Skypunch (The Skypunch Chronicles Book 1)

by Logan Castle

  Plum! Plum! Please wake up!!! I was delirious and again beginning to feel dizzy. My concern was not for myself now, only for Plum. He was so close to her! Who knew what this maniac was capable of?!

  “You really are a fool; you know that?” he said, his voice sounding incendiary. “You had this. You had her. And you fucked it all up.” He was quiet for a few seconds. Presumably gazing at Plum and everything I once had. “I have no sympathy for you,” he continued. “She doesn’t belong to you anymore and I also do not suffer from any remorse for taking her from you. I will take much better care of her than you ever could.”

  The only way to talk to him, as impossible and insane as it seemed, was through my thoughts, so that’s exactly what I did. Who the fuck are you? One of Plum’s jealous ex-boyfriends? Someone who resorted to breaking and entering in order to get her back?? Sounds pretty fucking pathetic to me and I’m sure the police will agree. There was no way I was going to just stand here and take it.

  “Shut. Up.” The words were terse, cold and powerful.

  I knew instantly that I pissed him off. I watched the figure’s head turn away from Plum and look directly at me. I could feel his eyes staring me down, picking me apart with a prolonged and menacing glance. “I could easily kill you right where you stand. And that’s probably exactly what I should do. But…” he trailed off for a moment. “No. I have something much better planned for you. A punishment far more fitting.”

  He started to walk away from the bed, taking a few calculated steps in my direction. He was careful to remain in the shadows, preventing me from seeing his face. As he got closer, he stepped up behind me. I tried hard to crane my neck so I could look at him, if only to find out who the asshole was that Plum chose to replace me with. But I was stuck. I felt goosebumps forming as the man stopped short of grazing my skin. The air around me suddenly grew very cold. It was his breath against the back of my neck as he whispered into my ear.

  “You will suffer true loss as I once did. I will confine you in a nightmare from which you will never awaken. Perhaps, when you finally understand just how deep this rabbit hole is, you will do the job of killing yourself for me. Or,” he mused, “maybe you won’t even make it that far. Either way works for me really. After losing something as precious as her, your remorse and regret should be enough to drive you to the brink of madness. The rest, I leave up to you.”

  The room again began to spin, slowly at first but quickly gaining momentum. While still frozen, my feet seemed much heavier as if I were being pulled right into the floor.

  “This must all be very confusing for you, I’m sure,” he added as he backed away a step. “So, before you go, I will allow you to ask me one, just one mind you, question. Better make it a good one.”

  Whatever kept my face in a state of suspended animation abruptly loosened. I immediately tried to move my head towards the direction of my assailant only to realize that my other invisible bonds were still very much active.

  “Better hurry it up. I’m not a very patient person and besides, I’ve got a beautiful woman waiting in bed for my swift return.”

  Rage overcame me at hearing his words. White hot and as sharp as a razor. “You motherfuc…!”

  My mouth promptly shut, as if it were pulled together by invisible strings. The voice once again hissed into my ear. “Now, now. Temper, temper. You really should be more careful. That temper of yours is liable to get you into lots of trouble, you know. Especially where you’re going! But I suppose I am to blame for that recent anger management problem of yours. Something about two conflicting objects not being allowed to occupy the same space at the same time or some such nonsense.”

  What the fuck are you talking about?

  “Right?! That’s exactly what I said when I heard all that bullshit. Imagine that!” he laughed as if it were funny but the laugh died on his lips. “No, but really, it is a total pain in the fucking ass, let me tell you. Since I’ve been here, I’ve felt like one big walking hormonal sack of potatoes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was on my period or something; or that you are, I should say. I mean, you’re getting my emotional overlap and I’m getting yours. Definitely one thing I can’t fucking wait to be rid of. You are a real bitch, you know that? I’m doing this timeline a huge favor by replacing myself and slipping into your shoes. I certainly won’t walk around all emo and that kinda shit all the time. She will appreciate that too, I’m sure. Not to mention how I would never even consider fucking her best friend!” Then he started to laugh again. “What a traitorous, egomaniacal and disgusting thing to do to the woman you claim to love.” He was quiet for a second and I had the distinct impression that he was looking at Plum.

