Beta Earth: Between Worlds 2.0 Edition (5 page)

Ending Pt. 1

Location: Just outside the Molbis Clan hideout in Sprawl 15.

Jest-Ker approaches Zuri and Vin with a huge grin. “What’s with the faces, huh?” Zuri steps up to Jest-Ker.

“Is Tooth our new leader?” Jest-Ker starts laughing.

“Damn, I wasn’t gonna tell you until we got back. Well … yeah. Shane got promoted to the main branch on Beta Earth. So he chose Tooth to lead us here.”

“That’s it! We’re out!” Zuri shouts. Jest-Ker's laugher elevates. “Man, he is good … I knew he was good, but damn, not this good.”

“What are you talking about?” Vin asks. Jest-Ker composes himself.

“He knew you two wouldn’t take the news well. So he already made arrangements for your departure.” Vin and Zuri ready themselves for combat. Jest-Ker backs up. “Whoa, whoa! What I mean is, we are a family and you can’t leave us for another. So … we just dealt with the other family.” Zuri’s eyes widen.

“What?” Zuri quickly realizes what Jest-Ker is talking about. He takes off running without any warning. Vin runs after Zuri but is grabbed by Jest-Ker.

“Oh, and this was my other order … to delay you punks.” Vin tries to break himself free from Jest-Ker’s grasp but he isn’t easing up.

“Let go!” Vin shouts. Jest-Ker releases Vin and pushes him away. Then he stands in front of Vin, smiling with his arms crossed. Vin infuriated, tries to punch Jest-Ker but his attack is easily evaded. Jest-Ker counters Vin’s force with a push that sends him flying to the ground.

“Is that all you got? Come on, you’re no match for me.” Vin stands up.

“This is no joke!” he yells. Jest-Ker holds his stomach keeled in laughter.

“Really? Because it’s funny as hell to me!” Vin tries to punch Jest-Ker and his attack is once again deflected. Jest-Ker counters with a swift punch to Vin’s ribs. The blow causes Vin to stumble and fall to the ground. Jest-Ker kneels over with laughter, tears form at his eyes. “Since-Since when did you think you could kick my ass—” Vin delivers a direct shot to Jest-Ker’s jaw, causing him to spin and stumble. “How? How are you move ... that fast?” Jest-Ker says as he collapses face-first in the dirt.

Vin runs sprints back to his family. When he arrives home, the door is wide open. His heart races and he is light-headed as he walks toward the door. As approaches the entrance, reality seems to fluctuate around him. Vin stumbles to the doorway in a daze. He hangs onto the frame as he struggles to look inside.

Vin lifts his head to see members of Faux Forsaken invaded his home. They only hold his attention for a moment as he notices Zuri on the ground bleeding. Behind him, Caroline and the children, on the floor in a pool of blood. A Faux Forsaken member steps towards Vin slowly. “So sorry, but this is the world you live in.”

Vin starts to shake. His world is literally crumbling. The walls, the people, and the building begin to flicker in and out. The Faux Forsaken members look at Vin.

He has a slight glow surrounding him, almost like a visible aura. “What? What the hell is going on?” A Faux Forsaken member asks. Another member holds up his gun and points it at Vin. “What da' fuck is wrong with him?”

Vin tries desperately to hold his head up and look the Faux Forsaken member in the eye. He can barely get a fix on the guy as everything around him is frantically flickering in and out. The Faux Forsaken member slowly pulls the trigger of the gun.

Vin kneels as he holds his head. All he can hear is a high-pitched ringing. Vin struggles and finally manages to hold his head up. “What is this?—” Everything goes white.

Ending Pt. 2

Location: Inside the Civil Administration Building E—City District 11.

Clave races through the hallways while monitoring his wrist panel closely. Rick speaks to Clave, trying to guide him out of the building with the least resistance. “Go left up the stairs. Two guards on your—”

“They’re dead. Which way?” Clave quickly replies. Rick is shocked that he killed the guards so fast but he continues.

“Uh, yeah, head left again. Down the corridor until you reach a window on the third floor. You’re gonna need your boot action there, if you know what I mean. Let me set up some help. Those windows are reinforced glass and will need to be weakened.”

