Accidental Genisis

Tefnut · 09/04/2005 13:23:21

Part 1 Wake-up Call

“AAAANTOOONIIIOOOOOOO!”

She had no idea what was happening. A second ago she was looking into his eyes… or was it an eternity ago? She had no concept of time or her senses now. She couldn’t describe what she was seeing, if in fact she saw anything. She heard no sounds because she no longer understood concept of sound, hearing both nothing and everything. Her body was numb, burning, freezing and ached miserably all at the same time.

#\\\STILL TRACKING HIM///#

She awoke underwater with an instant panic, reaching for the surface, only to find resistance. After clawing her way through the membrane that encompassed her, she used her bleeding hands to push her way to the top as she broke free to the surface.

#\\\CLOSING IN, MA’AM///#

The sound started as a silent gurgle which quickly erupted into a searing high pitched wail, which echoed for what seemed like forever. She took her first real breath of air in an immense inhalation that filled her lungs until they felt like they would burst. Coughing and gasping she exhaled. Her following breaths came short and quick, aas quick as her heart was now racing.

#\\\ALMOST GOT HIM///#

Panicking, she turned too and fro, her head feeling abnormally heavy and tipping backwards. She was able to make out only blurry shapes and distant lights, and she offhandedly wondered where her contact lenses were.

As one of the lights grew larger, approaching her with greater speed, she hazily made out a large grey mass. As it closed in on her, she was suddenly grabbed by a large metal tentacle which wrapped around her chest and back raising her up out of the muck she was sitting in. Heart racing, she felt something at the base of her skull right before the world started spinning and she once again lost all comprehension of space, time and herself.

#\\\GOT A LOCK, MA’AM///#
#\\\OK..LET’S MAKE THIS QUICK PEOPLE///#

Ffalling in mid air…..

Splashing face first into dark liquidly nothingness….

Sinking….

#\\\I SEE HIM…. RIGHT THERE///#

Bright lights….

#\\\OK….WE GOT HIM///#

Cold metal….

#\\\MY GOD!.....///#

Rising….

#\\\THAT’S NOT IMEUT…. IT’S A GIRL///#

Darkness...

Tefnut · 09/04/2005 16:46:35

Part II - The Long Walk Home

Darkness….

The walk home at night was worse than the job. At least the streets were well lit and there were plenty of people about where she walked up and down 3rd avenue searching the nameless passer-byers, looking for a safe ‘date’ each night. She new a good many of the people on the avenue. Proprietors, street vendors, police officers and a few regulars. A good number of her regular clientele were regulars and treated her very well. A few would even take her out to eat and buy her nice things before the actual business started.

It was the walk home, not life on 3rd avenue that Lawanda Jankins was frightened of. The alleyways were pitch black. Infested with rats, bad smells, small noises and scurrying in all directions…. and worse. The feeling of being watched was only outweighed by the felling of being followed.

Lawanda always tried to keep her mind occupied during these late night walks home with happier thoughts. She would think about her day, and some of the more interesting people she had saw or met, or wonder how her younger brother Antonio was doing. Did he make dinner for her tonight? Had he met any friends? Would he be locked in his room when she got there?

Antonio, or Ant as she called him, was fifteen years old. An age where most teenage boys were getting into trouble, dating and being defiant to his parents, all of which Antonio wasn’t. Ant was quiet, distant and very reclusive. While most mothers would have proudly beamed at a son so well behaved, Lawanda, who had raised him since he was seven, mostly worried about him.

Coming home from school every day and heading straight for his bedroom. All he did was stare at that damned machine called a computer until the late hours of the morning, locking his bedroom door and sometimes not answering the many knocks and pleads from Lawanda for him to open the door. It was unnerving.

She turned sharply to her right to walk down an even darker alley which approached her the building that contained her little fifth floor 3 room apartment that Ant and she shared in the Paddock Clubb Apartment Manor. A sudden crashing sound above her and to the left broke the silence. The crash being followed by what sounded like breaking glass and muffled cursing.

Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists as she simultaneously gritted her teeth. Life working the streets had taught her to be wary of any sound coming out of the darkness and to be prepared for anything. Three years of self defense classes had taught her to be on her guard, and she secretly relished how good she actually was at defending herself.

