Chapter 2: The Spaz Effect

David walked down a foggy road; how long he had been walking he was not sure. His surroundings hadn’t changed nor had he seen any signs of life anywhere on his journey. He didn’t know how he’d gotten here, the last thing he remembered he was sitting in his cubicle at work picking up yet another resume’, then everything went black. When his vision returned, he’d found himself standing on the deserted road in the middle of a thick gray fog. He was very worried and several thoughts kept running through his head: How did he get here? Where the hell was he? Why did someone bring him here?

As he continued down the long straight road several other things came to his attention. During the entire walk he had not gotten tired or hungry. It was all strange and disquieting. David felt unnerved by his lack of panic, he calmly walked down this highway in the fog. Eventually David thought he felt another presence, a voice whispering in the back of his mind. “What is wrong with you Mr. Jenkins? Why are you here?”

David tried to reach out to the voice; he looked around at his surroundings attempting to determine where it had come from. He felt the presence again more strongly this time and began to walk off the road in the direction of the speaker. He began to grow tired the further he went, but the presence felt stronger, closer. He knew he was almost there, almost to his destination. He fell to his knees and began to crawl along the dry gray earth. He could see a form beginning to take shape, the outline of a room and a bed, himself lying on the bed. A shadowy figure in a lab coat was standing next to him. He was almost there. He was exhausted. He was now crawling on the ground trying to get closer to the presence, but no matter how far he moved the shapes stayed just out of his reach. Worn out, he reached for the shadowy figure standing at the foot of the bed. He felt something leave him and enter the figure, a part of himself, something responding to his need to make contact. At the end of his reserves, David could go no further and as quickly as it was there the presence was gone and the shadowy room faded away away. David lay on the ground and slowly closed his eyes. It did not take long for sleep to overcome him.

When David woke he was again laying on the hard gray asphalt of that same lonely road, surrounded by the same gray fog. How he got back to the road escaped him. He slowly got to his feet and looked around. He tried to find some markers that he could use to get his bearings, to figure out where he was or where he was going. There was nothing, just the empty gray highway. He continued to walk down the road not sure of where he was going, not even caring anymore, just with the thought that he needed to do something.

A light began to appear off in the distance. It was faint and pleasant. It drew him to it, unlike his last attempt to reach someone. The light drew him, strengthened him, and invigorated him. It wasn’t long before he was running towards the light. The light got stronger as he got closer. Out of the mist a shape began to form. It appeared to be a light-post next to a small shelter. As David drew closer he could see that it was a bus stop. He slowed to a walk as the stop formed out of the fog. He approached the shelter with caution, but with a little excitement. He entered the bus stop and sat down at the bench, a little winded from his exertion.

After a few minutes a shadowy figure emerged from the other side of the highway and walked towards the Bus Stop. As it emerged from the mist it took the shape of a lovely young teen. She had honey blond hair that curled into ringlets around her shoulders. She was wearing a brown trench coat buttoned up against the cold and her hands were shoved into her pockets. She appeared to be wearing black slacks and black leather dress pumps. She stopped in front of David and looked down at where he was sitting.

“This is an interesting choice of locations.” She stated. David looked up at the girl confused. “What?”

“This location, it is quite unusual for a choice as a destination. It does not appear to have an end. It appears to simply be somewhere in the middle.”

“The middle of what? What are you talking about?” David asked as he stared up at her.

“Your destination, the place you chose for our meeting. It is most unusual; most destinations choose places more pleasant to them. Not so cold or uninviting. Most destinations are at the end or beginning of their journeys, not in the middle,” She stated flatly. “What is your designation?”

“Uh ... what ... Who the hell are you and what do you know about where I am? What the hell is this destination you keep talking about?” David asked, anger and confusion beginning to reflect in his voice.

“Who I am is irrelevant. Where you are is irrelevant. You are the destination.” She stated. “Again I inquire, what is you designation?”

“Desig ... Wha ... David. My name is David, David Jenkins.”

“David Jenkins. Processing ... David Jenkins does not appear in registry database. Refining search ... Jenkins, Alexander.”

David interrupted the strange teen. “Alexander Jenkins that was my grandfather’s name.”

She looked at him and continued where she had left off. “Jenkins, Alexander. Commander Bravo Team. Assigned to a seek and destroy mission in Gamma Quadrant. Reported as missing at time designation 3045:02:12 Galactic Standard Time. Presumed lost. Scanning Designation Jenkins, David.”

As she said this David stood up from where he was sitting and stepped away from the strange girl. He felt a cold chill run across his body.

“Physical analysis shows subject to be approximately 25 years of age by this planet’s cycle. Time cycles show possibility of relations to be 80% probable ... Disconnecting Link.”

David looked in astonishment as the girl vanished. He backed against the side of the bus stop, his heart pounding in his chest. He was even more confused now than he was before she’d arrived and now he was a little scared. He looked around into the mist. Considering if he should leave the shelter of the Bus Stop and try his luck on the highway again. If this strange girl returned...

His thoughts were interrupted as the teen reappeared in front of him. “It has been decided that you are the new destination. Too much time has passed for the recovery of Alexander Jenkins. Do you know the current status of Alexander Jenkins?”

“Status? He died, from what my father told me he died a few years after my father was born,” David replied as he slowly backed out of the Bus Stop. This girl was insane and he needed to get away from her, fast.

David turned away from her with the intention of running down the road. He was brought up short as she appeared in front of him. “David Jenkins, you cannot leave the Destination. To do so would cause you and this entity grave harm. Return to the shelter.”