The Real World

by Jacob Long

  By the looks of it, it seems that Xyla's whole view of her world is shaken. And who could blame her? The agency that she works for, the agency that she joined in order to do the right thing has been infiltrated and corrupted nearly since it's inception. Unfortunately, the news continues to get worse. There is a restricted section at her agency's headquarters where they are housing Omega bomb carrying missiles. The U.N. President is scheduled to launch these missiles all over the Rich World in less than twenty-four hours. We have to get there, dismantle them, and stop all other Ministry activities in the agency. It's a big mission for four people.

  We get to Xyla's apartment and follow her straight to the garage. She has two cars: a standard-issue IDPA car which we can't take because it has a tracking device, and another vehicle that is covered by a tarp. Xyla pulls the tarp off, revealing a blue car that looks unlike any other that I've seen in this world. I think I may have seen some similar vehicles in the Real World. The design is very pleasing to the eye, although it looks like it may be older. And it actually has a steering wheel and pedals. "I thought all of the cars here were self-driving," says Callum

  "They have areas where you can drive and even race older cars," she says as she opens the driver side and unlocks the other doors. "Are you guys coming?" The three of us guys stand, staring at the vehicle. "This isn't just any older car. This is a seventy-one GTO 455 H.O." exclaims Real Jayden. "Okay, yes," says Xyla. "I will tell you guys all about the car after we get into it, and get out of here." We pile into the beautiful machine. I sit in shotgun, Real Jayden sits behind me, and Callum sits behind Xyla. We use an imitation device to make it look like one of the other self-driving cars. Before we came to the Rich World, RT constructed a larger imitation device to be used specifically for vehicles.

  While we travel, we formulate a plan for infiltrating the IDPA headquarters. The plasma cartridges on my manica are crushed from my fight with Rich Jayden. However, Xyla assures me that it won't be a problem. She has plenty of extra weapons to go around. While discussing the best way to get into the building, we run into an issue. If all four of us walk in posing as different agents, it could look very suspicious. Especially since Rich Jayden tripped an alarm at his house that may have alerted them as well. And there may not be enough time if we go in one by one.

  After some discussion, we decide that Xyla will go in and manually turn off the teleportation defenses. We make a stop in a secluded area of the metropolis. As I adjust the setting on the car's imitation device, Xyla shows Real Jayden and Callum something in the trunk. "What do you think it is," Callum says to Real Jayden "snacks or her ex-boyfriend's body?"

  He saunters toward the back of the car. Real Jayden nearly rushes to see what it is. I finish the adjustments, press a button, and the blue muscle machine transforms into Xyla's IDPA car. That will help her get past the main gate. I start walking to the back of the vehicle when I hear Xyla say, "No snacks," she opens the trunk, "but there are a few treats." "Whoa," Real Jayden exclaims. "All right. This is worth it," Callum says. "Snacks would be nice though." I get back there to see a trunk turned into an arsenal. There are several pistols, rifles, knives, and even a few strange looking grenades like things.

  "Here," Xyla says, handing Callum a box. "Meal replacement bars. Not quite as tasty as the Real World snacks-" she looks at Real Jayden "-that you've been having lately, but they'll keep you going." Callum gladly accepts and distributes bars to each of us. He slides an extra one into his pocket. Real Jayden and I take ours with slight reluctance. Xyla shows off the weaponry, explaining that all of the guns have a stun setting and that the grenade-looking things are called shock grenades. Yes. I knew they were grenades. They emit a shock burst that temporarily paralyzes anyone within a fifteen-foot radius, and minor paralysis for anyone twenty to twenty-five feet away. We leave the rifles and take the pistols. There's enough for all of us to have one of each gun, and four of the shock grenades. Xyla gives us a basic rundown on the specific details of these weapons. We get back into the car.

  Now it's time for the hard part. For Xyla to infiltrate the IDPA headquarters, I'm going to have to use my telepathy. RT has hacked into their systems, but neither he nor Dr. Hamilton has been able to figure out how to bypass their teleportation defense system. So we can't teleport directly in there. This is not much of a surprise considering that they call themselves the Inter-Dimensional Protection Agency. Xyla will have to go in and turn off the defenses manually. And since she's been compromised, she'll have to pose as another agent.

