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| Stasis; The Immortal With An Expiration Date | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 13 2008, 02:42 AM (42 Views) | |
| OminousShadow87 | Dec 13 2008, 02:42 AM Post #1 |
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Chapter One The Undying “I’ve managed to keep this a secret for a long time. Every decade or so, I’ll move from one small town, to another. That’s how I ended up here in Washington. You know my friend Larry? He comes with me wherever I go. He’s kept my secret for a long time. The thing is sheriff…I’m immortal,” I confessed. I wasn’t lying; I was born in 1922, in Boston, Massachusetts. But to Sheriff Garland’s eyes, I’m just a young man, somewhere in my mid twenties, maybe thirty. “Jason, what the hell are you talking about? Have you been doing that PCP stuff? I’ve heard some crazy things about it but…” he said. He didn’t understand. I told him, “PCP doesn’t make you a superhuman Sheriff. It doesn’t make a SUV crash into you, and it’s the SUV that breaks. I’m telling you, what you see before you has been this way for a long, long time. I was going to be drafted for WWII when I was twenty years old, but they sent me home because I looked more like I was fourteen. I fought in Vietnam with Larry.” The Sheriff gave me a quizzical look, not quite sure what to think. “Jason…have you ever suffered any head trauma before you moved here to our quaint little mountain town?” he asked. I replied, “Sheriff, my name’s not even Jason…Look, I can’t prove all this to you, and I know it’s crazy, but how else could you explain what happened out there on main street?” There was a silence between us at mention of the accident. “How are they all doing anyways?” I asked. The SUV that hit me happened to have a soccer mom and half the soccer team in it. Seven of them, to be exact. Garland answered, “Not good. Susan was driving and her boy Ivan was in the passenger seat next to her. They both died at the scene. One the boys in the middle row, Stan, he also died at the scene. The other two boys in the middle row died en route to the hospital, Timmy and Alvin. The other three are still in surgery. They don’t think Simon is going to make it, but the other two seem okay.” I almost couldn’t man up to say it, tears were escaping my eyes and falling down my face. “I’m so sorry about your son, Sheriff. I swear, if it was up to me, I’d…” I couldn’t finish. But he understood. “If this immortal thing is true, then…God damnit, Jason, why couldn’t you just LOOK BOTH WAY BEFORE YOU CROSS THE DAMN STREET!?” Now he was in tears, yelling, angry, filled with pain. Simon was his son, and he may have got it the worst. Let me step back to the accident for a moment. I was just getting a coffee, just like any other morning. I stepped out of the coffee shop and it was snowing like hell. I couldn’t see a thing, and I guess, neither could Susan. Why did they have to build an indoor soccer field? Why couldn’t they just suck it up in the winter like every other normal town…I stepped out into the road, I checked both ways but to be honest, I couldn’t see more than twenty feet either way. I couldn’t hear anything either; the wind was howling fiercely. I stepped out, and then some lights shown on me. I turned to look at the source, and the next thing I know, the Honda symbol is being shoved in my face. Of course, nothing happened to me. I barely even moved. The SUV became a goddamn horseshoe though, with me at the dead center of it. How any of them will survive is beyond me. “Sheriff, I think it’s best for everyone if I just do what I always do. I’m going on a hunting trip with Larry, and then we’ll leave town, never to bother you or your town again,” I said. I had to get out of there, the tension was getting too high. I made a move for the door. “Wait,” said the sheriff, “I need to know. I need proof. I have to know what happened to my son.” Fine. “Shoot me then,” I said. He hesitated, and I said to him, “If it doesn’t hurt me, which it won’t, then you’ll know it wasn’t my fault. And if it does…then I’m sure you’ll feel a lot better, doing something with all that anger and pain. Come on Garland. SHOOT ME!” He drew, aimed at my head, but he didn’t fire. I rushed at him. I grabbed the pistol, and shoved it against my temple. “COME ON JEREMY! SHOOT ME! SHOOT ME AND MOVE ON! SHOOT ME!” He was scared. He wasn’t going to do it. He let go of the gun, and so did I. It dropped to the ground harmlessly. “Jesus Christ Jason, you’re out of your blasted mind…get out of here before I call a mental institution.” And I did. Poster's Note - I've got the other three chapters in Origins written, but I want to comb through them and potentially make some changes before I post them. Even though nothing will prolly come of this, I just feel the need to do something with it. I guess posting it is my way of saying to myself that I've finished it and can move on the next step. Expect to see the rest by tomorrow...or technically, later today. |
