Nikolas Claus, Space Explorer! Pt 4
A man and a rabbit stared through the translucent glass, transfixed by the magnificent wreckage.
The skin of the earth ruptured as a magnificent lance pierced its many layers of shrouds and veils. The missile veered right, ever so slightly, and embedded itself in the surface of a very large building. The building had been the last bastion of humanity, the portal through which mankind had walked one morning to avoid the afternoon rush before the evening cataclysm. Some parts of mankind had been left outside - the dirty, unwashed and the poor, as well as some of the rich ones with the more annoying laughs. The building had sheltered them all, but was now a bubbling mass of molten cement. The limited-warp-field sputtered and died, and suddenly a mass of flesh was present in the material plane once more. Its first act was to roll, together and as one for a single moment, before the rambling and insane mass of humans began to tug away from one another, desperate to reach their own space.
"What's happening?" asked the rabbit.
"They're free," remarked Nikolas. "I thought you planned to destroy them?"
"I did!" hissed the rabbit. "The missile was just expended on the building." He referred to his notes and sunk his nose into his paws. "Mmm. Its the Calvin-Ball Shield Effect."
"I beg your pardon?" asked Nik.
"Well," said the rabbit. "When the missile hit the building, I assumed the explosion would follow through into the Limited-Warp-Field. Instead, it ceased to exist."
"Why?"
The rabbit launched into a magnificent epic explaining a theory involving alternate universes, warp fields, Calvin-Ball effects and Murphy's Law.
"I beg your pardon?"
"A few minutes ago, 'humanity' didn't exist. The missile destroyed the shell that was keeping them in the limited-warp-field, so at least now they're vulnerable, but I'm all out of missiles."
"So maybe they'll rehabilitate?" asked Nikolas hopefully.
"Oh yes." said the rabbit. "I forgot, back on Earth you were always trying to convince people to be nice. But these people aren't nice. They're not going to become nice. Watch." He pressed Nik's nose up against the glass. "Do. You. See?"
A human, his skin gray and pulled taut, shambled about in a daze. They were scared of the sun, and the heat, and the wide open space that surrounded them. Another human, this one yellowed and pudgy, brushed up against the first. Immediately, the two became aware of the others' presence. Drawing their withered lips back in a snarl, they snapped their rotting teeth at eachother. The grey one locked his jaws around the yellow one's neck, and the yellow one dug his teeth in the grey one's shoulders. Then they stopped, and simply waited for the end. The other humans who saw the fight progressing stopped to hiss expectantly at the two fighters. Other humans copied the gesture churlishly, while more just tried to palm the others' face with gnarled limbs.
"Ooh," said the rabbit. "Look at the one in the back there." he tapped the glass, and it rippled.
"Why did that happen?"
"Its connected to a reflective surface on Earth. Not so that anything of substance can pass through," he added, "Just the occasional gust of stale, tainted wind."
The human the rabbit had pointed out was poking at the rubble of the building, which was still on fire in parts.
"What's he found?" asked the rabbit.
The human pulled at a long metal rod.
"Get away from that," said the rabbit jovially. "You don't know where its been."
The man swung it around experimentally. It glowed green.
"Get away from the glass, Nik," warned the rabbit.
Like all clear, concise warnings, it came too late. The rod spewed sparks high in the air all around. It was a still functional generator. As the sparks touched the ground, they wavered in the still air before returning to normal. The rod-bearer pointed his sceptre at the glass, and the glazed glare of every sub human animal followed. The glass rippled.
"Can they see us?" asked Nik, fearful.
"I don't know, can you see them?"
"Yes."
"Then its probably safe to assume that they can see you."
A hand passed through the glass as though a stray warp generator had turned an ordinary viewing device into a portal across galaxies and it was now searching for some fresh prey that did not smell like body odor and dense spaces. It may also have passed through the glass as though it were a picture of the ocean, but the observers were too terrified to care for poetry.
The half-dead remnants of humanity took their first awkward step into a new world. Nik brandished his baton and pulled his cowl down low.
"I'm warning you, if you've..."
he thought.
"If you've been naughty, I'm not going to be nice."
One of the humans drew back a little. Nik pressed his advantage. "I know you've been through a lot, but don't you think that..."
