NaNoWriMo ch.1 Writing on the wall

Chapter One: Writing on the Wall1

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was how bright it was in the room. I opened one eye a crack and winced. The light felt like it was burning straight through my eye into my brain. I turned over and buried my face in the pillow, urging the sunlight to go away. 2

The second thing I noticed was that I had a hangover. A really, really bad one. Damn, I must have been wasted last night, I thought to myself as I attempted to lift my head, which felt like it was stuffed too tightly with cotton, from the pillow. I groaned, pulled open a drawer in the little cabinet by my bed, and pulled out a small box.3

In big happy letters on the box it said “The Day After”, and underneath that, “hangover-be-gone!” I opened the colorful box and pulled out the little bottle inside it. It was almost completely empty, I noticed, but hopefully there was enough left to patch me up. I twisted the cap off the bottle, shook it up till there was a pleasant fizzing sound, then pressed on a small lever on the top and a white mist squirted out of the bottle. I closed my eyes and let the medicine do its work.4

It wasn’t medicine, really. Just a bottle of robots. That’s right, robots. The mist that squirted out was really thousands of tiny robot-type creatures that were specially programmed to get rid of hangovers. I won’t go into the details, but pretty much they “fix” you by shooting into your body through the mouth and ears, but mostly the nose, and making their way to the parts of your body troubling you. In the case of a hangover: your stomach and head. 5

I felt a slight tingling sensation in the places the mist had landed, but it quickly disappeared and almost quickly I felt my muddled thoughts straightening out again.6

I pulled myself into a cross legged position and rubbed my temples. Okay, I thought as tactfully as possible, to figure out what’s going on and why I have such a bad hangover, I’m going to have to figure out two things. Where I am, and why I’m not wearing any clothes.7

I pulled some clothes on and walked to the window. The light didn’t seem so bright now and my headache was mostly gone so I pulled the curtains apart. A city unfolded before me. Well, more like a run down city block, but I knew it was somewhere in a city. Now to figure out what city it was, and, more importantly, what planet I was on. 8

I was obviously in my apartment. I had basic resting points on dozens of planets, and with my space manipulation module I could change the apartment into whatever shape and size I wanted. Generally, all my apartments looked pretty much the same so I couldn’t tell where I was from that alone. 9

I opened the glass door to the small balcony and stepped outside. It was quite chilly outside, and from what I could tell it was winter or early spring. I leaned my head over the railing and looked down the city block, which went on for about 500 yards before the road turned and another apartment complex blocked the view. 10

It looked pretty much like any old-fashioned city. I must’ve landed pretty far back in time, I figured, with the scenery around me. 11

I looked up. One sun. I squinted at it, and mumbled under my breath.12

“Yellow dwarf star, approximately 5 billion years old, half done with its life cycle…” I said. “Milky Way? Blimey, how’d I end up here?”13

I had to be sure. I ran a finger through my short hair and searched the street for a suitable subject. A stout, middle-aged woman was briskly walking down the street on platform shoes, avoiding puddles, with a tiny ball of fluff on a string I supposed was an Earth dog. 14

She looked human enough, but then again on first glance I was human too.15

I cleared my throat and, as melodiously as I could, I called out to her.16

“Hey, you! Yeah, the lady with the little dog thing…” she had looked up, raising one eyebrow suspiciously. “Can you tell me where I am?”17

“Must’ve been some party last night,” she said unceremoniously. “You’re in Manhattan, dear.”18

“Excellent,” I said, and after an awkward pause, “which planet?”19

“Is this a joke?” the short woman said unhappily. “Jesus, teenagers these days…”20

“I’m twenty-three!” I retorted.21

“Yes, yes, close enough,” she said, turning away.22

“Hey, you never answered me!” I called.23

“You’re on Earth!” she shouted, “Now leave me alone!”24

I went back inside, grinning to myself. 25

“Earth. Excellent! Question one answered,” I said out loud. “Now why was I na—"26

I stopped in my tracks. I blinked several times, and, assured that I wasn’t just having spots in my eyes after staring at the sun, I walked forward.27

