Verzest: A Narrative Fiction
Aston took another gulp of the lukewarm water as the pickup truck rumbled down the road. He would’ve loved for it to have been ice cold, but to a parched throat, it didn’t matter much. It took no time for them to load the bed of the truck. Even less time for him to bust the ignition of the aged, though well maintained, GMC extended cab. He hated that Allison couldn’t speak without her voice mimicking an amplified shout within a deep cavern. But what was he to do?
Allison’s face seemed permanently frozen in an expression of anger-filled sulking as the truck moved down roads that were almost forgotten before they were locked away from the rest of the world. While they scavenged through the trashed and thrashed Smith’s Market, Allison had the …show more content…
brilliant thought of commandeering the most basic tools for communication. Pen and paper. The tiny office and school section of the small town grocery was well stocked with pens, markers, and pencils in every color of the rainbow. But finding a single scrap of paper that wasn’t saturated enough to turn back into pulp proved to be impossible. She still pocketed a pack of pens in hopes of finding scrap paper inside the truck. Only this thought proved to be unprofitable. She'd never saw a personal vehicle so spotless. Even the glovebox where she expected to find the truck’s registration, or even an insurance card to scribble a note upon was empty. Well, almost empty. There was a small plastic box that held an assortment of fishing hooks and lead sinkers.
She missed David even though it was his own childish tantrum that separated himself from her and the Sheriff. And even though she would never be sure, Allison believed that if he would’ve stuck by her side things would’ve been different. The Sheriff would still be alive, and even if he weren’t at least she'd have someone to talk with. Even if it that meant him listening in on her thoughts. After all, it had to be possible. She could hear his thoughts simple enough, so there had to be a way to reverse the flow. At least then David could’ve acted as her voice. She was tired of every sound that passed through her lips becoming a symphony of turbulent chaos. Even her whispers echoed at a window rattling decibel.
She tried to project her thoughts to Aston in hopes that it was some phenomenon she could trigger. All her efforts only caused her increased frustration when he’d asked if she had a headache. Since then, she stewed in her own personal misery of being with the only other known person in this screwed up town and being unable to carry on a simple conversation. She wasn’t looking for much — casual small talk to ease the ever growing tension fed by hellish uncertainty. It would’ve been nice to ask, “Are you married,” or, “What's your plan once we get out of here,” or even, “Hey Aston, I know I’m underage and all, but after what we’ve been through would you mind buying me a drink when we’re back to reality?”
Then Allison felt it. At first, she almost ignored the building sensation as she wallowed in her silent unhappiness. But as the tickle built into a full-blown tingle she realized what was to come. It could’ve been the automotive air freshener that smelt like cheap convenience store perfume, or even pure bad luck. Regardless she didn’t want to let the sneeze escape. If her voice caused a typhoon of amplified echoes, she could only imagine what an innocent sneeze would be capable of.
Her hands balled into tight fists as her eyes watered. For a moment it appeared as if it would settle back down and allow the glass of the truck to stay intact. But it wasn’t the type of sneeze that cooperated with the bearer and trying to fight it back or stifle it only aggravated its growing presence more. Damn it! … I just want the echoing bull to stop! And I don’t want … to … blow us … of the-
Allison’s eyes clenched as tight as her white-knuckled hands. She focused all her willpower without fruition.
Aston jerked the wheel, and almost ran the truck off the ancient country drive and into the matted thicket that crowded beyond the narrow gravel shoulder before he stomped on the brakes. His ears throbbed from the explosion. He’d only heard its like once before in his youth. It was at an airshow when an F-14 Tomcat buzzed over the crowd right when it went supersonic. His vision blurred from how hard he flinched. The windshield spiderwebbed from the passenger side to the drivers. Aston sighed and glared at Allison as she mouth, “Sorry…”
Her eyes grew bright and excitement filled her voice, “Sorry! I said sorry! I’m talking without that damned echo!”
Aston’s eyes narrowed as he tried to read her lips. “What?,” he shouted. “All I’m hearing is a constant high pitched ring.”
Without missing a beat, Allison rolled her eyes and touched Aston’s hand that still gripped the stick shift and willed his hearing repaired. She continued, “Listen! I’m able to talk without that echoing.” She smiled sheepishly and touched the windshield causing the spiderwebbed pattern to seal over.
“That’s a good thing,” said Aston with a nod. “It’s a real good thing. Anything that shows we’re getting back to some normalcy is a damned fine thing. We should still keep moving though.”
