by Kit Nash
Contents
Copyright
Four Authors, One Town
Dedication
Title Page
Epigraph
Prologue
Sketch
Hemisphere
Stolen
Get Your Ass to Mars
Some Assembly Required
About the Author
Copyright © 2017 Kit Nash
All rights reserved.
Cover Art by JCaleb Designs
One Town, Many Stories
(But they’re all A Hemisphere Story)
BILLY BALTIMORE
Emma Spaudling Paranormal Detective
Book 1: Sasquatch
Book 2: Djinn
Book 3: Soul Eater (coming January 2nd, 2018)
G. OLDMAN
The Corgan Family Chronicles
Book 1: Peril In The Park
Book 2: Rise of the Watchman
J.J. BELDING
The Ripple
Haunted Depot: Ghost Curse Series
Book 1: The Depot
(Coming December 12th, 2017)
KIT NASH
The Rectifier Series
Book 1: Some Assembly Required
Book 2: Fusion (Coming Soon)
To Billy, J.J, and G. for letting me play in the Hemisphere sandbox.
RECTIFIER
Some Assembly Required
Rectifier, how’s the world supposed to be
Rectifier, take my hand and rescue me
— Daniel “Sahaj” Ticotin
PROLOGUE
LAYNE RIDZIK STROLLED to his death. He walked at a measured pace, faster than a death row inmate making the last walk of his life, but slower than a suicidal bomber convinced that the life awaiting him beyond the veil of death had more to offer than the one he currently had. As he weaved his way through All Souls Cemetery he realized that fate could not have picked a more fitting location for his demise. Layne had never given headstones much thought. They were just expensive chunks of concrete with pleasant, but mostly bullshit, quotes about the deceased scrawled across them. Some were carved of granite. Some were marble. Some barely came up to his shins, some dwarfed his six foot frame. But now he had to admit there was more to them than he previously thought, but like so much of his life it no longer mattered. He would die in the cemetery but he would never have a headstone. If all went as planned, there would be nothing left to bury. Not even his ashes. After tonight only one thing would remain.
The Rectifier.
He looked down at the metal gauntlet encompassing his right hand and ending halfway to his elbow. He thought of it as simply his right hand. Far more dominant than his flesh and bone left hand but just a hand. He brushed his teeth with it. Drank his coffee with it. Ate his meals with it. But the Rectifier was in fact a weapon of extraordinary power, designed for one primary purpose; to slay demons or rectify their existence on earth. Specifically, their presence in the small town of Hemisphere. Layne had done plenty of rectifying, just not enough.
With his left hand, he reached into the pocket of his trench coat and withdrew a package of cigarettes. He shook one out and pulled it free with his mouth. With his right hand, he flicked his mesh covered thumb against the mesh fingertip of his pointer finger as if he was flipping an invisible coin. The action created a visible flame that danced on the tip of his thumb. Cupping his hand against the night breeze, Layne lit his cigarette and took a long drag. He tucked his thumb into his palm and made a fist, smothering the orange flame. He exhaled the smoke through his nostrils and stared up at the night sky. The skies were clear over Hemisphere tonight.
Perfect night for fireworks, he thought with a smirk. If this had been one of his brother’s graphic novels, it would have been raining. It always seemed to be raining whenever the hero faced off against the bad guy. Of course in the fantasy world of movies and comics, the hero always won. Layne continued walking, leaving a haze of smoke in his wake. He didn’t dare stop, the risk of losing his courage was too great.
His destination was a massive oak tree in the oldest section of the cemetery. Layne had no idea when the tree had been planted but he knew it was older than the town. When he arrived at the oak, he found Varek, the asshole villain of this particular story, and his band of minions waiting for him.
“You’re late Rectifier,” Varek said.
Layne looked down at the digital clock on the inside wrist of the Rectifier. It read 2100 hours. The Rectifier kept time by measuring the rotation of the earth in relation to the sun. Not a snowball’s chance in Hell, it was off.
