Short Story: The Grid

Last Edited: 11/21/2010

Word count: 1739

            

 John Doe ran down the alley, worriedly throwing glances over his shoulder.  The men were still following him, the shadows masking their faces.  He stopped short, realizing that he had run into a dead end.  He was surrounded.

            

 Perfect, he thought.

            

 “List’n, bud,” the leader of his three assailants said in a thick Brooklyn accent, brandishing his knife threateningly, “we don’t want no trouble.  Now, just hand us y’ wallet, an’ no one has t’—”

            

 John chose that time to strike.  He lashed out at the man’s hand with a roundhouse kick, sending the knife flying free.  With one swift motion, he caught it and threw it into the right arm of the next armed attacker.  After a quick kick to the chest to fell the stunned first man, he turned to the second.  The man clutched his arm, trying to stifle the bleeding.  “I’ll kill you, you bastard!” he growled.  John simply sidestepped as he lunged past.  He then turned to the third attacker, who had used his friend’s attack as a distraction.  John ducked down as the mugger approached, tossing the man over his shoulder and hard onto his back.  After he dispatched the second man with a quick uppercut, he turned back to the third man, still gasping for air on the ground. 

            

 “Don’t mess with me again,” he told the man, bringing his foot down on his face.  He heard a crunch, felt the man’s nose break beneath his shoe.  Then, all three men confined to the ground, he simply left the alley. 

            

 He pulled out his cell phone as he left, speed-dialing a number.  “Hello, Mr. Doe.”  A faint British accent could be heard within the synthesized voice.

            

 “I’m not satisfied, Storm,” John said.  “Really, three guys with knives?  At least give them guns next time.”

            

 “I’m sorry, Mr. Doe,” Storm said.  “I’ll try harder next time.”

             

“Yeah, you better.  I’m really starting to get bored.  There’s no challenge anymore.  I want to be put in a situation where I can’t handle it on my own.  I want to have to call you.”

            

 “I understand, Mr. Doe.  Do you want that now?”

             

“Nah, I’m not up to that right now.  I think I’m gonna head home.  Let my girl know that I’m on my way.”

            

 “Which one, Mr. Doe?”

            

 John paused, thinking.  “I’m feeling redhead today.  Let’s go with Clarissa.”

            

 “As you wish, Mr. Doe.” Storm responded, disconnecting.

            

 John snapped the phone shut, already wondering if he should have gone with Allison instead.  Or maybe a new girl altogether.  It was getting so hard to choose.

            

 He stared down at the numbers on his phone’s screen.  Two hours left.  Two hours until…until what?  He couldn’t, for the life of him, remember.  But Storm would remind him when the time came.  Storm was always reliable like that.

            

 He scanned the streets for his Cadillac.  He knew it was around somewhere.  Storm would have sent it.  He found it quickly, of course.  He set his phone into its holder as he slipped behind the familiar wheel.  “I assume you’ve got a good course for me,” he said.

“Of course, Mr. Doe,” Storm said.  “I’m sure you’ll find it quite to your liking.”

John nodded.  “Good, good.  Oh, one more thing—make sure Allison is there when I get back, too.

“Both of them, Mr. Doe?”

He shrugged.  “Why not?”

“As you wish."

He checked the route.  It was a long one that would take him about an hour out of his way.  There were quite a few sharp turns, and he was sure to be spotted by the cops at some point.  “Good job, Storm,” he said.  Storm always picked a great route for him that made sure that driving was never boring.

“Thank you, Mr. Doe.  Shall we begin?”

            

 John stomped down on the gas.  The Cadillac shot off, roaring down the streets.  “Let’s go, Storm,” he grinned.  It was simple to handle the course.  It had gotten easy a long time ago.  The challenge now came from the car chases.  He checked the speedometer, and then the GPS system.  He was a good thirty miles over the speed limit at this point, and there was a police cruiser not too far ahead.  The fun was about to start.

            

 He checked his rearview mirror a few seconds after he passed.  Sure enough, the lights had started up.  The siren started blaring.  He felt the familiar surge of adrenaline that had been so long absent as he accelerated to an even faster speed.  Soon, he had half a dozen squad cars on his tail.  He led them around for a while, skillfully dodging cars, always staying just one step ahead of them.  “Storm,” he said after a while, “you’ve got the weapons installed, right?”

            

 “Affirmative,” the phone replied.

            

 “All right, good.  Let’s take care of this nuisance.”  He punched a button, glancing back to watch the trunk open slightly.  Tendrils of smoke looped around as a rocket fired, spiraling into the lead cruiser.  The other cruisers made a valiant effort to avoid the carnage of the lead car’s wreck, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

            

 John grinned.  “Well, that was fun, wasn’t it, Storm?”

            

 “Mr. Doe,” Storm said, “sometimes I worry about your behavior.”

            

 “Since when are you allowed to talk back to me?” he growled.

