DerpDaBerp
Smash Champion
Henry Lechner, for four days and nights, had been sitting in a lawn chair that he had perched on the roof of his and his family's temporary apartment residence peering through a spyglass. His bathing and sleeping habits were lacking and there were dirty paper plates and coffee cups all around him.
The metal doorway behind him that led down to the suites concealed a more-than-concerned wife who took a deep breath of preparation before revealing herself under the apartment's cheap mercury vapor lamp. It was her husband's new hobby that disturbed her and their daughter most. His recent detatchment and their moving to a particularly bad side of town was a sudden source of anxiety.
Henry turned around startled. "Oh, hello Edna."
"Hello, Henry." she said lowly. He turned back to his telescope.
She didn't really know how to approach the matter. She gazed up as if looking for help, as she does during times of any stress. Edna finds some solace in observing the stars in the night sky. She doesn't really know anything about them and so frequently arranges new figures between them. The greenish one straight up caught her eye and its beauty gave her comfort.
"Mary's asleep. Finally." She said, and paused for a few moments. "She wouldn't stop scratching at herself."
He said nothing.
She began to rub the left side of her neck. "I've been doing it too, actually. Ever since the surgery," as if to test Henry's empathy.
"That's to be expected, I suppose." he stated.
She continued to rub as she walked toward the building's edge and stared out, trying to find the same significance her husband did. She didn't want to be here in this complex. One could hear the clangs and hollers of a vulgar populace at night. The general environment imposed a more dubious sense of security than what the Lechners are accustomed to. But apparently this area was important enough to Henry to draw them out of their suburban shells for a little while.
"Henry, I need to ask you about something." she admitted eventually.
Again, he didn't respond.
There were many things on Edna's mind, and chiselling away at her husband's inanimation was the only way to get an explanation.
She came a bit closer and restated, "Henry? Henry, we need to talk."
"About what?" He asked, not turning around.
"About these things, Henry." she said, a massaging hand around her throat, "What are they for? They don't feel right."
The man rotated a few degrees to get a fresh vantage point on the streets below. "Didn't the uh... the doctors tell you anything?"
"Nothing that would really answer the question."
He adjusted his view again for a few moments. "Well. They're essentially um... well they're tiny little gizmos. And... some very important people were very interested in them, aaand I was paid a lot of money to make them." Edna did not appreciate his answer's lack of dedication.
"A Gizmo? What are they supposed to do?"
Henry exhaled audibly. "They're kind of like... They're just safety measures, Dear, please..."
There was a bit more nerve in her tone by now. "And why were we not safe before?"
For the first time tonight he stood from his seat, taking off his glasses and wiping his forehead as he did so.
"Dear, I've told you before that I'm not allowed to go into detail about it for the time being." foregoing any clarification.
"You can understand my concern though, can't you? You can't expect me to pass it off like nothing. It's a strange thing to know something you're not familiar with is inside of you, Henry! And now it's supposed to be for our own good? I'm worried about Mary too."
"Look, honey," he said conclusively, "everyone in the city went through the same procedure as you, you're not the only one with that chip." This did not help much. Edna crossed her arms in frustration. "And soon enough it's going to be accepted as a standard across the whole country. It'll be strange NOT to have one. You need to relax."
"I've never heard of anything like this being done before."
"I know you must be stressed. I've put this family through a lot recently what with the new job and late nights and such, but it's all for you guys. I love you and Mary very much. After all these years, would you not trust me?" He said this all in a rushed fashion, but it is a rather heavy question.
"I do," she said, "I just... I need some kind of answer." Henry sat back down. "Like why didn't you get one?"
A series of violent pops struck at the air.
"Oh my God, what was that?" Edna exclaimed.
Henry grabbed his telescope with both hands and quickly looked around at the streets below.
"There we are!" he said once he held position. Edna came up to him and looked in the direction his telescope was aimed. About a quarter mile away it seemed a young man was firing rounds into some kind of shop. It appeared to be an attempted robbery.
"Oh my God," Edna yelped again, "We should call the police!"
"No, wait! Wait." demanded Henry, "Just wait."
"People are shooting down there, I'm calling 9-1-1 right now!" She began for the door back.
The shooter was running down the avenue in the direction of their apartment. Perhaps fifty yards were covered before he started slowing down.
Henry gasped. "It's working," he said to himself with pleasure in his voice.
Through the telescope, he could see the air around the young man start to waver and vibrate like some kind of far-off mirage. Little glowing specks began to swim around that spot on the sidewalk and align themselves vertically where the young man now stood, disoriented.
Edna had heard what her husband said and looked back. She too was able to observe the column of little dimly lit dots which were beginning to coalesce. Between the frustration, confusion and now a foreboding fascination, she found herself coming slowly back to where she could see what was going on.
Henry silently thanked the streetlights as, through his magnified view, he could clearly see the young man bent over for a few tense moments as the little specks of light began to grow more dense. The boy then vomited blood all over the ground.
Edna put her hand to her mouth in surprise. She didn't feel much like talking anymore.
Her periheral vision had suddenly registered a change and snatched her attention. She looked toward the sky and didn't see the green star anymore, for that once soothing light was now a distinguished red.
Edna, and anyone else watching, was then caught greatly off guard. From that point in the sky, a magnificient flash of light bore down on the street. It seemed at first to be lightning, but it was so unnaturally exact. It was a glaring and deliberate cylinder. It was accompanied by no crash of thunder, but a loud buzz that choked the air for a few moments.
When it ceased, and after recovering from the brightness, the two on the roof stared back down at the sidewalk they had just betrayed their attention from. There was no more boy. Naught but a char on the concrete.
"There it is, Dear!"
She turned to him slowly and wide-eyed.
