This time, Marcus' body shone with a brilliant, blinding light. Tyler's eyes were closed, and Marcus was shouting at him. "Why, so you can go back to being some big star and forget about everyone you know? Everyone who LOVES you?"
"I won't do that."
"Yes you will. It's what you do. It's who you are."
Tyler opened his eyes. "I won't." The light died away, revealing Marcus' short dark hair and caramel brown skin. Tyler reached out and took Marcus' hands in his. "I promise."
They embraced. Max waited for them to separate, and when it looked like that wasn't happening anytime soon, he barked to get their attention.
"Max?" Tyler said, turning to him. "Hey, I forgot all about you, boy, you okay?"
Max flattened his ears. How could Tyler have forgotten him? He yipped to affirm that was okay.
"We need to get through this wreckage and get back to Becca, can you get us there?"
Max concentrated, bringing Tyler and Marcus into his ghostlike state.
"Oh wow, what is this?" Marcus asked.
"Meet Max," Tyler said. "He can walk through walls, and take us with him."
"This is so crazy," Marcus said, shaking his head. "How did this happen?"
"Well, it happened to us in the school bus crash. But you weren't there."
"The school bus?" Marcus tilted his head, confused. "Yeah, yeah I was on it, it turned over out on Highway 10, right by the river."
"Turned over? What do you mean? We crashed off the bridge, INTO the river."
Marcus shook his head. "No..."
Max knew they didn't have time to talk about it. He couldn't keep them both in this state for long without wearing himself out again. He concentrated, and felt the familiar buzz in his head, indicating where he'd find Becca. He barked loudly at the two of them.
"C'mon," Tyler said. "We'll figure it out later."
______________________
When he heard keys in the lock, Max perked up. He wasn't expecting Tyler for a few hours. But when the door opened, it wasn't Tyler he saw, but another familiar face.
Max jumped up and barked.
The familiar green eyes appeared in his head, along with her voice. HHEY MAX HOW ARE YOUU
Max yipped. Becca was the one person with whom he had been able to fully communicate. She was even capable of hearing his thoughts if he concentrated on it.
LLOOKS LIKE I'M GONNA BE STAYING HERE WITH YOU GUYS FOR A WHILEE, Becca sent. TTHAT COOL WITH YOUU?
Max was glad for the company. He put out his tongue and wagged his tail happily.
Becca set down her bag, which seemed to be all that she owned. She walked around the tiny apartment, familiarizing herself with it. It did not take long.
"Wow, kinda small huh?" she said.
Max agreed.
WWHAT SAY WE GET OUT OF HERE AND HAVE SOME FUN...THE PARK MAYBEE
Max jumped and barked excitedly. For the first time in a very long while, he felt like a normal dog again, happy and glad to have a friend.
______________________
Max drifted in space, in an endless void where once there had been a rooftop in the heart of the city. His body was wracked with spasms and shocked by electric tingles, but his efforts to run gained him nothing.
The specters that had been his friends surrounded him, their attention focused above. Max followed their gaze. At the heart of the opening in the sky, a ghostly red light began to form.
A figure emerged, and as it stepped forth from the aperture, its features began to sharpen. Max saw a strange being of immense power, glowing with red energy. Sometimes it appeared as a woman, sometimes as a man, but always with an intense gaze, its red eyes boring into Max's friends as it examined them. As it stepped down, the being split, becoming at least a dozen of itself, walking down to the rooftop as if navigating a flight of invisible steps.
______________________
On the far side of the wreckage, they found Becca shouting at Zachary, with a red-haired girl looking on. Max released his hold on Tyler and Marcus, allowing them to reappear.
"Hey, what's going on?" Tyler said.
"Where did you come from?" asked the redhead.
"Give me a minute," Becca said. "I'm a little busy tearing Blondie a new one."
Marcus put a hand on Tyler's shoulder. "Hey, uh, did anyone notice these guys with metal faces?"
