Friday, October 17, 1986
I arrived at my parents house early for a change driving my new car. Christine was the first one out on the driveway to see it. “Wow big bro, nice wheels, feet getting worn out?” she quipped. As she walked closer Christine gave me a strange look before saying, “You’ve got a caterpillar on your face.”
“Ha ha, it’s called a mustache and I think it looks good,” I replied to her comment on my new facial hair. “As for the car, I finally scraped up enough cash is all.” “I figure it looks better driving than me running down 309,” I smirked. Christine climbed in the passenger seat and started going through the buttons and dials.
“Let’s go for a ride,” Christine said as she buckled her seatbelt.
“Maybe later, I need to talk to Dad about something before dinner,” I told her.
“Dad?” “Wow, that’s a switch,” Christine said. “Since when isn’t Mom at the top of your list?”
“It’s guy stuff if you must know,” I said, trying to avoid saying too much. “So do you know what the big announcement is?” I asked her trying to change the subject, hoping she was in the loop this time. She just smiled at me, making me think she did.
“Looks like I’m the favorite child now, doesn’t it?” she giggled getting out of the car. I was happy that my parents had told her first. It took some of the heat off of me in her eyes for a change.
The way she was acting made me think, “Oh my God, Mom’s not pregnant is she?”
“Gross, no!” Christine replied following it with her usual comment, “Don’t be such a Blockhead!”
One bad haircut when I was fourteen and I will never live down that Blockhead name. “I guess I don’t have to ask how things are going with you?” I said as we walked up the driveway to the house.
“You hate that I know and you don’t!” Christine accused.
“Don’t be silly, I still know way more than you!” I grinned. We went into the house through the garage to the kitchen where Mom was working on dinner. I never understood why Mom loved cooking so much until I learned how old she was, cooking was never so easy when she was young. “Hey where’s Dad?” I asked, giving Mom her mandatory kiss on the cheek.
“He had a long day at work, he wanted to have a shower before dinner,” Mom replied. “You can go up, tell him to get a move on, he’s probably just laying around by now.”
I headed up the stairs to my parent’s bedroom to knock on the door. “Dad, are you decent?” I called knowing my father was not going to turn me away if he was dressed or not. He’s kind of a jerk that way.
“Sure come on in,” Dad called to me from the other side of the door.
I entered the room to find my Dad laying on the bed in his jockey shorts and a t-shirt reading the newspaper. “Can we talk about something for a minute,” I asked.
“Sure what’s on your mind, buddy,” he said, putting the paper aside and patting the bed next to him.
It probably sounds weird but my Dad and I have had some of our best talks laying in his bed since I was a little boy. I kicked off my shoes and laid down next to him to stare at the ceiling. “I’ve been doing some thinking of late,” I started. “What do you think of me not being a Cop anymore?”
“You’re thinking about quitting?” Dad said surprised. “Being a Cop is all you talked about since you were in High School.”
“I just feel so confined, restricted in the job,” I told him. “Hiding what I can do is becoming harder and harder.” “Half the team knows how strong I am at this point.”
“Whatever you do son, don’t let your mother find that out!” Dad said sitting up. “If you weren’t a Cop what would you be?” he asked, getting up from the bed to find his clothes.
“Remember the summer Gary and I spent at the shore with his cousin, David?” I asked.
“Ya, your mother almost had a nervous breakdown that summer,” Dad laughed pulling on his pants.
“I know that isn’t true, but that aside, I ran into David recently,” I told Dad. “He’s a Private Investigator now.” “I thought I might give that a try.”
“I guess that explains the new Magnum, P.I. look,” Dad joked getting in his opinion on my new look. “Are you thinking about moving to Jersey?” Dad asked, appearing almost eager at the idea.
“No, I figured I could still live in Fishtown with Paddy and commute,” I replied. “What’s going on, do you think I should move?”
“Nothing wrong with getting out of your comfort zone, you know,” Dad told me, putting on his shirt. “New job, New city, it could give you some more independence.” “Come on let’s get down to dinner before you Mom starts yelling for us.”
I got up off the bed to slip my shoes back on thinking this was the strangest pillow conversation I’ve ever had with my Dad. He is never this quick to agree with me. Usually he wants me to make sure I look at all the angles before making such a big decision.
When we got to the dining room I was shocked at all the food Mom had prepared. The table looked like she was planning on feeding an army. It looked like she had made everyone’s favorites and then some. There was ham, turkey, fried chicken, and of all things roast beef. “What is this our last supper or something?” My joke didn’t go over too well as everyone else fell silent.
Mom looked at me as if she wanted to cry until she said, “Well we can start eating as soon as Steve washes the dirt off his face.” Christine busted out laughing as she sat down at the table. “What’s so funny?” Mom asked coyly as she took her seat.
“So I guess it is unanimous then no one likes my mustache.” “I might even grow a beard!” Whatever was going on that seemed to break the ice as we sat down to eat. After the crack about the beard my Mom’s attitude changed slightly. She seemed so sad before that, then she got a look in her eye like she had suddenly remembered something she had forgotten long ago. It was a weird dinner even for my family. Mom was so focused on making sure I got enough to eat I was getting scared of what the dinner was about. All through dinner I could tell Christine was itching to tell me what was going on. But as always my parents were tight lipped until dessert started. I had all I could eat of the feast my mother had prepared, without bursting my pants. I looked at all of their faces and said, “What good is having precognitive dreams if I can’t tell what my family is up to behind my back?”
“Please can I tell him now, he’s suffered enough,” Christine said, “And so have I.”
“Alright, but just your part,” Mom instructed.
“I have been accepted into the gifted program at American Heritage School in Florida!” Christine announced jumping out of her seat with excitement.
“Wow, that is fantastic,” I said, getting up to give my sister a hug. “So how long are you going for?” I asked.
“The rest of High School,” Christine told me.
“Is it some kind of boarding school?” I asked confused in disbelief that my parents would let her out of their sight.
“No,” Christine said, sitting back down silently.
“Your mother and I discussed this to an extent and have decided that we will move to Florida with Christine, so she can attend the American Heritage School,” Dad said, trying to look brave. “After all you are your own man now, you don’t need us hanging around.”