At this point, the nervous human bit Nik's knee. He caved in the man's skull with a baton.
"NAUGHTY!"
The skin of the earth ruptured as a magnificent lance pierced its many layers of shrouds and veils. The missile veered right, ever so slightly, and embedded itself in the surface of a very large building. The building had been the last bastion of humanity, the portal through which mankind had walked one morning to avoid the afternoon rush before the evening cataclysm. Some parts of mankind had been left outside - the dirty, unwashed and the poor, as well as some of the rich ones with the more annoying laughs. The building had sheltered them all, but was now a bubbling mass of molten cement. The limited-warp-field sputtered and died, and suddenly a mass of flesh was present in the material plane once more. Its first act was to roll, together and as one for a single moment, before the rambling and insane mass of humans began to tug away from one another, desperate to reach their own space.
"What's happening?" asked the rabbit.
"They're free," remarked Nikolas. "I thought you planned to destroy them?"
"I did!" hissed the rabbit. "The missile was just expended on the building." He referred to his notes and sunk his nose into his paws. "Mmm. Its the Calvin-Ball Shield Effect."
"I beg your pardon?" asked Nik.
"Well," said the rabbit. "When the missile hit the building, I assumed the explosion would follow through into the Limited-Warp-Field. Instead, it ceased to exist."
"Why?"
The rabbit launched into a magnificent epic explaining a theory involving alternate universes, warp fields, Calvin-Ball effects and Murphy's Law.
"I beg your pardon?"
"A few minutes ago, 'humanity' didn't exist. The missile destroyed the shell that was keeping them in the limited-warp-field, so at least now they're vulnerable, but I'm all out of missiles."
"So maybe they'll rehabilitate?" asked Nikolas hopefully.
"Oh yes." said the rabbit. "I forgot, back on Earth you were always trying to convince people to be nice. But these people aren't nice. They're not going to become nice. Watch." He pressed Nik's nose up against the glass. "Do. You. See?"
A human, his skin gray and pulled taut, shambled about in a daze. They were scared of the sun, and the heat, and the wide open space that surrounded them. Another human, this one yellowed and pudgy, brushed up against the first. Immediately, the two became aware of the others' presence. Drawing their withered lips back in a snarl, they snapped their rotting teeth at eachother. The grey one locked his jaws around the yellow one's neck, and the yellow one dug his teeth in the grey one's shoulders. Then they stopped, and simply waited for the end. The other humans who saw the fight progressing stopped to hiss expectantly at the two fighters. Other humans copied the gesture churlishly, while more just tried to palm the others' face with gnarled limbs.
"Ooh," said the rabbit. "Look at the one in the back there." he tapped the glass, and it rippled.
"Why did that happen?"
"Its connected to a reflective surface on Earth. Not so that anything of substance can pass through," he added, "Just the occasional gust of stale, tainted wind."
The human the rabbit had pointed out was poking at the rubble of the building, which was still on fire in parts.
"What's he found?" asked the rabbit.
The human pulled at a long metal rod.
"Get away from that," said the rabbit jovially. "You don't know where its been."
The man swung it around experimentally. It glowed green.
"Get away from the glass, Nik," warned the rabbit.
Like all clear, concise warnings, it came too late. The rod spewed sparks high in the air all around. It was a still functional generator. As the sparks touched the ground, they wavered in the still air before returning to normal. The rod-bearer pointed his sceptre at the glass, and the glazed glare of every sub human animal followed. The glass rippled.
"Can they see us?" asked Nik, fearful.
"I don't know, can you see them?"
"Yes."
"Then its probably safe to assume that they can see you."
A hand passed through the glass as though a stray warp generator had turned an ordinary viewing device into a portal across galaxies and it was now searching for some fresh prey that did not smell like body odor and dense spaces. It may also have passed through the glass as though it were a picture of the ocean, but the observers were too terrified to care for poetry.
The half-dead remnants of humanity took their first awkward step into a new world. Nik brandished his baton and pulled his cowl down low.
"I'm warning you, if you've..."
he thought.
"If you've been naughty, I'm not going to be nice."
One of the humans drew back a little. Nik pressed his advantage. "I know you've been through a lot, but don't you think that..."
At this point, the nervous human bit Nik's knee. He caved in the man's skull with a baton.
"NAUGHTY!"