There were several of the cyber-zombies surrounding them, wandering the room aimlessly.
"They were soldiers. I think Brock did this to them," Tyler said.
The redhead gave him a wide-eyed look. "Brock was here? Where is he?"
Tyler shrugged. "Last I saw him, he was following Mia."
"Please don't tell me that Neanderthal is your boyfriend," Becca said.
"What if he is?"
"Oh God, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little."
Suddenly one of the cyber-zombies stopped cold, cocked its head, and Brock's voice emerged. "primaryhostdisabled. secondaryhostengaged."
"Fuck, here we go again," Becca said.
Its body went through the same transformation Becca and Tyler had seen before, shifting and mutating, growing in size and sprouting metal shapes that wrapped around it, until it was a complete duplicate of Brock.
"systemstandby. Man, FUCK those lezbo BITCHES. systemstanbymode."
"Brock, baby!" The redhead ran to him, putting her arms around him. "What happened to you?"
"facialrecognitionengaged. TIFFANY? Is that YOU? I thought you were DEAD. performinganalysis. analysisincomplete. anomalousenergydetected."
She hugged him. "I was. I think we all were."
Becca grabbed Zachary. "Okay, Rain Man, you're on deck. You want to give someone a message?" She pointed at Brock. "There's your guy."
She shoved him forward.
______________________
Becca carefully lit the candles. It had taken her quite a bit of time, but she had set the table, put out the candles, opened the wine, and prepared dinner for two: some kind of grilled fish, if Max's nose was right. It smelled delicious. When she finished, she sat down facing the door and waited. Max sat on the floor next to her, wagging his tail.
Finally, the lock turned and the door opened. Tyler stepped into the apartment and immediately noticed the candlelight.
"Heyyy, what's all this?"
She smiled. "I thought we'd have a quiet night, just the two of us." Max whimpered a bit at that. There were three of them, but they were always forgetting him. "See, told you I'm not that bad, once you get to know me."
"Aw, that's sweet, but I can't stay. Have to get ready."
"Ready for what?"
"I'm meeting Blaine and some others for dinner, may go out to the club after." He kicked off his shoes and tossed his shirt over a chair. "You're welcome to come too, if you want." He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
"If I want," she repeated.
"Yeah, hey sorry I didn't know you'd have anything planned. You can stay here if you don't want to go. I'll be back later."
"Well thanks, that's really gracious of you," she said flatly.
"No problem, be out in a sec," he said blandly, and shut the bathroom door in her face.
Becca stood there for a moment, staring at the door. Then, she turned and walked to the night stand, grabbing her bag. She walked around the apartment, stuffing what few belongings she had into the bag and scanning the room in case she had forgotten anything. Finally satisfied that she had gotten it all, what little there was, she blew out the candles and went to the door, wiping a tear away from her face. "Don't you dare cry for him," she said. "He's not worth it."
Max barked at her. He didn't want her to leave.
Becca turned back to him. DDON'T EVER TRUST ANYONE, MAX...THEY'LL ALWAYS LET YOU DOWNN
She left the apartment and closed the door behind her. Max turned toward the bathroom door and waited.
Tyler emerged from the shower, twenty minutes later. Max watched him as he got dressed, checke
d himself in the mirror, made sure he looked just right. A bottle of wine had been left out on the table, opened. He poured himself a small glass and drank it, then turned out the lights and left.
He locked the door behind him.
Max lowered himself to the floor and put his head down on his paws.
______________________
Each version of the being walked to a different one of Max's friends and examined them, as if deciding what to do with them. Finally, each one reached out a hand to touch them, and in that moment, a red collar appeared around each friend's neck, with a chain attached. The chains stretched back through the opening in the sky and into the void beyond.
The figures became one again, and the being began to walk back toward the opening. Max wasn't sure what to think. He had no chain, had been forgotten entirely. That should have been a relief, but...