  I wanted to reach behind me and grab him by his throat but, the room was in full spin mode. Like an all-out twister. I was struggling with the urge to be sick and trying to restrain the need to spew my guts all over the floor. My tormentor must have seen the greenish hue my face because he began to laugh.

  “Ah, looks like we are running out of time. I am going to give you one last chance. You’ve got ten seconds, better ask me something quick!”

  Despite still being twirled round and round and caught up in a maelstrom that did not affect Plum or this asshole, I managed to ask three measly words.

  “Wh-wh-who are you?!”

  “BAHAHAH! That’s it?!” he roared at me and slapped his thigh like all of this was some big joke. “That’s your question? You pathetic sack of shit!”

  I could barely see straight but at least I could finally move my eyes around. I also noticed that the sinking feeling I previously encountered only seconds earlier now wasn’t a sinking feeling at all. No, I was being pulled upwards.

  How is this happening?!

  From the corner of my eye, the figure began to move into my peripheral vision. Slowly.

  “You want to know who I am? Very well. This will be my parting gift to you.”

  With that, he brought his face directly in front of mine. As his full visage came into focus, my breath escaped me. The horror of what I was looking at would have frozen me stiff if I weren’t frozen already.

  It was as if I were looking directly into a mirror.

  “Hello, my name is Isaac Kent,” he replied laughing maniacally.

  His sick, demented laughter was the last thing I heard before suddenly being thrust violently upwards. I watched with absolute helplessness as he raised his arms to me. I gasped in horror as I saw that, painted all over his forearms, there were two identical tattoos to the ones I also had on mine. He extended two middle fingers in my direction and with an evil grin, turned around and walked back toward the bed. He pulled the sheet back and started to climb in….

  PLUM!!!

  I tried with all my might to scream her name one more time while I watched my doppelganger, this prideful façade of myself, pressing himself against her, gripping her naked breasts and pulling her to him. I could suddenly see her smiling as she rubbed her ass against his pelvis, the same way she’d done to me every night when I slept next to her…

  PLUUUUUUUUUUM!!!!

  Like the swirling suction of a vacuum, I was torn upwards, right into the twisting, turning maw of a Skypunch. I looked right into its gap and saw churning teeth before darkness overtook me.

  Chapter 8.5

  Waypoint Station

  The Axis of Time

  Outside of Time

  “Sir! We are registering chronical displacement! Isaac Kent is using the Time Force!”

  Busying himself by sorting through the seemingly endless data streams pouring through the Axis systems, Sirius looked up in relief at the robot’s proclamation. “Excellent, KT-1,” he exhaled, ignoring his incredulity at her using such a term for the situation. “Can you isolate it? Do we know where he is going?”

  “Negative, sir,” KT-1 replied. “But we do have an approximate location within the Multiverse. Systems are triangulating his destination within a circular range, c
urrently encompassing four worlds.”

  Sirius’s heart sank. “Four separate worlds? We can’t do any better than that?”

  KT-1’s raspy voice spoke volumes. “Sorry, sir. The systems are already overloaded just to provide us with that information. We cannot isolate his location any further than that.”

  Sirius shook his head slowly, digesting the information with visible distaste. Four separate worlds? He couldn’t begin to think about how daunting the task would be. On the surface, it felt impossible…hopeless even.

  “Stop it!” he reprimanded himself, furious to realize that even a sliver of him nearly rolled over and submitted. He swiftly returned his concentration to the task, for the sake of the Multiverse, its worlds and all its inhabitants. The responsibility lay squarely on his and his robot companion’s shoulders.

  “Very well.” With a deep sigh, Sirius started towards the massive console that KT-1 was hastily working in front of. “Pick one of the four, KT-1, and begin sequencing the Skypunch protocols. I will search the worlds one-by-one, all four if necessary, and sincerely hope that I can locate Isaac Kent and stop him before he does any more damage.”

