Original Fiction: JACKED Book One of the Origin Dime Chronicles, Episode 4
In this episode, the Mad Cow gets attacked by interdimensional pirates
The Cadillac skidded to a halt.
Jack watched Brent drop the roll of crime scene tape and chase it out into Main Street. It rolled just inches from the Caddy's bumper.
If you've missed a previous episode you can find them on my blog.
Jack's step mom, was pissed. “What do you mean there's no way to know where he went? That, “thing” must have taken him! Otherwise, he'd be here by now. Jack is never late to work. What about that insurance report, you'll sign off on that, right?”
“Well, I told you before if you did not have that on your policy they probably won't replace it.” Sheriff Grady Carter was a patient man but he looked like he was at the end of his rope. “Now, about your son...”
Jack could tell that his step mother's concern was fake. “ Step son, I am just torn up over it.” She said, “First his father, then this! I don't know how I'm going to survive without him.”
Jack rolled his eyes.
He knew her only concern was that she might actually have to do some work around the Mad Cow.
“If you could get that money in your report that would help a lot.” Susan turned from the camera, as Jack stepped out of the car. She froze, and a momentary look of disgust crossed her features.
It took a second for her to resume her concerned mother act.
She ran to him, but stopped short of touching him, “Jack! You're okay! I was worried sick when you didn't come home last night.”
He wanted to say, that's funny, I think I heard you snoring when I came in after work.
“It's okay, Susan, I'm fine. So, what's this I heard about the money?” Jack asked.
“Oh, uh, there was, there was a safe in your dad's old office. Anyway, it looks like they got the money that was in it.” Susan said, puffing on a vapor cigarette.
“No, there wasn't any money in it. Not when it got opened last night, there wasn't anything inside.” Jack said, leaving out the part about the thumb drive.
“The guy, or thing, or whatever it was, opened the safe and then he left, right back out the way he came in. No money.”
Susan squinted, which indicated she was suppressing a huge urge to scream out loud.
“Hmmm. Should have been, there should have been fifty thousand dollars....”
Jack shook his head, “No, I doubt that. There is rarely anything left after the month is paid out. Definitely not anything like fifty thousand. If dad had that kind of money around, I think I would have known.”
Susan seemed shocked, but she just squinted harder. She gripped her forehead with one hand, as if she were struggling to understand.
Why would Jack buck her on this? What did he care? It was insurance.
“Well, he must have gotten it when you weren't looking. Or maybe it got moved, I don't know, but it was...”
“No, it wasn't Susan. Sheriff, my lovely stepmother is trying to commit insurance fraud. If she continues, you have my permission to arrest her. I'm the legal owner this restaurant. I am declaring that there was no loss except the camera. That's it.”
He brushed past Susan and went inside, looking for Don.
Susan followed him to the door, “What do you mean, “Owner”? Huh? What do you mean? You know that isn't legal until your twenty-first...Oh my Lord. Don! Don! Get out here, Don!”
Don was short and thick, in a -used to be a high school wrestler- sort of way. He wore striped Oxfords, khakis, suspenders and brown cap toe Oxford shoes, every single day. He also kept a mustache, thick and bristling, and always groomed with mustache wax.
He was combing it as he came out the door.
“What is it darling?” He shook the sheriff's hand, and looked somewhat surprised to see Jack. “I was a making a list of everything that was in that safe..What's wrong?” He looked where Susan pointed, at Jack.
“This little shit won't play along. Threatened to have me arrested. He says there was nothing, nothing in that safe!” Susan said, her eyes narrowing as she took a huge puff of vapor.
Jack crossed his arms, daring Don to contradict him. Don tossed the clipboard with the bogus list over his shoulder and walked away.
“Don.” Jack said, as Don turned back to face him, “You're fired. I'll send you your check.”
Jack headed inside the building, with Thing One and Thing Two behind him. “Sheriff, I'd like a word with you in my office.”
Thing two let the sheriff pass inside, then turned and blocked the entrance. Susan bounced off of him, in her attempt to follow Jack inside.
“Don't bother coming to my house tonight!” She said, “Because that house is mine, your dad gave it to me.”
Jack tossed his house key, it bounced off of her forehead and landed on the black top.
Thing Two turned, shutting the door behind him.
Jack filled the sheriff in on most of the details of the night before. Well, at least the parts before the whole inter-dimensional vortex reveal. The sheriff filled out his report then left. He promised to get Jack a copy of the report for insurance purposes.
Jack showed him out, hanging a closed sign on the front door as he did so.
“Now, what kind of business do we have to discuss?” Jack asked.
Thing one was already headed to the office. A few moments later, all three of them stood in the round chamber of the vortex.
“We have an offer to make you. Since the Mad Cow is officially yours, you are now in a position to accept.” Thing One said.