I sat back down at the table taking another piece of fried chicken to my plate. I have to admit I was completely caught off guard by this announcement. I was proud of my sister and happy that our parents were doing this for her but I still felt a little lost. “When are you moving?” I asked, trying not to sound sad.
“I start classes after New Year’s,” Christine answered.
“So you will be leaving before my birthday,” I realized.
“Dona, you should tell him the rest,” Dad said, causing me to look to my mother. I had never seen her look so sad.
“You’re an adult now, with your own life,” she said almost as if she dreaded what she had to say next. “It is time we severed our outward family ties to you.” It was like a slap in the face, what was she saying? It must have shown on my face because Mom instantly corrected herself. “That came out wrong.” “What I meant was you can’t refer to us as Mom and Dad anymore.” “We knew my lack of aging would come to this at some point and now just seems like the best time.”
We spent most of the night talking everything over. It was around midnight when I was driving home and I still felt like I was in shock. I knew they were right to make the decisions they did but it still felt weird. What was I going to tell Paddy who had already met my “Step-mother”. But now I knew I had to make another change in my own life.
That night I laid in bed thinking about everything that had happened in the past year. It had been several months now since Janet Redmayne had transferred out of Philadelphia and I can honestly say I didn’t miss her one bit. By now Commander Olpere had settled on teams of whom worked together the best. She had partnered up Bower and Zadlo and Paddy and I. It would seem that none of us really worked well with Janet so her leaving was no loss to the squad. The partnership teams were good, no one complained, but I had to wonder if it was just coincidence that there was one Zeni-human on each team or if Olpere knew something she wasn’t telling. There really wasn’t any way for me to find out without just coming out and asking her. So I chalked it up to Bower still feeling uncomfortable about what happened in Boston and he didn’t want to partner with me.
I couldn’t help but to think about the dinner at my parents and what it meant to my future. It really did put a different perspective on things. I knew what my parents were doing was right even though it was going to be hard for all of us. It also made me think about how I would have to do that too someday if I had a family. Looking twenty-five while everyone else grew older would be a problem I would have to face as bravely as my parents did. Being on the Philadelphia police force would not be my only job until retirement. I wasn’t even sure I had the goal of retirement like everyone else in the world.
I had to think about Paddy, he was seventeen years older than me. He may have been still in great shape for his age and being a cop so long, but I had to wonder what effect my presence in his life long term would have. At any rate Paddy and I being full time partners at work again changed our home life. We didn’t spend so many nights drinking beer in front of the TV anymore. Paddy wanted to start working out at night, he even got back into shape losing that beer gut he had started. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that he even insisted on working out alone sometimes. I never gave it much thought but later I found out what he was up to at the gym.
Then as I laid there, I heard a voice in the dark calling to me. It was the strangest thing. I got up to walk around my room in the dark. The voice seemed to be coming from my bathroom. I opened the door to be bathed in the brightest light I had ever seen. When my vision cleared I was no longer in my apartment.
“Steven I need your assistance,” it was Mist. I looked around and he had brought me to Magic Island. It had been a couple of years since I had been to his palace, not much had changed.
“A little warning would be nice before you yanked me across the globe!” I exclaimed standing there in my underwear. “Letting me get dressed would have been nice too!”
“Your clothing is not an issue,” Mist said with a wave of his hand. I was dressed in blue pants and a jacket.
The fabric felt strange on my skin, it was different than anything else I had worn. The pants were form fitting but not overly snug or restricting. “What is this?” I asked unzipping the jacket to look at my bare chest underneath. The blue pants had boot-like shoes attached and I wore a belt with a gold bucket. My gauntlets were also present on my wrists.
“Something you will need to blend in where you are going,” Mist replied. “You will find the material nearly indestructible.”
“Cool,” I reacted. “Where am I going, might I ask?” I never really thought I had much of a relationship with Mist although he now seemed to think we had one.
“Do you understand what I am saying when I tell you that there exist a multitude of dimensions,” Mist said with a serious look on his face. I had heard theories about other dimensions in books at school and my Mom, but had never really given it much thought. Everything I had seen in the past several years I had no reason to disbelieve anything anymore.
“You are talking about different worlds that exist in the same space as Earth by vibrating at a different rate of speed, right?” I said.
“Yes, in one such dimension a young girl from Earth is imprisoned, about to be executed,” Mist quickly explained. “I need for you to rescue her and bring her home.” Mom had told me about the caves on Magic Island and how for a time she explored the other dimensions to which the caves lead, before coming back to Earth to marry Dad.
“You need me to rescue her?” I questioned. “Why can’t you just yank her here like you did me?”
“There is no magic in this world called Sonoma,” Mist explained. “I would be powerless there, that is why you are a much better candidate for the job.” Mist made a motion with his hands and we were transported to another part of the island. We stood at the entrance to a cave on the eastside of the mountain that stood at the center of Magic Island. There were many caves on this mountain. “This cave is a portal to Sonoma, you need only walk through it to the other side.”
“If there is no magic in this Sonoma then wouldn’t I be back in my underwear when I get there?” I asked after my abrupt wardrobe change.
“No,” Mist replies. “You were dressed using magic, like your gauntlets, the clothing was not created from magic.”
I had no choice but to believe him so I asked, “Once I get there who am I looking for?”
“Her name is Sienna Patterson, you will know her on sight, she is unlike anyone else in the world that is why they fear her,” Mist told me rather vaguely. “Now go, time is of the essence.”
I began to walk into the cave not sure if I should even listen to Mist. But not listening to him could be a battle I didn’t want to fight. Mom warned me how dangerous these caves and the other worlds she had explored could be. I had to admit the thought of going to another world was rather exciting even if I had no idea what to expect.
As I walked there was a point where the light from the entrance behind me completely disappeared and the cave ahead was pitch black. I continued to walk slower with my hands out in front of me. Then suddenly there was a new light source up ahead of me. I turned back to look at the darkness behind me for a minute and then walked toward the light. I emerged from the cave on a beach shore line, the cave’s mouth hidden under a wooden pier.
