Travels in Dimension X

Travels in dimension x

There had been a number of unexplained disappearances in precinct
fifty-seven. The press had been full of conspiracy, theories alleging
C.I.A. involvement, and detective inspector Jack Hawk, and his
colleague, detective Ace Jolene had been assigned to find out who was
responsible for the disappearances in their patch. Jack played with his
ponytail before uttering a request for coffee and a Danish. Ace bought
two cups of coffee from the vending machine. "They're out of pastries,"
said Jolene in his lilting southern voice. Hawk was sitting at his
desk, reading a report on the mysterious absence of an Ohio
congressman, when Jolene made his entrance into the office.
"I've got a lead on the Abe-Leroy-Jones case", announced Hawk. It seems
our man was last seen on 147th Street with a lady. "If you get my
meaning." Jolene slurped his coffee noisily and nodded. "You're such a
pig", joked the older man. Hawk continued. "I'd say these
disappearances are all linked. You only need to look at the facts.
Twenty-seven notable citizens have gone missing in the last week
alone". He tapped the table for effect. "And they were all last seen in
the Big Apple", interjected Jolene. "Mighty suspect", he added. "The
word on the street is that it's connected to U.F.O abductions", said
Hawk sceptically. "Sounds like a job for the X-Files", joked Jolene.
"We're not dealing with a TV programme", said Hawk, irritably. "This is
for real".
"Let's take a squad car", said Hawk. "It beats walking", quipped
Jolene. Soon they were speeding down the highway towards 147th Street.
They passed a burning car, which was surrounded by New York's finest.
Hawk waved at a traffic cop as they passed, who signalled that Hawk
should slow down. Hawk banged on his car horn noisily and zipped down
the highway, ignoring the traffic cop. Jolene was the first to notice
that a car was trailing them. "We've got company, a blue Ford Sedan",
he said. Hawk cut through a side street, leading into Times Square. He
drove the squad car like a man with a death wish, through the lights
and did a left turn. The driver of the Ford Sedan took out a pistol and
started firing at Hawk and Jolene's vehicle. "Jesus", screamed Hawk,
and he veered his vehicle to avoid hitting a pedestrian, before
screeching to a halt. Hawk and Jolene fired their guns furiously in
retaliation at their assailant, who was wounded by Hawk in the
crossfire. The sedan crashed into a shop window.
They rushed out of the car and prized open the sedan's front door;
their assailant, a red head, was laying unconscious on the seat. She
had a gaping wound in her leg. "It's gonna blow to Kingdom come",
shouted Jolene. The two detectives lifted her out of the Sedan, and
carried her to safety. They handcuffed the woman and radioed for
assistance as the sedan burst into flames.
When eventually the emergency services came on the scene, the injured
woman regained consciousness. She made an abortive attempt to escape
but was restrained by Jolene, who had a firm grip on her. "Where do you
think you're going?" said Hawk. "You are in terrible danger", she
warned him. "You don't say", Hawk laughed. "First you try to blast us
off the highway, and then you warn us that were in terrible danger. It
doesn't add up". She fixed him with a cut glass stare. "How can I make
you understand? My world is under threat by invaders from the old way".
Her words seemed like gibberish to him. "The old way", repeated Jolene.
He looked at Hawk, for some sort of explanation, but his colleague
shrugged his shoulders. 'Lady, you're making no sense". He proceeded to
read the woman her rights. She interrupted. "My name is Baswala, high
priestess of the fourth realm". Jolene checked her jacket for weapons
and brought out a star shaped implement. "What is this?" asked Jolene.
"I can't tell you. I don't want to tell you", said Baswala. The
paramedics attended to Baswala's wound, before whisking her off to the
hospital.
"She was a weirdo", said Jolene, pulling his face to emphasise the
point. "Maybe, but I think she was genuine when she warned us that we
were in danger", answered Hawk. Jolene tutted. "The captain will think
we're mad when we file our report". "Sure he will. Good ol' cap," Hawk
agreed. They dispersed the crowd, and then the two detectives got into
their car. "One hundred and forty seventh street, hit it", demanded
Hawk of his colleague, who was driving. The engine rumbled, and off
they went.
