Apocalypse Now!

Alarms had begun to blare as lxxy made his way, deftly now, out of the forensics laboratory. Some stared, others were too busy holding their ears or tending to bleeding noses. Headaches grew worse as lxxy passed them by, one by one, a migraine the size of New York City.

A hangover right about now would be a welcome reprieve.

Some had fallen unconscious, alive and still kicking. But when they awoke, the pain would still be there. lxxy understood, still, the value of life. Even if these mongrels didn't. They sat in seats of power, conjuring up the allusion of civility and control. He'd almost be half convinced, if he was but a drone among the supple larvae.

He didn't want to hurt anyone, just barrage them with their worst nightmares.

Fear. Panic. Control.

Thou shall not harm, but thou shall subdue.

It wasn't long before lxxy was nearly topside. Charlize was being held captive, and in pain. Of course, the pain was from him. He'd love to stem the tide, but what was done was done--and truthfully, his ability to control his power was not that refined.

Armageddon was a misplaced finger wave away.

But it wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be some sort of revolution, a renaissance of humanity. The world it's self was globally connected, an infrastructure of electric pulses, lights, satellites, and radio waves granted every human being the ability to converse with one another, if not artificially in distance than even perhaps some day through translation in language and culture.

There were no barriers here, yet they artificially erected them at each turn they had. If the human species wasn't separated by creed, it was at least distinguished amongst it's self by silly things like race, religion, economic standing, and even by sex and gender. lxxy blurred those lines, having spent equal time in both mindsets for a period (no pun intended).

It was quite useful to walk both sides of the arbitrarily hammered down tracks.

What do you get when you build up your walls,

And find that the pieces don`t match up?

You will see as it grows up tall,

The higher you go, the farther you fall!

T.E.T.R.I.S.! 

Why do we build the overpowering need to

Fight these incongruities?

Seems to me we'll continue the struggling

In this way eternally!

When you wake from the American dream,

And find you no longer fit the mold.

Suddenly you`re dead to the world,

And you've been left out in the cold!

T.E.T.R.I.S.!

When you think you've won....

You will disappear....

And when you are wrong,

You will be dead and gone!

What do you get when you build up your walls,

And find that the pieces don`t match up?

You will see as it grows up tall,

The higher you go, the farther you fall!

When you wake from the American dream,

And find you no longer fit the mold.

Suddenly you`re dead to the world,

And you've been left out in the cold!

Whiz was startled as Alex and John re-appeared in the back-seat of their black SUV. "Boss, got the match on the alien's space-time. He shifted back to the space-time of his last earthly contact. But there's more."

Alex was no longer cloaked, and so looked over with a quizzical expression, a white eyebrow hefted up that was chortle worthy, if you were witnessing from afar. "What is more?"

Whiz continued. "I lost him for a bit. Figured he'd slipped to another s-t, but it turns out he's torn a riff and begun his own new timeline."

John was wide eyed...

"What are you saying? He has somehow altered reality in countless ways?!"

Alex held up his hand. "Quiet. It's obvious he's already altered it in countless ways, he's just made this last one count."

Whiz nodded. "Right."

John looked between the two. "Really? 'cause that last sentence sounded quite awkward."

Alex looked over to John with a stoic grin. "You jackass, this isn't some new age novel, this is real life we're talking about."

John bowed his head in shame.

"Exactly," Whiz went on. "We need to somehow warp to that juncture in space-time so we can asses the situation."

Alex sighed. "Asses? I think I'm beyond observing, it's time we take this down to china town."

John glanced over towards Alex. "You know, if you say that again, I don't care how much pain I'll experience burning in hell, but I will kill you."

Alex shrugs. "Fair enough. Let's go!"

A club owner proudly observes the crowd as the band plays. Screw his minister saying it was ungodly, he believed that metal was just fine as long as the kids kept it to a peaceful flesh wound or three. Many things can inadvertently happen in the tidal wave that is a mosh pit. Unintended violence was a regular occurrence, and it was nothing to be angry at. Just remember not to hold out that knife, or most likely, lighter, when the groundswell of biomass invades your general area.

Yes, what a crowd. He could almost feel their energy flowing forth, in a frothy mixture of sweat, blood, milk, and sky. With a chuckle, he wondered if there were going to be any gold teeth this time. There was always just plain teeth, anyway. Gold teeth were extra special. Not only were they worth a bit of money, but it also meant that judging by the amount of enamel debris after each show, a gold tooth meant a repeat customer to the venue.

Alex, Whiz, and John have arrived. It was in a club, whereupon a band had just finished playing and a new one was setting up. "Where the hell are we?" John asked earnestly.

Alex shrugged. "Probably the correct timeline, right Whiz?"

Whiz nodded. "Right."

John was the first to exit the vehicle, the others followed as a bunch of random dancers all converged on the scene. Amazingly, none had been hurt as they exited the wormhole that had enabled them to slip into this new rift of s-t.