“Lipstick,” I said, suddenly angry. “Of all things, she used lipstick!! Doesn’t she have any idea how hard it is to wash off? Not oil-based, I hope…”28

I sighed and read the message written on my far wall in bright red lipstick.29

Hey baby! Thanks for the good time last night. I had fun, did you? Well, you probably don’t remember much . Hell, you drank more than I did! So your name’s Jalexander, huh? Jack for short, as you told me. I found out your full name from the I.D. in your shirt pocket. Not very smart carrying I.D. from a different planet around with you. Anyways, I’m kinda running out of room on your wall so I’ll make this quick. It was great and everything but I’ve really had to get going for a while, and this is my ticket out! Thanks for the lift. I might give it back later.30

X O X O Scarlett Dagger X O X O31

I read the message again. And again. Who the hell is Scarlett Dagger? I thought. And what does she mean, “this is my ticket out, thanks for the lift. I might give it back later.” I went into the kitchen and sat down, busying myself by trying to remember just what exactly I was doing the night before.32

Slowly, the wild night started coming back to me. I was just flying home to Guidlegard after finishing my job at the Marweed Stadium on Kanab. 33

I’m a junk monkey, I remembered. No, really, that’s my occupation. I know pretty much everything about any sort of modernized tech, anything from space ships to faulty lighting at a craniball stadium at the end of the universe. My past life came back to me rapidly. My memory’s always shot after that much alcohol. 34

After I had left the stadium, I was flying home in my Talisman. Named, designed, and built it myself. I’d even given it a computer mind with a personality. It was almost like my ship was alive at times. My 101st century space and time module, built using nothing but the remains of a Cystimian time station. 35

I get a little carried away sometimes. Tech is my life. 36

What had happened after I left the stadium? Oh yes, it was coming back now. I was flying home when I got a call on the ship. It was Brad, my partial boss, but mostly my friend and co-worker. 37

His small, bright blue face appeared on a screen before me. 38

“Jack?” he said in a gasping voice as though he had been running recently. “Where are you?”39

“I’m coming to Guidlegard. I’ll be there soon, don’t worry.”40

“Well can you hurry it up? Teleport or something?”41

“My friend, be realistic. Guidlegard is on the other side of the universe. To teleport a great ship like this, not only would it take an ultrathon of energy, all of which I am using right now to power my motors, it would only take me forward a few light years.”42

“Hyper space, then, anything!” he cried exasperatedly. 43

“Why such a rush, anyway?” I inquired curiously. I had seldom seen my friend so excited.44

“Jack, the emperor of Jislahein just contacted our agency. He wants you and me to build him an inter-universal plutiheronic time bounder!”45

I stayed silent for a moment. “…A what?”46

“I know, I was baffled at first too. But you know how on your ship you have to go through the tube bridge to get from one universe to the other, otherwise teleport across to get there, and if you want to go forward or backward in time you have to do it once you get there?”47

“Yeah, what’s your point?”48

“He wants us to build him a personal bounder, or teleport, that not only takes him to a universe of his choice, but also sends him to whatever time period he wishes. It’s like your talisman, condensed!” An excited look crossed Brad’s face. 49

“But can’t you just buy one on the retail market for a few trillion arrols?” I asked. “Wouldn’t that be simpler than hiring some junk monkeys to build it for you?”50

“Yes, it would be cheaper, but he wants to learn from us, learn how to build one so he can do it himself someday.”51

“An emperor who wants to learn to build machinery? Are you kidding?” I laughed.52

“No, I’m not, and I’m telling you to hurry your ass over here because he says that right off the bat, he’ll give is a trillion arrols just for being there!! He wants to get the project started as quickly as possible so he’s willing to pay extra if we get there fast.”53

“All right, if we can make some easy cash just by going to some guy’s mansion, I figure I can hustle a little.” I grinned toothily. “I love richies. Always so willing to spread their happiness all around.”54