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| OminousShadow87 | Dec 13 2008, 05:48 PM Post #2 |
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Chapter Two The Dying I made my way back to the cabin I lived in with Larry. He was almost seventy years old, and it showed, unlike in me. I came in from the snow, and he was sitting in his usual chair, staring out at the window, watching the snow fall. “I can’t go on the hunting trip,” he told me. “Why? Too cold out there for your tired old bones?” I mocked him. He let out a small smile. “Not exactly. I heard what happened downtown this morning,” he changed the subject. I let it slide, for now. “Oh yeah, how’s that?” The smile died from his face, “I was at the hospital this morning. I was leaving right about when the children were being rushed in. I stuck around for awhile…Simon has a piece of metal shoved in his heart. He’ll live at the longest until dark.” There was a silence; I had nothing to say, the pain was too much. I hated moments like this; immortals such as myself encounter this pain far too often, seeing other die while you stay the same, forever. And now six more lives are lost because of me and my gift, my curse. Sometimes I wish I were just normal. I wish I could just die. I wish the pain would just end… “You should be happy to know the other two boys are going to okay. Some broken bones but nothing that won’t heal with time…” he drifted off. I decided it was my turn to change the subject, “Why can’t you go on the hunting trip Larry? We’ve been planning it for weeks.” He replied softly, “The same reason I was at the hospital this morning,” he averted his gaze from the window for the first time since I walked in. He looked me dead in the eye and said, “It’s my time to go too, my friend. I’ve got cancer. I’m going to be dead within the next few months.” My heart sank. It was hard enough having the deaths of those boys and the mother on my conscious, but now my only true friend? “You can’t be dieing Larry! We’ve survived so much! Cliff dives, ski accidents, hundreds of ugly Vietnamese soldiers trying to kill us, that bank robbery in New York…and now…cancer? What right…what right does cancer have anyways!?” Larry gave a slight laugh, “Listen to yourself. You knew this day would come, my friend. It was bound to happen one way or another. Listen you…we’ve led a secluded life. Hiding from the truth. I want you to promise an old, dying man, one last thing.” “Anything Larry,” I responded earnestly. He said quietly, “You have a gift, whether you see it that way or not. Use it. Put it to some good. You cannot be hurt, you cannot be killed, you cannot be stopped. Go out there and do some good. Go be the hero I know you can be.” I almost laughed through the tears streaming down my face. “You want me to dress up in spandex too Larry?” I asked. “I think it’s time you left this town. Leave me here. It’s peaceful, I can enjoy my last bit of time on this earth in a place like this…Good luck, Jason,” he said, almost whispering. I told him, “You can stop calling me Jason now, I guess.” “I guess so,” Larry said with a smile. |
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| OminousShadow87 | Dec 13 2008, 05:54 PM Post #3 |
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Chapter Three The Unforgiven I left the cabin with a bag of clothes and all the cash I had, then took Larry’s motorcycle and hit the road. Before I could go anywhere, I had to visit Simon, the sheriff’s boy. I had to see him…I had to apologize. I knew I couldn’t do it, not really, I couldn’t make the eight year old understand what happened. But I just had to do it anyways. I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t at least try. I made it to the hospital a half an hour before sunset. Luckily, Simon was still alive. His family was elsewhere, probably signing papers and arranging for a funeral. I snuck in Simon’s room and found him barely conscious, barely alive. “Hi Simon. Do you know me from around town? My name’s…Jason,” I spoke softly, but all he could do was look at me with the pain filled eyes. I continued on anyways, “Listen, Simon. I know that it hurts a lot right now, and you’re scared of what will happen when…But don’t worry. You’re going to be in a better place.” I’d given that same load of crap to a lot of friends, soldiers who died next to me in that jungle hell. They always believed me; what place could possibly be worse than where they were? But Simon… “Simon, I came here for a reason. I…the thing is…in the car, you crashed into something. That thing…the thing you crashed into was me. I’m the reason…I’m…it’s my fault you’ll never leave this bed,” I confessed. He looked right into my eyes; we sat there, staring at each other for what felt like forever. He finally opened his mouth and