Escalation: The Fourth Wave

Dedicated to Roger of Freehold, NJ, who entered the Land of the Dead rather unexpectedly himself, right about then.

• Takeover. Douglas, Massachusetts (my town of residence) is taken over by near-mystic entities, and sealed off near its major highways by law enforcement. But I get in by pretending to be a stock car racer. (Greater Douglas is home to stock car racing.) I sneak back to my condo home, which is now a pavillion used by villains, and dare them to come out. But they retreat. They must have something more important in mind... like something else to take over. (16 October 1996)
• Hitler Gets Mellow. I time-travel to a set of political negotiations which led to the Third Reich. However, this is different from what I read about. Adolf Hitler has a full beard and mustache, and is wearing a suit and tie, not a storm-trooper's outfit. I find out he's doing everything for the unrequited love of one "Louise Fingeroth" who also time-traveled there. Louise comes from a university in the far future, and is needed back there to teach a class. I volunteer to substitute, but I'm not qualified. Louise goes home. Hitler gets elected, but eventually gives it all up to come to the (relatively near) future with me to be closer to Louise. (30 December 1996)
• City of the Dead, Revisited. When there's a change of government in the City of the Dead, some of the residents get out of control. Some of the living get kidnapped there, including Wenchy, a correspondent of mine from the Internet. (16 January 1997)
  • I'm roughly the second most qualified person to rescue them. The most qualified person is the Champion of Death... but she's being held hostage. I see the photos of her held captive in a ring of fire, because some skinhead mystics make a point of showing them to me. They tell me I'd be there too, if I'd been in Douglas when they came looking for me. And they dare me to intervene.
  • I'd sit this one out, just to annoy them, but it's not like I'm going to let them win. Nazi punks who love Death should all find out what it's like for themselves. So, it's a good thing I can find some other help.
  • My friend Karen Bodil agrees to help storm the land of the Dead with me. That's awfully nice of her. I know she's capable, because she's fought, among other things, mystic robots and conqueror aliens with me. But I tell her about a different way in from what I'm taking, because people are obviously watching Champions of Death. I plan to go in separately, with...
  • ... a high school girl Lisa, who vaguely represents Karen. She once went into the land of the Dead with me by accident. Now she's willing to go back, just because I say it might help people. I guess it pays to make friends with brave teenagers.
  • We all plan to approach the land of the Dead by way of a local hill. Lisa and I get stopped at one side, with threats not to continue. The good news is, if they think we can stop right now, they don't know how far the plan has gone already. We're committed now.
• Sunday School of the Dead. So I've made it into the afterlife. They're making me teach Sunday School there, with Lisa in class. And one of my naughtier acquaintances from grade school is there waiting for me. He even pulls my hair, which is about as intellectual as he ever got. If I'd ever been under the impression that good people had taken over here, this would have dispelled it. (17 January 1997)
• Huh? I still gotta eat, so I go to the Cafeteria of the Dead. But as it turns out, I should beware the meat loaf when it's medium rare. This is the last time I take a dinner suggestion from someone who works in the Sunday School of the Dead. This guy is a Nazi punk, in the worst fictional sense, where the standard Nazi battle tactic is to slaughter the members of their own party to confuse their enemies. He eats the meat loaf with me, to convince me how good it is - and we both die. We come back to the City of the Dead for real, as junior residents. (18 January 1997)
• War Crimes. I go on trial in what looks like war-torn Berlin for stirring up trouble, and only some ex-Nazis can save me. (Karen made contact with the ex-Nazis, and Lisa found Karen while I was out.) Our defense depends on showing (using a scale model build with match sticks) how the Reichstag would burn if I hadn't prevented Hitler's coming to power in an alternate universe. (22 January 1997)
• Postlude. After the trial, I see people I know among the Dead. Of course, Mom's not there, because she goes where she pleases. (She annoys me among the Living all the time.) But I have a friend Roger, who used to be a firefighter, but died of a sudden heart attack; I see him again.
  • Roger's been protecting some of the living abductees from the evil ones around here. He hands over the ones I know, including my Internet pal Wenchy, who he says is a delightful young woman. (Well, she's my age, anyway.)
  • But Roger sang with a church choir when I knew him. When I ask him why he isn't singing with the angels in heaven now, he says he got the offer, but figured he'd take it up later, when he could bring some friends.