Mr. Dove and the Pipes of Creation - Continued

[davedove]

Scene 70

The pain from my wound disappeared from my thoughts as air rushed past me. The small figure of Deena appeared and sped to me. Her hands grasped my clothing and I could see her struggling to stop me.

What could she possibly do? I was much too big for her to lift without even considering James’ weight. Even if her magic allowed such a feat, the magic would not work on me.

But it had too or I would be dead. I concentrated as hard as I could and I felt her magic flow into me. I suddenly felt lighter and I gripped James even harder. His weight seemed even lighter as our descent slowed.

I glanced up and the guards were watching us in disbelief. Slowly we drifted down and lightly touched the ground. Deena released her hold and our weight returned.

James and I stood supporting each other as we realized we were still alive. Even the ache of the wound on my thigh was a welcome sensation.

Our relief was short-lived as the Inquisitor joined the guards on the edge of the roof. “You idiots, they are escaping! Kill the witches!”


The leather-clad woman with pink-tipped hair pointed to the projection in excitement. “Did you see?”

“Yes indeed,” replied the woman in the tweed jacket.

“Amazing,” said the man wearing the robes and showing obvious cyber ware. “Although the reality of my realm resists magic and his own reality does not allow it, he was able to accept the magic of the pixie with little effort.”

Tweed Pleater nodded. “Yes, he has learned to bend the local reality to his own needs.”

Pink-tipped Pleater smiled in satisfaction. “He’s ready!”

[cryerelizabeth]

I'm excited!!!

[Livingston]

Saved by the pixie! Now we know there will be more new installments! <renewing popcorn subscription and setting delivery dates>

[davedove]

Scene 71

Gunfire again came our way and we hurried away as quickly as we could. Unfortunately, that was not fast enough to outrun the truck now coming in our direction. This truck wasn’t merely trying to stop us; the driver was trying to kill us. The truck’s speed increased as it neared.

But the truck never reached us. Just before it hit us, the large form of The Wrecker slammed into its side and the truck was thrown over.

Mike quickly came over to us, brushing flecks of paint from the truck off his jacket. “You need to be careful who you play with. These guys can get rough.”

“Tell me about it. Help me get James out of here.”

Mike slid under James’ arm on one side and mine on the other. He half assisted and half carried us across the yard. “We’ve got a truck waiting over here.”

A lone guard stood between us and the truck. As he raised his rifle to fire, a large dog jumped onto him and knocked him over. We scrambled into the truck and Mike started it.

As the truck began to move, I called out the window. “Gerald, let’s go!”

The large dog looked up from his kill and jumped to run after the truck. With an incredible leap, he landed in the bed.

I did my best to wrap my wound as I keyed the mike I wore. “Cynthia, Father Arnold was not in the prison, but we have rescued another person. We need a map to get away from pursuit. I do not want to get caught by that Inquisitor.”

Cynthia’s voice responded. “The map is being downloaded to your truck now.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “The Inquisitor will not be a problem.”



The Inquisitor attached the jack and his consciousness entered the Churchnet. Those fool guards had allowed the heretics to escape and he would have to report their failure.

He quickly walked to the administration building and the virtual guard waved him through. Once inside, he quickly walked up to the small door of his private area. He reached into a pocket and pulled out the key that represented his personal access code and inserted it into the large padlock.

Instead of opening, the padlock began to morph. Its now shapeless form began to flow over his virtual body covering him. The Inquisitor’s confusion turned to terror as he felt his virtual body begin to dissolve.

He was only able to let out a short scream before the substance covered his mouth.


The prison guard broke through the door to the Inquisitor’s office when he heard the scream. Inside he found the Inquisitor slouched in his chair, with a wire running from the computer to the neural jack on his hand.

The guard rushed up to examine the Inquisitor. The church official’s eyes were blank and unseeing and nothing the guard did could get a response.

Cold terror ran down the guard’s back when he looked at the terminal screen. Only a simple short message was displayed there:

“Subroutine completed. All files erased.”