The red woman stopped. She turned toward Max, seeing him for the first time.
Max tensed. She approached him, leaning down and examining him with her fiery red eyes, and spoke: "FORGOTTEN ONE, FILLED WITH LONGING..."
Max whimpered, but he could not escape her.
"YOU ARE UNEXPECTED, BUT YOU HAVE A PLACE AMONG THE LOST."
She reached a hand out to touch his head. Red light exploded inside his mind, and Max lost consciousness.
______________________
Max lay on his side, resting on the bed, as Tyler emerged from the bathroom to pick up his ringing cell phone. He was dressed for a night out, of course, in the middle of styling his jet-black hair, which was still a bit of a mess. Tyler picked up the phone, glanced at it, and set it back down again, apparently choosing not to answer whomever it was. Tyler went back into the bathroom.
Max stood up and padded over to the nightstand. He stood up on his hind legs and peered down at the phone. MISSED CALL, it said, and underneath: BECCA.
Whimpering a bit, Max lowered himself back to the floor. As one of the few people who always knew he was around, Max missed Becca. It had been months since they had seen her.
Finally, Tyler emerged from the bathroom, hair perfectly in place. He slipped on his shoes, tightened his tie, and went to the door. Max stood, expecting a good-bye, instruction to wait here, invitation to come along...something. But Tyler simply opened the door, went out and closed it behind him. He said nothing to Max.
Max lowered himself back to the floor with a whine. Forgotten.
The apartment phone rang. After a few rings, the answering machine picked up and Tyler's smooth voice issued from it: "Hey, I can't blame you for trying to get in touch with me, but I'm out having fun, which is where you should be! Leave a message." The machine gave a loud beep.
"God, I hate your fucking message," said Becca's voice from the machine, "you sound like a total douche." There was a long pause while it sounded like she was trying to muffle the phone. "Listen, Tyler...I've tried calling your cell. Please call me back. Please. I think I'm in trouble here. I really think I'm in trouble. I need help, and you're the only one-" But her voice was cut off by another beep from the machine.
Max stood again. Becca was in trouble! He had to help her! He concentrated, and felt a distant buzzing in his mind. He turned toward the east wall of the apartment. Becca was in that direction, but a long way away, farther than anyone he had ever tried to find.
Max took a look back at the door, then charged for the wall, passing through it.
______________________
"Hey," General Stearnes said. "Hey, help. What's happening with this one?"
They turned toward him. Heather had sagged forward, her metal features running downward. The hand that held Stearnes pinned to the wall was disappearing, blowing away into the air like a stream of metallic dust.
"Heather!" Brandon zoomed across the room and put a hand to her face. "What's wrong?"
"Get away from her!" Simon jumped toward him, and the invisible hand wrapped around Brandon and squeezed.
"I'm trying to...aghh..." The hand constricted Brandon's chest, he couldn't get out any more words.
Heather's body melted away and a swirl of wind ran around the room.
Becca tried to reach her mind. HHEATHER? WHERE ARE YOUU?
The swirl of air coalesced in the center of the room and Heather stood there, blinking at them.
"What? What's wrong?" she said.
Simon released Brandon. "You disappeared!"
"Oh...I'm just tired, I guess. Tired." She sagged to the floor, and her legs and lower body began to melt into an imitation of the tile floor.
"Heather!" Simon leapt over to her and tried to lift her from the floor, but her body continued to melt away and become one with the floor. "Heather! Stop!"
"I'm tired," she said, and her body slipped between his fingers and settled to the floor.
"This is all my fault," Simon said. "I'm sorry...so sorry..."
Heather, now a second layer of tile on the floor, did not reply.
CHAPTER SIX
"Stay in here, baby. Just stay in here."
Her mother's voice, carried to her on a whiff of whiskey sour, rustled the tiny hairs on her neck. Heather opened her sleepy eyes and looked up, but it was dark in her bedroom, and her mother had already retreated and closed the door behind her.
