Kid Danger and the War of Un-Earth

This is a long short story I just started writing a week ago. I've put a lot of effort into it so I hope you all like it.

Enjoy and leave some feedback comments for me.

Thanks.

G. Scott Gentry the Second


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-Kid Danger and the War of Un-Earth.

The Old Man and Ja’Cain

A young man stood upon a large boulder that overlooked the shoulder of a highway that ran through several cliffs and valleys. The sun burned against his form in a soft-hearted heat that only worked to bring the tears to his eyes that he'd sworn away so long ago.
His steel-like blue green eyes faded to grey as the tears swept into his sight. His vision blurred and all he could see was the fiery sun on its downward flight. He wore black slacks, black shoes, a black shirt and a red tie. The sun actually confused the young man. He brought his hand up to block the light from his eyes and he remembered that the sun should have been coming up instead of setting. He looked at his watch only to find that it was 11:11 am and yet the sun was on its decent. The tears cascaded down his cheeks. Somehow he'd known that he would never see the sun after this descent. He wouldn't feel it's warmth. Not after tonight. Not ever.
He didn't know how he knows but he does. It's like an instinct of rather a bitter remorse. There was something nagging at his mind. Something that was threatening to overcome his logic and reasoning. Something that was pulling him away from that awfully warm sun.
In the back of his mind he heard the sirens. They were there and yet they weren't. It sounded as though his eardrums were closed and inside himself he felt his mind screaming at him to turn around. But he couldn't. To turn around would mean an acceptance. It would mean that he would have to surrender.
The sirens grew louder and fainter at the same time. He looked at the sun one last time. His eyes glowed brilliantly in the light as he nodded his head. He turned on the rock and stepped off into the street.
He saw it all at once. He remembered the crash. He remembered the car flipping. He remembered the girl screaming. Girl? What girl? Jane? Where was she? He saw her as well. The siren's held her firm as the paramedics pushed her into an ambulance.
The car itself was totalled. Parts, wheels, head lights and glass was scattered across the pavements and the guard rails were bent down from the impact of a one thousand pound vehical. He spotted what he hoped he had not had to see. Himself. His body was laying on its back. His dead blue eyes looked up into the sky and the sun was setting on them too. He shivered as he felt the cold of the night air pull the heat from his back. He stepped closer to the body of himself and looked into his own glassy eyes. It chilled him to the core.
The red tie suddenly lifted into the air by a sharp cold wind that ripped into the area around the highway. He felt his clothes being pulled by the wind but saw no evidence in his surroundings of it. He looked once more at his body on the hard pavements and his eyes widened at the blood surrounding his head.
He whispered to himself and to the body of himself, while not knowing which one was real or not. "Good Bye."
He stood straight and shook himself hoping it was all a dream. He looked up toward the dieing sun and realized that it was nearer dark than he had thought. The siren's and the flashing lights played dances with the shadows and in the distance he suddenly heard a howl. It burned into his mind and echoed within his soul. It pulled on every cord of fear in the fibers of his being. He turned toward the cliff and without a moment's hesitation, he raced for the edge.
A police officer, who looked as if he had just saw the kid materialize out of thin air yelled for him to stop. He screamed for the kid to stop. But he took flight off the cliff without looking back. The howl raged and a freefall ensued.
The young man with the blue green eyes and the red tie fell faster and faster toward the unforgiving dirt and rocky ground that waited for him at the bottem. He likened it to angry jaws of death and chance, opening wide, and hungry for blood. Just as he was about to hit he closed his eyes and all he heard was the deafening sound of a thousand glass mirriors breaking as he hit the ground and it gave way. He was swallowed again by gravitiy and fell even faster. His head hurt and his eyes watered. He fell through another pane of glass and then another. Each one brought the same ear-shattering effect.
He finally landed with a thud and a sickening bounce on a pavement road that seemed all to familiar, only because it looked like the same paved road on the sidewiding cliff on the highway where he had just seen his untimely death.
Only he stood looking a sun the stood high in the sky above a small town. The paved highway was still there and on the ground he could see the many shards of glass from his Acura, only there was no cliff, no sirens, and no girl screaming.
He looked around for the nearest sign and found the town to be lacking a sign. He decided to find the nearest person, which was an old-timer holding a cane and a dog sitting at the small fountain in the middle of town.
The young man walked toward the elder and nodded as he spoke.
"Sir. Forgive me for asking. But where am I?" His voice was dusty dry. His blue green eyes pleaded at the old man.
"You're in Raon. Young man. Where ya headed?" The old man's voice was rusty chains against rocks. It was both frightening and friendly at the same time.
"Headed? Home. I mean Bend, Oregon. Where is Raon?"
"Where?! Oh. I get it. You're not from Under-Earth are ya?"
"Under-what? No, I'm from. - " The young kid was interrupted by the old man.
"Shh. Be quiet for a second young one. The Walkers with hear ya!" The old man poked him in the chest with his cane and as soon as he did. A man with a knight-look of armor and a sword strutted into the town square. The townspeople wandering about all seemed to freeze and grow anxious as the Watched patrolled the square. A dark feeling of animosity wavered through the crowd and emenated from the dark man with the dark armor. He looked vicious, perhaps even cruel. It was as if he alone held the power to suppress and command. He looked around a bit and his eyes locked on the young man with the odd clothes and the crimson tie. He stared and after a few moments he started toward the south street. With the Walker gone, the old man resumed his boyish smile and nodded. "So what’s the name young one?"