Clave runs down the corridor and takes out two guards before he is in view of the window. An air assault unit pulls down in front of the window. Clave dives into a nearby room as the unit unleashes a barrage of fire on the window. The high caliber bullets crack and wear the reinforced glass.

It has been heavily compromised but still remains intact. On his wrist panel, Clave notices guards running up the hallway. He also notices the yellow dot is starting to move. He closes that display and opens another. He types in a code and a red timer counts down from one minute. Clave contacts Rick.

“Rick, you there? I need five more seconds of fire and then have him pull out.”

“Got it.” Rick replies. The air assault unit fires on the window, breaking it further. Some bullets pass through and clear the hallway of guards. Clave grabs a chair and runs back out into the hallway. He checks his wrist panel countdown.

It reads forty-seven seconds and shows lots of guards are converging on his position. Clave charges the window and throws the chair as hard as he can. The chair flies into the already heavily damaged window pane and gets stuck.

“Damn!” Clave says. He removes the chair and glass shards fall to the ground. A guard shows up behind him. He tosses the chair, nailing the guard directly in the head and knocking him out cold. Clave then takes out his sword and slashes the window in an X pattern, causing more of it to give way.

Clave charges the weakened window and smashes through it. Below him is a light post, he tries to stick to it using his boots. However, he cannot make enough service contact. This sends him into an acrobatic swing that ends in a, less-than-graceful, back landing onto the roof of a nearby vehicle.

Clave quickly rolls off and runs as he looks at his wrist panel. The timer hits zero and a very large explosion erupts. Clave rolls out of the way as the vehicle he landed on is hurled toward him. Exhausted, he rests on the ground a moment, surprised that he is still alive.

Rick stands at the rally point and watches the explosion. San is in awe from the display. The Civil Administration Building E collapses fast and relatively neat. San watches the inferno. There are little to no signs of the building left.

“What the hell, man!” San says. Rick looks at his laptop display. The yellow dot indicating Matthew Vellian now has a red X indicating a successful termination.

“He must have blown the building’s generator. That explosion would wipe out the lower levels. He anticipated this.” Rick says. San turns away from the burning building.

“But … the people.” San replies softly. Rick looks at this laptop display. Tons of green and red dots are appearing with red Xs on them. Clave walks up the hill outside of town. San turns his head and notices him approaching.

“You son of a—” San angrily charges Clave but Rick steps in and stops him.

“He did the job! If we had lost Vellian now … it would have been over. We wouldn’t have been able to touch him short of inciting a coup d’état.”

Clave approaches the two with a blank look on his face. San stares at the burning building.

“You are a monster, man. You can’t get away with this.”

“He is not under our law. He is under Akari’s. We asked for help and that is what we got.”

“But there were innocents. It’s not right man.” San looks down for a moment and then exhales loudly. He shakes his head as he looks at Clave.

“You are what’s wrong with the world today.” San storms off, he is so disgusted with Clave he can't stand to look at his face. Clave looks over to Rick.

“Am I done here?” he asks.

“Yes, thank you for your help, Clave.” Rick calmly replies. He sparks up a cigarette as Clave walks off. “That kid walked away from this with only a few bruises and cuts. How is that possible?” Rick takes a puff and blows it out. “Looks like scary times are approaching.”

Reality Lost

Time: Unknown.

Location: Unknown.

Vin opens his eyes. All he can see is whiteness and a thin outline of digital architecture. “What in the—” Vin looks down and wonders what he is standing on. He takes a few steps on the white borderless ground and surveys the area. While he is distracted, a man walks up behind him.

“Welcome.” The man says. Vin turns around and backs away.

“W-Who are you?”

“I am … surprised to see anyone else here so soon.” The man walks to the side of Vin, carefully observing him. “Forgive me. I am Dr. Mizrahi—or what is left of him. And you, Vin. You are in a new world. Or, I should say, a transitional world. I like to think of this as an area.” The man adjusts his glasses and then looks into Vin’s eyes. “Between worlds.” Vin wonders how this person knows his name. But his curiosity over this mysterious place grips his mind.

“Is this a virtual place?” Vin asks. Dr. Mizrahi shakes his head.