As I walked over the warm sand I could tell that it was not Autumn in this world more like summer as I approached the end of the pilings that supported the pier. The sky seems to glow yellow, casting down a light that alters the color of my blue suit to green. As a I walked my danger sense suddenly woke up as I spotted the beach goers in the sand. From where I stood they all looked completely human. As I gazed through the crowd of people I noticed that all of them were black, not a white person like me anywhere. It didn’t really strike me as a problem so I stepped out of the shadow of the pier to talk to someone. I hadn’t gotten far when I was suddenly tackled from behind. Caught off guard, I was pushed down face first onto a sand dune.
“Are you the Zenith?” a voice asked in my ear as the stranger pinned me to the ground.
I pushed back, standing up to shove my attacker off me with ease to the sand. I looked down at him to see he was different than any person of African origin on Earth. His skin was much darker, almost purple in tone. His facial features were different as well. He was dressed similar to me in pants that had connected boots. But instead of a casual jacket like I wore, he had on something that looked like a shirt, tie and sport coat that was all one piece. The most surprising part was he spoke perfect English. “I don’t know what the Zenith is,” I told him as he looked up at me almost in fear. “I came here looking for a girl named Sienna.”
“Why would you come here if you are not the Zenith?” he asked, still not making any sense to me.
“Because the girl is in trouble and I need to bring her home,” I told him.
“You will end up right where she is if you let anyone see you in public,” he told me.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Just you being here is wrong,” the guy replied. “You came from the same place as the girl, Sienna?”
“Yes,” I told him. “Why is that a crime?”
“Because you are different, people here don’t like it,” he told me. “My name is Gerald.” “I am Sienna’s attorney and there is nothing I can do to defend or help her.” “I came here to where she arrived in Sonoma hoping to find help or a way for her to leave the way she came.”
“That is why I am here,” I told him, reaching out a hand to help him up. He sat in the sand looking at my outreached hand, almost appearing to be afraid to touch me. Then he got up on his own.
“You must come with me quickly before anyone on the beach gets a good look at you,” Gerald said grabbing my jacket and pulling me back toward the pier.
“If you know how Sienna got here why not just send her back?” I asked as we jogged back under the pier out of sight of the beach goers.
“Because she has told no one else except me,” Gerald explained. “She is a frightened child lost in a strange world.” “I am not too sure it would be good for the government to know about a portal to another world either.”
“Then why are you any different?” I quizzed.
“Growing up my family believed that they were members of a group with a special calling,” Gerald told me. “I was raised to believe I was a Summit.” “Someone who needed to learn all he could about our world, so if the Zenith ever came to Sonoma I could aid him or her.” “Even this language I now speak to you in.”
“So English is not your native tongue?” I asked. He nodded in reply making it seem that was a universal language we shared. “I have never heard of this Zenith of which you speak.” “Is it possible your translation is off?”
“No, the word Zenith is the same in both your language and mine,” Gerald told me. “That is of no consequence so I will just tell you how to find Sienna.” “That is not going to be so easy,” Gerald said as he began to explain. “Sienna is scheduled for execution in three hours, coming here was my last chance to save her.”
“What kind of world do you live in that someone can be executed for being different?” I charged.
“A cruel one,” Gerald said, picking up a briefcase from the sand. “You are going to need one of these to get around without being seen by the patrolmen.” He opened the case to take out a golden vest of some sort. It appeared to be metal but when I touched it, it felt more like rubber. Upon closer inspection I could see that there was a chain link mesh of circuitry woven into it.
“What is this?” I asked him to take the small garment from him.
“It is a flight vest, it will allow you to fly over the city to avoid the patrolmen,” Gerald explained to my surprise. “Put it on, it must make direct contact with your bare skin.”
I examined the vest closer to see that it was very pliable. “Are you telling me if I wear this I can fly?” I asked, amazed at the thought.
“Yes, now put it on!” he demanded.
I did as I was told, unzipping my jacket to remove it. I pulled the vest on over my head like a t-shirt. It stretched and then became form fitted to my chest. It felt strange on my skin like the fabric of the pants and jacket. “What is the deal with the clothing in this world?” I asked Gerald to put my jacket back on over the vest.
“I don’t know what you are asking,” Gerald replied, looking up from whatever it was he had in his briefcase obviously frustrated by my question.
“The fabric, what is it?” I explained my question.
Gerald looked at me as if I was an idiot and then answered my question with more respect than he wanted to give, “We have long ago abandoned organic fabrics for ones that were more durable and long lasting.”
His nonspecific answer was enough for me. “This vest, how does it work?” I asked, running my hands over the rippled surface of the vest in the center of my chest. It was strange to me how much it resembled my gauntlets. As if they were somehow destined to be worn together.
“It must be worn next to your skin to feel the movement of your muscles,” Gerald explained. “Simply leap into the air as if diving into water and then swim.” “Your flight will be guided as if you were swimming in water.”
I had to smile at what he was saying. Flight, what a fantasy. If I could fly it would erase all of my fear of falling. Most of the time I tried not to think about it but that fall in Themyscira still haunted me.
“I don’t know how you could possibly help but Sienna is in this prison,” Gerald explained, showing me a map from his briefcase.
“A prison?” I repeated. “What are the defenses?” Gerald began to explain the diagram of the prison he had in his briefcase. His explanation of the defenses was long and complicated but there was nothing he said that I couldn’t handle. Everything he told me seemed pretty standard, not unlike that of prisons at home on Earth. It was the last thing he told me that I didn’t comprehend. “What is Darkforce?” I asked.
“You do not know what Darkforce is?” he repeated to which I shook my head. “Darkforce is a spiritual skill that allows those trained in it to summon the spirits of their ancestors or in this case executed prisoners.” “The soldiers with this skill use it as a final defense in many different and unpredictable ways to prevent prison escapes.”
“So it is like a super-power?” I asked.
“A super power?” Gerald repeated.
“Yes, an extra power or ability that some people have, that lets them do things not everyone else can,” I explained.
“No, everyone in Sonoma has potential to use Darkforce, but it is illegal for anyone who has not been properly trained to use it.” Gerald told me. “The guards at the prison train for many years to learn how to use the Darkforce.”