"What you doing in there?" a male voice called.
"Nothing. Not...nothing, just..."
Heather heard something hit the wall with a thump.
"Don't lie to me!"
"It's...ah!...it's my little girl's room. She's asleep."
The door opened. Heather faced the wall and shut her eyes tight.
"You'll wake her up. Leave her al-" Her mother's voice stopped with the sound of a wet SMACK.
"Shut up!"
Heather squeezed her eyes shut and pretended she was asleep. Heavy footsteps moved across the carpet.
Her mother's voice again, quieter this time: "Come on...she's only ten..."
A large, dark form leaned over her. Heavy breath washed over her in alcohol-soaked gusts.
Heather trembled and thought: You don't see me. I'm not here. It's just a bed. Just a bed, and sheets, and the wall. Not me. Not me.
Heather's eyes snapped open. She was still at the bottom of the pool, still covered in a strange adhesive, still unable to move. The bedroom, the strange man with his alcohol breath, that had all been years ago.
She went through another series of transformations, becoming everything she touched: her clothes, the plastic. Nothing helped.
Suddenly, she had a thought: the water. What about the water?
Could she do that? Could she turn into the water and ooze out through the cracks? It seemed impossible to imagine.
She closed her eyes and concentrated. For a moment nothing happened, then she felt her flesh melt away. Her skin first, then muscle and bone went after it, washing away into the chlorinated water of the pool.
At the surface, a mass of water burst out and leapt the side of the pool, forming a swirling mass shaped like a girl. Heather looked around her, somehow able to see despite having no eyes, just a watery sphere where her head once was.
A guard was standing several feet from the water's edge. He drew his sidearm. Heather reached out with one arm and a barrage of water struck the man, knocking him off his feet. As he hit the floor, his pistol went off. As the bullet hit the swirl of water that served as Heather's midsection, the transformation was instantaneous. Her body became a thing of solid metal.
She tromped over to the man, leaving a trail of cracks in the tile. As he tried to lift himself up, she brought one metal hand down on him, knocking his head back with a crack. The man fell to the tile, unconscious.
Heather turned away from him, looking at her metal face in the water. She reached down and touched the water with the tips of her fingers. Instantly her body shifted to its watery form again. She took her hand out of the water and concentrated, and the water melted away to reveal her true self.
But as she gazed at her face in the water
, Heather felt convinced it was not real.
It's not me I'm seeing. I'm not here. Just the water, and metal, and stone. I'm not really here.
HEATHER
"I am nothing."
Simon stared at his hands, which had been holding Heather moments before, before she melted through them and pooled like a second layer of tile on the floor beneath him. The hands were rough, black, their backs covered with matted fur. He began to shake with fury, and looked up at the object of his anger.
Simon lunged forward, reaching out with the invisible hand, once again gripping Brandon's chest and throwing him against the wall.
"This is all your fault!" he growled.
______________________
Heather moved into the hall, convinced the office she was looking for must be just on the other side of the pool room, but a quick scan told her there was no office door, just more mazelike halls. She stopped, frustrated, trying to decide if she should keep going or turn back.
A skittering noise came from behind. Two spidery black things came into the hall. One of them fired a beam of energy at Heather, and it lanced into her shoulder. Heather's entire body reacted, energy spreading out from the point of impact to replace her skin, muscle and bone. Soon, she stood transformed into a white-hot glowing force.
The black metal spiders stopped. Heather reached down with both hands and grasped them. She squeezed, and her energy hands melted right through them, reducing them to slag. She opened her hands, and melted fragments dropped to the floor. Her body reverted to its normal form.
"Where did those things come from?" she asked no one in particular.
Suddenly she heard a barking sound. It reverberated off the walls, seeming to come from nearby.
Heather jumped. "What was that?"
There was a shimmer in the air from below her. To her astonishment, a dog appeared there, a frazzled looking German shepherd!
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