"Killer band!" John said, as he approached the crowd. The setup was complete, and they begun to belt out their message amidst a backdrop of video and fuzzed out reverb.

John got into the music, Whiz slowly exited to find his way to the bathroom. Alex approached the nearest thing that looked like a bar and ordered a drink. As he mixed it, took a swig, and looked around, he saw that the band had begun something like another song. As if you could tell with this shit today.

Whiz came back, ordered himself a drink, and watched as the band played on. John fought through the crowd in search of water. "This is really groovy stuff. I had no idea this sort of music ever existed."

Alex shook his head. "Yeah, and I wish it never has."

John ordered a drink, and downed it amidst gasps for air. It was a gin and tonic. "Whatever," he said, still panting and drenched in sweat. "I'm getting back in there!"

Alex waved his hand as John disappeared again through the crowd."So, where are we--and better yet, when are we? And don't forget, where are we?! Oh, and the game."

Whiz growled, losing this round of the game. Pulling out his iPhone he got to work. Growing wide eyed, then laughing. "Ziggy says that 'it seems like all my new years resolutions go in one year, and out the other.' Ain't that funny?!"

Alex choked on his drink. "You mean to tell me you got that A.I. from Quantum Leap on your iPhone?"

Whiz shook his head. "Nah, I got Ziggy comics in my Google Reader. Great for a daily laugh, ya know?"

With a face palm Alex shooed Whiz away, but all they both really did was look up as the third song began. As it roared through a crowd began to form, a circular gathering of different people and it was anyones guess as to what the creamy center consisted of.

Time would tell it to be John.

A restless reaction to what I witness.

Taught to believe that ignorance is strength.
A dystopic creation dividing a nation.
Theocratic agendas breeding fear from hate.

A last chance to rectify, a fading hope now lost in time.

_{To retain control of an open mind,}
^{To recoup the losses and fall in line.}

Waiting in worry for the confirmation of information which proves to be a case of history repeating:

This is a call to arms. This is a call to war.

This is a call instilling fear in all.

This is a rallying cry.

This is a reason to die.

Divided we stand, and united we fall.

Tension mounting with every moment...

Ascending faster than the speed of sound!
Suffice to say we succumb to combat,
Sending our successors to the battleground!

A sole voice to justify, a reason for so many to decry.

Intolerance and faith confides that death is a product of peace inside!

Waiting in worry for the confirmation of information which proves to be a case of history repeating:

This is a call to arms. This is a call to war.

This is a call instilling fear in all.

This is a rallying cry.

Divided we stand, and united we fall.

This is a call to arms. This is a call to war.

This is a call instilling fear in all.

This is a rallying cry.

Divided we stand, and united we fall!

WE FALL!

WE FALL!

lxxy continued his onslaught as he exited the compound. All personnel were to report immediately to the medical bay, as soon as they could move. No one was following him.

And so, like a slithering snake, he slipped into the night. He walked miles upon miles of baron wasteland, a death valley offering not even one mirage. Was this the end of lxxy? Would he arise from the grave, three times strong, only to find himself dead in the desert?

Was he just carrion? Some wet dream for buzzards to pick apart? How ironic, he thought now, that only a day ago he had watched a cartoon depicting this very scene.

He collapsed there, in the dust bowl of still night. The cactus was no help, and nor were the rattle snakes, tarantulas, and gerbils.

He waited there, in the heat of the night. Waiting for the sun to arise, to bake the moistness out of his skin even further. He was waiting for his kidneys to shut down, for death to reap his soul once more.

Perhaps it was for the best.

Sleep came easily, overcome by exhaustion and lack of anything, he would dream fitfully of his death at the hands of all who had called him friend, comrade, savoir, confident, or equal.

Ants are in the sugar,
Muscles atrophied,
We're on the other side, the screen is us and we're t.v..

Spread me open,
sticking to my pointy ribs,
are all your infants in abortion cribs...

I was born into this...

...everything turns to shit,

the boy that you loved is the man that you fear.

Pray unto your numbers,
asleep from all your pain.
Your apple has been rotting,
tomorrow's turned up dead.

I have it all and i have no choice but to,
I'll make everyone pay and you will see.

You can kill yourself now,
because you're dead in my mind,

the boy that you loved is the monster you fear.

Peel off all those eyes, crawl into the dark,
you poisoned all your children to camouflage your scars.

Pray unto the splinters, pray unto your fear.
Pray your life was just a dream,
the cut that never heals.

Pray now baby, pray your life was just a dream...

(I am so tangled in my sins that I cannot escape...)

Pinch the head off, collapse me like a weed...
...someone had to go this far.

I was born into this,
everything turns to shit.

the boy that you loved is the man that you fear....

Peel off all those eyes and crawl into the dark,
you poisoned all your children to camouflage your scars.

Pray unto the splinters, pray unto your fear,
Pray your life was just a dream,

the cut that never heals...

Pray now baby, pray your life was just a dream...

The world in my hands, there's no one left to hear you scream...
...there's no one left for you at all.

"When all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed.."