            

 “I’m sorry, Mr. Doe.  I’m merely observing.”

            

 “Clarissa and Allison are waiting, right?”

            

 “Yes, Mr. Doe.”

            

 John nodded.  “Good.  Hurry back.  We don’t want to keep them waiting, do we?”

            

 “Mr. Doe, I should inform you that you only have half an hour left.  Your insistence on fancy car chases has seriously cut your time back.”

             

“Remind me Storm, half an hour until what?”

            

 “Until your time is up, of course,” Storm replied.

            

 “Time for what?” he asked.  “I can’t remember these things, Storm.  That’s why I’ve got you.”

            

 “Can you honestly not remember, Mr. Doe?” the phone asked.

             

“No clue.  Should I?”

            

 Storm was silent for a while.  “This is more serious than I realized,” he said quietly.  “Mr. Doe, I’m really starting to worry about you.”

             

“Well, don’t,” he growled at the phone.  “I’m really starting to consider turning you off.”

             

“I am not sure that would be a bad idea,” Storm replied.

            

 John shook his head, his idle threat falling through.  “Just…just shut up, Storm.  Take me home.”

             

After an awkward, silent drive, they pulled up to John’s mansion.  It was everything John could have hoped for: great location, ornate, full of all sorts of fun little toys—he really couldn’t do much better.  He had tried.

            

 Clarissa emerged from the front door.  “Welcome home, Baby,” she said, welcoming him with a kiss.  Something, though, felt just a little bit off to John.  Acting solely on intuition, he shoved her away.  In her hand was the dagger she had been about to plunge into his back.  Of course, he was both stronger and faster than her.  He sprang forward, disarmed her, and used the dagger to slit her throat.  “Nice one, Storm,” he said, grinning.  “Really clever.  I’m really regretting choosing Clarissa now.  I’ll miss her.”  He held the dagger at ready, expertly throwing it into Allison’s heart as she emerged from the house.  “Allison, too.”

            

 “Do you really feel no regret?” Storm asked.

             

“For what?  For Clarissa and Allison?  Sure, I’ll really miss them.  But do you think you could get me another girl instead, now?”

            

 “I’m afraid not, Mr. Doe.  Your time has run out.  It’s time for you to wake up.”

            

 John tilted his head.  “Wake up?  What do you mean, Storm?”

            

 “Exactly what I said.  You need to wake up.”

            

 He chuckled.  “Well, Storm, as you can clearly see, I’m not sleeping.  I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

            

 “Mr. Doe,” Storm responded, “if you are unable to wake up on your own, I’m afraid that I’ll have to jolt you awake myself.”

            

 “W—what are you talking about?” John demanded.  “What’s going on?”  Huge, rhythmic gusts of wind started echoing through the streets.  John turned to see a giant beast landing on the roof of his house.  It folded its leather wings back, snorting smoke out its nostrils as it glared at him.

            

 “A dragon?  Storm, what the hell are you doing?”

            

 “I’m sorry, Mr. Doe,” Storm said.  “But it’s for your own good.”

 *

            Dr. Kyle Strohm gave a heavy sigh as he pushed his chair back from the desk.  “How’d it go?” Dr. Ford asked him as he flipped his headset up.

             

“He should be awake any second now.  I created a dragon, and there’s no way he’s creative enough to beat something like that.”  He sighed.  “He’s not a very imaginative person.”

            

 “And what about his behavior?  I heard you say something about it worrying you.”

            

 Dr. Strohm nodded.  “His lifestyle when he’s in the Grid is, at best, reckless.  He doesn’t seem to realize that actions have consequences anymore.  And now that we’ve had problems awakening him….”

            

 “That’s the third one just in this month,” Dr. Ford sighed.  “All right, what do you suggest?”

            

 “Well, halving his time inside the grid, for one thing.  But before that, a full suspension for a month.  He needs time to readjust to reality.”

            

 A man lying on a cot nearby stirred.  “Get ready to restrain him,” Dr. Ford said.  Strohm nodded, grabbing the man’s legs seconds before he started thrashing.  The illusion of death wasn’t exactly something that would bring you out of the grid calmly.

            

 The man’s eyes snapped open.  “Welcome back to reality, Mr. Doe,” Dr. Strohm said

             

John Doe glanced around.  “Where…where am I?  What did you do to me?” he demanded.  A light finally came to his eyes as he realized what had happened.  “No!  No, I’m not ready yet!  Send me back, you bastards!  Send me back!”

            

 “Mr. Doe, I’m afraid you won’t be going back for a while.  Your behavior has been judged to be too unstable.  You’ve received a one-month suspension and a permanent halving of your time.”

            

 “No!” John Doe wailed.  “Please!  Please, just send me back!”  He swung out at Dr. Ford.  “Send me back, damn you!  I’m not done yet!”