“Not all of them,” Brad argued. “And if you don’t arrive soon, this richie will be one who’s not so generous.”55

“So should I go straight to Jislahein, then, if the matter is so urgent?”56

“Please do. I’d love it if you could be here by tomorrow.”57

I shrugged my shoulders. “Piece of cake. Jislahein, here I come!”58

Brad had turned to go but I had to tell him one more thing. 59

“Hey, Brad boy!” I said loudly.60

“Yeah, what?” he replied.61

“You mind if I make a quick detour to the Milky Way Galaxy? It’s only a few light years out of the way. There’s a little spot there that serves great drinks… Earth, I think it’s called.”62

Brad’s face clouded a little. “All right,” he sighed, “But make it quick. I don’t want you getting stuck there like you did last time. Why does everyone always fall for human girls?”63

I bitterly remembered my last love, Henrietta Rawlings. I’d called her Etti, for short. Such a lovely Earthy girl. I’d lived on that shitty planet for 2 years just to be with her, ‘till I was called back home to Guidlegard because of an urgent family crisis (my uncle had died). Came back a few months later and she was gone. I had left her a message on her phone late at night before I left telling her that I had just had a relative die in Europe and that I had to go to his funeral. Guess she never got the message. Not my fault I couldn’t tell her in person. Never did find her again. 64

I tried to forget the sad memory as I set my ship into hyper space. I heard Brad’s voice say, “Try not to flirt too much, Jack. There’s a time and a place for everything.”65

“Hey, it’s not my fault I have such a good bod,” I said, but luckily the connection had been broken by Brad so he didn’t hear me.66

“Time and a place for everything,” I grumbled. “Like I’m supposed to decide when and where to fall in love, right?”67

After an hour or so of listening to upbeat 60’s Guidlegardian music, I felt better and had forgotten about Henrietta once more, memories of her tucked away far in my mind. A floating road sign popped out at me. It was an acre long so it could be left properly even when flying by at such speeds as I was. It said “Milky Way Galaxy— Turn left”.68

Some kids had spray painted their signatures and some random swear words onto the sign, evidently before a protective orb had been placed around it. I chuckled to myself, remembering when I had been that age. 69

After another half an hour or so of flying along, planets started to appear. I felt them before I saw them. My ship flinched a little in its flight as Neptune’s orbit grabbed at it. Pluto seemed to be on the other side of its orbit.70

My ship’s engines tugged me forward somewhat sluggishly, but within only a few minutes I had cleared another four planets. Earth was right ahead, gorgeous yet very ordinary in comparison to some of the gas giants I had seen.71

Now for the hard part. I slowed my ship down: if I went down to Earth at hyper speed, not only would I make a crater in the Earth a mile wide, my ship’s cool starry paint job would get damaged. 72

I pulled a lever and my ship quickly slowed to a stop so it was hovering above the Earth. Then, slowly, I began to descend. 73

Before my ship hit the Earth’s atmosphere, I sent a sort of wave around my ship that disrupted the light rays hitting it, making it practically invisible.74

“Going to Earth, I see?” said my ship’s computer in her calm, musical voice.75

“Yeah, stopping by for a few drinks, that’s all,” I said happily.76

There was silence as the ship descended farther down.77

“Why can’t you get over her?” the computer said.78

Fury and sorrow shook my body for a few seconds as I battled with my emotions. I took a deep breath and replied, “I don’t know what you mean.”79

“Oh come on, Jack, you and I both know there is nothing about this planet you like except for her,” the computer insisted.80

“Lovely, now my computer is talking back,” I muttered.81

The computer became quiet again, as though it wanted me to say something more. I didn’t.82

“Jack, you are not going to find her. Believe me, you’re a guy, you don’t understand women like I do—“83

“I created you!” I yelled at my ship. “I created you, computer! I’m pretty sure I know my own love better than you do!”84

“You do.”85

“…what?”86

“You do know your love better than I do. I am simply pointing out that she thought you left her so she left as well. There is no point in searching for her because even if you do find her, the emotional tension between you will be such that—“87