  “Sir? You intend to go there alone? What about me?” KT-1 asked, surprised.

  “Yes, KT-1. We do not know anything about these four worlds. I would be foolish to assume that any or all of them could handle the sight of a… er, something like you.” Sirius silently cursed his awkwardness. “What I mean to say is that your presence in a world which does not yet possess the technology where you came from could cause ripples that might have far-reaching, unforeseen consequences. Even in the face of this crisis, I must try to keep the damage to a minimum if I can. No, my friend, I must go alone. You will remain here and bring our systems completely back online. You must restore them to full power; and you will need to be successful in that endeavor to give me any chance of success with mine.”

  “But, sir, if you continue to refuse to use the Time Force, you will be sorely limited to the specific modes of transportation in each world to get around. Isaac Kent is one human among billions! Unless he uses the Time Force for someone to witness, you will have little or no luck in finding him! And, even if you do manage to find him, your reluctance to use the Time Force against him would doom this to a suicide mission!” KT-1 cried. Her frustration was very evident in the usually calm female voice.

  “We have no other options, my friend.” Sirius kept his eyes trained on the console in front of him. He was studying the diverse displays, seeking out something that might help him. Anything.

  “That’s where you are wrong, sir.”

  “Eh?” Sirius asked, lifting his eyes back to KT-1. He quickly stumbled backwards, his expression filled with surprise and shock.

  Standing before him, where KT-1 was standing only moments before, he saw a naked woman. Her shoulder-length brown hair flowed around her brown-eyed face, adorned with two dimples, and a pair of perky, white breasts. She was short in stature, maybe five-foot-two, he guessed, but her legs seemed to climb forever upwards to… Sirius shook his head to stop his eyes from staring too long at the naked figure. His eyes returned to her face. A face he knew all too well…

  “What is this?!” he cried out in alarm.

  The voice he heard calmed him. “Sir, it’s me. KT-1. I was designed to become a holographic projection of a human form. It was originally intended to put a human master at ease should my natural form become be too…unsettling. I found this image inside the Axis database and assumed it would be a suitable disguise. Is it not appropriate? Shall I change back, sir?”

  Sirius held up a wavering hand, averting his eyes from her completely. He tried, in vain, to remove the tremor in his voice as he spoke. “N… no, KT-1. It’s… it’s fine. You may clothe yourself though.”

  “Oh. Sorry, sir.” From the far corner of one eye, he could see her flushing with color in her cheeks. That, in itself, would have shocked him had he not already been completely overwhelmed with emotion.

  “Who is she, sir?”

  “She?” he repeated.

  “This form I have taken. I can see that she makes you uncomfortable.”

  Sirius struggled to recall what image KT-1 could have possibly found in the system database that might have inspired her to assume the form he presently saw before him. Now completely clothed, which he guessed was no more than a simple modification of the holographic image, KT-1 looked as if she were real flesh and blood. It took everything Sirius had to resist the urge to reach out and touch her.

  “Atria….,” he whispered.

  “Sir?”

  “Never mind, KT-1. You have taken the form of someone long gone and I do not have the heart to relive that memory.”

  “Yes, sir. I am sorry, sir. I will change at once if you wish.”

  Sirius swatted the air, as if pushing her suggestion away like a pesky fly. “No. I am fine, KT-1. But I fail to see the merits in this. To what end does this image serve us?”

  “Because, sir,” KT-1 started, hesitantly, “I will do the searching whilst you remain here.”

  Sirius’s eyes narrowed in disbelief. “What do you mean you will do the searching? I just finished explaining why you can’t go with me.”

  KT-1 took a step towards him, moving so fluidly and natural that it would have been impossible to realize she was only a hologram. Even her hair bounced when she moved. It was a perfect likeness, every detail flawless and precise. The very sight of her made Sirius’s heart skip a beat.