Quickening her pace, Lawanda approached the entrance to the Paddock Clubb. She glanced up to the 5th floor and was reassured as she saw the normal green glow emitting from Antonio’s bedroom. She relaxed and walked inside.

Walking up the stairwell because the elevator had been broken … well, forever, Lawanda had calmed down considerably, totally forgetting the commotion only a few moments ago. Wondering, once again, if she would have to cook dinner for herself again, as she rounded the staircase, she was jerked back suddenly because her purse had gotten caught on the staircase rail as it did every day.

“Dang-ole rail,” she muttered to herself as she caught herself from falling. She straightened back up and continued her assent.

Entering the safe world of her apartment, she called out for Ant, asking how his day went. No answer. She approached his door, knocked and called out his name again. No answer.

Reaching for his door knob, expecting it to be locked as usual, it surprisingly turned and the door creaked open. The green glow of his computer filled the room giving everything an otherworldly glow. As she took in the room, she saw Ant lying in a clump on his bed, still wearing the clothes he wore to school. She silently thanked God that he was ok, and started to walk over and tuck him in, when she stepped on something that make a loud cracking noise. She hesitated then backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

As he lay in bed, very much wide awake, Antonio started to shiver.

“Thank god she didn’t notice the broken window and all that glass" he thought. Standing up and moving towards the computer, he whispered, “Back to Work.”

Ikawi · 09/04/2005 22:09:10

Please contnue I enjoy reading this.

Tefnut · 09/05/2005 13:27:16

PART III - ONE RAINY DAY

“Back to work,” she mumbled as she stepped onto the street, making her way back to 3rd Avenue again. In the late afternoons, Lawanda would often take a more scenic route to work. No alleys or garbage cans to stink up what looked to be a fine evening. She would have top walk a few extra miles to get there. Watching people walking to and fro. Hearing bits of other people’s conversations. Catching the smell of fresh food being prepared for the dinner crowds. Enjoying the last few moments in the day before getting down to work.

As she crossed over to 2nd Avenue, darkness seemed to sweep over the city. Lawanda looked towards the sky and seen the darkness of the clouds swiftly covering the sun and sky and putting an end to what, just minutes ago, had been a glorious day.

“Dang Rain!” she said, almost gleefully as she turned around and started back to the Paddock Clubb.

This will be great, she thought, I can spend a night at home curled up on the couch, watching television… maybe even try and get Ant to come out of his cave and join me.

Making her way down the sidewalk that ran in front of her building, Lawanda was skipping and jumping from puddle to puddle. As if she was oblivious to the rain she took her time down the last few feet, singing.

Climbing the stairs, she once again got caught up in the staircase railing. In a huff she paused and then shook her finger at it like she was going to let loose with a barrage of cursing…. then simply continued up the stairs to her door.

Trying to surprise Ant, Lawanda used the old brass knocker in the center of the door. It was tarnished and grimy, totally congruent with the rest of the surroundings of the building.

No answer.

She knocked again.

No answer.

Slightly miffed, Lawanda unlocked and opened the door. She walked in and called out “Antonio.”

No Reply.

Walking in and laying her purse on the kitchen counter after closing the door and locking it behind her. Grabbing the remote she turned on the television.

"I'm taking the night off... Rain and all," she said.

Silence.

Looking at the television, she shouted, "Buff's on Ant!"

No reply.

Making her way to his bedroom door, she rapped three times and called out, “Anthony?”

Silence.

Getting angry, she went into the kitchen and got an ice pick out of the kitchen drawer. Feeling a bit guilty for doing it, she inserted the ice pick into the tiny hole on the outside of the bedroom door knob, pressed in slightly while at the same time turning the knob, as the tumbler released, the door slowly creaked open. The green glow of his computer filled the room with an ominous glow. The room was unoccupied.

Stepping into Ant’s room, she saw it was in complete disarray. Bed unmade. Clothing strewn out all over the place. Bits of uneaten food on and around his desk and in front of the computer screen. Compact discs decorated the whole room, thrown all over the place. But no Antonio.

Glancing up at the computer monitor, a black pop up box appeared on top of the maze of undistinguishable green letters floating down the screen. “Weird,” she thought. Suddenly letters began to appear one by one in the black box.

#\\\ IMEUT… THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU///#

Tefnut · 09/05/2005 13:28:20

Part IV - Things that make you go hmmmm...