Thing two held out a briefcase, which he had seemed to pull from his suit coat pocket. Jack made a mental note to ask him where he got that suit.
Thing One popped the catches and lifted the lid. There, in the center of the case, was a canister. It was identical to the one they had given Jack the night before. He felt in his pocket, once again realizing this was his canister.
“We'll trade you all of this,” Thing one indicated the room and what was above. “For what's in that canister.”
Jack felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He had imagined himself running the Mad Cow, at least for a few years. It was the only life he knew.
“What's in the canister?” Jack asked.
Thing one popped the top and rolled two small, egg shaped capsules into the case. They glowed the same hue of light Jack had seen emanating from the console in the center of this room the night before. The eggs gave off a slight hum.
“These are the components of a basic extra-dimensional access network. We call them B.E.A.N.S., for short” Thing two said.
Jack paused, he enjoyed the colossal irony for a moment. There was something familiar about a guy named Jack trading a "cow" for some beans. He smiled.
“Okay, so what does that mean?” Jack was curious, he reached out and tapped one of the beans. It vibrated against the case. “What do these things do that makes them so valuable?”
Thing one picked one up and held the tiny egg between his thumb and forefinger.
"This, puts the inter-dimensional power of the viewing glass you saw in the car, into your head.” He held up the other one, which was a little larger, “This one lets you turn it off.”
Jack picked up and held the first bean in the palm of his hand. It vibrated slightly. He thought back to the car and what he'd seen. He was pretty sure it was legit, he only had one question.
“Why?” He said, dropping the device back into its case, “Why would anybody want to?”
Thing one and Thing two looked at each other. It was clear no one ever asked that question. Jack liked to think that was his style, unexpected. What he was about to experience would forever redefine the word.
Before either of them could answer, the walls around the room burst to life. The map, which had taken some work to bring up the night before, popped up and an alarm sounded.
Thing one and thing two walked to a spot on the map and conversed quietly. Something on the other side of the room caught Jack's attention.
“Hey, guys..” There was no reply, “Guys?!” He was looking at something he didn't understand. But the picture was becoming clearer by the second. “THINGS!!”
“What?” Thing one snapped, looking over his shoulder, “we've got a situation....” He froze. Thing two turned to see what the commotion was.
On the wall in front of Jack was a large blue circle. He was becoming more convinced by the second it must be the Mad Cow.
Moving toward it were at least a dozen red exes.
The sound of pounding on the metal roof of the restaurant echoed down the stairwell.
“Hail?” Jack asked, moving toward the stairs to investigate.
Thing two moved surprisingly fast for someone of his girth. He reached the doorway, blocking Jack's path before Jack had taken a step.
“Stop!” He bellowed.
Jack did as he was told. The fat Thing put his palm to a square panel beside the door. A series of metal plates slid out of the wall to cover the opening, securing it.
“What the hell is going on here?” Jack spun to Thing one, who seemed to be the answer giver.
“What you are hearing is not hail. It is automatic gunfire, deflecting off the Mad Cow's polycarbonate shielding. They've smelled the beans. We left the case open too long.” Thing one said.
He seemed calm as he closed the case.
Jack looked up at the ceiling, which was beginning to rumble. “I'm almost afraid to ask, what is that?”
“That will be the Nosher's backup, inter-dimensional pirates. This is getting serious faster than we thought.” Thing two said, moving to the center console, and bringing it to life. "They must be after more than just this one key."
A video screen came into view, showing the outside of the restaurant.
A variety of “people” were crawling over the surface of the parking lot. A giant object that looked like a hot air balloon crossed with a tank that had a close resemblance to a clown car, was in the parking lot. Small, wiry, ratlike men, that looked like Jack's visitor were swarming out of it.
The sheriff stood with his clipboard, making notes about the damaged drive-through camera.
He seemed oblivious to what was going on.
“Why isn't he reacting?” Jack tapped the video projection in the center of the sheriff’s chest.
“To what? None of this exists in his world.” Thing one said, opening a metal cabinet against the wall, opposite the sealed entryway.
“This is what we were trying to tell you. This space is a gateway between alternate dimensions. From in here, we can experience them all at once. Those Nosher pirates are on another wavelength. Their whole frequency is different. The human senses cannot perceive them at all, unless they manage to pierce the dimensional membrane. And that is very unlikely.”
“It's time for him to decide, One. We only have a few minutes until they breach the containment hull upstairs.”
Thing two had joined One at the cabinet and they were gearing up. Already both men were armed to the teeth. They also wore body armor Thing One had pulled from the cabinet.
“He's right Jack, you have to decide. You can go back to life the way it was, or you can take these beans and join us.”
Thing one held out the case.
You didn't! You did! You actually took Jack and the Beanstalk into another dimension! Genius!