“How do I get to this prison?” I asked not sure what to make of this Darkforce thing, but I figured I would deal with it when it came up.
Gerald gave me a look of disbelief at my eagerness to get to work. “You are a very brave man,” he said, sounding as if he thought I was sure to fail. “The Stoneridge Prison is to the north on an island ten miles from the shore,” he showed me on the map. Strange the coastline of this landmass appeared unlike anything back home. “You will need another vest for Sienna to wear to get her off the island.” Gerald reached back into his briefcase to retrieve another of the unique flight vests. I stuffed it inside my jacket and zipped it up to my neck to hold it.
“So all I need to do is jump?” I questioned again to make sure I had it right.
“It being your first time you might want to get a running start first,” Gerald told me.
I took a deep breath and began to run in the sand heading out from under the pier again. Clearing the overhead structure I leaped up higher and harder than I had ever done before, my arms out in front of me. As I gained what seemed to be my maximum altitude I brought my arms down to my sides as if to pull myself to the surface of the ocean. It was incredible, I was flying! I sailed out over the strange ocean that looked to be made of petroleum jelly. I reached out my left arm to steer myself north. The beach was quickly in the distance behind me as I headed up the coast the strange sea churning below me. From what I could see of the buildings along the shore as I flew by, they were much different than Earth. I don’t know how fast I was moving but it wasn’t long before the prison was in sight.
The Stoneridge prison was huge and constructed like nothing I had ever seen before back on Earth. It had tall towers that looked to be transmitting some kind of energy that blanketed the grounds. Gerald had explained to me that the energy was harmless if you were not a threat to others. Somehow I found that hard to believe. I circled around the perimeter impressed at how easy it was to maneuver as I flew. Gerald was right on some level it was like swimming but it took only the slightest movement to alter my course. I surmised to be safe I should use my gauntlets to pierce the energy field. I slid the gauntlets down over my hands clenching my fists to hold them in place. I looped back away from the prison and then headed back my fist out in front. As I struck the bubble my gauntlets had a surprising effect on the energy field. The energy was absorbed into my gauntlets just enough to allow me to pass through without setting off the alarm that Gerald told me would sound.
Inside the prison’s shielding I decided to drop down to the ground to avoid being spotted. Landings were not as easy as take offs. I stumbled and crashed into the side of the building. Getting up from the pavement, I had a look around to make sure I was still unseen. I had entered the barrier at the place closest to where Gerald said Sienna was being held. Now I needed to get inside the complex. I found an access panel that had no knob or handle on it. I knew breaking it open would surely sound the alarm that I had avoided coming through the energy field. Then I was struck with an idea. What if the same energy controls everything? Placing my forearm against the door I struck my gauntlets together. The energy absorbed from the shielding flowed out into the door panel. The panel slid open into the wall, again no alarm. It almost seemed too good to be true.
I slipped inside, but the panel did not close behind me. I could tell from the thickness of the pattern on my gauntlets that there was only enough energy left to do that trick once maybe two more times. I would have to save that until I found the level and cell where Sienna was being held. I looked around for cameras even though Gerald had made no mention of such security devices. Most likely because there were none. This place was like no jail or prison of which I had ever heard. There were no visible cells or doors, only smooth walls. I could feel the danger I was all around me. Another person might have headed in the direction of less danger but the mission I was on was going to be dangerous so I headed toward the greater danger. Running seemed like the best idea so I did all the way to a crossroad in the corridor. The place seemed deserted, not anyone in sight. I made a left trying to remember the map Gerald had shown me but every direction looked the same from inside this place. I turned another corner and found my danger.
A group of about twenty soldiers, not guards mind you, soldiers stood armed to the teeth in my path. It would seem that my presence in the prison had not gone as unnoticed as I thought. The lead man shouted at me in some strange language that probably would take me hours to learn. Sienna didn’t have hours and I had no reason to believe these men would help me in my mission so I charged forward.
By luck their weapons fired the same energy as that was used to create shielding, making it easy for my gauntlets to absorb and return fire. It was interesting to me how well my gauntlets worked with this world’s technology. Catching the energy blasts seemed to cause an overload in the rifles, exploding them.
I had taken down about half of the soldiers by the time I reached their position in the corridor. Hand to hand was next. I’m sure the well trained men believed the odds were in their favor at ten to one, but they had no idea who they were up against. They put up a good fight giving me the best workout I had in months. In the end it was not strength but skill that defeated them. Even with my increased strength these men could have taken me down if not for all those years of training my Mom had given me. But when I had put them all down for the count I realized one of their weapons could have been helpful to me. Looking around I discovered that the rifles that hadn’t been destroyed by the overloads I had broken in the fight. I would have to make due with the energy left in my gauntlets.
Tracking the danger to me was harder now with this battalion out of the way. I decided to head back the way these men had come. As I walked I noticed I had some blood on my jacket and pants because it ran down the sleeve onto my hand. The unique fabric seemed to repel the blood and any stain that it would have left on normal clothing. I had wondered if there was even any need to ever wash these clothes. I suddenly felt the danger again and it was coming from the other side of the wall to my right. I could see seams in the wall leading me to believe it was a door. Might as well give it a try, I placed my arm against the wall again releasing more of the energy into it. The panel slid open as I heard footsteps behind me. I hurried inside the next room to force the panel closed again from the other side by hand.
When I turned around I realized I must have entered the activity area. I now stood in a room full of what must have been the prisoners. None of them looked at all happy to see this white boy in the exercise yard. “I’m not here to cause a problem,” I said but speaking in English seemed to piss them off more. I couldn’t even count them all before they rushed toward me. I was instantly pulled into the mob. I struggled to get away but there were just too many hands pulling and hitting me at once. I have to admit I was frightened by the sheer number of them. I had never been up against such a large group of opponents. I was so outnumbered it was all I could do to protect myself. Then I felt the zipper of my jacket being pulled open and the second flight vest fell to the floor to be lost in the shuffling of feet.
