The Dimensional Rift

After they finished eating Michael was ready to go home. Nana kept trying to get her to talk to her about what she was feeling but Michael really did not know what some of the emotions were that she was now feeling.

So Nana took Michael home and walked her inside. When they got inside Michael’s mom was waiting for them on the couch with Ashley.

“What are you doing here?” Michael asked anger raging from inside of her.

“Ashley called me and told me what happened. Why didn’t you call me and tell me what happened? Ha? Ha?” She said with a lot of anger herself.

“Because of this right here,” Michael said waving her hand up and down at her mom. “You never listen to me or any of my brothers or sisters.” She said with tears in her eyes. “You have never cared about us other than to keep your house clean for you.”

“I am your mother and I have always cared about all you.” Michael’s mom said standing just inches from Michael pointing her finger at her face.

“If that is true tell one thing one thing that has happened to any of us in the last few months,” Michael said knowing that she could not.

“I know that Angel was cut from the wrestling team last month.” Michael’s mom said.

“Angel only just started high school this year and is still living in your house, but what about Linda? Do you know where she is living or what she is doing for work?” Michael asked.

“How am I supposed to know anything about what she is doing when she won’t talk to me anymore?” Michael’s mom said. “I don’t know where I went wrong in raising you kids. You all treat me like I am the bad guy.”

“You didn’t raise us. I raised Devon, Linda, and Austen, and Linda raised the rest until she left a few months ago.” Michael told her mom, her voice now shaking with anger.

*Smack* Michael’s mom slapped her right across the face with every bit of strength she could.

“Get out of my HOUSE!” Michael said. She never liked the way her mom tried to make everything everyone else’s fault.

“I should have known you are still trying to control my kids after all these years.” Michael’s mom said now turning to Nana.

“That is uncalled for Louise,” Nana told Louise as she walked by.

“Michael I am sorry,” Ashley said looking at Michael her face looked as though she was about to cry.

Michael walked over to Ashley and gave her a hug. “At least Taylor is not here to see or hear this,” Michael said. Ashley nodded and hugged Michael some more.

Ashley helped Michael and Nana bring all the stuff they got up from the car. Since it was now after ten at night Michael offered a bed for Nana to sleep in.

“I think I will. Since Joe died it just does not feel right to be in my own bed.” Nana said with a sense of longing in her voice.

The next morning they were awakened by someone knocking on the front door. Nana who had been the only one awake at the time answered it. When she opened the door she saw a guy in his late 30’s dressed in an all-black business suit except for his shirt which was white. He had a pair of really dark Chip sunglasses and a black bowler hat that gave him the appearance of being right of the 1950’s.

“Hello, Miss Wayne?” The guy asked.

“No, Kincaid.” She replied. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“I am with the ‘NSS’ and I need to talk to a Mr. Michael Wayne. Is he here?” The guy said looking over Nana’s head.

“No, he is not. I do not know where he is right now.” She said trying to raise her own head to his level.

“Well if you see him will you have him give me a call please?” The guy said handing her a card. “It is rather important that I talk to him as soon as possible.”

“Sure if I see him I will tell him.” She said taking the card before closing the door.

Nana watched the guy through the door until he left. She had the feeling that he was trying to listen to see if she was going to go get Michael or not. Nana went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea and waited for Michael and Ashley to get up.

Later that morning after Michael and Ashley finally got up Nana told them about the guy at the door. She explained that she got a bad feeling from him when she opened the door so she had pretended Michael was not there.

“NSS? What does that stand for?” Michael asked looking at the card.

“I don’t know,” Ashley said taking the card from Michael so she could get a better look at it.

“Well if you call them don’t do it anywhere you work or live and don’t use a cell phone,” Nana told them. “If you do they will know exactly who you are.”

After they finished their long talk Nana and Ashley went and got ready to leave.

They left the apartment at the same time, Ashley to go to work and Nana to go home. Michael not knowing what to do with herself, decided to get on the internet for a few hours trying to contact some of her old friends, then she went and played some video games for a few more hours before returning to the computer to check her emails. This routine went on for the next few weeks with the man in black showing up every 2 or 3 days.

Taylor was brought home after just a few days and she saw her father. She thought she was the best thing in the world. They played all sorts of games like cowgirls and aliens, monster comedy, and matador just to name a few. Every time Ashley left, however, they made sure to that Taylor to the babysitters so that the man in black would not think Michael was at home.

One weekend when Ashley got a few days off they decided to drive out of town to see some of the countrysides. After driving for a few hours they pulled into a small gas station to get some gas and food. Michael went inside to pay for the gas as well to pick out some food for them.

When she got to the counter the woman behind the desk did not look scared or shocked by Michael’s appearance, she just asked what she could do for her. Michael told her how much gas she wanted and then paid for it. When she turned to walk through the store to see what they may want her progress was stopped by a guy dressed all in black wearing really dark sunglasses and a bowler hat standing right behind her.

The guy removed the glasses and said “Michael Wayne. You are under arrest.”

Michael looked right into the guy’s eyes and said clearly “No I am not. I have not done anything wrong.”

“No, you are not. You have not done anything wrong.” The guy said with a glossy look on his face.