"Kid Danger, Sir."

"Well Kid. The name is Sunny. Let me tell you a little something about what is what and where you are. There’s a lot to know about this place." Sunny spoke as he stood. He nodded to the black haired dog next to him who stood from his post next to the man. The dog lead the way and the old man started walking before he stopped and turned to Kid.

“Aren’t you coming boy?” He chuckled and kept walking.

The next half hour was spent with the old man leading the kid through a couple main cobblestone roads and a huge set of stone stairs. They arrived at the house and Sunny wove a tale that Kid could only describe as fantastical. Kid Danger also told the old man of his world. The real world. He interrupted the old man.

“Wait. You want me to believe that magic and dragons and everything I used to read in storybooks created for the entertainment of children exist? I’m sorry but the last thing I remember was seeing myself die. I don’t even know if I even still exist.”

“Oh they exist here as do you now. Un-Earth is not like where your from, but they exist in ways that you won’t imagine or can’t. It’s not like the story books here and it’s not like the world your from either. I’ve heard rumors that a place like the one your from existed and I frankly didn’t believe any of it until now.”

The irony caught Danger off guard. His blue green eyes shimmered in wonder at the apparent irony. What if there were others like him here?

“And as far as dragons and the Ockmen, you shouldn’t worry. In my life I’ve only seen several instances of each and the dragons and ockmen probably don’t even exist anymore. Most stories about ‘em are just stories. But remember Kid, here in Un-Earth. Anything can happen. I can attest for that.” The old man stood and laughed heartily. “Would you like some tea?”

“Yes Sir.” The young man nodded and stared at the old man as he limped toward the wood fireplace inside a house that reminded him of such a time as what he learned about in history class of the dark ages in feudal Europe. It was hard to take in and even to watch. The rules of the universe were now obscured and twisted in his head. He still fought what he knew with what he knows now.

“The old man turned from the kettle and smiled, “You’re one who doesn’t believe until they see. That’s okay, Kid. You’ll see enough. The fates bring what they will as they see fit for a reason. Don’t worry. You are what you were in the last life, only now you are what you were and will be. You’re everything you need to be for this. There’s a reason you’re here. You just need to find it.”

“The Fates?” Kid asked. Clearly intrigued.

“Aye, Lad. The Fates. The builders of life. The balancers and creators of destinies and worlds. They have taken a notice of you. That much I can tell.”

“Well whatever they are or they want. I know nothing of this world and nothing that can help me. I don’t even know what to do here. I just wish I could leave or go back.”

“Sorry lad. No one leaves Un-Earth. It’s a finality and an end. It’s the place on which the rest hinges. As for what you should do, I don’t know. I’m just an old man with a lot of knowledge about things that he doesn’t care much about any more. My time is ending and its ending quick. But I could use some help for awhile if you’d like to stay.”

Kid Danger smiled. “Yes. I would like. You’re the only person I know around here.”

“Well Good. You’re room is upstairs and to the right. I’ll cook some dinner and in the morning we’ll start the training.”

“Wait. Training? Training for what?” He looked worried and skeptical.

The old man laughed. “You want to survive here or not boy?” With that the old man sat in a dirty old wooden chair with a cup of tea and took a long pull on the pipe he placed in his mouth. The smoke curled above him and he could see through the primitive looking skylight that the sun was setting. They both talked for a bit more before the old man fetched stew from the pot above the fire for both of them. He told the young man about wars, and the Watchers, the history of Un-Earth and how a single nation known as the Rao conquered the known world. He told him about the suffering and oppression that the said nation wrought into the lives of every one under them. It was aristocracy and a dictatorship in one. The rich ruled and the poor suffered. After several hours and the darkness of night surrounded the town of Amor the old man stood from his wooden chair. The floor boards creaked under him. “Boy. You should get your rest. We have a long journey ahead of us and you have a lot of work tomorrow.” He laughed and was caught short by a long series of coughing.

