| Sovereign Threads: The Spring Fanfiction Project |
April 8, 2004Pong vs River City Ransom: Chapter 1 The concept was perhaps the simplest in all the assembled universes. Two rectangular Blocks moving independently parallel of each other, a sphere bouncing in between the two Blocks, or Paddles, as they were called in this universe, and whenever one of the blocks missed hitting the sphere, the other side got a point, and the sphere would reappear and move randomly towards one paddle or another. These points were all but meaningless, and every once in a while they would be reset to zero. Invisible walls lined the top and bottom of what can only be described as the arena; both the Paddles and the sphere were constrained from moving through them. The sphere would bounce off, and the paddles would simply stop. This was the whole of the universe. Time was unimportant. Space didn’t matter. The left Paddle moved down to intercept the sphere, barely making it in time, sending the ball bouncing off the low wall and up towards the right Paddle, which was rushing to block it off. The endless game went on, simple and unstoppable. But the game was about to change. --- Just another day in River City, beatin’ up gang members with the intelligence of bricks but less stamina. Ryan currently had two of the jokers to take down; Alex was dealing with another a little ways down the street. The two Ryan was facing were on opposite sides of him, trying to box him in. The one on the right had a trashcan raised over his head. But not for long. Ryan took a running leap at him and delivered a vicious jump kick to the face. The gang member, now preoccupied with skidding halfway down the street, dropped the trashcan. Ryan quickly picked it up and turned to see the other gang member bearing down on him, apparently thinking to blindside him while he was dealing with the other guy. A thrown trashcan quickly had him thinking about seeing a dentist for all those teeth he had just lost. Alex walked up then, apparently having dispatched his enemy as well. “Ready to go to school?” “Yeah. Beating these guys up never gets old, does it Alex?” “Nope.” As they walked toward the school, they discussed the malls they had recently been to and what kind of food made you a better fighter. Then the world seemed to fall apart. The ground exploded into motion, throwing the two teens across the street. Buildings crumbled like stacked cards, lampposts fell and shattered, and the pavement cracked and split. The noise was the worst, so loud it seemed you were inside the horn of a train. When the cataclysm subsided Ryan and Alex picked themselves up and looked around at a world that had suddenly turned very serious. --- Unbeknownst to anyone, the two Universes had collided, and undergone a type of fusion. The right Paddle was gone, to where was unknown. Only the left Paddle and the sphere remained. But they took no notice, and attempted continue the pattern set down for them at the dawn of time. A pair of unfortunate coincidences made this a disaster for River City. The first was the size of the two Extra-Universal Visitors. The left paddle was a rectangular block thirty feet high, thirty feet wide, and 60 feet long. The Sphere had a Diameter of twenty feet. The second was the fact that they were quite a bit more solid than the buildings and structures around them. River City, already in a considerable state of disrepair from the Earthquake, was now faced with utter annihilation. --- “What just happened?” Ryan asked as he picked his way down the now covered street. “Earthquake I guess. We should go down to the police station and find out.” They never made it. A rumble started as they walked, and both immediately hit the deck, fearing an aftershock. Their astonishment when a twenty foot high white sphere crashed through the store on the left side of the street and continued by though the building on the right side of the street. They quickly ran to the store where they stopped in awe. They had a perfect view for six and a half blocks…through what should have been stores, businesses and other such buildings. They had all been flattened by the monstrous boulder. The two boys turned around and spotted the sphere continuing to mow a twenty foot-wide swath through the buildings of River City. Then the ball disappeared, the rumbling stopped and for a moment in the sky they could see two scores. The one on their right was at 01. The one on the left read 00. Then the scores disappeared and the rumble began again. Chapter 2 The sphere randomly chose to move in the direction of left Paddle. It moved of it’s own volition; retracing the path it had carved the previous time. It once again bounced off the left paddle and rolled toward Alex and Ryan, who were still staring in disbelief at the swath of destruction carved by the sphere. They dive aside, barely in time to avoid it, but the sphere took no notice. It was unconcerned with anything but bouncing off objects until it passed beyond the point line. So far however, besides the left paddle, it had met nothing solid enough to stop it. So it kept going. The ball passed the invisible line again and disappeared just before it leveled a row of houses. The score once again flashed up this time, the one over the left paddle read 02. The one over the two teens read 00. --- The first time the score had changed, Ryan, hadn’t felt anything. This time, though something definitely happened. Somehow, he felt less…solid. Less there. Less real. “Hey, Alex, did you feel something just now?” “Yeah. It’s weird. I feel…empty.” “Me too. You think it’s that damn ball?” “That’s exactly what I think.” “Then lets do something about it.” --- This time, the sphere rolled towards the apparently empty side, it’s way now virtually flat, as it had crushed everything on this path already. --- Ryan and Alex were ready for the ball this time. When the sphere came near, they both took running leaps and jumped. They landed together, kicking the ball as hard as they could. Immediately, the ball began moving at an angle toward the lower part of the city, away from both Alex and Ryan and the left