###
The Dimensional Guard Chamber was set ten levels below the ground floor.
A series of three platforms ran the perimeter of the warehouse-sized room and housed a near countless multitude of equipment used for training both Peacekeepers and researchers on the various dimensions the Verzest visited. It also served as a secure gateway to other realms deemed too dangerous for someone to open a rift into. On any given day the location could be found bustling with a wide range of Verzest from every walk of life. And though Peacekeeper guards were always present, it never hosted more than a handful at most while the multi-function chamber was in use. It had never been used as a pocket dimension to capture an ongoing threat. Even the Commander General’s staunchest of rivals gave some praise to him for thinking to use it as a temporary prison.
Lathan stepped through the doorway with Alois at his side. He hadn’t set foot inside the chamber since his cadet days when he and Constantine were first paired up. A sour taste boiled up from Lathan’s gut as he physically felt all the fond memories of his innocent days become tainted with self-doubt and uncertainty. He wondered how long Constantine had control over his thoughts. He wasn’t sure what bothered him more, it being a recent event or thinking that there was a chance it’d gone on since their first
pairing.
“Agent Lathan, are you, okay son,” Alois asked with his normal gruff tone that concealed all his emotion.
The question made Lathan snap back to the matter at hand. All casual conversations amongst the Peacekeepers and researchers had halted, and it was apparent all eyes were on them. None of the watchful eyes seemed judgemental, but the room full of purposeful gazes brought Alois’s words back to mind. It was feasible that some of the murmured whispers of an ongoing conspiracy made it to their ears.
Lathan stated in a firm voice, “Yes, sir. I’m fine. I was only thinking of my first visit here.”
The Commander General gave one of his expected curt nods before he barked, “What’s the current status of the quarantine zone?”
“We've placed all mutates in stasis as ordered General,” answered a researcher with eyes that shone as bright of a ruby red as Alois’s own. “The latest probe scans just finished. The human and partial human female are on the move, and it appears random. Constantine and the partial human male haven’t changed positions since they vanished and reappeared.”
Alois nodded again and ushered Lathan towards the rift platform in the center of the chamber. The platform was only a single step up, which was for marking where the invisible barriers met the floor to prevent accidental injury. “Are you planning to jump to where Constantine's energy signal is located?”
“Not a chance,” blurted Lathan before he took the time to measure his response. “Sorry, sir… Old habits die hard I’m afraid. No, I’m sure that’s what he’d expect someone to do. Protocol would call for the most direct form of extraction to minimize risks to everyone involved.” He shrugged, “Constantine knows protocol as well as I do — and no offense Commander General — perhaps as well as you do, if not better.” Lathan fell silent for a moment and added, “I’m not sure how I’m going to approach the situation yet. By now he's run through every known scenario and developed a countermeasure. He might've invented a few new situations to be ready for. It’d be best for me to-”
Alarms wailed as a pinpoint of rippling energy grew in the center of the platform that marked the thinnest part of where the Dimensional Guard Chamber met the pocketed zone. It flickered more rapidly like a stream that rushed through the crack of a dam, threatening to burst forth from its confines. Everyone from the Commander General to the lowest ranking assistant stared at the anomaly uncertain of what it sprang from, or what it meant for those present.
The flicker swelled into a pulsating orb and caused the transparent barriers to buckle outwards with each pulse. Shock waves rattled the barriers and vibrated the Dimensional Guard Chamber as the ball of energy exploded in brilliant white sparks before it reversed its emanation and collapsed in on itself. For moments that seemed like days, everyone stood and stared in disbelief.
Alois bellowed, “Would someone mind taking a moment to stop glaring like we jumped to a new, undiscovered dimension and tell me what that was!”
The Commander General’s no-nonsense demeanor and powerful voice made the crew jump to action. Within seconds various monitors and sensors were checked and a voice called out, “Something inside the pocket overloaded the Echo Protocol, sir.”
A second voice added, “All probes report everything else stable sir. I’m currently scanning to determine the cause of the overload.”
“Constantine,” muttered Alois under his breath so only Lathan could hear. He turned and whispered, “Considering the recent developments, I wouldn’t blame you for backing out.”
“No. Not now, not ever.”
