✪ First Star ✈
[Action -- 848 Goldberg Street]
[Oh, joy, waking up in a strange bed. Nothing suspicious about that, no. Well, being who he was, Alfred had meetings around the world so such a thing shouldn't be too out of the ordinary.
But that was waking up to a different place.
A different time was another story ( Read more... )
[Oh, joy, waking up in a strange bed. Nothing suspicious about that, no. Well, being who he was, Alfred had meetings around the world so such a thing shouldn't be too out of the ordinary.
But that was waking up to a different place.
A different time was another story ( Read more... )
What, Mayfield brought in some kinda superhero-wait.
[And there's a long pause.]
[Balin has heard this guy on the phone before. ... And didn't Arthur England say America's "human name" was Alfred F. Jones?]
... you're'at America guy!
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[a laugh]
How can I help you?
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-okay, wait, wait, hold up. What's'a deal? I thought you'd been in'is town for a while?
I mean, I never talked to you before, but-
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-You're shittin' me. I've heard you on'a phones before!
[If you could see Balin right now, Alfred, his jaw would be dropped. He certainly sounds flabbergasted, to say the least!]
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Oooooooooooooooooooh! I get what's going on!
I must've switched places with an "alternative America"! You know, one that hung around here in this dimension! I mean that's how things usually go right? It's only when you travel through time that you can have two in one place.
That's why you think you've heard me before!
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Okay ... that-you know, that makes a lotta sense.
So'en'a town booted out'a other Alfred an' you're here now. Ahright. Then I guess'at means you need a briefin' on'a situation in'is town.
[Giving his own country a briefing. This should not feel like a totally normal thing to do.]
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He listens with rapt attention]
Okay! I leave it to you to give me the full status report!
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This place is called Mayfield, an' it's'a prison designed'a look like'a goofy Fifties sitcom. But I ain't sure what'is place actually is, or where it is. I thought it was like'a virutal reality sim or somethin' at first, but ... I ain't so sure now.
Here's'a thing. The guys in charge? They kidnap people from all over. Different times, different places. I'm livin' with two people who ain't even from Earth at all. Some other kinda alternate Earth, I guess. We got guys here from like five thousand years ago to thirty thousand years in'a future. It's'at crazy.
So it ain't like Back to'a Future, it's more like a really twisted psychological horror flick or somethin'. Because those sons of bitches runnin'a town like torturin' us. Fuckin' with people's heads, forcin' 'em to do things that might hurt or kill 'em on pain'a havin' somethin' even worse happen, an' other shit like'at.
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So, I'm with you so far. But who are these guys and how are they kidnapping people, huh? Are they aliens with a time machine and a super fast spaceship or something?
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Who our captors are, I can tell ya. How an' why they're kidnappin' people, that part I ain't figured out yet. I mean I can't think of a legitimate reason for half'a shit'ey do to us, other'an pure malice.
Anyway, the guys runnin'is joint're pretendin' to be civil servants. The Mayor, the Milkman, the Postman ... all part of'a conspiracy. There was somebody actin' as'a Chief of Police that was in on it, too. Some guy named Evan Olney, but in'a town he went by "Officer Grady." He got put down for good somehow. Not sure'a whole story behind'at.
[There's a rustle of papers, and the sound of a few pages being flipped.Uh, what else-oh yeah. Other than'a civil servants I named, there's a whole group'a conspirators actin' like they're jus' another family in'is town. They go by'a Smiths, an' from what people're tellin' me, it's'a daughter that's'a real mastermind of'a place. Lucy Smith. Apparently'a Milkman is another form of her. Or avatar. ... Not ( ... )
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[A beat.]
... Does military protocol apply to you? at all I mean, do I call you "sir?"
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Personally, I don't really care for the formalities. After all, when it comes down to it, it's brothers-in-arms fighting together, right? Ranks don't matter then! And all these titles-things just seems so... England.
Anyway, think I could get a paper-copy of the report you just gave me?
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Anyway, yeah, I can get a copy to ya. There's also a pamphlet one of'a long-time residents wrote up 'bout'a town. Guy's name is Dist'a Rose, his letters've been makin'a rounds ... uh, hang on, I think we got a spare here.
[A brief pause.]
Yeah, friend'a mine dropped off a coupla spares. I can get one to ya right now. Where do you live?
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[muffled sounds
...
........
clokclok as he picks the receiver back up]
Well, the street sign says Goldberg and my mailbox says 848. Guess that's my address right there!
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