“No. Far from it. It’s as real as the world you know. The physical can exist here, from birth to death. Just in a different form.”

“A different form? Wait, is my old world gone?”

“No, it remains. Just as water has different forms—solid, liquid, gas—yet it still remains the same substance. If you think of your world as solid, then this is the high-speed information equivalent of that world … or the liquid form.” Mizrahi explains.

“So this is a digital realm. Then it is virtual.” Vin says. Dr. Mizrahi lets out a sigh and pinches his nose just under his glasses.

“I didn’t think it would be hard for a genius like you to grasp.” Vin looks down and thinks hard.

“So, if what you say is true, then I’m traveling close to the speed of light right now.”

“Very fast, correct.” replies Mizrahi. A look of shock enters Vin’s face.

“Damn! Then I have to leave right now! Everything I know is aging by the second. I need to get back to them!” Dr. Mizrahi smiles. “Very perceptive, you do understand. Don’t worry, though. This time, your body isn’t here. You only partly unlocked your limiter and so only your mind is present. As for your family, it would do you little good to go back at this moment. Think about it … it’s much more important for you to find out about this place.” Vin ponders the situation and then looks at Mizrahi.

“I have no choice, do I?” Vin asks. Dr. Mizrahi adjusts his glasses and folds his arms.

“You do, but I think you realize it is better to question for now … so ask.” Vin begins his inquiry.

“So, is it possible for my body to exist here?” Dr. Mizrahi reaches his hand out and touches what seems like nothing. Their surroundings turn into a visual image of outer space. Dr. Mizrahi and Vin are standing in a vivid illusion of being in orbit around Earth.“We are located in a data stream orbiting around the planet. Relayed though select satellites. Just as your mind can exist here, your body can as well.” Vin is fascinated by the display.

“Time would have a whole new meaning.”

“Not just time.” Dr. Mizrahi waves his hand and the space illusion disappears. “Existence itself would be different. When your body is transferred to this world, it becomes data. Only people with special concentration and understanding of this can control and collect their data to form their original body. Others would get lost in the stream of consciousness, eventually losing their self-identity and merging with others to become … something new.”

“Sounds awful, losing your identity. Why would someone create such a place?” Vin looks around as the vivid illusion that surrounds him slowly fades to the original white landscape. Dr. Mizrahi nods his head in agreement.

“It does sound awful but in reality it’s nothing extremely bad. However, when you break down the physical walls that make us unique, you take away something truly special—chaos, creativity, duality, our very definition of life. It is a definition that I happen to like and one I am willing to fight for.” Four children walk into viewing distance from an invisible horizon. Vin watches them as they approach.

“Children? Here?” Vin asks.

“They are four that made it here. Body and mind. All four possessed the unique ability to maintain their physical form here. They are the first four and this is their home.”

“First four, this is their
home
? Wait, what are you?” Vin asks. Dr. Mizrahi takes off his glasses and wipes them gently using his lab coat.

“Ah yes, others will soon discover they can come here if they so choose. Those children might be the first of many who enter this place of their own free will.” Dr. Mizrahi looks off into the distance. Peers up as if he is staring into a full blue sky.

“As for me, my body died long ago. I am but a phantom of degrading thoughts. As I’ve said, we aren’t immortal here. Our data is lost, flung out into space and we dissipate and eventually disappear.” Dr. Mizrahi puts his glasses back on and finishes. “One of us is afraid of that fate. So he uses all his remaining energy to find a suitable Avatar.”

“Is that what this is all about?” Vin asks. Dr. Mizrahi nods in confirmation.

“Partly but don’t worry. None of us will do as his Avatar. He wants one that can walk through both worlds uniquely. Decius Hanamex, is the name he chose. The one who was reborn here, in this sea of information.”

“He?” Vin asks.

“Question about gender?” Mizrahi replies.

“Does it matter?” Vin says. Dr. Mizrahi smiles. It’s been a long time since he’s been able to talk to someone like this. So long that even this task of answering questions is delightful for him. He is also happy to be able to talk to someone who is able to absorb and analyze the information so easily and freely.

“This is usually a lot to take in. I’m impressed with you, Vin. Now can you place the pieces together?” Dr. Mizrahi asks.