Alois nodded and ordered, “Lower the shields, and prepare for one to enter the quarantine zone.” He eyed Lathan one last time and said, “I’ll do my best to remain in charge of the situation we discussed here, Agent. But don’t dottle, and remember that if I’m voted out, the quarantine zone could collapse with little warning. Stay alert, and don’t sacrifice yourself."
Allison’s face seemed permanently frozen in an expression of anger-filled sulking as the truck moved down roads that were almost forgotten before they were locked away from the rest of the world. While they scavenged through the trashed and thrashed Smith’s Market, Allison had the …show more content…
brilliant thought of commandeering the most basic tools for communication. Pen and paper. The tiny office and school section of the small town grocery was well stocked with pens, markers, and pencils in every color of the rainbow. But finding a single scrap of paper that wasn’t saturated enough to turn back into pulp proved to be impossible. She still pocketed a pack of pens in hopes of finding scrap paper inside the truck. Only this thought proved to be unprofitable. She'd never saw a personal vehicle so spotless. Even the glovebox where she expected to find the truck’s registration, or even an insurance card to scribble a note upon was empty. Well, almost empty. There was a small plastic box that held an assortment of fishing hooks and lead sinkers.
She missed David even though it was his own childish tantrum that separated himself from her and the Sheriff. And even though she would never be sure, Allison believed that if he would’ve stuck by her side things would’ve been different. The Sheriff would still be alive, and even if he weren’t at least she'd have someone to talk with. Even if it that meant him listening in on her thoughts. After all, it had to be possible. She could hear his thoughts simple enough, so there had to be a way to reverse the flow. At least then David could’ve acted as her voice. She was tired of every sound that passed through her lips becoming a symphony of turbulent chaos. Even her whispers echoed at a window rattling decibel.
She tried to project her thoughts to Aston in hopes that it was some phenomenon she could trigger. All her efforts only caused her increased frustration when he’d asked if she had a headache. Since then, she stewed in her own personal misery of being with the only other known person in this screwed up town and being unable to carry on a simple conversation. She wasn’t looking for much — casual small talk to ease the ever growing tension fed by hellish uncertainty. It would’ve been nice to ask, “Are you married,” or, “What's your plan once we get out of here,” or even, “Hey Aston, I know I’m underage and all, but after what we’ve been through would you mind buying me a drink when we’re back to reality?”
Then Allison felt it. At first, she almost ignored the building sensation as she wallowed in her silent unhappiness. But as the tickle built into a full-blown tingle she realized what was to come. It could’ve been the automotive air freshener that smelt like cheap convenience store perfume, or even pure bad luck. Regardless she didn’t want to let the sneeze escape. If her voice caused a typhoon of amplified echoes, she could only imagine what an innocent sneeze would be capable of.
Her hands balled into tight fists as her eyes watered. For a moment it appeared as if it would settle back down and allow the glass of the truck to stay intact. But it wasn’t the type of sneeze that cooperated with the bearer and trying to fight it back or stifle it only aggravated its growing presence more. Damn it! … I just want the echoing bull to stop! And I don’t want … to … blow us … of the-
Allison’s eyes clenched as tight as her white-knuckled hands. She focused all her willpower without fruition.
Aston jerked the wheel, and almost ran the truck off the ancient country drive and into the matted thicket that crowded beyond the narrow gravel shoulder before he stomped on the brakes. His ears throbbed from the explosion. He’d only heard its like once before in his youth. It was at an airshow when an F-14 Tomcat buzzed over the crowd right when it went supersonic. His vision blurred from how hard he flinched. The windshield spiderwebbed from the passenger side to the drivers. Aston sighed and glared at Allison as she mouth, “Sorry…”
Her eyes grew bright and excitement filled her voice, “Sorry! I said sorry! I’m talking without that damned echo!”
Aston’s eyes narrowed as he tried to read her lips. “What?,” he shouted. “All I’m hearing is a constant high pitched ring.”
Without missing a beat, Allison rolled her eyes and touched Aston’s hand that still gripped the stick shift and willed his hearing repaired. She continued, “Listen! I’m able to talk without that echoing.” She smiled sheepishly and touched the windshield causing the spiderwebbed pattern to seal over.
“That’s a good thing,” said Aston with a nod. “It’s a real good thing. Anything that shows we’re getting back to some normalcy is a damned fine thing. We should still keep moving though.”
###
The Dimensional Guard Chamber was set ten levels below the ground floor.