Moments later, they arrived at a derelict warehouse off 147th Street.
There were few people about, here and there tourists could be seen
entering or leaving hotels, although there was a steady stream of
traffic running past 147th street. In the background, the constant
bashing of a road drill could be heard harmonising with the roar of
traffic. "About here, is where people were reported last being seen
before going missing, "said Hawk. "This place is bad news. It gives me
the creeps, "said Jolene. They saw a familiar face turn to look at them
and start to run. "Baswala. How?" said Hawk in amazement. His question
trailed into silence as both detectives gave chase. However, they were
unable to catch her as she was far too fast for them. Her speed, it
seemed to Hawk, was faster than that of a top athlete. "She is
incredible", said Jolene gasping for breath. "I've never seen anything
like it" agreed Hawk. "If only I knew what we were dealing with". "Hey,
my watch is losing time. It's running backwards," said Jolene with
alarm.
"Head back to the car, now!" shouted Hawk. They turned, but the car
wasn't where they had left it. The more they ran, the less distance it
seemed had been covered. The derelict warehouse, inexplicably vanished
before their eyes. A doorway opened before them. Outside, the
temperature had become oppressive, and Hawk sped through the doorway to
escape the heat. A darkness engulfed him. He proceeded to walk forward
cautiously, using a pen lighter (which he always carried on his key
ring) to help him to see where he was going. "Jolene, where are you?"
he called, but there was no reply. Hawk concluded that his friend had
not joined him, and this troubled him. He found himself walking up a
steep, grassy incline. The sun was shining, and Hawk was standing in a
street.
He squinted as his eyes re-acclimatised to the daylight. Hawk could not
recognise the street, or the city in which he was now a visitor. There
were no vehicles on the highway, and the buildings were strange turret
shaped structures that looked like misshapen sky scrapers. "Where the
hell is this?" said Hawk. "Wherever it is, I don't belong here".
An eagle flew overhead, and landed on a cliff overlooking a river. It
was visible from Hawk's vantage point. Hawk wandered along the deserted
streets, but stopped when he saw a television screen through a window
in a spiral shaped building. There was a TV show on the subject of
faith healing. An audience of inconspicuous looking people, who seemed
no different from any others he had ever seen, were discussing the
phenomenon. An elderly man, in a black costume, had taken a young
girl's hand, and was pressing it against the head of a convulsing,
fear-stricken male. Moments later the man recovered and kissed the
girl's hand. She took a bow, and was evidently overjoyed. Her name
flashed on the TV screen, but it was written in Greek or Arabic,
although Hawk did not recognise it. And yet, he would know where to
find her. Hawk realised that the TV studio was located in the spiral
shaped building. As he turned, someone took his arm.
"I'm here", she said. "You're the girl from the TV programme", said
Hawk with surprise. "I know who I am, but I don't know you", she said,
inquisitively. Hawk was attracted to her, almost on sight. She had dark
hair, and a slim build; her green eyes were the type you might find on
a playful cat. "I'm a detective with the NYPD", explained Hawk. She
looked at him blankly. "This is going to sound crazy", he faltered,
unsure as to whether to continue. She had a glazed expression on her
faced. "I don't know where I am. What is this city called?" She touched
his forehead with two of her digits. "This isn't a safe place to talk,
come with me". The woman took him through a warren of passages that put
Hawk in mind of the Arabian nights, stories he had heard as a boy
They had been walking for at least ten minutes, when she came to an
abrupt stop. "We can talk here. The listening devices don't reach this
far", she said. "Where am I?" repeated Hawk. "Man, you've got to be
joking. This is New Amsterdam", she said. "And you're in dimension
X".
