Generations ago the shield went up, separating our world in two, humans on one side and super-humans on the other. Our governments came to the conclusions to reside on either side of our planet, as jealousy began to play a major part from schools, winning all of the scholarships, to the workplace; the completion of tasks seconds after being told what to do was too much for us to catch-up with. We humans were the lower of the species on our world. So, for over two hundred and twenty-seven years we have lived separately. Until now.
The shield stands with a light whooshing sound of a purring engine which ripples from the ground to the sky. The mechanics of the walls generators are all buried meters under the ground.
“Don’t you just wonder about what they are like now? How do we know there is anyone even on the other side of the wall?” I roar with a dreaming tone as I look up into uncharted sky beyond the red shield on the super-side.
“Matty, we have all seen the human movies that portray all their powers, of course we have to use wires and special-effects but we get the idea of what they are. You always do this, dude. They are still over there; don’t worry about that, focus on your life on this side of the shield. My opinion from what I have read and seen, they’re all ass-clowns.” Dev takes another swig of pinched beer as he loafs on a raggedy sun-lounger; his cap drooped over his face. “C’mon Matt, let’s roll-out, I’m getting bored.”
“Go on without me, Dev.” I babble from my innards.
He looks over at me with his wavy-eyes, no hope there.
“Your rents still giving you jip?” He wipes the beer sweat from around his mouth. The sun is banishing quickly for another day. From his peepers to his feet my eyes are dragged down. “You know, you shouldn’t let them push you around, it’s not their life. You’re the smartest guy I know, make your own future. Forget what they say.”
I turn back to the shield and place my right hand on the red wall. My family’s demons rest within my eyes when I begin to talk about them.
“I guess we’re a lot more broken on this side of the shield. I’ll see you tomorrow, dude. “
He stands for a brief minute; eventually he throws his beer into the shield, smashing it. “You’ll figure it out, Matt. You always do.” He stumble strolls away over the loose clumps of rocks.
I’ll imagine a little more until I am surrounded by darkness, at this point I will go home and live within my nightmare. The wind picks up slightly, covering me in a chilly sand cloud.
I prop both my hands on the wall and look down at my feet, spitting at the sand, crestfallen.
“All my dreams will come true one day, pick-up you pride, Matty.” I close my eyes and try to wish for it.
I fall forward and land side-first on the dirt.
“Okay, that hurt.” I turn onto my back, brushing off the dust soil from my clothes. “I’m on the super-side.” I rise to my feet swiftly and race to the wall, trying my hardest to push back through. “Dev! Dev, I’m on the other side of the wall, I need help. Dev!” No use, he has beaten it. Out of breath I sit on a massive boulder and stare at my campsite, where I have sat with Dev since we were kids.
“A glitch, they’ve only ever been seen; no person from either side has ever fallen through one. Yeah, I am one of the unlucky ones, now not only on my side of the world.”
There’s only one thing from it, wait from Dev to come back, get our government involved and probably start an out-international incident. First time for everything. Or I could find a kind Super who can fly me back home.
The trek is on for life. I walk unknowingly on uncharted ground; even though I am desert-bound the night air still brings on cold-goosebumps to my upper-arms. I check my watch 02:13 am. I think it’s time to rest up shop, I prop my back up against a dead almost-fossilized tree, with a pulsating pain, I believe I have broken a rib when I fell earlier. Shiver yourself to sleep, Matt, it will all make sense when the sun comes up.
—
I shoot myself awake to the sound of a snap-pop of thunder and the screech of wind, but no breeze rubs arms with me.
“What the hell was that?” I bark to the cacti and dung-beetles that scurry across the floor. Readjusting my spine from a terrible and short night’s sleep I gain bearings, it wasn’t a dream, I’m still here.
I stand, looking around for signs of enhanced living, nothing. I do hear poppy-music far-familiar to the ones I hear on the human radio. I sceptically jog up a hillock and try to hide behind a few mass of rocks.
A small town, no roads leading neither in nor out; none the less a community has flourished in the dry eyes of the deserts mirage. On one of the streets an undersized blonde girl, standing at the end of a road looking out onto a plot of land. From out of nowhere the skeleton of a huge apartment building is materialized, from thin-air the exterior of the building is wrapped in brick. Lastly windows, doors and guttering are imagined into reality, right before my very eyes, a building is made; the young girl skips off down the street.
“What you doing skulking up here?” An observed female’s voice puts out.
I slip in scare; falling backwards onto my bed of sand. From blur to focused, she must be an angel if angels were real. Wavy black hair; she is Goth mirrored but her eyes were as peaceful as the rebellion statement she wears.
“I was looking at the young girl make that building from nothing, like with her thoughts.” I sang with grog-voice.
“Her name is Cassie; she lives next door to me. And her job is making things with her thoughts. It’s a better job that I have; she just made ten-thou-notes. Here give me your hand.” I pull myself up to her level. “You’re not from around these parts, are you?”
“Well no, I kind of fell through a glitch in the shield and couldn’t get back through.” In shock the strange girl takes a step backwards.
“You’re human. No – No this is bad, this is really bad. Oh my God, they will kill you if they find out a human has crossed over. You’re such a div! I can’t protect you from them, I can only fly.”
I interrupt her meltdown. “You can fly?” She looks at me with lightening then her seas calms.
“Yeah, I’m a delivery girl. It’s the only thing fliers are good for; taking things from A to B, that’s if you’re not a teleporter. Low money but second hand things needed to be shifted too.”
“That’s so awesome. I just have a question.” She nods. “What’s a div?” She laughs from her nose.