“I can guess.” Vin replies as he grabs the bottom of his chin.

“I can assume, when this place was found or made. Someone thought it would be salvation from that fate, protection from a possible cataclysmic future.”

“Some might say an almost certain cataclysmic future.” Dr. Mizrahi says with a clap.

“Interesting insight. Wonderfully callous and realistic. No doubt influenced by your time in the sprawls.” Vin casts his gaze downward.

“There are many people struggling in the sprawls who see nothing but poverty and death. They wish for a new start, a new world. This Decius ... has the power to make it happen.” Vin and Dr. Mizrahi are quiet for a moment. Vin stares at the children who are walking toward him and then looks back at Mizrahi.

“So Decius created this world to protect us but now he is on the verge of dissipating and needs a new body so he can escape to my world … the solid world.”

“That is correct.” Dr. Mizrahi replies. The children, two boys and two girls, are now standing next to them. By their looks, Vin guesses that they are in their early teens. The eldest boy, Abel, approaches.

“He’s very wise. You were right to keep an eye on him.” Abel says. Dr. Mizrahi walks over to Abel.

“Not just wise. His mental processing skills are amazing. To think someone like him could be born naturally. Vin, you should view this world differently.” Dr. Mizrahi waves his hand at the surroundings. “But you are able to process all this data and slow it down innately. We need you.”

“You … want me to stop Decius, but, to be honest. I don’t care about him. All I care about is my family and my community. They are in danger now.” Vin says. Dr. Mizrahi nods.

“Fortunately, you have another option in this situation. That is, if you want to get back in time to live.”

“That’s right. Each moment I’m here draws my body closer to death.” Vin says. Dr. Mizrahi looks over to Abel.

“Abe can teach you how to leave this place … and show you a few other tricks to help you along the way.”

“I can only promise to protect my sprawl, and that’s it.” Vin says as he folds his arms. He wants to make his intentions clear before he receives any help.

“Accept Abe’s teaching and that’s all we ask. But know Decius must not be allowed to force people into this world. It would destroy what we hold dear. This forced evolution must not be allowed. This realm is special, for those who will find their way willingly. Also, Decius must not acquire his Avatar. He understands your world far better than anyone ever born has. He can manipulate physics and laws that shouldn’t be tampered with. If it comes to pass that he finds an Avatar, his intention … will be manifested no matter the opposition.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Vin says. Abel walks up to Vin and takes his hand.

“We should hurry. You only have a few years to learn and I must teach you how to walk between worlds safely.” Vin looks down at Abel.

“Years?”

“It will be roughly seconds in your time. If our calculations are correct and our speed maintains constant. But walking through worlds is hard. There is lots of room here but not there. You could end up in a rock, in a building, or even in space if you’re not careful.” Abel says.

“Sounds like teleportation.” Vin says.

“It would appear that way in the solid world but the mechanics are vastly different. And there are consequences of walking through worlds.” Abel explains.

“Consequences?” Vin asks.

“Let’s go. I’ll explain along the way. It all has to do with concentration.” Abel says as he walks into the borderless white landscape. Vin begins to follow Abel but suddenly stops.

“Wait. My curiosity has got the best of me.” Vin turns to Mizrahi. “How do you know me?” Dr. Mizrahi smiles.

“You used to visit me.”

“What do mean? I’ve never been here.” Vin says.

“From time to time. Some fluctuate during sleep or when experiencing extreme trauma. They slip in and out of this world. You and one other little boy visited me quite often.” Mizrahi explains. “You where both friends if I’m not mistaken. I think his name was Cla—”

“My father.” Vin interrupts. “He is connected to this as well, isn’t he?” Dr. Mizrahi adjusts his glasses.

“We all are connected. But yes. The work your father does is, at this time, loosely involved with the Avatar.” Vin looks away from Dr. Mizrahi and nod his head. “You seem pleased to hear this.” Mizrahi adds. Vin follows Abel into the white expand.

“I’m only happy to know that he wasn’t using us as experiments.” Vin stares into the white abyss in front of him. “Then again, if he was ... maybe then he would have kept us closer,” he says in a soft voice. The children wave goodbye to Vin and Abel as they traverse the borderless terrain.