A series of three platforms ran the perimeter of the warehouse-sized room and housed a near countless multitude of equipment used for training both Peacekeepers and researchers on the various dimensions the Verzest visited. It also served as a secure gateway to other realms deemed too dangerous for someone to open a rift into. On any given day the location could be found bustling with a wide range of Verzest from every walk of life. And though Peacekeeper guards were always present, it never hosted more than a handful at most while the multi-function chamber was in use. It had never been used as a pocket dimension to capture an ongoing threat. Even the Commander General’s staunchest of rivals gave some praise to him for thinking to use it as a temporary prison.
Lathan stepped through the doorway with Alois at his side. He hadn’t set foot inside the chamber since his cadet days when he and Constantine were first paired up. A sour taste boiled up from Lathan’s gut as he physically felt all the fond memories of his innocent days become tainted with self-doubt and uncertainty. He wondered how long Constantine had control over his thoughts. He wasn’t sure what bothered him more, it being a recent event or thinking that there was a chance it’d gone on since their first
pairing.
“Agent Lathan, are you, okay son,” Alois asked with his normal gruff tone that concealed all his emotion.
The question made Lathan snap back to the matter at hand. All casual conversations amongst the Peacekeepers and researchers had halted, and it was apparent all eyes were on them. None of the watchful eyes seemed judgemental, but the room full of purposeful gazes brought Alois’s words back to mind. It was feasible that some of the murmured whispers of an ongoing conspiracy made it to their ears.
Lathan stated in a firm voice, “Yes, sir. I’m fine. I was only thinking of my first visit here.”
The Commander General gave one of his expected curt nods before he barked, “What’s the current status of the quarantine zone?”
“We've placed all mutates in stasis as ordered General,” answered a researcher with eyes that shone as bright of a ruby red as Alois’s own. “The latest probe scans just finished. The human and partial human female are on the move, and it appears random. Constantine and the partial human male haven’t changed positions since they vanished and reappeared.”
Alois nodded again and ushered Lathan towards the rift platform in the center of the chamber. The platform was only a single step up, which was for marking where the invisible barriers met the floor to prevent accidental injury. “Are you planning to jump to where Constantine's energy signal is located?”
“Not a chance,” blurted Lathan before he took the time to measure his response. “Sorry, sir… Old habits die hard I’m afraid. No, I’m sure that’s what he’d expect someone to do. Protocol would call for the most direct form of extraction to minimize risks to everyone involved.” He shrugged, “Constantine knows protocol as well as I do — and no offense Commander General — perhaps as well as you do, if not better.” Lathan fell silent for a moment and added, “I’m not sure how I’m going to approach the situation yet. By now he's run through every known scenario and developed a countermeasure. He might've invented a few new situations to be ready for. It’d be best for me to-”
Alarms wailed as a pinpoint of rippling energy grew in the center of the platform that marked the thinnest part of where the Dimensional Guard Chamber met the pocketed zone. It flickered more rapidly like a stream that rushed through the crack of a dam, threatening to burst forth from its confines. Everyone from the Commander General to the lowest ranking assistant stared at the anomaly uncertain of what it sprang from, or what it meant for those present.
The flicker swelled into a pulsating orb and caused the transparent barriers to buckle outwards with each pulse. Shock waves rattled the barriers and vibrated the Dimensional Guard Chamber as the ball of energy exploded in brilliant white sparks before it reversed its emanation and collapsed in on itself. For moments that seemed like days, everyone stood and stared in disbelief.
Alois bellowed, “Would someone mind taking a moment to stop glaring like we jumped to a new, undiscovered dimension and tell me what that was!”
The Commander General’s no-nonsense demeanor and powerful voice made the crew jump to action. Within seconds various monitors and sensors were checked and a voice called out, “Something inside the pocket overloaded the Echo Protocol, sir.”
A second voice added, “All probes report everything else stable sir. I’m currently scanning to determine the cause of the overload.”
“Constantine,” muttered Alois under his breath so only Lathan could hear. He turned and whispered, “Considering the recent developments, I wouldn’t blame you for backing out.”
“No. Not now, not ever.”
Alois nodded and ordered, “Lower the shields, and prepare for one to enter the quarantine zone.” He eyed Lathan one last time and said, “I’ll do my best to remain in charge of the situation we discussed here, Agent. But don’t dottle, and remember that if I’m voted out, the quarantine zone could collapse with little warning. Stay alert, and don’t sacrifice yourself."