  “Sir, I must be the one to go. I can move quickly and process the information of my surroundings much more efficiently than you. When discretion is required, I can instantly take this form, or any other in order to remain anonymous. Besides, sir, I can cover more ground faster than you can, which is critical in the situation we now find ourselves in. You can’t argue that, sir. You know I am right. I must be the one who finds Isaac Kent.”

  Sirius opened his mouth, a stern objection poised at the tip of his tongue; and then, just as quickly, he shut it. KT-1 was right. He could not deny it. His old legs would tire, hers would not. His thoughts and mind were constrained to only what he could see, hear and feel but KT-1 could compute and process all the data much more quickly and ultimately discern Isaac Kent’s exact location far more expediently.

  “KT-1, activate a Skypunch. Set the course for any one of the four worlds listed by the main computer.”

  KT-1’s now human mouth curved into a smile and Sirius’s knees went weak. “That’s it? Are you sure, sir?”

  “You are correct, KT-1. There is nothing to talk about, save this,” he said, eyeing her warily. “You must blend in. Do not interact with anyone or anything unless absolutely necessary. You are to remain in this form at all times, or one appropriate to your surroundings, but never as your true form. Do you understand?”

  KT-1’s head nodded quickly in affirmation. “Yes, sir.”

  “You are to keep me apprised of any progress. I will try to bring our systems back fully online in order to aid you as best I can, but I need for you to report back to me. You will be my eyes and I will be your ears.”

  KT-1 nodded.

  “And one more thing,” Sirius added. “Once you have located Isaac Kent, you must let me know immediately. Do not try to engage him yourself. This is very important, KT-1! Once you locate him, I will deal with him. Is that clearly understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “All right then. It appears our vectors have been set. Your first stop will be Terra 103. Are you ready, KT-1?”

  KT-1 took an unsteady step forward and nodded her head. “I think so. Sir, I’m…” she trailed off.

  Sirius arched an eyebrow at her. “Yes?”

  KT-1’s eyes fastened on his. “I think I’m scared, sir.”

  Sirius’s eyes filled up with tears and he gritted his teeth to hold them back. Seeing the woman in front of him exactly as he remembered her made him nostalgic.

 
“Me too, KT-1. Me too. Just try your best to push it to the side and concentrate on the task at hand. Every moment is one we can’t spare. I fear we only have one chance at this. Just know this, I will be here waiting for you.”

  The nervous look didn’t dissipate completely but he knew he comforted her even if only in some small way. She took another step forward.

  “I am ready, sir.”

  Sirius just stared at her as he spoke the crucial word. “Initiate.”

  Suddenly, KT-1 was thrust upwards with the speed of a rocket. Sirius raised one hand to bid his friend farewell but he doubted if she could even see it. Within an instant, she vanished from view.

  “It is up to you now, old friend,” he whispered.

  He turned back to the console and began to hammer away at the digital buttons in front of him. “And, now the time has finally come for me to see some old faces. Faces I’d hoped never to see before me again.”

  He swallowed slowly, hesitating for only a moment before he tapped at a small red button. It lit up and blinked incessantly for a count of ten before finally becoming solid red.

  “No turning back now,” he muttered.

  His mind was made up. Against his better judgment and all the hesitation he might have felt, he knew the time for unilateral action was finally at an end. He had to inform the Galaxies. The button he had just pushed would emit a very specific frequency, one that they would hear and be drawn to…or so he had been told. Regardless, all he could do now was hope. With a sigh, he went about busying himself with getting to the bottom of the Axis’s system troubles.

  Chapter 9

  “HELP ME! SOMEBODY, PLEASE! HELP ME!” I shouted, my voice trembling and audibly panicked.

  After receiving no response, the absence of it merely emphasized the cacophony of the loudly billowing winds as my terrifying ascent continued. As if possessed with a will of its own, my head twisted and turned frantically in every direction. Fear spurred every movement now; but thankfully, I was allowed a brief moment to take stock of my situation. I was being sucked upwards through a tunnel of darkness and swirling lights. It seemed to coil itself around me like a giant python.