paddle.. --- Since the sphere had not been turned back to it before now, the left paddle had not needed to move. That had now changed, and the white block moved in a straight line to intercept the balls new path. The devastation was incredible. Stores were reduced to rubble. Homes were run over. The block slammed right through the middle of a mall. When it was past, there were two malls and a parking lot in between. However, crashing through these objects had not been anticipated, and the block was unable to reach the intersection point between it’s line and the sphere’s in time. The Sphere rolled past for another block, and disappeared. The score in the sky appeared again, and this time they read 02 and 01. The left paddle was incapable of feeling anything besides the imperative of not allowing the Sphere to pass beyond the invisible line it defended. So it was of great surprise when the sphere noticed a lessening in it’s density. The Paddle was not capable of thought, and yet it came to a realization. Now allowing the opponent to score a point meant something beyond the point itself. The block now realized at some very deep level that it’s own survival was at stake. Unlike the Alex and Ryan, the block now wholly understood the danger it was in. This was a battle of universes. The winner won the right to continue existence. What happened to the loser was undetermined. But under such circumstances, the block was fairly certain it did not wish to find out. The block calculated that at four points a universe would lose too much density and become nothing but a shadow. Failure was unacceptable. To lose meant the end of the game. And the blocks most basic directive was that the game was endless. Therefore, the paddle concluded (and only now realized it had the ability to conclude anything) that it had to win. The block moved into position, ready for the next appearance of the sphere… --- “Yeah! We did it! We scored a point!” Alex jumped up, his fist in the air! “Yeah, at the cost of even more of river city.” Ryan frowned. “We don’t have a choice, Ryan. I don’t ever want to feel empty like that again. And I think it affected the whole city, not just us. If we want to save River City, we may have to destroy part of it.” Ryan nodded. “Alright. But how many points do we need to win?” “We’ll get as many as it takes.” They both turned as the rumble began again, and the ball moved toward them on it’s now well beaten path. Chapter 3 The Sphere had randomly chosen to speed toward the boys this time, and Alex and Ryan sent the sphere the same way it had gone before, retracing it’s route on a diagonal through the city away from the huge white block. The left Paddle moved to intercept, and this time arrived in position with ease. It sent the ball downwards yet again, away from the boys and itself. --- Alex and Ryan had a clear view of the block’s interception. They did not expect, however, for the block to send the Sphere further south than it had already gone. The boys ran full tilt down the North-South street to where the Sphere would come out. It was going to be a long run. --- Jimmy was 6 years old, and liked his house. He liked his whole neighborhood, in fact. He had lots of friends, nice toys, and his Fisher Price swing-set in the backyard. He was currently on that swing-set staring up the street at the large seven-story apartment complex that blocked off his view of the rest of the city. That is, it blocked his view until a twenty-foot boulder drilled a hole right through the building. Now a boulder blocked his view, and it was getting bigger by the second. Jimmy sat, frozen, as a man from the apartments ran by him screaming, and the boulder bore down on Jimmy and his swing-set. Then an odd thing happened. The boulder recoiled as if from a solid object and sped away at an angle, heading to the Northeast of Jimmy and his house. It plowed its way through a hotel and was lost to sight. --- Alex and Ryan, quite unaware of what had just occurred, listened as the rumble got louder. They were certain they had the angle pretty much correct, and thought they could reach the balls exit point in time which is why what happened next surprised them so badly. “Is the rumble getting softer to you?” “Yeah, now that you mention it, Ryan. Why do you suppose that is?” Further conjecture was cut short as both Ryan and Alex plastered themselves against the invisible wall. “What the…we slammed into empty air!” The situation only got worse as the boulder appeared north of their position and headed across the street in a northeasterly direction. “What in blazes?! It changed directions!” “It must have run into the wall too, Ryan.” They both felt the now familiar sinking, empty sensation that marked when the scoreboard in the sky, which now read 03 and 01, awarded a point to the other side. “Ok, Alex, we’ve got to get back to the start point. After that I’ve got an idea. You go find the wall to the north of the start lane, cause if there’s one down here there’s probably one up there. Then stay on the north side. I’ll stay on the south side. We should be able to cover everything easier that way.” “Alright, let’s do it.” --- The Sphere chose to head toward the left bock this time, which directed it in a southeast direction, now confident (and recognized at the same time that it had discovered a new feeling) with a three to 1 lead. It felt, rather than saw, the ball redirected toward its line. It moved to intercept, did so, and bounced the ball off the southern wall. The ball was once again redirected, however, this time to the north of the start line. The ball once again moved to intercept. However, north of the start line it had not cleared the various buildings out of it’s path, and was once again slowed too much to reach the desired position. The sphere rolled through, and the score promptly changed to 3-2, and the block attained another new sensation: fear. The score however, was still in the blocks favor, and it was bound and determined to see that it’s universe, and thus the endless game, continued on. Its way in both directions was now clear; there would be no more miscalculations. The