“SHUT UP!!”88

“Yes Jack. Be so kind as to inform me when I can speak aga—.” 89

“I said shut up!”90

I sat in my chair, my heart thudding loudly. My ship gently descended to the ground. I put it on manual and directed the ship in the direction of North America… then, New York.91

There was a big field in Manhattan where an old factory used to stand. Don’t know what happened to it; something about a fire. Anyway, I landed my ship there, the place I always landed it when I came to New York.92

I glanced out my windshield, making sure nobody was watching the field. Then I pushed open a trapdoor in the floor of my ship which unfolded into a miniature flight of stairs. I grabbed my dark brown Guidlegardian sheep wool trench coat and swept out into the cold. The door shut behind me. 93

I headed for the city by foot since I only had a bit of pocket money and the ATMs in this city didn’t work intergalactically. The walk didn’t take long, and in fact it was quite refreshing. I hadn’t walked much outside lately, not since I had taken up the hobby of building racers. Usually I could bring out a fancy vehicle and speed to my destination, but I decided that since humans might be a little confused if they see a street racer going 750 miles per hour, I would take a break and attempt to live an extremely short, if not relaxing, human life. 94

The apartment complex I had lived in on Earth was one of three randomly placed in this part of town. It was nice because even in an extremely drunk state I usually couldn’t mistake it for some other building, though in one unfortunate case I had walked into the retirement home a few blocks away and scared some of the ladies watching prime time television in the front foyer. 95

I walked up the short flight of stairs leading to the second story, then pulled a keychain out of my pocket. It had a big brass ring on it that held my numerous keys. Some were simply buttons on a chain, while others were strange magnetic disks that, when detected by sensors, unlocked doors. I flicked through them absentmindedly, reading the inscription on each one.96

Talisman, Jannis Suite, Guidlegard 1, Guidlegard 2 (I had a key to my parents’ house as well), Skedding Heights apartment… this went on for about another minute or so until I finally got to the one I was looking for. 97

I singled the key labeled “Manhattan, Earth” away from the other ones. It was one of the only ones that was an ordinary, old-fashioned key, with no high-tech inscriptions on it or radio transmitter chips jutting out of it. I took the small piece of metal into my hand and pushed it into the rusty lock. I wrenched it around in the lock until I heard a click. I took the handle and opened up my humble abode.98

The apartment looked like any other one in this complex, except for a few exotic lounging chairs in the main room. Very small, I noted, in comparison to many of my other living quarters. I took off my coat and walked in the back and into the bathroom. I stepped into the bathtub, felt the wall opposite the faucet, and pulled out two loose tiles. Underneath was a series of switches set far into the wall. I reached my hand into the little crevice and flipped the one on the left. Instantly a sound similar to a clap of thunder filled the small bathroom and after a few seconds I stepped out of the bathtub. I left the bathroom and looked around happily. 99

The apartment had grown about two and a half times in size and several rooms appeared that had not been there before, including my garage and tech room. I stepped toward the door, which slid open, and walked into the garage. I looked around, nodding to myself. My ship, which I had recently parked in a field, now stood in the large room, no longer invisible and shining in its awesome colors. 100

I walked into the tech room and checked to make sure all of my typical equipment was there. In every home I owned, I made sure I had several necessary gadgets in case of an emergency. A hand-held computer videophone, which I suppose is self-explanatory; my super sonic handler gun, in case of… incidence; and my emergency teleport, which was, for some odd reason, not in the room. All that was left of it was its returning device, which could only be used if somebody not authorized by the owner of the teleport had taken the gadget. I thought back to when I had last touched the teleport.101

I had taken it out of its little room and taken it to the living room to work on it. I had been curious to see if I could work it out so the teleport, instead of only being able to carry you a few light years, could take you to a destination of your choice. It was a cheap emergency module, so it was only designed to carry you to the nearest intergalactic traveling depot. In the case of Earth, it would be Amarynth, just at the brinks of the Milky Way. I wanted to fiddle with the controls so it could take me straight back to Guidlegard if need be. 102