            

 Dr. Ford nodded and pressed a button at his waist.  In moments, security guards had entered the room, restraining John Doe as he thrashed about.  “Send me back!” he continued to wail as they dragged him from the room.  “Send me back!”

Short Story: Ceremony

Last edited: 3/20/2012


“We’re almost there, Anye,” my father said.  “Just a few more miles.”  I smiled, his encouraging words giving me a renewed vigor.  I quickly covered the distance between the two of us, making sure to stay close to him.

            

He looked down at me and smiled, releasing a nostalgic sigh.  “My little girl’s grown so much.”  And it was true.  I had.  And now I was on my way up the mountain, dressed in my finest dress, done up as nicely as possible.  It had taken me the entire day to prepare.  “And now it’s finally time for your ceremony,” he said, staring off into the distance as we walked.  “I’m proud of you, Anye.”

             

“Stop it, Daddy!  You don’t need to flatter me like that!”  I laughed and threw my arms around him, making sure not to slow him down.  After all, we had to reach the top of the mountain before dark.  Night was falling, the sun’s faltering rays painting a beautiful mural of pinks and oranges and blues across the clouds.  The air was calm, and the dusty upwards trail felt warm against my bare feet.  I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect evening for the ceremony.

            

My father fell silent, slightly increasing his pace.  I sped up with him, clutching his arm tightly.  The effort winded me a bit, but I was too excited to ask him to slow down.  In fact, I would have sped up.  But that would hardly do.  This was a ceremony of great importance.  It wouldn’t do to start running up the path like a child.  Besides, any faster, and I would exhaust myself.  Through it all, though, my father’s breathing remained slow and calm.  He was in such control of himself.  It impressed me.  Even though I knew he was as nervous as I was, he still had such control over himself.

            

My restraint was not as strong.  As we neared the summit, I broke away, tugging at his arm, pulling him faster towards the peak.  “Come on, Daddy, we’re almost there!”  He smiled wistfully, resisting my towing for just a few moments before caving and running with me to the top.  We both arrived breathless and laughing on the small plateau, carved into a slight bowl by those who had come before.  I paused, my anxiousness giving way long enough to remember a lifelong dream.

            

“I want to see them, Daddy,” I told my father.  “I want to see the lights.  Would you…would you cover my eyes and lead me to the edge?  He smiled and nodded, placing his hands over my eyes and slowly leading me to a distance he deemed acceptable.  “Go ahead, Anye,” he whispered, removing his hands.  “Open them.”  My eyelids shot open, taking them in for the first time.  The entire town, gathered at the foot of the mountain, a candle in every hand.  It was beautiful, that flickering sea of gold beneath me.  Better than I had dreamed.

             

After a minute, I felt hands on the back of my head as my father started placing wild mountain flowers in my hair as I stood looking at the lights below.  He had never been an expert at weaving them in, but he had practiced on my younger sister the entire day in preparation for the ceremony, and they held fast.  “Happy birthday, Anye,” he said quietly.  “Tonight marks the seventeenth year since your birth.”  Then, with a glance to the side at the setting sun, “It’s almost time.”

             

I nodded, closing my eyes and taking one last deep breath.  “I’m ready.  And, um….”  I hesitated, my nerves getting the best of me.  “Thank you, Daddy.  For everything.”

            

He smiled, leading me over to the pillar in the bowl’s center, gently fastening the metal cuffs around my wrist.  “It has been an honor having you as a daughter, Anye.”  With that, he fastened the final latch and kissed my forehead before stepping back.

             

I turned my head, looking towards the horizon, where I watched the suns final rays wane into darkness.  I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and counting to myself.  One.  Two.  Three.  Silence.

            

And then, the night erupted, a jet of azure flaring up where the sun had set.  Tiny sprites of light raced across the night sky, weaving and intertwining with each other.  The crowd below gasped as one.  I had been below in the past.  I knew that some averted their eyes, but it didn’t matter.  They couldn’t see me at this distance anyway.

            

The lights came closer and closer, circling the pillar in a dance, the sort of dance you can only perform when you don’t have the physical limitations of a body to slow you down.  The lights twisted, spiraling and turning, before descending to where I stood in awe, chained to the pillar.

            

 As the light entered my body, casting a burning blue aura around me visible from the foot of the mountain, I was struck with a sensation of a pure, indescribable euphoria.  This is what it felt like, I knew.  This is what it felt like to be one of them.  They whispered to my mind, calming, soothing thoughts without words.  All their thought, all their presence, all their being poured into me.  And for one second—just one beautiful second, I knew that I was one of them.

             

Then they withdrew.  They left as quickly as they had come, pulling all they had given me with them.  As the strength left my body and my eyes slowly closed, I managed a smile, grateful that they had chosen me for the ceremony.  A final thought crossed my mind as I died, tugging my mouth into a permanent smile.

            

 I was at peace.