44 .== A Tower of Stars
At first, Julie and Loki didn't find the town called Body of Evidence all that unusual, aside from its name, and its isolated location. It looked more or less like any other suburb you could find in Ovitsistan, the United States, or elsewhere. The town had a main street lined with small shops, restaurants, a civic center, a gym--truly, nothing out of the ordinary.
Indeed, it was a short walk from the nearby Compound's hatch to the town itself--most of the island appeared to be inhabited and developed. The island was a few square miles at most, and only a few small fringes remained forested. At the far end of town, they could make out a tall tower, not quite a skyscraper, but not a run-of-the-mill office building, either. Large, red lettering revealed its identity, even if it meant nothing to the foreigners: "SOMAC".
"So, what's the plan?" Loki asked, both of them making an effort not to look like tourists as they proceeded along the main street.
"I don't know yet. Those kids seemed to be telling the truth. We're definitely on an island. We don't have access to the train anymore. If we're in the South Pacific, maybe we aren't too far from Ovitsistan. If push comes to shove, we could always go back. We are still citizens."
"Yeah, I'm not really warming to that idea."
"Neither am I. But it's an option."
"I wonder if the locals are less crazy than those kids?"
"Here's hoping." Julie turned left, heading inside a small cafe. It was a quaint little place, with faux-wood paneling on the walls, a few ceiling fans with light globes clouded yellow from years of cigarette smoke, as well as seating accommodations in various stages of disrepair. At one table, a group of older women played cards. Several elderly men were also nearby, reading their newspapers. A middle-aged woman stood behind the bar. Julie noticed that not a single barstool cushion was undamaged. This place is a dive, she thought. "Could you help us?" she asked plainly.
"What do you need?"
"We're from out of town. Do you know where we might make arrangements to get back to the United States, or to Ovitsistan?"
The woman looked puzzled, at first. Gradually, that confusion turned to alarm. "No one ever comes here from outside the island. Who are you?"
"Just visitors. What do you mean, no one comes here? Don't you trade or have tourists or anything?"
"No, no tourists. None of the cargo that comes here is on manned ships, either. Are you two okay? Do you need to see a doctor?"
"No, why would you think that? We're fine."
"And what's this 'Ovinistan' or whatever you called it? Where's that supposed to be? Never heard of it."
"It used to be New Zealand."
"'Used to be?' What'd they do, sell it?"
"Uh, no, it was invaded."
"Look, we still get news here. We're not stupid. The outside world is pretty dull. New Zealand isn't that far away from here, and I know for sure they haven't been invaded."
"What about the war?"
"What war?"
"The nuclear war! The US and the Soviet Union launched nukes at each other. A lot of people are dead. A ton of cities are in ruins. I thought you got news here?"
"We do, and it's been coming in like clockwork. The paper's always printed on time, and I tell you, there is not one mention of any nuclear war."
Julie sighed, frustrated that their conversion produced nothing but confusion and agitation, on both ends. "Well, sorry for bothering you," she concluded, heading back out to the street with Loki right behind.
"What was that all about?" Loki wondered.
"I have no idea. Either these are the most sheltered people in the world, or something really fucked up is going on here."
"What're we going to do? I don't want to be stuck here on Crazy Island."
"Same here. We just need to figure things out. Maybe talk to someone else."
"Yeah, maybe. But remember, that 'Mel' guy said the same thing--that this island never has visitors. I don't know what the story is, but something really weird is going on here, and I think we should get out as soon as possible."
"No argument here, but how?"
"She said something about cargo barges. Maybe we can stow away? They have to come from somewhere. And if they aren't manned, no one will notice. We could go somewhere with fewer crazy people and more transportation options."
"Hey, I like that idea."
Their conversant stroll came to an abrupt halt when the sky suddenly went dark. It wasn't that the sun hid behind clouds or dropped below the horizon--it just vanished. "What the fuck?" Loki blurted. "That's not right."
"No, it's not," Julie said worriedly.
The windows of some buildings, particularly the SOMAC tower in the distance, were lit up by their interior lights. This didn't last. One by one, they winked out, until the town drenched in darkness. And where they had previously noticed other residents walking up and down the avenue, they now saw no one.
"Did they all run and hide?" Loki thought aloud.
"That would make them the smart ones, I think." Julie shivered, the air quickly going cold.
Up ahead, they noticed a distortion in the street--bumps and ripples. Though they were not very close to the event, they could feel the pavement rumble beneath them. Then, the road split open, an enormous tendril spiraling out from the chasm, into the sky. It was dotted with lighted portals, as though it had windows of its own. And it kept growing, growing, until it reached high into the heavens, and they could no longer see the top of it. At its base, its width easily matched the length of a football field. Its curves and edges twinkled like stars.
Julie and Loki stood in motionless awe of this spectacle for many moments, this astral tower which had arisen essentially from nowhere. Loki finally found words: "It's weird. Beautiful, but weird."
Julie nodded slowly. She realized that, aside from the two of them, their surroundings were silent. Even the eruption of the tower hadn't made a sound. Then, a phone rang nearby. It startled both of them.
Julie tracked it to a general store across the street, pulling the phone from beneath the sales counter and answering it. "Hello?"
"Hello, Julie." It was an unfamiliar male voice.
"Who's this?"
"This is the Benefactor. I take it you've arrived safely in Body of Evidence?"
"Barely. You have a lot to answer for. What the hell is going on here?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean everyone just disappeared, a giant tower sprang up, we have no idea how to get out of here, and--"
"Please calm down. Hyperventilating will only worsen things for you. I am calling you to relate your current mission."
"What 'mission'? So far, this has just been an exercise in clusterfuck."
"You need to seek out a child. An infant. His name is Amory Baker. His mother's name is Angelic, but she answers to 'Angie'. Find her, find her son. I will send you further instructions then."
"What do you mean, 'find' him? What're we supposed to do with him?"
"Acquire him, by any means necessary. Good luck."
"I know you're not suggesting--" Julie was cut off by the sound of being hung up on. "Oh, fucking great." She slammed down the phone and went back out to the street, finding Loki still gazing at the tower. "Hey, wake up over there!"
Loki blinked and turned to her. "What?"
"That was the Benefactor, believe it or not. He says we need to find some baby."
"Uh, why?"
"I have no idea. But he was pretty insistent."
"And do what with it?"
"Kidnap it, I guess."
"You're not serious, are you?"
"I don't know! I just want to get the fuck out of here. I don't care what we have to do! This place is creeping me the fuck out, and I want to go home. I'm sick of being shot at, beat up, held hostage, and totally confused. We never should've gone down that stupid secret hallway."
"Yeah, that was the mistake of the decade."
"Let's just check out this stupid tower and see if the kid's in there."
Loki shrugged, following Julie's lead.
44 .== A Tower of Stars
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