Lawanda’s legs were starting to cramp. After saying goodbye and leaving the apartment as she did every evening to go downtown, she doubled back to this hiding spot between two garbage dumpsters across from the Paddock Clubb. She had came out here earlier in the afternoon to scope the place out and looked pretty odd pushing the two dumpsters together to everyone who happened to see. It had an excellent view of the apartment and the front door leading to the street.

She was going to catch him in the act of whatever it is he was up to. Catch him and let him have it. No ducking out this time. Two nights ago when she found his room empty, she had stayed awake all night until he snuck back in through his window at about 6 AM.

Not wanting to confront him too directly, she made like nothing was wrong, and got up to make him breakfast as was her normal morning routine.

“So how was your evening last night?” she asked rather nonchalantly.

“Fine,” he replied, yawning like he had just awakened.

“What did you do last night? Play your computer all night again?” she inquired slyly.

“No. I watched some TV. Buffy was on….then went to bed kinda early. How was the crowd last night?” he retorted, referring to her job at Club Pandora, which she had not officially had in over three years.

“Slow. It rained last night. Not a lot of people out.” She paused, “Which episode of Buffy?” she asked, wanting to see where this was going to go.

“Umm…” he searched, “The one where Xander hooks up with a demon.”

Lawanda was silent while she cleaned up breakfast and tidied up.

“Well, sis, I gotta go. Can’t be late for school” said Antonio. Already making his way to the door.

Now he had directly lied to her. It was not like him to do that. Not in his demeanor at all. Lawanda’s anger started to flare. She went out the door to catch up with him, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Musta sprinted away as soon as the door was closed” she thought. “Who the heck does he think he is. We’ve always been honest with each other. Lying… to me… right to my face. After everything I do for him… after everything I do for him…” her tirade went on for some time.

After she had gotten herself good and angry, she grabbed the telephone and dialed the number to his school., saying to herself, “This has to be settled NOW!”

“Yes.. This is Lawanda Jankins, Antonio’s sister. I need to have him sent home . We are having a family emergency.” She said immediately to the person who answered the phone, not bothering to let them say hello.

Silence… then, “Umm wait a second, please Ma’am. Let me transfer you to Mr L…”

“Hello,” said a stern, authoritive voice, “Miss Jankins? I am afraid there is some sort of misunderstanding. Are you feeling alright?”

“Feeling alright? WHAT!” the hysteria in her voice was noticeable.

“Well, Ma’am, your brother was expelled from this school almost 3 months ago. So I cannot send him home. He isn’t here.” the man replied.

“Wha…Expelled! I’m afraid it is you who must be mixed up.” Replied Lawanda.

“Hmmm… No Ma’am” he said, “I know Antonio very well… I don’t understand… you came in and we talked about this months ago. You agreed that his expulsion was best for all concerned.”

“I did…” she whispered. “What exactly did he get expelled for?” she asked.

The man simply replied, “Where would you like me to start?”

As confused and angry as she was, she was going to get to the bottom of what ever was going on here. First things first. She wanted to know just where the heck he was going at night while she was out.

After the cramp in her leg subsided, she saw Antonio crawl out of his window and descend the fire escape ladder. Following behind him at a safe distance she followed him until he stopped at the corner of 35th and Swallow. He remained there for several minutes, occasionally checking his watch. Who the hell is he waiting on, she wondered.

Suddenly a black 67 Barracuda with blackened windows pulled up and the door opened. Ant stooped down and exchanged words with the occupants, then got into the car, which quickly sped away.

Freaking out, Lawanda ran to the closest taxi, shoving the already would-be fare away from the car and leaping in.

“Follow that black car!” she demanded.

“But Ma’am….” The cabbie started.

“DO IT!” yelled Lawanda. The look on her face obviously telling a story the driver didn’t care to hear. He pulled out and started following the sleek black car.

Tefnut · 09/06/2005 18:09:46

Part V - The Bizarre Leading the Bizarre

They followed behind the Barracuda until it pulled behind an old decrepit manor house, where Ant got out of the car along with two passengers…. Both females, who looked to be identical twins except that one had long white braids and was wearing a black skintight leather jumpsuit, and her twin with long black braids and wearing a white jumpsuit in kind with her sister. Both were extremely slender, and looked like models to Lawanda, except for the guns that both of them carried. All the guns. They walked to the back porch of the manor, one on each side of Ant, as the car pulled away.