There was no logic to this fight, no strategy I could make. So I began throwing the men that clung on my arms like rabid dogs. The thrown men didn’t get far without hitting someone else. Before I knew what was happening my jacket was pulled from my body and it seemed to spur them on as they piled on top of me, their combined weight pushing me to the floor. I could feel the crazed men scratching and biting at my flesh. It was insanity as I summoned all the strength I could to stand up throwing all of them off of me at once.
I looked up to spy a balcony over the room, I had to get out of here! I took the leap only to find my ankle in the grasp of one of the rabid inmates. It took me a moment to realize the flight vest was providing the resistance I needed to prevent me from being pulled back down into the mob. I kicked the man holding my leg in the face, breaking his nose and shooting up over the room. I landed on the balcony to climb over the rail. I looked back over at the room. These inmates were like a thrashing pit of staved beasts. It was then that I realized they were all men. Why would a young girl, like Sienna, be in a prison with all men. Was Gerald lying to me? This world was full of insanity that I could not figure out.
My jacket lost to the mob, my exposed arms and shoulders were scratched, bitten, and bleeding. I couldn’t believe those animals managed to break my skin. I could even feel scratches on my belly and ribs that were not covered by the flight vest. It should be interesting explaining these injuries come Monday morning. I turned away from the rail to use my gauntlets to open another door and then close it by hand myself. I started down this new corridor toward voices moving closer. When I turned a corner I saw who was speaking.
It was another group of five soldiers leading a prisoner in my direction. It was Sienna, she was older than I thought she would be but just as white as me. My guess she was about thirty, not the girl that Mist described her to be. There was one man on either side of her and two following behind. The man I was most focused on was the one leading the group out in front. He was rather small in comparison to the others and his uniform was different in design. He lifted the visor on his helmet to glare at me, sizing me up.
I waited and watched for the men to make the first mover. The six figures in the corridor in front of me cast long shadows of the floor that began to retract as I watched. The shadows were all drawn back to form a circle on the floor around the thin man leading the group. Then with a motion of his arms toward me he appeared to launch the dark cloud of shadow at me. It all happened so fast there was no avoiding the cloud of darkness as it fell over me. It had no physical mass or form that I could touch or fight but it rendered me into total darkness instantly. It was cold and followed me as I tried to escape its borders. Banging into the wall, a feeling of hopelessness quickly consumed me. I couldn’t get the idea that there was no escape out of my mind. My body became weak as I crumbled to my knees on the floor. I felt tears begin to flow from my eyes as the pain of starvation overtook my body. All I could think was that I wanted to see the sunrise again. I raised my hands over my head and brought my gauntlets together releasing the final amount of the energy stored within them.
The blast of energy was bright and long as it shattered the darkness. The destruction of the dark cloud released me from the emotional turmoil it had instilled in me. I looked up to see the thin man was physically affected by what I had done as he crumbled to the floor unconscious. The defeat of the thin man triggered the two men from behind Siena to spring forward rifles raised and ready to fire at me. Having expelled all of the energy in my gauntlets that seemed to solve all my problems, I was eager to get some more of it. I was quickly disappointed as these men’s rifles fired real bullets, not energy. Catching the momentum of a few of the bullets I began to dodge most of them closing the distance between me and Sienna. I was soon breaking more guns and knocking out more soldiers.
“Who are you, what are you doing here?” Sienna asked, appearing less frightened than I would have expected.
“My name is Steve, I was sent from Earth to save you,” I told her not thinking to use a different name. “We need to keep moving, I’m sure there will be more men coming.” “Where were they taking you?” I asked hoping she had some idea of a way out of here.
“To my execution,” She replied as I broke open the restraints that held her arms behind her back. Her arms were bruised and blistered.
“How long have you been here?” I asked, stepping around in front of the battered woman.
“Nearly a month,” she replied sadly, stretching her arms trying to regain some feeling in them.
“I would say you are long past due to go home,” I said, making her smile slightly. “We need to find a way out of here.” “There is nothing down there but an exercise yard full of crazed prisoners,” I told her pointing back the way I came.
“They aren’t only prisoners,” Sienna said looking more scared. “They are executioners, I was to be thrown in with them.” The suggestion of this small woman being thrown in with those animals was too horrible to think about.
“Where does this lead?” I asked pointing back down the way she came with the soldiers. Sienna still appeared emotionally confused as she looked around behind her. I could tell that whatever had happened to her over the past month was still haunting her soul. I put my arm around her shoulders trying to calm her but I feared the whole experience had been too much for her to comprehend. “It’s going to be okay, I’m going to get you out of here and home,” I told her, hoping to relieve some of the pressure she must have been feeling.
Then suddenly coming back to life she said reaching out her arm pointing, “They brought me in here from outside, down that way to the left.”
“Do you think you can find our way back?” I asked gently. She nodded and I scooped the woman up in my arms and began to run back down the corridor. She clung tightly to my chest not caring that she was smearing my blood on her face. Not knowing where I was going prevented me for going full speed, but we still needed to go fast. At a crossroad in the maze that was this prison I heard the shouting of voices giving me the clue to change my direction away from the soldiers.
“That way,” Sienna pointed as we came to another crossroad. I hung a sharp left and a right to spot an entry door within sight. The energy in my gauntlets was drained so I would have to find another way to open the door.
“Are you alright to stand?” I asked moving to lower Sienna to the floor so I could work more freely on the door. “Stay close,” I told her and she stood with her back to the wall away from the door. Knowing how the door opened was a big help trying to pry at it. I had to force it in about an inch so it would side into the wall socket. A task that wasn’t as easy as I thought. I must have been held in place by some kind of magnetic lock that was disrupted easily by the alien energy but not by my strength. I leaned my shoulder into the door and braced my feet on the floor nearly leaving impressions in it. I couldn’t budge it, it almost felt like it was pushing back.
“Hurry up you need to get us out of here,” Sienna pleaded to me.
“I know, but this thing will not budge,” I replied, looking at her scared face. I turned around to see what was frightening her. The soldiers had caught up to us, led by another of the thin soldiers. He was dressed in the same uniform as the other one I met who I figured was using the Darkforce power of which Gerald spoke. I also remembered that Gerald told me that all users of the Darkforce use it in a different way. I had no idea what to expect this time but I knew I couldn’t use the same trick to escape. “Get behind me and stay out of the way,” I told Sienna as I stepped forward to challenge the man.