An idea formed in Hawk's head. New Amsterdam was the original name for
New York, before the Dutch had been supplanted by the British. He
wondered whether he had really entered another dimension, X, an
alternative reality, existing parallel to our own. "I should not be
talking to you, I must go", said the girl, abrasively. "No, wait, you
have got to help me. Why won't you talk?" She answered him
dispassionately. "Because you are from the old way". "Hey, that's the
second time somebody's said that to me. Just what is the 'old way'"?
Hawk asked her. "It is the alternative Earth, the one you claim you're
from", she explained. "The Dargs have forbidden us to contact your
world. They plan to defeat you." "Dargs?" said Hawk. "I mean the aliens
who have colonised our Earth", explained the woman. "They are too
powerful, their technology is very advanced. We fought a war before
they overwhelmed us. They can change Earth's history to suit their own
ends, by travelling through time. And they will do the same to your
world". He frowned. "Over my dead body", said Hawk, with steely
resolution.
"When the Dargs first came, I tried to blow their cover but nobody
believed me. I received death threats, my husband and brother died
under mysterious circumstances. I was frightened, so I played along",
she said. They heard a loud explosion in the street. "Dargs", she
whispered. "Follow me".
"Where are we going?" said Hawk, suspiciously. "I'll take you to my
apartment. It's safe there", she replied. 'I don't even know your
name", said the detective. "My friends call me Ze", she informed
him.
The apartment in which Ze lived was situated five miles from the city
centre. They reached it quickly by using an intricate underground
system of hover rail transport. Ze opened the voice-activated front
door. Hawk liked the apartment's spacious interior. The door was
minimalist, with very little ornamentation, and functional house
furniture that put Hawk in mind of Japanese apartments, that he had
seen on a visit to Tokyo. The cool green tinted windows looked out onto
a tall tree shaped tower, which Ze told him was a hospital.
She brought him a drink of a coffee type beverage he had not tasted
before. "I'd like to take some of this coffee back to the Big Apple and
really clean up", said Hawk appreciatively. In the corner of the room
stood a piano. It seemed to have been constructed from a type of
diamond, and had been designed in the shape of a heart. Hawk approached
the piano and lifted the lid. He played an old Scott Joplin tune. "Very
good", she complimented him. "What type of music is that?" Hawk
answered her knowledgeably. "Where I'm from, they call it jazz".
"Jazz". She spoke the word as if trying it out for the first time. "You
remind me of another stranger in the way you talk, and in the manner in
which you are dressed". Hawk suddenly felt optimistic. "Wait a minute,
are you saying there was another stranger, like me?" "Yes, but he was
captured by the Dargs, "she said. "It may have been my friend", guessed
Hawk. He felt an obligation to rescue his friend, whatever it
took.
Hawk had his back to her as he spoke. "I'm going to find him", he
resolved. "They will be holding him at the Central Detention Centre",
she said. "How do I get there?" demanded Hawk. "We'll go together",
said Ze. He turned around and winked at her. "You're my type of girl",
he said approvingly.
It was dark when they finally approached the Central Detention Centre.
The Darg sentries scanned the streets without the need of special
night-time binoculars. Ze had said that they possessed excellent night
vision. "This is the plan", said Hawk. "You attract their attention,
but for god's sake, don't let them see you. We will break through their
defence perimeter when they are distracted". There were gunshots in the
background, which they both ignored. "The prisoners are usually held in
subterranean chambers. No one who goes there ever escapes with their
life", Ze advised him, without flinching. "I feel lucky", Hawk said,
with ironic bravery.
Ze's scream alerted several Darg sentries on duty, as planned. Hawk
made a dash for the entrance to the imposing edifice of the Central
Detention Centre. His presence had not been detected by the hidden
cameras. Hawk swallowed hard, and hurried into the building. He saw a
labyrinth of passages, and initially was uncertain which of them would
take him to the subterranean chambers, until he noticed an elevator
which, he suspected, descended beneath the surface of the building. It
delivered Hawk rapidly to the subterranean chambers. He observed that
there were several Darg officers sat in a circle. They seemed to be
resting, but as they rested their shapes metamorphosised, into what
Hawk regarded as hideous alien forms. Their luminous bodies unnerved
him.