[davedove]

Sorry it's been a while, but I've been busy, including a couple of weeks in Korea.


Scene 72

As we sped down the road, James tapped me on the shoulder. I glanced up at him and he pointed out the window. “What is that?”

I looked where he pointed and saw the cloud back approaching. “It’s the reality storm. Everyone get ready. It’s about to hit us?”

James looked at me with concern in his eyes. “What do you mean, ‘hit us’?”

“I mean we are about to get caught in the storm and things will change. We’re about to be transported to another reality. I suggest you strap yourself into a seat. Passage through these storms is not easy.”

James quickly went back to his seat and buckled in.

Deena settled on my shoulder. “David, what about Steven and Sister Cynthia?”

I shook my head. “I’m afraid they won’t be coming with us this time.”

As the storm approached we again heard the sound of pipes playing. Winds rocked our truck and heavy rain pelted the windows. Soon, the thumping of hail roared so loudly all other sounds were drowned out.

Even with the wipers at their fastest, sheets of water ran down the window, blocking our vision. An unseen hole caused Mike to lose control of the truck as we skidded across the road’s surface, only to suddenly stop as the truck collided with a tree.

The motor had died and Mike was frantically trying to get it started again. “It’s no good. I can’t get the engine to fire.”

I looked out the window into the storm. “We can’t go out in that. We’re going to have to ride it out in here.”

James called out from the back. “What’s happening out there?”

“The storm is the border between two different realities that are clashing. When it passes we will find ourselves in a new reality.”

“What new reality?”

I looked out the window, trying to see anything. “I don’t know.”

[davedove]

Scene 73

When the storm passed I looked out the window and could see that reality had again changed drastically for us. Where before we had been driving through a heavily developed area, we now found ourselves in a densely wooded forest. The only sign of civilization was the broken pavement of an old road.

“Where are we?” James asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know for certain. The way I understand it, we’re in the same place, but in a different reality.”

Mike tried once more to get the engine started, then sat back in resignation. “Wherever we are, we’re going to have to go on foot.”

“Then I guess we better get out and get our bearings.”

We climbed out of the truck and gathered on the road. Looking each direction, the road disappeared into the trees.

“Which way should we go?” James asked.

I again looked down the road in each direction. “I’m not sure.”

Gerald pointed down the road. “The road slopes down that way. Downhill leads to water and water always leads to civilization eventually.”

I looked in the direction. While I couldn’t disagree with his reasoning, that didn’t seem like the right way to go. Something about the road fired a spark of recognition within me. “I don’t think so, or at least not yet, Gerald. I think we need to get our bearings and the best way to do that is with a higher viewpoint. I think we should go uphill and gain the high ground. We’ll stay on the road. It’s the best landmark we have. If we don’t see anything, we can always follow it.”

Gerald shrugged. “You’re the boss.”

As we started up the road, Deena flew out in front and Gerald dropped back to cover the rear. Wherever we were, the forest around us had a definite wildness to it, despite the paved road.

The road soon changed though. As the road turned to go around a steep slope, another road split off from it to climb the hill. The new road was much less developed, being only covered with loose gravel.

“Which way?” James asked as we stood considering the alternatives.

I stood for a long moment examining the road. This spot did not look familiar in any way and yet I felt like I had been here before.

I pointed up the gravel road. “That way.”

“Are you sure?” Mike asked. “We’ll be leaving the main road.”

“I know, but something is telling me we need to climb this hill. I feel like there’s something we need to see up there.”

So, climb the hill we did, walking slowly up the gravel road The road weaved between the trees on its path up the hill and occasionally bent in a wide arc to avoid an outcropping of rock. With every step, the landscape seemed more and more familiar.

Finally, at the crest of the hill, the trees opened into a clearing. What stood in the center of the clearing made me stop short.

There, in the center of the clearing, overgrown with vines and other vegetation, was the Great Golden Hall of X Marks the Spot!

[Livingston]

Oh boy. Not sure I like what I'm reading now. I'd suggest keeping a good watch out for trouble.

[davedove]

Scene 74

As I stared up at the familiar building, I could hear the others around me whispering.