“No, don’t, we need to run, he will kill you!” she pleaded.
“Just stay back, I’m tougher than I look,” I told her as she began to cry again. There was nothing I could do for Sienna now I had to focus on the new threat this soldier posed. As I turned to face him I saw that this man didn’t lift his helmet. He seemed to have no need to look at me eye to eye as the last one did. He flung his arm across in front of himself. A wave of Darkforce rushed through the air bitch slapping me against the wall. Unlike before this was no shadow, it had mass and was solid to the touch. The side of my face and shoulder stung from the impact of the Darkforce. Caught off guard the wind was knocked out of me. It took me a few seconds to recoup. Before I could, I found myself pinned to the wall by the Darkforce in the form of a barrel on my chest. The thin guard was applying so much pressure I could feel the wall behind me bending to conform to my back. I couldn’t move and the air was being crushed from my lungs. I knew I could hold my breath for a good length of time but I had no idea how long I could go without breathing at all. I had to push back! My hands were free and I fumbled to grip the wide shaft of Darkforce pinning me to the wall. I couldn’t budge it no matter how hard I pushed.
I had never felt so vulnerable in my life and I did not like it! I struggled to move but found I could not! Every second the pressure on my chest became greater as the man walked closer. The only weapon I had was my strength and that was useless. Wait a minute, this Darkforce attack was using force, my gauntlets absorb force. If I could just manage to charge them with that force and touch them together I could turn that force back on itself. I banged my gauntlets against the sides of the Darkforce construct pinned to my chest. I used up the last of my strength, becoming woozy. I had no ability to aim as I lifted my arms over my head, I hoped I wouldn’t have to see him to hit him. I was feeling the strain of oxygen deprivation as my wrist weakly touched making a slight clang. This Darkforce was like nothing my gauntlets had encountered so I had no idea how powerful such a small action could be.
The force of the blast was enough to take down my attackers and rip a hole in the side of the building. Defeating the thin guard’s Darkforce creation vanished, releasing me to slide to the floor. I must have passed out for a few minutes because when I woke up Sienna was over me slapping my face in a panic. “We have to get out of here now!” she cried. “Before he comes around for another attack.” I was still groggy as she helped me up from the floor.
I looked around at the destruction caused by the blast, it was massive. I walked on the ledge at the hole in the side of the building. I stood there learning that it was all it took to allow some of the prisoners to begin to escape. I spotted one of the prisoners flying up from the brawling crowd below. He wore the extra flight vest I had lost in the recreation area.
“We have to go now,” Sienna insisted, pulling on my arm.
“No,” I told her. “I caused this prison break, allowing these dangerous men to escape.” “I have to do something to correct this mistake.” I could understand why Sienna didn’t care and wanted to leave but I couldn’t do that without at least trying. But I would get Sienna safely out of the prison first. “Here climb on my back and hold on around my neck,” I told Sienna. I then jumped out of the hole in the wall.
It didn’t take long for me to realize why Gerald had given me two vests. These flight vests were not designed for hitchhikers. Sienna’s additional weight may have been nothing for me to lift, but it was more than the flight vest could handle. We didn’t fly so much as glide to the ground.
“What’s wrong, why are we landing?” Sienna asked in a panic gripping my neck tighter.
“The vest can’t carry both of us. I have to get the other one back,” I told her prying her hands from around my neck. “We are going to have to make a run for it!” I scooped her up again to hold her to my chest as I began to run at top speed across the prison grounds. I sprinted back for the side of the dome where I had passed through to enter. Lowering Sienna to the ground I told her, “Get on my back again.” She did what I told her without question as I slid my gauntlets down again as I had done before to enter. Running at all the speed I could muster my arms outstretched in front of me, we pierced the dome again. Stopping only when we were away from the prison in the nearby forest I told Sienna, “Hide here, stay out of sight I’ll be back for you.”
“No, please don’t leave me, let’s just go home now,” she begged.
“It is too long of a distance back to the cave on foot.” “I will be right back, you will be fine here,” I told her, turning back to the prison. Without her extra weight the flight vest worked fine allowing me to fly back to and through the dome again. I knew the man with the flight vest couldn’t pierce the dome as I could so he was not top priority. My first target would have to be the mob that was escaping through the hole in the wall. Sliding my gauntlets back in place I could see that they had gained a big charge with the two trips through the dome. It was the first time I had seen my gauntlets nearly all dark in color, the pattern merging almost into a solid hue. The seer number of men flowing from the hole in the wall made it clear to me that landing was a mistake. I would instantly be outnumbered again. But the charge in my gauntlets made it so I didn’t have to land. I wasn’t able to hover without dropping like a rock to the ground so as I flew over the mob banging my gauntlets and holding them together to spray the men below with a blanket of energy. The rioting men began to fall in groups as the blanket moved over them. Soon there were only a few men left standing. I guess some of the inhabitants of this world were immune to this energy. That worried me, it made me realize those men could possibly break through the barrier.
My landings were still not that good but I didn’t have to make a perfect landing if it was on a seven foot behemoth’s face. He turned out to be the easiest to takedown. My feet in his face were enough to take him out. It suddenly became clear to me that these few people immune to the energy were users of the Darkforce. It didn’t make sense to me how the Darkforce was not affected when it was before but I kinda got the feeling it was a fluke.
I didn’t have to go after the men still conscious, they came to me. I guess they were still hungry and I was the best looking meal. I gave the first guy to charge me a right cross that sent him sailing. If these men were using the Darkforce they must be untrained in how to use it. Two more slobbering thugs rushed me to meet fists, feet, and knees. One of them recuperates fast standing back up with a dark halo around himself. It shielded him from my attack like a bulletproof vest. We spared for a few minutes, long enough for a few of his punches to make contact. I have to admit he was no light weight in the strength class Darkforce or not.
