Day 4: In Shangri-La
Moving this up to a PG-13 for language and crazy and mild violence.
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"You do what?" said Red. "And you're here because why?"
The man leaned forward, and Red could tell how convinced he was that this was all the truth. It was kind of painful to see, really.
"I lost my sister, and I've come to find her here, now," said the man.
"So your sister travels through time, too, huh?" said Red. "That's cool."
He was from the future. Or the past. Not that it mattered. Red knew the guy was crazy. Red wondered if he could keep the guy talking long enough that he could, somehow, call the police. He winced. Maybe not the police, but there had to be someone he could call to take this guy off his hands.
"I can tell you are not convinced, but no matter," the man said. "This watch will lead me to my sister. It's connected to her life, you see."
Red didn't see. It was a cheap piece of junk, even though the other man treated it like it was a vintage Rolex.
"It's a bit like an anchor," the man said. "And every time my sister is reborn, the watch pulls me to her."
He looked down at it and smiled, though his eyes were too bright for Red to think the guy was happy about it.
"And when it begins to age, like it is now," he said. "It means that I'll have to start over very soon."
It was too much for Red to really follow, and he really didn't know what to say, either. He managed a sympathetic grunt. It seemed to be enough for the man.
"She's dying, I think," he said. "It's difficult to tell. I haven't caught up with her this time."
He just sat there, elbows on the counter, watching the watch. He looked tired. Red felt bad for him.
"Look," said Red. "I don't know what I can do for you."
And the man snapped to attention, and Red knew he'd been played.
"Tell me how you blocked the public transporters," he said. "I won't have her taken from me, not again."
Red shushed the guy, clapped a hand over his mouth. Those lips were warm against his palm.
"Keep it down, will ya?" Red said.
He looked nervously, reflexively, at the cameras that lined the streets, before letting the guy go.
"You never know who's listening in," Red said.
Mister time-traveler frowned.
"I should be surprised, but I'm not," he said. "This looks like his interference. Again."
"Whose?" said Red.
The man smiled a cheerful, fake smile.
"No one important," he said.
"You gotta name?" said Red.
The guy smiled, this time more real, if sharper.
"You can call me Wells," he said.
It took Red a minute to get it. Wells?
"Har dee fucking har har," he said. "That's the worst fake name ever."
"Think of it as homage," said Wells.
He slid his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and Red tensed up, ready to hop the counter or drop to the floor, depending on what Wells was carrying. But it turned out Wells was only fishing out a battered pack of cigarettes. Red shook his head.
"Can't smoke here," he said.
"My apologies," said Wells. "Shall I step outside, then?"
What planet was Wells from, anyway?
"Where have you been?" said Red. "You can't smoke within city limits."
Wells slid the cigarettes back into the pocket it came from.
"Irony itself," he said. "Considering the man you're so afraid of smokes like a chimney."
Red stared at him.
"At least," said Wells. "He did when I last saw him. I doubt he's quit since."
"I'm not afraid of anyone," said Red.
"Oh, of course not," said Wells. "My mistake. You're one of those brave, heroic, recklessly stupid types, aren't you? Going to follow in your brother's footsteps, then?"
Red punched Wells, square across the cheekbone. Wells took it like a champ: his head snapped back, but he said nothing, did nothing in return but smile that same smile, even as a livid bruise rose across his cheek. Red's temper ebbed, and he sat back again.
"You don't know shit about me or my brother," said Red.
"Have you ever read Faust?" said Wells, as if he hadn't just been punched in the face.
"Can't say I have," said Red.
He paused. Who the hell read these days, anyway? Paper books were beyond rare, and nobody, not even Red himself, bothered with anything that didn't come through the holo nets.
Wells cocked his head, and red wondered if he was going to claim to be telepathic next. Something about this guy just wasn't right.
"Faust is about a man who makes a choice," said Wells. "And in the end, his choice leads him-"
A faint, but distinct beeping started. Red had thought Wells was pale before, but now that some alarm on his watch had tripped, the guy was ghostly.
"You'll have to excuse me," said Wells.
He stood fast, knocking over his stool, and, to Red's astonishment, disappeared in a burst of light.
Red blinked spots out of his eyes, then swore under his breath.
"Flashy bastard," he said. "If that's time travel, I'm a stuffed giraffe."
Anyone with enough money could have a private teleportation rig. They were usually a lot more subtle than that, though, and Red did wonder how Wells had gotten around his defenses. Theoretically, nobody should be able to transport in or out of his shop, but he'd really geared his research toward the public models. He sighed. Wells was certifiably whacked, but he also had money, it seemed, and in Red's experience money plus crazy equaled trouble.
"Time to do some more research," he said. "Sorry, toaster. You're going to have to wait."
He put the disassembled appliance and his tools away, then looked the nearest street camera straight in the lens.
"I hope you know none of this is my fault," Red said. "He just…showed up."
The camera tilted, and it was almost like it was looking straight at him, though he knew it was blinded to whatever he did inside the shop.
Red shivered and looked away.
=====
One of my favorite things about starting a new story is making up the rules for that universe. This one seems to be getting crazier and crazier! And I guess I'm leaving a lot of questions to be answered, like "Does Hakkai really travel through time?" "Is Gojyo as safe from The City's interference as he thinks he is?" and "What about the shadowy mayor?"
Also, it's hard for me to believe that In Shangri-La is almost ten pagest long already! There's definitely something to be said for a buddy-system challenge!