“The Guardian’s Fortress!” came from Deena’s tiny voice.

“The Hall of Justice!” said The Wrecker.

“The Citadel of Light!” was Gerald’s response.

Only James didn’t seem to recognize the building. “What is it David? Do you recognize this place?”

I nodded. “Yes, I do, or at least something very much like it. It looks like the headquarters of my organization, from my home world.”

James started to say something, but was cut off by the roar of a large animal, a very large animal.

“Quick, inside!” I ordered and everyone rushed to get through the broken gates and into the building.

We squeezed through the open doors and pulled to close them. With a screech of protest, the hinges finally released and the heavy wooden doors came closed. We hurried to the window and wiped away the dirt so we could see out.

Outside the walls of the courtyard, we could see the top portion of the animal that had made the sound. The large reptile had the shape of a tyrannosaurus, or at least one of that species’ cousins.

Mike chuckled nervously. “Big pets you’ve got around here!”

I watched as the creature left the area, shaking my head. “Not one of mine, I can assure you. We didn’t have anything remotely like that where I come from.”

I turned and looked at my surroundings. The passage of time had covered everything with a layer of dirt and mold, but the building itself seemed to be secure. “It looks safe enough. Split up and check it out. Stay on this floor though. If you find anything, yell for the rest of us.”

We split up and headed in different directions. Every room I entered showed the same signs of age, yet the structure seemed sound.

My search brought me to the library and I entered slowly. Looking around I saw the familiar shelves of books on the walls. Scattered around the room were several comfortable reading chairs, each with a small table and lamp beside it.

I walked up to one of the chairs. On the table beside it there rested a book and a cup sitting on a saucer. I ran my hands over the dirty fabric of the chair and noticed the once rich fabric that was revealed as the mildew was brushed away. A smile touched my lips as I realized it was the same fabric as on my favorite chair back in my own world.

Whatever had been in the cup had long been replaced by a growth of mold that had not only consumed the contents, but had grown past the lip and over the side.

I reached down to brush the dirt from the cover of the book and jerked my hand back as the title was revealed. It was the same book I had been reading when the storms had first hit my world.

Terror filled me as I reached back to pick up the book. I held it tenderly and slowly opened it at the bookmark, being careful with the brittle pages.

When I saw where it had been marked, the book fell from my suddenly numb fingers and I stumbled against the chair. The book was marked at the exact spot I had quit reading.

This was my world!

[Livingston]

This is not good.

[davedove]

Scene 75

I spun around when I heard the soft sound behind me, ready for whatever danger awaited.

I stared in disbelief at the grey-haired woman who stood there. “Miss Pleater?”

She nodded sadly. “Yes, Mr. Dove.”

I swept my hand at our surroundings and asked a question, not really wanting to hear the answer I expected. “This is my world, isn’t it?”

She paused before answering, gently running her hand across some of the books on a shelf. “Yes, this is your world … our world. It has been … changed.”

“Where is everyone?”

“When the changes occurred, a few were changed along with the world. Those who did not change have fled, hoping to find other survivors.”

“Is this what will happen to the other worlds? Will they become like this?”

She shook her head. “Not exactly. The changes will be slightly different as each world is changed. But, eventually, they will all become one.”

“And the people?”

Miss Pleater carefully brushed the dirt from a chair and sat down. “Anyone who does not change with their world will eventually die, cut off from their reality.”

“Then all of the people I have met, those with me?”

“Their fate will be the same, adapt or die.”

“And me?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

Miss Pleater only nodded in response.

I sank into the chair, paying no mind to the dirt and mildew. I buried my face in my hands as the weight of her statement hit me. How could I possibly fight someone who could change worlds? Tears came to my eyes as despair began to creep over me. This was too big. I was only a man.

But something else also grew within me, pushing away the despair and replacing it with anger and determination. I wiped away the tears. “What do I do next?”

Miss Pleater looked in my eyes and I knew she could see the determination in me. She smiled in satisfaction. “Go and take back the Pipes of Creation.”