As I fought off the tough guy another prisoner showed up to jump on my back, his arms around my neck. He was smaller than the other guy but also using the Darkforce. This guy’s talent was offensive. His forearm was coated in the Darkforce and it vibrated almost rattling my teeth as he held me in a headlock. The big guy came at me, a crazed look in his dark eyes. These two guys double teaming me had no idea they were helping me. My training taught me the best way of fighting one guy is to use his strengths against him, but two guys are even easier to use their strengths against each other. It wasn’t hard for me to flip up over the man behind me exposing him to the attack from the other man. However using the Darkforce, either intentionally or not it worked just as well on each other as it did on me. Getting free of the little guy I continued to set them up to hit each other. These men were less than rational. The little guy’s vibrating power was enough to weaken the other’s shielding. A fact that pissed the bigger guy off making him turn his attention away from me completely.
I stood back as the two prisoners fought, until the bigger one took the little one down. It was brutal and bloody. Then he turned to me, his fists and face covered in blood. He had no idea that his Darkforce halo was gone, destroyed by the man he had just murdered, as he charged me. He wasn’t very hard to take down without the Darkforce protecting him. A few hard punches to the face and body took him to the ground with the rest of the prisoners. I stood over the man for a few seconds catching my breath, it had been a real workout. I looked around the scene to finally spot a squad of guards trying to gather up the unconscious prisoners. They looked at me with suspicion, but I was sure there was no way they would come after me again. I may have caused this mess but I was doing all I could to help correct that mistake. I spotted a few of the soldiers staring and pointing at me but it would appear that after I took down the big guy none of them wanted to challenge me.
I looked up to the yellow sky and it reminded me just how different this world was from home. I could see that the prisoner wearing the flight vest was still trapped on this side of the barrier. My guess was that he did not have the Darkforce talent of some of the other men or he would have already escaped. Taking one final look back to the guards, I leaped up into the air. Flying was amazing. I was still in awe of it as I zoomed toward the fugitive.
He wasn’t any more skilled at using the vest than I. Apparently the flight vests were not as common apparel as Gerald had led me to believe. When I got close to the guy I could see that his face was smeared with blood and his teeth were filed to sharp points. This must be the guy who bit me I thought. When he saw me coming at him, he made sure to certify that guess to me. He slammed into me, his sharp teeth going for my throat. But it was my gauntlet that he clamped his teeth on. I flung him back away from me. He managed to regain control of his flight before hitting the ground. He came at me again, this time I was ready for him with a solid punch to his jaw. The punch turned the tables, he no longer had any interest in me as he fled. Problem was he really had no place to go. I followed after him as he looped the inside of the dome. Seemed obvious to me the best way to catch him was to just turn around and go the other way. He was more cannibalistic than smart because this trick worked. I tackled him in midair sending us both to the ground. The collision didn’t do much to me but it knocked him out cold.
I managed to get the flight vest off of him and fly back through the shield before the soldier that had called for reinforcements could catch me. Returning to where Sienna was hiding I handed her the vest, “Here put this on, it is the quickest and safest way for us to get back to the cave.” “It has to touch your bare skin to work,” I told her as I turned away so she could take off her shirt and put the vest on.
“Okay, I guess this is as good as it is going to get,” Sienna said. I was relieved to see the vest covered her body better than mine. I was afraid she would have her nipples sticking out when I turned back like I did.
We were safe now for the time being so I asked, “How is it you ended up here anyway?” Sienna got a sad look on her face, I could tell this trip had been horrible for her, I just didn’t know how bad it had been.
“My husband and I are spelunkers,” she began. “We had heard stories about an island in the south Atlantic that had caverns unlike any other in the world.” “It had taken us a few years of research but we believed we had found it.” “Jon and I both took time off from work and rented a boat to set off on our tenth wedding anniversary vacation.”
By now she had tears running down her face. “So you found the cave alone?” I asked hoping that what I suspected wasn’t true.
“NO,” Sienna replied, wiping the tears from her cheek. “We entered the cavern together and found ourselves in this strange world.” “At first it seemed so wonderful, but then the people began to look at me with anger.”
“Only you?” I asked not sure what she was talking about.
“Jon is….was a dark skinned black man, he almost fit in here,” Sienna told me, her tears flowing heavier. “These people have an irrational hatred for white people.” “They kept calling me Zenith.”
I had heard that term from Gerald and was still unclear on what it meant. “Look we don’t have to talk about this now if it is that upsetting, let’s just get home,” I said trying to calm her. “All I need to know is where is Jon?”
“Dead,” she said bursting into a full out cry. “They murdered him right in front of me.” I couldn’t help but take her in my arms then trying to calm her down. She would need to concentrate to make the flight vest work and there was no way she was going to be able to do that in this state.
We stood there for several minutes as I held her to my chest. Then I finally had to say, “I’m sorry but we really need to go now.” “I don’t know how long it will be if the soldiers try to come after us.” She sniffled and wiped her face on her shirt trying to calm herself again.
Sienna pulled away from me to say, “Okay, how does this thing work?”
“It is fairly simple, all you need to do is run and jump while concentrating on flying.” “Then all you have to do is swim through the air like it is water.” It even sounded ridiculous to me as I said it out loud. “Here take my hand, we’ll do it together.” I tried to hold back my speed and not jump so hard I would dislocate her shoulder. The second we were airborne she grabbed at me pulling herself closer. She quickly wrapped her arms around my chest as we flew over the countryside. I knew her vest was working because we weren’t crashing back to the ground again. I didn’t mind her clutching to me so tightly, I know she must still be very upset. I just hoped I didn’t smell too bad after all of the fighting.
When we reached what I considered the halfway point back to the beach and the cave I said, “You know this is a once in a lifetime chance to fly on your own.” “It really is incredible, you should let go of me.” Cautiously at first she let go of me only holding my arm for security. It was kind of like the scene in the Superman movie where he takes Lois Lane flying. But when I let go of Sienna’s hand she didn’t fall back to the ground. The smile on her face told me that the experience of flight was taking her mind off of her tragedy if only for a short time.
“How is it you even found me here in this world?” She called to me.
“I was sent by a man who lives on the island where the cave is,” I called back. “Then when I got here your attorney, Gerald told me where to find the prison and gave me the flight vests to rescue you.”
“Did you say attorney?” she questioned. “You must be joking if you think these people gave me an attorney.” “I was sentenced without any trial or legal proceedings at all.”