Lawanda paid the cabby and snuck around to the side of the house. Determined to get inside to see what was going on and to do whatever she could to help Ant, she crawled into an open basement vent and slipped down into the darkness.

She could hear muffled voices and distant steps above her.

“…….veil over your eyes…..” faintly from a female voice.

“…..orpheus……the on….” from another.

She started slowly climbing the stairs leading up to the main floor of the house, quietly. The voices were coming from above and to the east side of the house. As she climbed higher, the voices became more clear.

A stern female voice began, “Yes Imeut… but do you know what the Matrix is?”

Imeut, thought Lawanda, There was that name again. The one from Ant’s computer screen.

“I..I’m not sure…” replied a voice she distinctly knew as Antonio’s. “But I have to find out”

“Do you? And you think you are ready to find this out. This thing you say that plagues your sleeping and wakened life.” demanded the female voice.

“Y..yes Ophelia.” Gaining resolve,” I have to know.”

“I cannot explain to you what the Matrix is… I must show you so you can see it for yourself. It cannot be described in words. You will never be the same once I show you this thing you must know. The truth.” said Ophelia, stoically.

“Ok” said Antonio, more sure of himself.

Lawanda drew closer to the basement door and peered through a crack in the door. She saw a black woman wearing a tight fitting black business pantsuit and a full black leather trench coat. Small, round sunglasses sat on her very wise face, darker than any sunglasses she had ever seen before. The twins were standing behind her, one at either side, and ther were two additional women stationed at the front and rear of the house, staring out the windows intensely. Guns slung over their shoulders and on their hips.

“You have to make a choice, Imeut” Ophelia said dramatically, “In my left hand I have a blue pill… in my right a red.”

Silence was a physical presence in the room.

“Take the blue pill and wake up tomorrow as you have done every day of you….life.”

“Take the red pill…. And wake up from the dream that has been your life.”

Antonio grabbed the red pill without hesitation.

The rushed, uneducated conclusion that Lawanda made sickened her.

They are giving him drugs, she thought. Without hesitation she burst open the door and simultaneously yelled, “Antonio Bartholomew Jankins! You are in a world of trouble!”

All guns in the room were pointed toward her before she even saw the women move.

Ophelia rose from her chair and stated, very matter-of-factually, “Agents are on their way.”

Tefnut · 09/11/2005 00:40:16

Part VI - Roll Call

“Agents?”, exclaimed Lawanda, “Is the FBI in on this too?”

She was still under the impression that this all had to do with illegal narcotics.

“Worse” replied the woman with the black braids as she kicked Lawanda’s legs out from under her and placed her foot at the base of Lawanda’s neck which was quickly followed by the barrel of her gun.

“Should I off this Energizer? She asked Ophelia.

“No! Stop!” cried Antonio. “She’s my sister.”

“She’s not your sist….”

“Enough Ying”, shouted Ophelia, interrupting the dark haired beauty, making her frown.

Ophelia’s phone started ringing. She pulled the phone out of her coat pocket and raised it to her ear. “Yes” she answered.

“How much time do we have?”

“We’ll move another extraction point. Belleview Ave. Tommy’s Electronics Emporium. Gotcha”

“Yes, I understand the risk. He is worth it.” She hung the phone up.

OK... I'm in big trouble now, Lawanda thought, still facing down a boot and a the barrel of an automatic rifle.

Ophelia turned to Antonio and said, “Imeut, if you want your answers, it will have to be now. You must come with us to a safe location. You must come now.”

Antonio looked down at Lawanda, bowed his head and asked, “What about my sister? What are you going to do with her?”

“Sister?” said Ophelia, “I know you do not understand this right now, but you have no sister. You will come to understand this in time.” Looking at Ying, “Leave her.”

Ying immediately pulled her gun and foot off Lawanda’s throat, which restored oxygen to her lungs. She lay on the floor coughing and gasping for air.

As Antonio looked down to Lawanda, he pleaded, “I didn’t think you would find the note so quickly. I’m sorry but I have to go… I have to know the truth… I’m sorry and I love you si….”

Antonio was cut off by the front door suddenly blasting past his head and imbedding itself in the facing wall. An ominous shadow loomed in the doorway. Lawanda say the shadow reach up with both hands as if to tighten his tie.