"They're calling it the 'Strike-One Security Defense System'. Isn't it fantastic?"
The light from the roof's lamp bounced off of his eyes and toothed smile.
Edna fainted.
The metal doorway behind him that led down to the suites concealed a more-than-concerned wife who took a deep breath of preparation before revealing herself under the apartment's cheap mercury vapor lamp. It was her husband's new hobby that disturbed her and their daughter most. His recent detatchment and their moving to a particularly bad side of town was a sudden source of anxiety.
Henry turned around startled. "Oh, hello Edna."
"Hello, Henry." she said lowly. He turned back to his telescope.
She didn't really know how to approach the matter. She gazed up as if looking for help, as she does during times of any stress. Edna finds some solace in observing the stars in the night sky. She doesn't really know anything about them and so frequently arranges new figures between them. The greenish one straight up caught her eye and its beauty gave her comfort.
"Mary's asleep. Finally." She said, and paused for a few moments. "She wouldn't stop scratching at herself."
He said nothing.
She began to rub the left side of her neck. "I've been doing it too, actually. Ever since the surgery," as if to test Henry's empathy.
"That's to be expected, I suppose." he stated.
She continued to rub as she walked toward the building's edge and stared out, trying to find the same significance her husband did. She didn't want to be here in this complex. One could hear the clangs and hollers of a vulgar populace at night. The general environment imposed a more dubious sense of security than what the Lechners are accustomed to. But apparently this area was important enough to Henry to draw them out of their suburban shells for a little while.
"Henry, I need to ask you about something." she admitted eventually.
Again, he didn't respond.
There were many things on Edna's mind, and chiselling away at her husband's inanimation was the only way to get an explanation.
She came a bit closer and restated, "Henry? Henry, we need to talk."
"About what?" He asked, not turning around.
"About these things, Henry." she said, a massaging hand around her throat, "What are they for? They don't feel right."
The man rotated a few degrees to get a fresh vantage point on the streets below. "Didn't the uh... the doctors tell you anything?"
"Nothing that would really answer the question."
He adjusted his view again for a few moments. "Well. They're essentially um... well they're tiny little gizmos. And... some very important people were very interested in them, aaand I was paid a lot of money to make them." Edna did not appreciate his answer's lack of dedication.
"A Gizmo? What are they supposed to do?"
Henry exhaled audibly. "They're kind of like... They're just safety measures, Dear, please..."
There was a bit more nerve in her tone by now. "And why were we not safe before?"
For the first time tonight he stood from his seat, taking off his glasses and wiping his forehead as he did so.
"Dear, I've told you before that I'm not allowed to go into detail about it for the time being." foregoing any clarification.
"You can understand my concern though, can't you? You can't expect me to pass it off like nothing. It's a strange thing to know something you're not familiar with is inside of you, Henry! And now it's supposed to be for our own good? I'm worried about Mary too."
"Look, honey," he said conclusively, "everyone in the city went through the same procedure as you, you're not the only one with that chip." This did not help much. Edna crossed her arms in frustration. "And soon enough it's going to be accepted as a standard across the whole country. It'll be strange NOT to have one. You need to relax."
"I've never heard of anything like this being done before."
"I know you must be stressed. I've put this family through a lot recently what with the new job and late nights and such, but it's all for you guys. I love you and Mary very much. After all these years, would you not trust me?" He said this all in a rushed fashion, but it is a rather heavy question.
"I do," she said, "I just... I need some kind of answer." Henry sat back down. "Like why didn't you get one?"
A series of violent pops struck at the air.
"Oh my God, what was that?" Edna exclaimed.
Henry grabbed his telescope with both hands and quickly looked around at the streets below.
"There we are!" he said once he held position. Edna came up to him and looked in the direction his telescope was aimed. About a quarter mile away it seemed a young man was firing rounds into some kind of shop. It appeared to be an attempted robbery.
"Oh my God," Edna yelped again, "We should call the police!"
"No, wait! Wait." demanded Henry, "Just wait."
"People are shooting down there, I'm calling 9-1-1 right now!" She began for the door back.
The shooter was running down the avenue in the direction of their apartment. Perhaps fifty yards were covered before he started slowing down.
Henry gasped. "It's working," he said to himself with pleasure in his voice.
Through the telescope, he could see the air around the young man start to waver and vibrate like some kind of far-off mirage. Little glowing specks began to swim around that spot on the sidewalk and align themselves vertically where the young man now stood, disoriented.
Edna had heard what her husband said and looked back. She too was able to observe the column of little dimly lit dots which were beginning to coalesce. Between the frustration, confusion and now a foreboding fascination, she found herself coming slowly back to where she could see what was going on.
Henry silently thanked the streetlights as, through his magnified view, he could clearly see the young man bent over for a few tense moments as the little specks of light began to grow more dense. The boy then vomited blood all over the ground.
Edna put her hand to her mouth in surprise. She didn't feel much like talking anymore.
Her periheral vision had suddenly registered a change and snatched her attention. She looked toward the sky and didn't see the green star anymore, for that once soothing light was now a distinguished red.
Edna, and anyone else watching, was then caught greatly off guard. From that point in the sky, a magnificient flash of light bore down on the street. It seemed at first to be lightning, but it was so unnaturally exact. It was a glaring and deliberate cylinder. It was accompanied by no crash of thunder, but a loud buzz that choked the air for a few moments.
When it ceased, and after recovering from the brightness, the two on the roof stared back down at the sidewalk they had just betrayed their attention from. There was no more boy. Naught but a char on the concrete.
"There it is, Dear!"
She turned to him slowly and wide-eyed.
"They're calling it the 'Strike-One Security Defense System'. Isn't it fantastic?"
The light from the roof's lamp bounced off of his eyes and toothed smile.
Edna fainted.
.