said, “It’s not your fault.” Then he closed his eyes, his heartbeat monitor started slowing, and he stopped breathing. The nurse rushed in and I left the room. As I made my way to the elevator, I ran into the Sheriff. He didn’t look surprised to see me. “Jason…or whoever you are…I heard about Larry. I’m sorry,” he said. I pushed the down button for the elevator and muttered, “Me too Jeremy.” We stood there for a moment before Garland spoke up again. “There was a man looking for you. Said he was a special investigator, wanted to talk to you about the car accident. I know that’s the last thing you want to think about but…couldn’t hurt to talk to him, right?” said Garland. “Never does…shouldn’t you be getting to your son, Sheriff?” I asked. He got a concerned look on his face all of sudden. “What? Why, what’s wrong? Is he okay?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. He ran down the hallway to his son’s room, and that was the last I saw of Sheriff Jeremy Garland or his son Simon Garland. I got in the elevator and went down to the bottom floor. I walked out to my new motorcycle and prepared to hit the road when I heard a voice behind me. “You know, it’s not safe to ride a bike without a helmet. You might get hurt,” said a cocky male voice. I turned around to face the man. There were two of them, and the taller one added in a raspy voice, “But then again, you don’t need to worry about getting hurt, do you?” They were both wearing suits, and the taller one wore a fedora on his head, and tilted it down over his face. The other man was about six inches shorter than his friend, about 5’7” and had long, blond hair put up in a ponytail in the back of his head. “You’re the special investigators, aren’t you?” I asked. The shorter one answered, “Yes, my name’s Jonathan Lucas. My friend here goes by Chameleon these days. And you are?” I moved on to the more important stuff, “What do you want? Did the sheriff tell you about what happened?” Lucas got a disappointed look on his face. “You told Sheriff Garland about your ability? Hm. Chameleon, make sure we get the Haitian out here as soon as possible,” Lucas said. I was lost, and starting to get angry. “Answer the goddamn question. What do you want?” “Calm down, we’re to help you. We know about your ability, we know you can’t be hurt, we know you’re over eighty years old. We’re here to let you know…you’re not alone,” said Lucas. That caught my attention. |
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| dman_dustin | Dec 13 2008, 05:56 PM Post #4 |
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Well I just read chapter one and two and it looks good so far. But I see you posted Chapter 3 before I could comment, so I'll read that in a minute. Edit: Very good chapter 3, I like the origins so far. Edited by dman_dustin, Dec 13 2008, 06:00 PM.
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| OminousShadow87 | Dec 13 2008, 06:03 PM Post #5 |
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Chapter Four Stasis They loaded up my motorcycle in the back of their van. The van was labeled “Primatech Paper” and that’s exactly where they took me, to a paper factory. Underneath the factory laid several floors of labs…and cells. Lucas explained to me that I was not alone in having special abilities. Some people were like me, they never died. There was a man who had been alive for over 400 years, a man named Adam Munroe. There is also a young girl, a cheerleader named Claire Bennet, who healed from any wound like Adam. There are others with other abilities too; mind reading, pyrokinesis, super strength, flying, time travel, the works. There are some that absorb the abilities of others, others that can block the abilities of others. After telling me about all these people, Lucas took me to a scientist the Company had working for them, Dr. Lester. “So you regenerate then, is that it?” he asked me. “No. I just don’t get hurt,” I replied. “So you’re invulnerable?” he asked. “Yes, but it’s more than that. I don’t age either,” I stated. “And how long have you known about your power?” he continued. He hasn’t looked at me since he entered the room. He kept writing on his clipboard, adjusting his thick, heavy glasses every so often so they wouldn’t fall off his bald head. “I don’t know. I think it’s kind of developed over time,” I told him. “How so?” he asked. “Well, I aged normally until my teenage years. And I’ve been hurt before…just not in awhile,” I told him. “When was the last time you were seriously injured?” he asked. I replied, “Nam. I was shot in the side of my stomach. Three days later, the bullet came out the other end.” Now he looked up. “Really…Tell me about your eating and sleeping habits. Do you do them both everyday?” Now he was interested. “I only get hungry…maybe once a week. I might get 8 hours of sleep a month. It used to be more though, the older I’ve gotten, the longer I seem to