? I lean back in my seat, staring at the ceiling. I can't believe this! For Ares' sake! What's with my luck?!

  I envision myself back at Etna, trying to explain my return to that woman.

  "Hey Katharine, umm, sorry I shot you in the shoulder." I force a smile and put on a chuckle as I say, "Funny thing... I... Ah... Have come back to save you."

  The awkward scene fades in my mind as I mutter, "Who's the idiot now?"

  I throw my hands up. What am I going to say? I rub my temple as I stare at the music box, open it, and Unfinished Melody plays. I am turning out to be a stalker...

  I take a deep breath. I guess I'll have to swallow my pride and go get that woman. That's if she isn't dead. Hades! What if she's dead? What will I do?

  I quickly place the music box in my glove compartment and start the car. What kind of messed up world have I stumbled into? I'm a Closer for Ares' sake! I make a U turn and floor the pedal, heading back to Etna Toys. When did saving people enter my job description?

  Chapter Twenty-six

  A New Development

  6:22 P.M...

  Minutes before Kim arrived in the car to take the music box away from Kat, Peters and Maxwell went over data from the latest Un-Men trial. Peters stepped from the van to the sidewalk and stretched. The two S.C.Ms. looked over as he exited, and they nodded to him and went about their guard duty. Peters raked his fingers through his unkempt black hair, glanced up at the barriercumulus ever entombing the mega-city, and remembered when he was a kid over thirty years ago. If he closed his eyes he could still see it, the fiery orange ball shining on Noir. No one fathomed back then that one day the sun that gave the planet life would be blotted from the sky.