“See you in the morning Sunny.” Kid climbed the stairs in disbelief. He wondered if the man was insane or if this place was real. He even pondered whether he was still alive or he was imagining it all. He pulled off his black clothes and the red tie and crawled in the old bed that awaited him in his cramped room. “I can’t believe I’m sleeping in a straw bed.” He whispered to himself and laughed. “I’m dead,” he decided out-loud with a smirk and closed his eyes.

That night he dreamed wildly. He dreamt of the car-crash, his dead body and the screaming girl. He saw the three images over and over again and yet he couldn’t remember how he even got to the dread-filled cliff on that highway in the first place. All he could remember was blackness followed by standing on the edge of the cliff looking at the sunset at 11:11 am. It made him feel helpless, that he was trapped within a nightmare or a world with no one to rescue or pull him back. For all he know he could be buried somewhere in a cemetary and his family could be crying over his tomb that marked his unfortunate death. The worst of it all was that he couldn’t remember his family, his life, or even the face of the screaming girl that haunted his mind. It echoed through his soul and when he woke, he found his pillow and his face covered in tears. It maddened him that he couldn’t remember. He didn’t want this and he wanted out. All he had now was some insane old man that was bent on a motivation to train him. Whatever for. Survive? He wasn’t sure he even wanted to survive here. Maybe if he died. He would go someplace else.

“Aye, it’s good reasoning lad. But you forget that no one leaves. Un-Earth is a finish line and a starting line all in the same.” The old man stood in the doorway of Kid’s new room. “You’re dreams kept me up last night. You have a powerful mind young one.”

Kid stood up from his bed quickly and in shock. He didn’t comprehend what just happened. The old man read his thoughts. Clearly he read his thoughts and it shook him to the core.


“Sunny. How did you do that?”

“Ha! It’s the easiest trick in the book. I thought even you already knew that. What you call magic in your little stories back where your from, we call Ja’Cain. It works as if you were in the stories but its an extension of your mind. Everyone has the ability, but few ever unlock it. Even fewer now that the Rao outlawed ‘Cain users. I can sense a greatness in you Kid. That’s why you’re here. But we’ll talk more of it later. Right now you have to go attend to some chores. The horse is in the back.” Sunny walked out of the room.

“Horse. I have to ride a horse?” He whispered, hoping Sunny didn’t hear it or “sense” it. He was even more scared than yesterday. “This place is a nightmare.”He stopped himself from shaking and started to put on his clothes when he found a set of leathers and clothe garments waiting for him. They were black as his clothes that he arrived in. The pants were rough leather like those in cowboy movies he watched as a child and the shirt was wool or cotton or some sort. On top of the shirt he wore a weird looking hard leather article that looked like some medieval form of light armor. It all fit him perfectly.

That’s exactly what it is Kid. He felt the man in his head and the words echoed around him like he was speaking in the same room. He felt in his head exactly where the man’s conscience was and he did the only thing he could think to do. In his mind he imagined a stonewall and pushed the man’s thoughts away like a barrier. It went up easily and then he slammed it into place against what felt like a door in his mind.

“Ow!” The old man yelled from the floor down. Danger rushed down to the main floor and smiled as the man looked at him in awe. “It would take an adult man years to learn that Kid. I’m impressed, but don’t experiment too much. Trying things that you don’t know could kill someone or even you. You’re messing with a power that no one clearly understands no matter how masterful they are. The horse is outside and I’d give ya a weapon but I fear you’d hurt yourself.” He laughed heartily again.

Kid felt the wall and found it still up in his mind. He was free to think. That man is utterly insane.

After reading the list that the old man gave him and struggling to guide the horse where he urged it to be he was able to pick up some meat and bread. He went to the blacksmith and ordered two four foot rods of iron which would be ready tomorrow, and he stopped in the townsquare at the fountain to give the horse a drink. The stallion was black as his clothes and for some reason the color seemed to follow him. The horse, the clothes that the old man seemed to coincidently have which fit him perfectly. The leather armor even had a weird looking crimson insignia on the left shoulder that gained him several stared from the crowds wandering about the marketplace. What he thought was a small town when he arrived was actually an massive city. The cobblestone roads were as numerous as the people. Inns and pubs stood along houses with slate shingles and white walls. In the distance standing above most of the buildings was a single white tower. Probably a church or some sort. He saw only a few Watchers and each time, he noticed that the citizens of the city all shied away and tried to be unsuspicious.


He arrived back at the old man’s house in the poorer part of the city and heard his hearty laugh as he almost fell dismounting the horse. Sunny stood at the back door. “You like the horse kid?”