  As we head back into the city, I practice my telepathy on Callum. Since my imitation device was destroyed, I will have to use my telepathy to disguise myself to any IDPA agents that I may come in contact with. I place my index and middle fingers on my temple. My thumb hangs about an inch away from my jaw. I used to see Elena and her father do this all of the time. Although, they knew what they were doing. I take a deep breath in and focus.

  Real Jayden watches us from the front seat. After a while, he gets bored and turns around. "So," he says to Xyla, "about the car?" She smiles. "My dad was a mechanic. I grew up listening to him and working on cars with him. He especially loved muscle cars, and I suppose, I developed the same affinity." I look over to see Real Jayden just listening, and admiring Xyla as she talks. "He would buy, repair, and sell them. This baby was my favorite one so instead of selling it, he kept it and gave it to me." "That is cool," Real Jayden replies.

  I think about her words for a moment, and then I remember that Sienna's father in the Extreme World was an avid mechanic and car enthusiast himself. He would often help RT and me with the military vehicles. Unfortunately, there were only a few vehicles on the first island of Idem. I'm sure he would have loved to have more to work on. It's interesting to see the differences as well as the similarities between all of these different universes.

  Xyla drops us guys off at a coffee shop a few blocks away from the IDPA building. She gets past the front gate just fine, since RT was able to hack into every other system. Although, the Ministry is most likely keeping an eye out for anything remotely suspicious. And I'm sure that the guards reported her arrival and they are keeping a close watch on her. It won't matter for long though. Soon we'll all be teleporting in there. For now, we just have to sit and wait at this coffee shop. The plan appears to be running smoothly until, "Jayden," RT says, urgently. "I've lost communication with Xyla. You need to get over there now."

  23

  I pick up Callum and Real Jayden and take off into the sky. My fire shield protects Callum and Real Jayden from the harmful effects of flight. I get a ludicrous idea. A ludicrous and illogical idea that for some reason, I think will work. I link my mind to Xyla's and find her location. She's on the fiftieth floor. That's five away from the level with the control room. Four agents are surrounding her. They must have stopped the elevator there.

  I psychically knock the agents unconscious. I burst into the building, heading toward her. I use my telepathy to ensure that I don't hit anyone on the way to her. Some of these people are innocent. At least, I hope some of them are.

  I am about to finish, but I'm getting tired. My vision starts to blur. Finally, I break through to where Xyla is. I feel a strange bit of relief as if something is taking a part of the strain away from me. It's as if someone is helping me. I look over to see Real Jayden, crouching in the other corner. The crossover effect must be getting to him. I can't tell if he chose to take this burden on himself, or it is just happening to him. Either way, I feel simultaneously guilty and grateful.

  The elevator doors open to reveal five more agents. I instantly knock them out telepathically before collapsing to the floor, exhausted. I can barely manage to maintain consciousness. I look over to see Real Jayden in a similar state of being. My head is throbbing, pulsating in agony. A line of blood streams down from my nose. Xyla pulls two electrolyte drinks from her backpack.

  She distributes one to Callum and holds the other one up to my mouth. The sweet, cool liquid is
revitalizing. I finish drinking and turn to see Callum helping Real Jayden drink. I didn't consider the possibility that doing this would affect him so much. Xyla picks me up. "I appreciate the save, but we're not done yet," she says as she carries me over to the elevator. Callum picks up Real Jayden and carries him in as well. They prop us up against the back elevator wall.

  As we reach the fifty-fifth floor, Callum helps Real Jayden stand while Xyla helps me up. Callum gets Real Jayden propped up on his left shoulder, and Xyla places me on his right. I feel the soft brush of animal hair against my face as he transforms into his dog form. He must need the extra strength to carry both of us. The elevator makes a ringing sound like a small bell as it reaches the fifty-fifth floor. The doors slide open, and we are facing two other agents. Xyla quickly draws her stun gun on one of them while throat-punching the other. She stuns the throat punch victim.