~later
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"You do what?" said Red. "And you're here because why?"
The man leaned forward, and Red could tell how convinced he was that this was all the truth. It was kind of painful to see, really.
"I lost my sister, and I've come to find her here, now," said the man.
"So your sister travels through time, too, huh?" said Red. "That's cool."
He was from the future. Or the past. Not that it mattered. Red knew the guy was crazy. Red wondered if he could keep the guy talking long enough that he could, somehow, call the police. He winced. Maybe not the police, but there had to be someone he could call to take this guy off his hands.
"I can tell you are not convinced, but no matter," the man said. "This watch will lead me to my sister. It's connected to her life, you see."
Red didn't see. It was a cheap piece of junk, even though the other man treated it like it was a vintage Rolex.
"It's a bit like an anchor," the man said. "And every time my sister is reborn, the watch pulls me to her."
He looked down at it and smiled, though his eyes were too bright for Red to think the guy was happy about it.
"And when it begins to age, like it is now," he said. "It means that I'll have to start over very soon."
It was too much for Red to really follow, and he really didn't know what to say, either. He managed a sympathetic grunt. It seemed to be enough for the man.
"She's dying, I think," he said. "It's difficult to tell. I haven't caught up with her this time."
He just sat there, elbows on the counter, watching the watch. He looked tired. Red felt bad for him.
"Look," said Red. "I don't know what I can do for you."
And the man snapped to attention, and Red knew he'd been played.
"Tell me how you blocked the public transporters," he said. "I won't have her taken from me, not again."
Red shushed the guy, clapped a hand over his mouth. Those lips were warm against his palm.
"Keep it down, will ya?" Red said.
He looked nervously, reflexively, at the cameras that lined the streets, before letting the guy go.
"You never know who's listening in," Red said.
Mister time-traveler frowned.
"I should be surprised, but I'm not," he said. "This looks like his interference. Again."
"Whose?" said Red.
The man smiled a cheerful, fake smile.
"No one important," he said.
"You gotta name?" said Red.
The guy smiled, this time more real, if sharper.
"You can call me Wells," he said.
It took Red a minute to get it. Wells?
"Har dee fucking har har," he said. "That's the worst fake name ever."
"Think of it as homage," said Wells.
He slid his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and Red tensed up, ready to hop the counter or drop to the floor, depending on what Wells was carrying. But it turned out Wells was only fishing out a battered pack of cigarettes. Red shook his head.
"Can't smoke here," he said.
"My apologies," said Wells. "Shall I step outside, then?"
What planet was Wells from, anyway?
"Where have you been?" said Red. "You can't smoke within city limits."
Wells slid the cigarettes back into the pocket it came from.
"Irony itself," he said. "Considering the man you're so afraid of smokes like a chimney."
Red stared at him.
"At least," said Wells. "He did when I last saw him. I doubt he's quit since."
"I'm not afraid of anyone," said Red.
"Oh, of course not," said Wells. "My mistake. You're one of those brave, heroic, recklessly stupid types, aren't you? Going to follow in your brother's footsteps, then?"
Red punched Wells, square across the cheekbone. Wells took it like a champ: his head snapped back, but he said nothing, did nothing in return but smile that same smile, even as a livid bruise rose across his cheek. Red's temper ebbed, and he sat back again.
"You don't know shit about me or my brother," said Red.
"Have you ever read Faust?" said Wells, as if he hadn't just been punched in the face.
"Can't say I have," said Red.
He paused. Who the hell read these days, anyway? Paper books were beyond rare, and nobody, not even Red himself, bothered with anything that didn't come through the holo nets.
Wells cocked his head, and red wondered if he was going to claim to be telepathic next. Something about this guy just wasn't right.
"Faust is about a man who makes a choice," said Wells. "And in the end, his choice leads him-"
A faint, but distinct beeping started. Red had thought Wells was pale before, but now that some alarm on his watch had tripped, the guy was ghostly.
"You'll have to excuse me," said Wells.
He stood fast, knocking over his stool, and, to Red's astonishment, disappeared in a burst of light.
Red blinked spots out of his eyes, then swore under his breath.
"Flashy bastard," he said. "If that's time travel, I'm a stuffed giraffe."
Anyone with enough money could have a private teleportation rig. They were usually a lot more subtle than that, though, and Red did wonder how Wells had gotten around his defenses. Theoretically, nobody should be able to transport in or out of his shop, but he'd really geared his research toward the public models. He sighed. Wells was certifiably whacked, but he also had money, it seemed, and in Red's experience money plus crazy equaled trouble.
"Time to do some more research," he said. "Sorry, toaster. You're going to have to wait."
He put the disassembled appliance and his tools away, then looked the nearest street camera straight in the lens.
"I hope you know none of this is my fault," Red said. "He just…showed up."
The camera tilted, and it was almost like it was looking straight at him, though he knew it was blinded to whatever he did inside the shop.
Red shivered and looked away.
=====
One of my favorite things about starting a new story is making up the rules for that universe. This one seems to be getting crazier and crazier! And I guess I'm leaving a lot of questions to be answered, like "Does Hakkai really travel through time?" "Is Gojyo as safe from The City's interference as he thinks he is?" and "What about the shadowy mayor?"
Also, it's hard for me to believe that In Shangri-La is almost ten pagest long already! There's definitely something to be said for a buddy-system challenge!
~later