"Hawk", shouted a familiar voice. "I'm over here". At first he couldn't
determined where the voice was coming from, and since he was concerned
that the Dargs would see him, he hid. "It's cool man, they're sleeping"
"Where are you?" asked Hawk. "They have me in a cell on the next level.
Follow my voice". Guided by his friend's voice, he found his way to
Jolene quite rapidly, who was lying on a bed, strapped down by electric
cables. Each movement conveyed an electric shock to Jolene. He looked
pale and bruised. "Buddy, am I glad to see you", he said. "Hang in
there. I'll have you out of here before you know it".
Yet Hawk had not determined how he was going to achieve this. He
wondered if he could somehow short circuit the power supply, thereby
rendering inoperative the force field, which surrounded Jolene. If Hawk
succeeded, the electric straight jacket which constrained his friend
would be released. Hawk took out a dime from his trouser pocket, and
flicked it at the force field. Instantly, the lights went out in
Jolene's cell, and the force field was penetrated. Jolene cheered
weakly as Hawk freed him from the straight jacket. Jolene gasped with
relief "Hurry, let's get out of here, before the Dargs wake up".
His words proved to be prophetic. As the two detectives were scuttling
away, the Dargs had regained consciousness, and were on their heels.
Hawk led Jolene to the elevator and set the control panel to take them
to the surface. He took out two handguns, and gave one to Jolene. "They
will be waiting for us", said Hawk. Jolene smiled. "Just like the old
times", he said. "I love a good fight". When they reached the surface,
Hawk discovered a pile of Darg bodies, which seemed to be decomposing.
"I brought a few friends from the resistance", Ze explained, as she
greeted the detectives. Hawk blew Ze a kiss, and regarded her with
satisfaction. "Come on, let's go", he said. The security alarm was
ringing as they made their exit.
New Amsterdam had become a dangerous place for Hawk and Jolene. The
Darg military were engaged in flushing out the resistance groups and
killing anybody who got in their way. Martial law had been declared in
the metropolis, and people were scared. "We've got to get out of here",
said Jolene. "But if we go, we'll be followed back into our dimension",
said Hawk. "Or maybe, Baswala will get to you first", commented Juku,
one of the resistance leaders, who they met along the way. "Hey, we met
that broad, on the other side", remembered Jolene. "Then count yourself
lucky that you're still alive. She is the Dargs' top assassin", said
Juku. He mopped his long ginger hair with his index finger. "The last
time we met, she ran like lightening to avoid us", said Jolene. "It's
more likely that she was leading us in", said Hawk, correcting his
friend. He shook his head sadly. "There's no other way, we'll have to
destroy the doorway".
"Wait, that will leave us stranded here", said Jolene. "If you've got a
better idea, I want to hear it now", said Hawk, dryly. Nobody could
think of one. "We'll need a nuclear reactor to pull this off. If we can
cause a melt down and somehow target it at the access point, the
doorway will be compromised, and should blow into smithereens. "You've
lost me", said Jolene. "Where are we going to get a nuclear reactor
from?" They turned to look at Ze for suggestions. "Nuclear reactions
don't exist anywhere on this planet, but the Dargs have a space station
which used hydrogenic power. More powerful than a million atom
bombs".
Ten days later, Ace Jolene was wandering through the caverns in a state
of temporary amnesia. He had sustained a heavy bang to this cranium,
although how it happened was beyond his grasp. Jolene remembered Hawk
waving slowly at him as he left, but he had never said goodbye?.When
Jolene felt the explosion rock the cavern, he realised that the doorway
had been de-activated, and destroyed. He also knew that he would never
see his partner again. Hunger was getting the better of Jolene, and he
was very pleased to find his way out of the cavern, and back onto the
mean streets of New York.
As the cavern disintegrated before his eyes, he wondered if Hawk would
succeed in his attempt to defeat the Dargs, and finally free the people
of dimension X from their overseers. Jolene didn't have the answer to
that, but he was certain that a man like Hawk would not go down easily.
He was, after all, one of New York's finest.