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NEW BOSNIA
Part 2: The Land of Coins and Diners
What Has Gone Before:
The superhuman former basketball player Scott Stiles, also known as the Super Savior, has led 144,000 religious refugees from his famine-stricken Earth to an alternate Earth whose leading power is Turkey. The Turks were ready for them. They were captured near New York City by the army of this universe's Sultan, Hope Springs VII.
A hermit wizard man-bee from yet a third universe was sucked along with the refugees. He used his wizard powers to resist capture, stung one man, then saved Scott Stiles and flew away. The stung man became a man-bee and followed. They hide now in a warehouse in Bayonne, New Jersey - known as New Bosnia here.
The Sultan, along with the visiting Chancellor Wyatt Ferguson from yet a fourth universe, began planning against them. The Sultan has many consultants with many plans to deal with bees.
Meanwhile, Psychovant the Duck and his rival Atomic Rabbit have been unceremoniously depowered and deposited on the Sultan's Earth by two artifacts known as Kubrik's Kubes.
Previous Episode: New Bosnia Part 1: By Appointment To Their Majesties (www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/newbosnia1.txt)
Previous Episode: Just Another Multi-Writer Cascade That Will Probably Never Have an Ending #10: Good Duck! (www.eilertech.com/stories/lnh/cascade3.txt)
Tuesday 24 May 2011
Scott Stiles said, "Okay. Where are we? And where are my people?"
"We know not. Firszzt we feed... We bring you back human food." The giant bees flew away.
"Okaaay," Scott said to himself. "Don't want to think about how they'll find human food. But they've got a point. They forage, I forage."
Scott went out walking. He had time to walk all around... He was in an industrial park. There were checkpoints on one road, two railroads, and a bordering golf course.
He picked one checkpoint. He picked up a big piece of rubble, threw it one direction, then easily dashed the other way.
There were no big shopping centers, even along the nearest main street. But there were little stores on a street two blocks away, named Broadway. Scott thought, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
He decided to try his luck in a jewelry-and-pawn shop. When he'd come to town, he was loaded with gold coin - and some silver too. A few of his silver coins were good enough to get some New York Free City paper currency. He decided to save the gold until he knew more about things here.
Then he hung out at a diner. It was a lot like home, with a TV. Everyone was a lot the same, but no one would talk at the lunch counter. And of course the news was different. They had nothing in the news about Super-Savior captives. The big story was, the Women's Fast Artillery Battalion was on parade in Manhattan, visiting from Turkey! It was like a slow news day back home, only with much more Turkey. There were two USA's: Southron USA and True USA. True USA territory seemed to start outside the NYC metro area... He went home with two dinners - extra just in case.
Scott Stiles waited until dark, then went a different way back into the perimeter without incident. But he thought to himself, they might still be watching. There were only three public ways in or out, and not a lot more secret ways. He couldn't go back and forth for long.
When he got back to the warehouse, the bees were waiting. They had brought live animals: a duck and a rabbit. The former Norwegian bee pointed to them and said, "Kill and feaszzt."
"Uh, no, thanks, I foraged for myself." Scott held up his two styrofoam cartons.
The duck said, "Oh, good. What'ja bring for me?"
The rabbit turned on his back and waved his paws in the air. Like he was laughing.
Scott Stiles was dumbstruck. The junior giant bee spoke in his stead. "Do szzmall game animalszz szzpeak in your land?"
The duck retorted, "Who the %#!! you calling game? And whose land you talking about?"
"Not ourszz. We merely aszzzumed your animalszz did not szzpeak here."
The duck looked up at the two man-sized hovering bees. "Well, we merely azzzzzuuuumed Our Monster Bee Overlords hadn't conquered the planet before we landed here!" It looked over at Scott. "WHAT THE #@(% IS GOING ON?"
Scott Stiles had been in committee meetings before. This was like a really bad one, only full of animals. But he was the authority in his committees, and he was the nearest thing to a chairman here. "OKAAAY! This Meeting is Called to Order! Roll Call!" He pointed at the talking bee.
"Overmaszzter, I obey. I am Tor, szzzervant drone of my Maszzzter Bee Gavrilo From Beyond!" Tor the talking bee pointed one limb at the other silent bee.
"Okaay..." Scott pointed at the duck. "Your turn! And the rabbit's!"
The duck grinned evilly, if ducks can grin or be evil. "I am Psychovant, zzzzzzervant drone of NO ONE ANYWHERE!" It pointed at the rabbit. "And thizzzzz is my annoying companion, Atomic Rabbit From Beyond! Fear his awesome rabbitude, strong enough to negate my own mighty powers! Eat him first, and I shall be restored!"
"Gee, he doesn't look too atomic to me."
"Sure he's atomic! Check out that fur tattoo on his chest! A-R! Atomic Rabbit! Eat him fast before he explodes!"
Scott picked up the bunny. "Yeah, there's a kind of fur line that looks like letters there. But it looks like A-B to me. You sure he isn't Atomic Bunny or something?"
"No, dammit! A-R! Right there!... Hey, wait a minute, we were having roll call. Who are you?"
"Scott Stiles."
"Scott Stiles... That sounds &@#= familiar. Super-Savior?"
"You've heard of me?"
"Yeah, I heard of you. You're about the creepiest religion on Earth! How'd your rapture plans go?"
"Well, they went here."
"Aww, dammit. Of all the places I had to be stuck."
A light finally dawned in Scott's brain. "Hey, what're you doing here? Aren't you Mal Dunevoy's fancy duck cyborg?"
"%&@! Mal Dunevoy! I hope he rots in hell!"
"But you know Mal Dunevoy?"
"Oh, I know Mal Dunevoy..."
Scott Stiles was moved almost to tears. "You are from home! You're from home!" He hugged the duck to his chest. The duck said, "Gak!"
Then there was a whistle in the sky. And things started exploding.
To Be Continued in New Bosnia #3, The Land of Smoke and Pollen!
Author's Notes:
I wish I hadn't called him "Scott". But it's a perfectly decent name, even though I share it. I gave him that name without thinking he'd ever be this significant. Oh well.
I've declared an extra episode. I'm building up to the promised episode The Land of Smoke and Pollen (and the many things beyond it) with a small step in front, to accommodate some extra guests. That's probably best.
The pasts of both Scott Stiles the Super-Savior and Psychovant the Cartoon Cyborg Demon Duck are both coming to light here. But they're both actually on record already, starting at:
- Psychovant: www.eilertech.com/stories/2009/iran.htm
- Super-Savior: www.eilertech.com/stories/2004/me2004.htm#supersavior
Gavrilo the Hermit Wizard Monster Bee is a character of Wil Alambre and is used by permission. Atomic Bunny / Atomic Rabbit is a 1950s character of Charlton Comics and is now public domain. All other characters in this fiction are copyright 2014, Eiler Technical Enterprises.
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