“Nope. Your host’s Apple watch is slow,” Layne said.
If this had occurred on the pages of one of his brother’s comics instead of real life, Layne had no doubt that the meeting would have taken place at a more ominous time, midnight perhaps. He’d thought of his brother more in the last three hours than he had in the last three years. Despite it being a melancholic thought, he also found it strangely comforting. That his brother weighed so heavily on his mind, convinced him he was on the right path and he was making the right choice.
The Rectifier had lots of neat gadgets but one of its coolest tricks was that it allowed the wearer or wielder if you will, to see beings for what they truly were. Varek and the rest of his gang were demons from the deepest depths of Hell; wiry black hair covering their entire bodies, claws that would make Freddy Kruger piss his khakis, maws full of needle sharp teeth nine inches long, red glowing orbs, and breath that smelled like the anus of a rotten corpse. This demon breed known as the Shadow Horde had been vanquished by a guardian angel named Ebenezer long ago and now the only way they could roam the earth was by possessing humans. The Rectifier allowed Layne to see both forms simultaneously. It was like watching a 3D movie with only one half of the glasses. One second Varek and his minions were snarling beasts from your worst nightmares and the next they were a cheerleading squad from Hemisphere High complete with miniskirts and pompoms. Both forms constantly shimmered in and out of existence as if they were struggling for control. But there was no struggle. Varek was one hundred percent in control and the four young girls Varek and his demon posse had possessed were as good as dead. Four more causalities in the long war against demons in Hemisphere.
“I’m glad you’ve finally embraced your transgender tendencies, Varek,” Layne taunted.
“I was forced to make a quick decision after what you did to my last host,” Varek said.
“I believe Fubar, is the term you’re looking for,” Layne laughed.
“Indeed,” Varek said. “But after tonight me and my brethren will have no more need for hosts. Now open the gateway.”
“Not until the Keeper arrives,” Layne said.
“I loath waiting,” Varek said. “Considering what’s at stake do you really want to make me wait?”
“Don’t fuck with me, Varek. I know the rules. Our agreement isn’t worth shit unless we make it in front of a Keeper.”
“Fantastic, Rectifier. You’ve done your homework.” Varek smiled. “Now where’s this Keeper of yours?”
“He’ll be here.”
“Are you sure?”
Something in Varek’s voice twisted Layne’s intestines.
“What’d you do?” Layne asked.
“Alexa, show the Rectifier why his Keeper won’t be coming,” Varek said, smiling with both his natural form and his human one.
Alexa Fowler stepped forward and with perfect bowler’s form tossed one of her pompoms at Layne. It landed with a hard thud implying that it was either the heaviest pompom on earth or it wasn’t a pompom at all.
The pompom rolled to a stop four inches from the soles of Layne’s boots. The Rectifier’s mouth fell open. Staring up at him from beneath a bundle of multicolored pompom strings was a severed head. It was Gafferty Coleman. Hemisphere’s oldest Keeper, now Hemisphere’s deadest.
Varek laughed and his posse followed suit. A cruel joke that everyone found funny but Layne.
“You son of a bitch,” Layne said, his voice drenched in anger. He clenched his right hand into a fist. The power within hummed to life causing the crystal mounted on top of the metal vambrace to pulse with a vibrant blue energy. As did the four smaller crystals inset across each of his metal knuckles. All the demons, except for Varek, took a cautious step back, their jovial mood gone.
“Careful, Rectifier,” Varek warned. “Lift so much as a finger in my direction and our deal is as dead as that old man.”
“Without a Keeper our deal is already dead.”