“Miss Peterson” said the man at the door, “We have to stop meeting like this.”

The man, now clearly visible, dressed in a black suit and tie, wearing very dark Rayban sunglasses, stepped into the room as he drew a gun from his shoulder holster. He fired one shot directly at Ophelia who, quickly dodged it, jumping onto the back wall and running horizontally along it.

The man at the door grimaced, then let lose with the fourteen remaining rounds in his gun in a matter of seconds. His upper torso a blur in Lawanda’s vision.

“Ying! Yang!” cried Ophelia, needlessly because the twins had already started running towards the well dressed man, firing their automatic rifles.

As Lawanda started to get to her feet, she noticed Antonio fall to his knees, holding his chest. He turned to face her, blood already running down the corner of his mouth, then fell to the floor.

Tefnut · 09/11/2005 00:41:11

Part VII - The End of the Beginning of the End

Too shocked to scream, Lawanda lunged for her brother, missing him as Ophelia had with one hand, reached down and lifted him onto her shoulders in a modified fireman’s carry. Looking directly into Lawanda’s eyes she screamed, “Follow me!”

As Lawanda stood, she saw that both Ying and Yang were on the ground, but slowly recovering. The agent stepped toward her when there was a loud blast which concluded with the agent falling onto the floor in a flashing blast of light.

A man walked through the smoke created from the shotgun which was now perched on his shoulder. He had a huge grin on his face and was sucking a lollypop. “Big guns rock!” he said as he rolled the lollypop around in his mouth.

“Kojak, everyone… rally point x-ray-tango. Jack out immediately and start the trace.”

To Lawanda, “Come with me if you want your brother to live.”

They ran. Lawanda had a hard time keeping up. Ophelia was running faster than anyone she had ever seen. Stopping periodically so that Lawanda could catch up, they finally stopped in front of an old electronics repair shop.

Ophelia opened the door and ran immediately into the back of the shop, into a door behind the counter. The room had several electronic devices on the walls that Lawanda had never seen before and a barber chair sitting in the middle of the room. She placed Antonio in the barber chair gently, and looking him over, she ran her fingers through his stringy hair, pity apparent on her face.

Snapping out of the moment, she looked to Lawanda and said, “Talk to him. Keep him conscience. Keep him alive and awake. It is the only way I can save him.”

Lawanda just nodded.

Ophelia drew a large red pill out of her coat pocket and placed it into Ant’s mouth. He looked up to her, nodded that he understood, and swallowed.

She walked over to the cluttered desk in the rear of the workshop, and picked up the old telephone receiver. Dialing a series of numbers on the rotary dial, she looked to Lawanda and sternly demanded; “Talk to him” then disappeared into the receiver.

Not knowing quite what to say and a little (a lot) shaken, she started to talk to her brother.

“Don’t know what you were doing… meeting with people like that.”

Starting to cry.

“huh… like that… like me. What kind of role model have I been? Doing what do. Where do I have the right to even say anything? You must hate me for what I do and who I am. I should have nev….”

Antonio reached up and grabbed her hand. “You did what you had to do for us to survive. I’m not ashamed at all….” He coughed. “proud of you and your…”

Another coughing fit overcame him. Blood. Slow heavy breathing.

“I…I want you to do something for me, sis” he said in between coughing.

“What’s that?” Lawanda was crying openly now.

Taking her hand in his, he said “Take this.”

She looked into her hand and saw a large red pill laying still in her hand.

“Wha..”She said for you to …”

“I did take it.” He replied, “This is the one she gave me at the house, right before you burst in.”

Lawanda was puzzled, “Why? I don’t under…”

“…because… I want you to know as well… for me.” He chokingly replied.

“But…”

“Just for once,” he choked, “listen to me.”

She raised the gigantic piece of, what looked like candy to her mouth and dry swallowed, coming close to gagging on it as the pill went down her throat.

“This better not make me so something silly like the time I ate Mrs. Shelly’s special brownies” she laughed.

Looking down at Antonio, expecting him to return her laughter, she saw him staring blankly at nothing. Chest no longer heaving for air. No longer coughing.

“Antonio,” she asked, touching his hand.

“Ant.”

The room began spinning.

“AAAANTOOONIIIOOOOOOO”

(the end)

To be continued........when my fingers stop with the ouchies