I was confused by what she was telling me, how could that be possible? “If Gerald wasn’t your attorney then who was he?” I asked her.
“I have no idea, no one here made any attempt to help or understand us,” Sienna answered.
It was a mystery for another day I thought as we approached the beach. “This way,” I instructed Sienna as I showed her how to make a turn. “Here take my hand, landing isn’t so easy,” I said reaching out for her. I touched down first then turned to basically catch Sienna before she hit the ground.
We didn’t speak again until we were inside the cave. “What am I going to do when I get home?” Sienna said sadly. “My husband is dead and I don’t even have a body to bury.” “No one is going to believe what happened to us.” “People are going to blame me for his disappearance.”
We were crossing back into the Earth’s dimension as she began to go into full panic mode. I took hold of her arm, trying to calm her as I led her the rest of the way out of the cave. On the outside of the cave Mist was waiting for us. Things changed quickly with a wave of his hands.
Saturday, October 18, 1986
The next thing I knew I was back home standing in my underwear in the middle of the living room. I felt disoriented as I looked around the room. My new suit and flight vest are gone. I had no idea what happened to Sienna.
“What the hell are you doing?” Paddy said coming in the front door returning home from his morning jog. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Aa, on an adventure,” I stuttered.
“All night?” he asked, “In your underwear?”
“Yeah, I really need to get some sleep,” I said heading for my bedroom. I crawled into bed trying to figure out how I was going to get back to Magic island. I had to know what happened to Sienna. I tossed and turned for a while before deciding to make a phone call to my Mom. I had to know how she worked out the deal to train me on Magic Island.
Imagine my disappointment when she told me, “I didn’t strike that deal.” “Mist contacted me and offered the means for us to travel to Magic Island.” “In fact anytime I went to Magic Island it was at the request of Mist.”
“I can’t believe you never told me that before now,” I said. “My training was all Mist’s idea?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, his offer only solved the problem of where I would train you.” Mom scolded. “It was my decision to train you, it was only his offer of using Magic Island.” “I would have found somewhere else just as secret to train you.” “Mist just has a knack of solving problems like that.”
When I got off the phone with Mom, I laid back down in the bed to think about what she had said. I guess it all made sense, but it made me wonder if Mist was using his magic to spy on us somehow. The thought was unsettling as I finally fell to sleep.
When I got up it was a Saturday night, like several others in the past few months, Paddy and I were having dinner with Paula and Julie Snyder, our next door neighbors. At first I thought Paddy was trying to fix me up with Julie, but the two of us quickly learned that we were not each other’s type. It wasn’t until I realized how much Paddy was enjoying these dinners that I realized he had taken a liking to Julie’s mother Paula. In fact that was Julie’s plan all along. Her mother had been a widow for over ten years and Julie had seen something in Paddy that reminded her of her Dad. She hoped that her mother would see the same thing.
Julie mentioned over dinner, “Doesn’t Mom look great now that she is going to the gym with Paddy?” I have to admit I was surprised by the revelation.
“You kids should come with us sometime,” Paula suggested. “Clearly Steve already spends some time at the gym, but Julie you could do with some exercise.” I knew the suggestion was focused at her daughter but I got a glare across the table from Paddy that let me know I was not invited.
“I think I need to start smaller than that,” Julie replied. This topic was something that I had gotten used to spending time with these women. Julie was slightly overweight and her mother brought it up quite often. Surprisingly she never seemed to be bothered by Paula’s suggestions that she lose weight. “Maybe Steve and I could take a walk after dinner tonight.”
Another look from my roommate told me I should say yes to the walk. “Yeah, that sounds good.” I said, finishing my mashed potatoes. “How about down to the park, they are settling up for the Halloween parade,” I suggested.
Julie nodded her head getting up from the table with her plate giving me a head gesture to follow. “Steve gave me a hand with dessert,” she said. I followed her into the kitchen with my plate. On the counter I spotted the bottle of wine Paddy had brought chilling in a bucket of ice as Julie loaded the dishes in the washer.
“What is going on here tonight?” I asked. “It seems like you and my roomy are up to something.”
“Aroma,” she replied, taking wine glasses from the cabinet and corkscrew from the drawer. “My Mom loves this wine and it is her weakness.”
“I thought it was odd that Paddy was bringing wine,” I said picking up the bottle from the bucket of ice. “How long have you two been plotting this?”
“A few days, your roomy is a hard nut to crack,” Julie said. “Come on bring that with you.” We returned to the dining table set up in the living room. “I thought you guys should just have this nice wine for dessert,” she announces handing them the two glasses she brought in. “I’m only nineteen and Steve is twenty so we can’t have any, right officers,” Julie giggled. “We’ll just take that walk now.” “Steve grab Paddy’s plate and we’ll get going.” she told me as she took her mother’s place setting.
She finished loading the dishwasher and we headed out the door. The park was about a mile from our apartment complex. It was still a fairly warm evening but I was surprised that Julie really wanted to take a walk.
“So what’s up with you Mr. Tall Dark and Sad?” Julie said after a few minutes of walking, she was never one to do anything without conversation.
It wasn’t like I could tell her what I had been doing all day or that my parents were dumping me as their son. “Just can’t believe you have been trying to fix Paddy up with your Mom all this time,” I told her.
“My Mom has been alone for a long time and Paddy is a nice guy,” Julie said as we walked. “Besides her spending time with Paddy keeps her off my fat ass more.” We both giggled at that, Paula did have a pension for nagging at her daughter and I never thought it bothered Julie that much. “So big guy, I’ve told you my type, blonde, blue eyed surfer dudes, what’s yours?”
I smiled at her and just spoke off the cuff, “Tall, dark hair and eyes, athletic, fearless, and has to love soccer.”
“Doesn’t sound so much like a type as a specific person,” Julie commented. “Do you already know this girl?”
She was right. I had just described Diana Carter from camp all these years later. My life had been so fast paced the past few years I hadn’t given a thought to her, but I guess she was still in there lurking around. “Not just a fantasy from a dream.”
“A dream, do tell,” Julie said pushing up against my arm.