  "Okay, so two or three is your limit?" Callum asks in surprise. "Those guys got the jump on me before," she replies as she leads us down the corridor. "Stop!" I say to Xyla telepathically, just before she turns the next corner. "They've barricaded the door." I can see this through the mind of one of the agents in the control room. I throw myself off of Callum's shoulder. "Let me release the barricade and knock them out." "You still haven't recovered from the last time," she replies. "I'm feeling a lot better. Besides, I'll hit them just hard enough to put them out long enough for you guys to get them restrained." Her eyes narrow in on me as she thinks for a moment. "It's a good plan," Callum says. "All right. Fine," Xyla replies. "Let me know as soon as it's done," she says, standing ready.

  I close my eyes, focusing first on the agent who monitors the access room. I locate each of their minds and quickly ease them out of consciousness. I hear several small thuds coming from behind the control room door. Xyla and I look at each other. We can't help but smile. I direct the last guy to the barricade system and have him release it. The barricade moves away, and the door opens. I nod to Xyla, and as we approach the control room, we see the last agent fall, making a final thud sound.

  Inside the room are three long desks filled with computers, and monitors. The room has stadium seating all leading down to one wall that boasts a large screen that nearly reaches all four of its corners. There are three steps, and each one is about six feet long. Each one has a desk. There are ten unconscious agents strewn about. Some of them on the ground and others with their faces planted on their desks.

  Xyla walks down to the desk closest to the wall screen. She plugs an interface device into one of the computers and starts typing at the keyboard next to it. After a moment, she has accessed the large screen. It looks like she is disabling the teleportation defenses. I walk behind Callum who approaches the top level desk and gently but firmly shoves a drooling agent aside. The agent and his chair roll away. Callum slides the computer monitor over and lays Real Jayden down onto the desk, and I take this opportunity to monitor his vital signs. He appears to be breathing normally. I pat him on the shoulder. He looks at me with a tired smile. "Did we win?" he asks. I smile. "We still have a few more things to do." Callum picks the agent up, chair and all and takes him over to the top right corner of the room. I go to pick one of the agents up myself, but I feel something on my shoulder. I turn my head to see a furry blue hand.

  “I got this,” he says. “You just take this,” he hands me a meal replacement bar, “and eat it right here.” He slides another computer monitor over, making more room next to Real Jayden. I hesitate for a moment, staring at the bar. "If you were well enough to be up and moving, I wouldn't have been able to sneak up on you just now," he states. "We need you at one hundred percent... or at least somewhere close to seventy." He's right. So, I relent and take the bar.

  I sit up on the desk, tear open the package, and start chewing. I feel hungry after my first bite, but I muster up enough self-control to break off half and hand it to Real Jayden. We rapidly annihilate our halves of the bar. It's strange that I didn't feel hungry until I started eating. Thankfully, the bar was enough to satiate me, at least for a little while. I look over at Real Jayden resting peacefully on the desk. I look up to see Callum carrying the last agent up into the right corner.

  “Jayden,” RT says. “Take one of the energy shots. Give one to Real Jayden too. After even a five minute nap, you guys should be feeling a lot better.” Oh, yeah. The energy shot. That's what RT used on the night of the celebration. “Thanks, RT,” I reply. “Xyla and Callum seem a little busy right now. Do me a favor until them about our siesta, when you get a chance.” “Will do my friend,” he says. “And just so you know, I'll be monitoring your vitals. If you start to slip, I won't hesitate to shock you back to life.” “I can always count on you, RT.”

  I pull the shots out of a pouch on my belt and hand one to Real Jayden. We tap them together and drink. I set a timer for five minutes and lay down on the cold hard desk. Twenty minutes is the optimum amount of time for this trick to work, but we just don't have that luxury. Five will have to do, I think to myself as I close my eyes and drift away.