go without those things.” “Hmm…I don’t know how to tell you this, but…not only are you not immortal, but you are going to die in the next ten years,” said Dr. Lester. I jumped up, “What!? I’m mortal!?” “Not exactly. You’re not going to die technically…it’s much worse than that. Come with me,” said Lester as he stood up and left the room. I followed Dr. Lester into a secure room with a complicated password and two key cards to get into. Inside was a man, no older than thirty, sitting down as if in a chair, but no chair was below him. His eyes were open, but they did not move. He did not blink, he did not breathe, he did nothing. It’s like he was frozen there. “What is this, Dr. Lester?” I asked. “This is you in ten years. You both have the same ability. It’s…it’s like a, a stasis, really. You slow down, so to speak. Things stop effecting you, it’s…it’s like a slowly failing internet connection. Right now, you are in your prime. Outside things have stopped influencing you, back in Vietnam, you weren’t quite as far along, the bullet got in you, and what should have gone straight through you took three days to do. You are essentially trapped inside your own world, your own reality. Eventually you stop needing sleep and food altogether. You are already completely invulnerable. In a few years, you’ll start moving slower. It will be subtle at first, but eventually you will see things, you will try to react, but it’s as if the world around you will be in fast forward, when in reality, you are the one slowing down. Eventually you will stop altogether, like this man, Albert Brown. It’s a bit difficult to explain properly…we never expected to meet another person with the same ability…” Lester painted a picture all too well. He told me the man, Albert, was born in 1899, and stopped moving completely twenty years ago. It seems that for us, time passes slower and slower, until eventually, time will stop moving for us completely. “Doc, there has to be a solution to this problem. If there’s all these super-powered people out there, can’t one of them heal us or something?” I asked him. “We’ve tried the conventional methods. We had a man in management, Mr. Linderman, he can heal things. But his power was helpless to stop Mr. Brown’s…problem. We also have a mute man known only as, ‘The Haitian’. He has the ability to block powers altogether, but he was also unable to save Albert. We had a theory that someone who could alter the space/time continuum would be able to reverse time on Albert and…de-age him if you will, rewind time just on him so he could go back to where you are now, or maybe even earlier,” he explained. I pushed him further, “Well why didn’t you pursue this theory? What’s wrong?” He defended himself, saying, “Look, Albert is untouchable right now. The last thing he ever did was sit in that exact spot, we’ve moved the chair since then. We redesigned this room to hold him here. He is completely safe as he is and so there was no rush to hunt down someone with space/time powers. Besides, they are quite rare. Very few ever recorded, even less than regenerators, or empaths, the ones who take other’s powers. In fact, the only rarer ability…is yours.” I got what I wished for. I was mortal. I was going to die in ten years, and lead a pitiful existence the last half of those ten. Unless I did something about it. “Well then you know what I need to do, doctor. I need to find a master of the space/time continuum,” I told him. I began to leave, and Dr. Lester asked me, “I never got your name.” I thought about the children, the ones I couldn’t forgive myself for killing, the accident that got me in this mess. Their names, my ability. Stan Timmy Alvin Simon Ivan Susan “My name,” I said, “Call me Stasis.” |
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| OminousShadow87 | Dec 13 2008, 06:04 PM Post #6 |
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And that's that. This all would take place before Ashes's Origins, because I used the same agent that Ashes killed in the end. Or maybe the bullet just grazed his skull...I am growing quite attached to the child-killing bastard...haha. |
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| dman_dustin | Dec 13 2008, 06:32 PM Post #7 |
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Interesting, you explained his ability well. So if your done with the origins, I guess you could just write in the Dimensional Portal or elsewhere in the meantime. |
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| OminousShadow87 | Dec 13 2008, 06:39 PM Post #8 |
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I'm glad you think I explained the ability well. I tried very hard to make it clear, it's not the easiest of concepts to understand, and even harder to explain. I was wondering if all the Doctor's ramblings would make any sense. It seems I succeeded. 
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