“I thought being friends with Ebenezer would’ve given you more faith,” Varek said and then he tossed his cheerleader baton casually over his shoulder. Had the baton been thrown by a mere human it would’ve fallen to the ground when it struck the headstone but demons are much stronger than humans and the baton impaled the headstone like a dart on a dart board. Layne had seen demonstrations of demon strength countless times but it never ceased to amaze him. He was so mesmerized by Varek’s skill he almost didn’t notice the two figures rise behind the baton impaled headstone. The Rectifier gasped as if someone had gut-punched him.
Kelby Wright was being led towards the group by another demon wearing a cheerleader disguise. To her credit, Kelby was keeping her fear well-hidden. She wore a sleeveless white blouse with stylishly ripped blue jeans and motorcycle boots. Her exposed arms were athletic, tan, and tattooed. An amethyst hung from a silver chain strung around her neck. The amulet sparkled in the moonlight.
“Kelby, are you all right?” Layne asked.
“I’m fine,” she growled. Her green eyes glared at him through strands of pink hair.
“Varek, leave her out of this. Please,” Layne said.
“A Rectifier shouldn’t beg. It’s unbecoming. Besides, I like her.” Varek placed an arm around Kelby’s hip. “She’s a real keeper.”
Kelby recoiled at his touch. But no words of protest or vomit came out of her mouth.
“Kelby, I’m sorry,” Layne said.
“Just get on with it,” she said.
“Yes, Rectifier, get on with it,” Varek said.
Layne took a deep breath and began. “I, Layne Ridzik, Rectifier of Hemisphere grant the Shadow Horde passage through the All Souls gateway, in exchange for the life of my brother Jamison Ridzik.”
“I, Varek, alpha of the Shadow Horde, agree to spare the life of Jamison Ridzik in exchange for passage through the All Souls gateway.”
Without warning, Kelby stepped forward and spat into Layne’s face. “My father would be ashamed of you.”
Varek and his demons laughed.
“I never claimed to be good like your father,” Layne said.
“A bit of a tall order isn’t it?” Varek chittered. “Can anyone be as good as Kade Wright, the greatest Rectifier the world has ever seen? Besides, he’s doing it all for love. Just not yours. Bros before hoes as they say.”
Again Varek’s demons chuckled.
A tear fell from Kelby’s eye and rolled down her cheek. Layne turned away from her before he lost his nerve. He wiped the spittle from his cheek and walked solemnly towards the massive oak tree. He passed under the drip line and stood in the dark shadows at the base of the tree. The width of the trunk was large enough for a sumo wrestler to hide behind. The power of the Rectifier was generated by a combination of hand gestures and imagining what you wanted or needed. Layne made his hand as flat and rigid as he could as if he were going to salute a superior officer. Again Layne thought of his brother and how Jamison would compare this feature of the Rectifier as a combination of Transformers technology and the liquid metal properties of the T-1000 from Terminator. Even though the law of physics dictated that his flesh and bone hand should’ve been crushed by all the shifting and twisting of metal, there was no pain. The only sensation he felt whenever the Rectifier morphed was a pinching needles sensation as if his hand had fallen asleep. Once the morphing process was complete, Layne stared down at a 12 inch long chainsaw blade complete with a rotating chain. The blade glowed with the blue energy that powered the Rectifier.
“Layne! Don’t do this!” Kelby pleaded.
Layne willed the chainsaw to life, the mechanical whine drowning out her pleas. He placed the blade against the bark and cut. Normally it would take hours for a 12 inch chainsaw to cut through a tree this size but the Rectifier was no ordinary chainsaw, and the oak was no ordinary tree. The blade passed through the bark as if it were made of butter. There was very little resistance. Layne swept his arm from left to right as if he were delivering the worlds slowest karate chop. A great tremor passed through the oak. It started in the enormous trunk and radiated upwards causing the branches and limbs to discard their leaves. It was a quick and disturbing process, nothing like the natural progression of trees yielding to the season of fall. These leaves fell like items being knocked off a table in an earthquake.