  The Extreme World – The First Island of Idem - 2019

  All I can think about is her. The way she smiles. The way she laughs. These are my dying moments. These are more than just thoughts. I'm reaching out to her. Our minds are connected. She sees me in pain. She feels my pain. She wants to help me. "You have to stay," I tell her. The stinging heat from the flames on my back feels like it is only getting stronger. I don't know how much longer I will be able to take it. I'm climbing my way to the top of the chimney, holding the baby underneath a fireproof blanket. I push my feet and my one free hand against the wall. If I don't move fast, we will both die soon. My back is still on fire, but there's no time to stop. As I climb, I lightly rub my back against the chimney wall. Hopefully, this will put most of the flame out by the time we reach the top.

  I extend my hand out as far as I can and grab hold of the chimney top. I roll over onto the roof. I keep rolling until it seems that the rest of the flames have vanished. I open the blanket to check on the baby. She has a pulse, but he isn't breathing. I lay her down and open her airway. After two breaths, I check again. I see a faint rise and fall of the chest. She starts crying. She's alive. For how long though? How long can we keep fighting the Ministry's forces? I hold the baby close and sway her back and forth a little.

  I access the panel on my manica and send out a distress signal. I press my comm button. “This is Major Lancaster. My unit is down. I'm sending out my location. I have a few civilians with me that need safe transportation to the bunkers.” I lay my head back and rest for a moment. At this point, it doesn't look like I'm going to be much help in the rest of the battle. A familiar scruffy voice comes over the comm system. “Major Lancaster this is Lieutenant McElroy. My unit is within a thousand yards of your location. We're coming to get you, son.” McElroy is one of our best. He joined the ISF later in life but has quickly risen through the ranks.

  I slowly crawl to the edge of the roof to see if there is a safe way off of this burning building. My back feels as though it is still on fire. Every movement is agonizing. I finally reach the edge. Up in the sky, the battle is raging. Down on the ground, it is even worse. Then I see her. Her presence is both comforting and distressing. Elena has come for me. She has a group of ministry soldiers surrounding her. Protecting her. She is controlling them with her mind. Elena's abilities can be instrumental in battle. Although, it's not worth the risk of losing her. I reach out to her mentally.

  Our eyes meet. “Elena, please go back. I'm okay.” She levitates herself and her guards onto the roof, landing a few feet away from me. She walks up to me and crouches down. The baby's cries grow louder until Elena gently kisses her forehead. She immediately calms down. Elena turns to me. “You're a terrible liar,” she teases me, but there's a sad tone in her voice. A pained look on her sweet face. I must look as bad as I feel. Not her though. She's every bit as lovely right now as she is all of the time. “And you are terribly pretty,�
� I reply.

  Her lips curl up. She leans in and presses them against mine. A massive wave of relief pours over my body. That brief moment of bliss is all that it takes to soothe my pain. There is something about physical contact that enhances Elena's telepathic healing abilities. Although it does speed the physical healing process up, it mostly soothes the mind so that the body can do its thing. As her lips depart from mine, I hear a loud beeping, and- I am thrown back into consciousness...

  The Rich World – New York City – 2020

  I find myself jolting awake from the sound of the alarm. I sit up, scrambling to press the stop button on my manica. It takes me about three seconds to get it. I look ahead to see that Real Jayden has just had the same experience that I did. “Whew,” he exclaims. “These dreams are... rough.” “Yeah, they're something else,” I reply as I look down at the lower desk to see Callum and Xyla staring at the large screen on the wall. Real Jayden and I sit up and walk down to them. We both pause for a moment, noticing that we're in complete synchronization. “Weird,” we both say.

  Displayed on the screen are several different images of what I'm assuming is the restricted section that Xyla and I are to break into. Among several empty corridors, three images stand out in particular. One of them is a teleportation room, similar to the ones located on the thirtieth floor where we came into this world. Another is a room with computers and screens. It's very similar to the control room that we're in right now. The last screen that stands out is displaying a grand room that has several large and menacing pod-like structures. I hop off of the desk and walk towards my team. "Are those what I think they are?" I ask, hoping that I'm wrong. Xyla turns back, looks at me for a moment and back at the screen again. "Warheads designed to carry Omega bombs."