“A div is a stupid person; I wasn’t calling you stupid, I’m sorry. The whole situation is messed-up. You need to listen; there is a special part of our government here called the N.S.A.A.H. The National Security Association against Humans. This branch wants to eradicate all humans from this world so we can live as a whole not as equals, they look at you as a threat.” I see the look of fear in her eyes.
“Damn, well can’t you do your supergirl thing and fly me over the shield?”
She sits on a rock looking for her next move in the sand.
“It won’t do any good if I took you up there, it ends on the outskirts of space, that’s the reason why no of us have ever stepped foot on your side. There might be one way.” A light bulb is switched on.
“Name it! I haven’t even been here one day and my life is at stake and I am bringing more people or supers into my trouble. Its fine you don’t have to help me, I’ll find a way by myself.” I look out into the horizon.
“Hey, if I were to leave you and something happened to you then I would be a sucky hero, wouldn’t I? There may be one way but it’s going to be hard and we will have to walk through government territories, which if they find you with me, my ass is worm food also. So we’re going to need help, come with me.”
She grabs hold of my hand and runs me down the side of the sand hill onto the street.
“This is where I live, Superville, excuse the name. Act natural, do not act like a human I mean because all it takes is for one nosey neighbour or mind-reader to get in your head and figure out what you are, game over. I have a couple of friends that mind be able to help with our little problem.”
She leads on entering into a garden, walking up to what looks to a 50’s ranch house. She rings the bell. “What’s the password?” A voice from the other side commands.
“Open the door Butt-hole!” She grins into the peeper of the door. “Close enough, Blondie” The door swings open to a nerdy teen, around my age of seventeen, dressed in close to a mix of a doctors scrubs and casual clothing; a box of popcorn gripped tight. “C’mon in. Butch and I are about to watch When Humans Attack four. Who’s your friend?” He states throwing popcorn into his mouth.
“This is….” She didn’t even ask my name, I jump forward with an open hand. “I’m Matty, nice to meet you, man.”
With a full mouth of popcorn. “Hi Matty. I’m Jensen but everyone calls me Brains. Alicia has never mentioned you before.” She stands in front of me.
“We need to talk Brains.” She hastily urges.
—
In Brains bedroom lays taken apart computers that have been reassembled to make a Frankenstein-computer. Mechanical objects have been given life, he must really have brains. Jensen sits in front of me, mouth resting in awe. In the corner sits a quiet girl, very introvert within herself wearing what can only be noticed as librarian clothes. She is the one they keep calling Butch.
“A human here, sitting right in front of me. I thought I would never see the day. Licia’ if the N.S.A.A.H finds out you know he’s a goner, right?”
Alicia sits down beside Jensen, placing a hand on his back.
“That’s why I have come to you. You are a marvel genius; you are the smartest guy I know. We need your help to make sure he gets back home or they will cut him up in a lab. And I can only do it if I have my friend on my side with me. Take a risk with me.” She pleads.
He exhales the worry from his racing heartbeat within a blow, slicks back his head and nods in agreement. “What’s the plan?” He gives in.
“Sweet! Well, there is no actual way we can turn off the power to the shield but if we talked to Lady Helen and get us on our side, she may take Matty home without anyone even knowing.”
“I’m sorry; I’m feeling a little more human today than usual. Can someone tell me what is happening and why they call the girl sitting next to me, Butch?” I interject in a stern tone.
Jensen stands his eyes are moving like his is reading something, perhaps he is writing scenarios within his mind.
“They call her Butch because she is impervious to everything, she won’t even die, bullets, radiation nor even a common-super-cold could stop her but she is as quiet as a mouse. And Helen is the President of the Super-world’s daughter; she is the only living teleporter to have lived in over forty years. Now if we go there and manage to talk some sense into her, she may actually be able to take you home without tripping over bad grounds.” Alicia bites her bottom-lip.
“I’ve got it!” Jensen stammers with an eerie shriek. He stomps off through our huddle into his closet. “I made something when I was thirteen that might be able to help you, Matt.” Clothes, porn-magazines and old half dismantled machines are thrown out. “Tah-dah! I would like to introduce to you the static-human-flier. Which when turned on will harness the magnetic energy from our own world and resist our curse to it, which in theory should make you fly; no it will make you fly, Matt. Try it on, dude.”
—
I exit the bathroom; all the suit contains is some boots and gloves that have some circular holes within the base of each of them, wires from all four limbs lead under my clothing to a belt that has an on and off button and a volume knob.
“C’mon let’s go see if it still works.” Jensen inquires.
—
I stand in the middle of Jensen’s back garden the trio of heroes stand at his back door.
With one of his hands palms he holds around his mouth, Jensen asserts. “Okay, turn the belt on and turn up the volume knob to the halfway line.” I do that – Nothing.
I shrug my shoulders and begin to walk back. “I don’t think its working something must be wro…..” I shoot off like a rocket missing the homes chimney by centimetres. I climb higher and higher into the clouds, uncontrollably and dip and weave through clouds. I try and slow the speed by the volume knob but reaching for it I accidently flick the off switch.
I plummet downwards like a rock, repeatedly turning on and off the switch in a frantic rage. “C’mon, turn on! Help!”
“I’m coming!” I hear Alicia’s voice come from the cloud I just fell through. She shoots out with an opened hand. She grabs my shirt and pulls me into her; she wraps her legs around me.
“I can’t hold your weight; brace yourself for a crash landing.” We crash down in the sand area close to where we met.
“That was close. Thanks Alicia, you saved my life.” She stands up and brushes herself off.
“I’m a superhero, its kind’o my thing. C’mon, let’s go get you home.”
Brains and Butch are cheering at the start of the street. “That was awesome!”
Story Writer Alexander 