Michael was shocked, and by the look on the woman’s face behind the counter, she was too. Michael looked back at the guy who seemed to be regaining his senses. So once more she looked the guy right in the eyes.

“You will go sit down in the corner until I think of what to do with you,” Michael said. Not knowing what had just happened.

Michael looked around the store for a few minutes then walked out to the car and had Ashley come inside. Ashley not knowing what was going on agreed and walked into the store with Michael. Once inside the woman behind the counter seemed to be regaining her senses.

“What the hell was that about?” The woman behind the counter asked as Ashley and Michael reentered the store.

“I don’t really know,” Michael said as Ashley walked over to the guy and reached inside the guy’s coat pocket to grab his wallet.

“Look NSS.” Ashley said handing it to Michael.

“National Security Services sub-branch NSA.” Michael read from the badge. “Nana was right these people are bad news.” She told Ashley.

The three of them talked for about an hour. They found out that the woman behind the counter knew John before he became Rose. And even though she had never met Rose she had known people who did. Michael turned to the guy sitting in the corner trying to think of what to do with him.

Michael walked over to the guy and grabbed his glasses, wallet, and hat and walked to the back of the store and set them down. When he returned to the front of the store he turned to the guy and said, “You will not remember any part of what we are about to talk about. Is that clear?”

“Yes.” The guy said.

“Do you have any tracking devices or mics on you?” Michael asked the guy.

“Yes. My sunglasses have a mic and my hat is the transmitter.” The guy said still in that same dreamy tone.

“Okay, you are going to tell me everything of what is going on,” Michael said.

“Since Rose’s escape nearly 4 years ago there have been reports of people around the world turning into the same creature as Rose.” The guy said sounding dreamily and in a monotone. “We have been rounding them up as we find them here in the US and trying to find out what is making them change. Some have even been dissected to learn their physiology.”

“My god.” The woman behind the counter said.

Michael not knowing how to respond to this walked off through the store. She walked down each isle in the store looking at the different items but not really seeing anything. She was not walking to see what she wanted, but to think. Soon she had an idea and returned to the front of the store.

“What do you know about Andrew Bobadilla? Did he go through the change as well?” Michael asked sounding a bit more nervous than she would like.

“Andrew Bobadilla was picked up a few weeks ago from the Philadelphia Hospital after it went through the change.” The guy responded.

“Where are these people being held?” She asked sounding calm like this was a normal question.

“They are being held in about half a dozen places around the US and there are at least a dozen countries doing the same.” The guy paused for a moment then continued. “Langley, Ordain, Norris, and Beverly are the four I take new prisoners to.” The guy fell silent after this part.

Michael walked to a chair next to the counter and sat down. As she sat there for several minutes Ashley and the woman talked loudly, but Michael did not hear a word they were saying.

Michael stood and looked at the lady behind the counter. “Are there video cameras here?” He asked her.

“Yes, but they don’t have sound.” The woman said.

“Where are they and how do they point?” Michael asked.

“There is one to watch the register and the customers at it and three outside watching the pumps. That is it.” She said starting to sound scared.

Michael bowed her head and walked over and got a soda some napkins a bag of pins and a large bag of chips before grabbing the guys things she had placed on a shelf. As she walked back she took one of the pins from the bag and one of the napkins and handed them to the guy telling him in a whispered voice to write down where the four prisons were before walking up to the counter to pay for everything.

“You will not remember what I just did.” She told the woman behind the counter making sure to have the mic covered in her hand.

As she nodded her eyes suddenly glassed over for a second before returning to normal. “Will this be all then dear?” She asked Michael with a smile on her face.

“Yes, ma’am,” Michael said. After she paid her, she walked back to the guy and give him his things. She told him he will wake up in five minutes after they were gone from the store.

The guy nodded and Michael and Ashley left the store. After five minutes the guy came out of his trance and turned to the woman behind the counter who pretended she was just starting to be aware of her surroundings.

The guy looked around and saw he still had his glasses and wallet in his hand. He pocketed the wallet and walked out of the store to walk back to his car.

***

Mr. Brandon was sitting at his desk doing his normal paperwork for the day, a normal routine that he had been doing for the last 4 years since the development of his office. His office was responsible for the detection and capture of ‘Morphs’. ‘Morphs’ is the name given to those that have changed from human to whatever these particular creatures were called.

As Mr. Brandon was turning to file some papers he had just finished in a filing cabinet marked Langley, the phone rang on his desk.

“Hello.” He said into the phone sounding perturbed.

“Mr. Right is on line one for you sir.” The woman’s voice said from the other end.

Mr. Brandon pushed the blinking light on the phone. “Talk.” He said.

“Sir. She is gone. She has a power none of the others have displayed before.” Mr. Right said sounding nerves.

“And what power is that?” Mr. Brandon asked.

“She has the power of Hypnosis.” Mr. Right said.

“Hypnosis ha? What did she have you do?” Mr. Brandon asked.

“Nothing. She told me to sit in the corner while she figured out what to do. After about an hour they bought some stuff and left. Then I was able to move again.” Mr. Right told him.

“Alright, there is nothing we can do about that right now, get back her so we can try and figure out where she went.” Mr. Brandon said before slamming the phone down and returning to work.