“Yeah, sure. I can barely ride it. But yes I do.”

“What’ll ya name it?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is what said. It’s your horse and every good horse needs a name boy.”

Kid was astonished. A horse probably costs a fortune. He was about to refuse the gift and he noticed the hard look in the man’s eyes. So he decided on a name.

“I’ll name it, Ser.”

“Ah. It means ‘To Be’ in the old tongue. Aye it’s a good name boy.”

Thunder

The next couple of months were spent with Kid learning as much as he could about the Ja’Cain and the world that he now dwelt. The old man made him practice constantly how to ride a horse and how to use the new power that Kid Danger had now grown to accept and feel. He could feel it in everything around him and in his mind it reminded him of something of the “Force” in the old star wars movies. Only this ‘Force’ consisted of elements and natural forces like fire and water. Sunny taught him that the stronger your mind was or the more your strengthened it, the more complex things he could accomplish. Along with that, people in the town started to take notice of the young man with the odd black clothes and the black horse. Rumors spread and no one knew where he came from. They called him “The Kid.” a name which he thought fit nicely. He was starting to love the old man, and called him “Pop” after a time. He felt himself changing as he learned to ride the horse and use the Ja’Cain with ease.

“Alright boy. I want you to focus on fire. Bring it to your mind and light that candle over there. Remember that distance effects the mental strain on you.”

Kid looked across the room at the candle and let fire enter his mind. He focused on the flames as they burned within him. He held out his hand and pressed against the fire in his head. His eyes burned a bright green as the candle’s wick started smoking. He pressed harder and forced the fire out of his head onto the candle. It scorched through the air and he wrapped the fire around the wick. As soon as he let go of the element the wick ignited in a blast of heat and energy. The flame licked into the air and Kid almost felt himself faint. The old man held him up.

The old man clapped.

“Simply amazing, son. You’re stronger than most I’ve taught. You should eat and rest. The Ja’Cain uses your mind’s natural energy. The stronger you get the more you can handle. It’s a bit like using weights in your world to build up your muscles. There are some things to discuss so we’ll talk in the morning.” The old man clapped him on the back as kid walked up the stairs. He pulled off the black clothes he had grown accustomed to and glanced at the dress shirt, pants, and tie that he entered this place wearing. The looked alien to him as if they didn’t belong in the same room. He was a part of this place now. He brought the same element of fire into his head and drew it around the clothes. He lifted his palm toward the pile and he felt energy surge through him into the clothes. In an instant the pile flashed into ashes. He would never go back and he knew it.

After several months of no dreams, that night Kid Danger dreamt wildly yet again. He dreamt that several men in dark clothes held him down and placed a brand on the back of his hands. In the distance he could hear the same howling that he did that night on the cliff and fear gripped at his heart. The brand sunk into his skin and felt hot as lightening. He could smell the skin on the back of his hands burning and the pain woke him up. He looked down at his hands and horror caused him to yell. The back of each hand had the same symbol that his leather armor held on its shoulder. The symbols were red and he could feel the pain streak up his arms toward his head. Tears swept his eyes as he looked toward the door. The old man appeared and stood shaking his head.

“Son, I don’t know what just happened and I never heard of it happening before. Something is drawing on you. You have a destiny here and I fear as much as you do. There’s something about you that this world wants to either destroy or exalt. What I wouldn’t give to know what the Fates have planned.” He shook his head again. “Come on, lad. I’ll bandage you up.”

As the old man carefully wrapped his hands, he looked at Kid in the eyes. “Do you know what the symbols mean? They match the one on the armor I gave you.”

Kid shook his head. “I’ve been meaning to ask ya, Pop. I just haven’t yet.”

“Well boy, they are the symbols of the ancient language that mean “Thunder”. They belonged to a great general and warrior. He was a fighter of the Shadow and when I saw you the first day I met you, those symbols flashed in my head. Thunder can’t be tamed or kept and never defeated. It’s a power that can’t be measured or controlled. I, only know, might understand why those symbols are yours now. I’ll explain it all when the time comes. The only thing I can say is, do not fear it. Do not fear anything. Fear will kill you.”

“Easier said than done, Sir.” Kid responded shakily. His eyes burned with a soft resonating glow that caused a shiver to run through the old man. He shook his head and laughed.

“They don’t even hurt anymore do they?” The old man asked.

“Actually, no.” Kid smiled as he pulled of the bandages and the old man noticed that the glow faded from the boy’s eyes. The burns were now just mere scars and the old man knew that no amount of healing power could remove them. They were made with the Power from some source and it scared the both of them a little that they couldn’t discern from where.

“Alright boy, off to bed.” We have more work ahead of us tomorrow.