Leaves rained down on Layne but they never touched the ground. Each leaf caught fire and burned out, leaving the air filled with harmless fire embers. The chainsaw passed through the last of the tree and Layne took a few steps back. Impossibly, the tree stayed upright for a few seconds before toppling to the right. Like the leaves, the tree never touched the ground. Instead it burst into flames and burned out in mid fall. What was only moments ago a magnificent oak tree older than the town itself, had now been reduced to ashes easily scattered by a gentle breeze. All that remained was a stump two feet tall. Inside the stump was a circular door. Metal and flat, except for the indention shaped hand in the middle.
The All Souls Gateway.
“Impressive. Most impressive,” Varek said, stepping forward for a closer look. Layne ignored the compliment and shook his hand as if he were trying to shake something sticky off his fingers. The motion triggered the morphing process and within seconds his metallic hand was back and the chainsaw was all but a memory.
Varek and his demon pals gathered around the Gateway. Their human hosts giggled with anticipation while their natural forms foamed at the mouth. Seeing the conflicting images made Layne nauseated.
“It’s done. Now let her go,” Layne said.
“That’s an open gateway?” Varek asked looking down at the metal door. “Because it looks sealed to me.”
“She’s done her part. She doesn’t have to be here for me to break the seal.”
Varek looked at Layne and then he looked at Kelby, searching for signs of a lie.
“Call me cautious.” Varek shrugged. “Now break the seal.”
Sighing, Layne bent towards the stump. He raised his hand and paused. The Rectifier hovered in the air. The hand shaped indention seemed to beckon to him. It reminded Layne of his favorite childhood movie, Total Recall. He and Jamie must’ve watched it a thousand times. When Arnold placed his hand on the indention he saved an entire planet, if Layne placed his hand on the seal he would be dooming an entire town.
“There’s no turning back now, Rectifier,” Varek said.
Layne took another sigh. Closed his eyes. Then he thrust his hand backwards, shot a blast of holy water out of his palm. The stream of water was thick and concentrated. It could rival any fire hose. Even though he had shot without looking, his aim was true. The stream hit Kelby full on in the stomach and knocked her backwards several yards. Varek who had been standing to her right, dove behind a nearby headstone, avoiding the majority of the splash. The demon standing to Kelby’s left was less fortunate. A cry of agony pierced the night. It was a mixture of howl and shriek as the flesh of both human and demon melted off the bone. All the other demons followed the lead of their Alpha and scattered, seeking refuge behind any
thing they could find. Layne turned away from the Gateway and faced his enemies. He lowered his hand, the stream reduced to a trickle, leaking from his palm. The crystal aligned with his pointer finger was now a yellow hue and flashing. He didn’t need to look at it. He knew what it was.
The water reservoir was empty.
Varek and his horde would come for him now and he had no holy water to fight them with. But it didn’t matter. Removing Kelby from the equation had been worth every drop. He looked across the cemetery at Kelby. She lay unconscious in a pool of soggy grass fifteen yards away.
“You stupid son of a bitch,” Varek hissed as he emerged from behind his hiding place. Layne smiled when he saw that half of the demon’s face has been melted away. Where the youthful cheerleader’s ear and cheek had been was now, so much charred bone. Snarling and smoking from only one side of his head, Varek stepped forward. His demons followed.
Layne raised the Rectifier and aimed the palm at them.
“Nice try. But you’re well has run dry and you don’t have enough salt for all of us,” Varek said.
With a nod from their Alpha, the demons quickly formed a circle around their enemy. Death by cheerleading squad.
“No more games, Rectifier. Open the gateway or die,” Varek demanded.
“Fine,” Layne said, as he rolled up the sleeve of his trench coat, revealing two grenades tied around his forearm. “Death it is.”
With his flesh hand he pulled the pins.
“No! Back! Get back!” Varek yelled, running for cover. Some of his goons obeyed. Others stood there dumbfounded.
Smiling triumphantly, Layne raised his hand high above his head and closed his eyes.
KABOOOOOOOOOOM!