void beckoned. Only one universe could survive the collision. The block knew instinctively that the destruction of the universes was a foreign connivance, but it had no choice. The process was unstoppable. The block now recognized the truth of what was happening, the concept behind the cascade of universal battles, the purpose of the entity that had started the waves of destruction and chaos now sweeping throughout all of creation. In the end, there can be only one. Chapter 4 Alex moved quickly to his right, facing west. He could hear the ball coming closer, and knew it would break out soon. He had marked the position of the northern wall, still a comfortable distance away down the street. He didn’t know how long it had been since the score had last changed to 3-2. He was entirely focused on making sure the ball didn’t pass through his half of the street. --- River city was now crisscrossed with the tracks of the giant Sphere. Had an aerial view been available, it would have been clear that most of the part of the city occupied by the gaming arena was completely flattened. Hundreds, if not thousands, were dead, and thousands more injured. Unlike Alex and Ryan, however, the rest of the citizens of River city were able to pass beyond the invisible barriers imposed by the great game to relative safety. But none of it mattered, for if the two teens fighting for the survival of their city failed, this existence would be thrown whatever awaited it. Would the universe cease to exist? Would it live on as a Ghost-like shadow, a monument to the terrible cascade of fighting happening across the multiverse? --- Not even the Left Paddle, which was quickly becoming a thinking machine more powerful than any modern day computer, could devise that answer. Nor would it have spent the effort if it could. The Block was fully concentrated on computing angles and trajectories, factoring in velocity variables like the few remaining structures still standing, and computing ten steps ahead to try to devise a strategy that would give it that all important 4th goal. So far, it was still deadlocked with its unknown opponent(s). And unlike the Paddle, the Block’s opponent(s) sent the Sphere back almost at random, throwing off its calculations at times and causing some close calls, there was no strategy behind the moves. Its opponent(s) were singularly concerned with preventing the Sphere from crossing the point line. In it’s own universe, when it battled the Right paddle, this meant deadlock. The two blocks had unlimited stamina, in fact were not even familiar with the concept of tiring. When one or the other of the blocks had played defensively, eons would pass while neither side scored a goal. The Block was also blessed with near infinite patience, however. It could wait until it found an opening. --- A rare opportunity for the teens to talk occurred, as the ball had been struck towards the divide in their zones. “Ryan!” yelled Alex, breathing heavily. “Yeah?” Ryan asked, his hands on his knees. “I can’t keep this up! I’m so tired I can barely stand!” “Me too.” “What can we do?” “I have a plan! You have to go and slow down that block! I’ll keep blocking!” “Can you really keep this up?” “I think so. If you slow it down maybe we can score a couple points. I’ll hit it down the middle, the Block will move to intercept, and you can follow the Sphere. You should be able to get in position before it starts moving again. I’ll alternate hitting the big ball to the Blocks North and South ends, okay?” “And I’ll be on the correct side to slow it down. Gotcha!” “Okay, here it comes! Get set to run, I’ll kick!” The Sphere touched the edge of the street, and Ryan delivered a terrific jump kick, sending it back down the centerline. Alex took off after The Sphere, following it towards the Block, which was already moving into position. The Block hit the Sphere in a manner that sent the Sphere South. Alex got into position on the Block’s north side. Then he launched a punch strong enough to pulverize concrete, hoping to do something, anything, to delay its movement. --- Ryan watched as the Sphere moved South and took off after it. He reached the correct position just before he hit the invisible wall, and sent the Sphere blazing Northwest, then jogged back to the centerline, and looked towards the sky, hoping for a change in the score. --- Not even a scratch. Alex launched a flurry of kicks, with the same result. No movement, no marks, nothing. Alex backed up 30 feet to take a flying kick at the solid white wall. He started running. Unfortunately for him, the Block moved to intercept the Sphere just as he leaped into the air. Anyone familiar with momentum knows that when two objects moving at mutually opposed velocities collide, the one with the lesser combination of mass and speed loses. The Block had about ten miles an hour and 5,000 tons on Alex. As he went flying and tumbling away from the Block (which was oblivious to his existence) at an angle, Alex’s head struck the corner of a building not yet pulverized by the Sphere. He was killed instantly. The Block intercepted the Sphere and sent it back along the edge of the Northern wall. --- Ryan heard the continuing rumble and knew Alex had not yet succeeded in slowing the monstrous Block. He headed northwards at a run, towards the sound. Ryan was so tired, so intent on the sound that, he missed the piece of rubble in the street, tripped and fell. He lifted his face to watch the Sphere roll past. The sky flashed the score 4-2. Then the world seemed to fade away as Ryan passed out, exhausted. --- The world of River City seemed to fade away. Or maybe the Block was moving away, it couldn’t tell. It was well aware that the fight was not over. All around, it sensed Universes winking out of its awareness. The universe of the Endless Game was on a collision course with another universe, and this one, too, had survived an encounter. But the Left Paddle was resolute. It now knew the score necessary and the way the rules had changed. The Game would go on for eternity, as had always been meant. The Left Paddle would see to that. ~*Fin*~ Next Day Back |