Unfortunately, before I had even started to take it apart, I’d gotten a tragic call from my mother with a teary face and puffy red eyes saying that her brother had just crash landed his mega cooper onto the planet. Something had gone wrong with his landing gears. The crash was fatal. 103

I left immediately, leaving a message on Henrietta’s cell phone that I had to go to my uncle’s funeral and that I would be back soon.104

But I had forgotten about the teleport. It was still laying on the living room couch. 105

I rushed into the room and searched everywhere for it: under the red couch cushions, everywhere on the ground, under the couch, even in the bookshelf. It was nowhere to be found. 106

I nibbled my lip. It was impossible that it had been stolen; there was no use wasting the battery of the returning device to bring back something that was not there. I decided to forget about it. I would get my spare from Guidlegard and bring it here next time I came by.107

To ease my stress, I went out for a drink. There was a nice spot I knew about fifteen blocks from here called Mad Hatter that had been my favorite place for a drink when I had lived here. As I walked there, I couldn’t help stopping at the apartment where Henrietta had used to live, walking up the stairs to her door and knocking on it. Not surprisingly, nobody answered. I sighed and walked the rest of the way to the Mad Hatter.108

It was pretty quiet inside; the night was still young. I ordered a Manhattan-style Pina Colada and downed the bitter-sweet drink. I pretty much just lounged around there for another hour, reading a science magazine somebody had left on the counter. I never ceased to be amazed how far behind the human race was; how much more there was to discover. I hadn’t even traveled back in time and they were still behind. 109

It was much more crowded in the club now and rock music had started to play in the background. The lights had dimmed a few minutes ago and it was getting harder to concentrate on Pop Sci. I closed the magazine and ordered another sweet drink. I wouldn’t do any hard drinking tonight, I promised myself. 110

Quite suddenly I felt someone’s eyes on me. I raised my head and looked around me, curious. I caught the eye of a girl standing on second floor balcony. She had hair a crazy shade of red and it was so wild I could have mistaken her for a walking campfire. She was wearing a black tank top and a baggy denim jacket. I watched her lean over the railing of the balcony and smile enigmatically in my direction. Then she pulled away and looked down at something she was holding in her hands. She frowned as though puzzled by it, but then her face lit up and she looked back at me, winking her eye.111

I got up, straightened my coat, skimmed the top of my hair with the palm of my hand, and pushed through the crowd and up the stairs to where the mysterious girl was watching me and waiting. Soon we were close enough to talk. 112

“Got a problem with your eyes?” I said, shooting her a bright smile.113

“Yeah, they’ve been acting up ever since I saw you down there,” she said, an intricate smile sketching her lips. Her dark brown eyes, however, seemed dead serious. “And who do I have the liberty of meeting?”114

“Jack Feras is the name. And who, might I ask, are you?” I replied without batting an eye, gently taking her hand in both of mine.115

“I’m Scarlett Dagger,” she told me.116

“Pleasure,” I replied, kissing her hand as she giggled. 117

“So, Jack,” she said, saying my name a little hesitantly, “Have you been in Manhattan long?”118

“Well, I used to live here permanently but I’ve just been traveling lately,” I replied truthfully.119

“I see.” Scarlett smiled serenely once again. “Would you like me to buy you a drink?”120

“It’d be a pleasure,” I said as we set off downstairs once more. 121

My mind came back to the present. I swore quietly under my breath. 122

Better get going, I thought to myself. If I get any more late, I’ll be murdered at the hands of Brad. 123

I slipped on my coat, flicked my hair up with my hand again, and went into the bathroom to flip the switch. Luckily, the switch turned automatically when I left the apartment in case I forgot to switch it off. That way it was possible to get into my ship in my garage, fly off, and still have my apartment look like… well, an apartment. 124

The familiar rumbling noise filled the room. I wished the apartment my farewells and walked toward the door to the garage. The two halves of the door slid apart, one up and one down, and I walked through. 125

I looked around the large room, blinking. It was empty. My ship was gone.126