Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction based on grey blobs in space. Similarities to persons living or dead in your world are purely coincidental. Any views or opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the author's. Now, sit back and enjoy the story.
Prologue[]
Time: ??:??[]
Location: ???
On the edge of space, a white pentagon floats aimlessly. Inside of it was a research team for the many materials they've acquired on their travels. One of the researchers being a well-known scientist.
His goal was to uncover the methods of gaining the ability known as hammerspace. The name comes from the common trope of cartoon characters pulling out whatever from nothingness, often being a hammer.
There's more to this power, however. With the right amount of energy and dedication, hammerspace can be utilized for so much more beyond all known laws of space, time, and more.
"At last." the scientist said. "It's finished." A colorless, transparent cloud appears before the scientist taking form and doing all sorts of bizarre movements. "With this, civilization can evolve, and we can create all sorts of things previously unimaginable," he explained.
In the blink of an eye, the cloud transitions into an orange color. To the scientist, this can be his hammerspace awakening. The cloud begins to cover the scientist's body, much to his surprise. He and his crew had a different expectation of how the hammerspace will collide with its user.
Finally, he was covered head to toe with the orange cloud. While it certainly looked like he was powerful, nothing felt different. He attempted to swing his arms in different directions in hopes of randomly pulling out an item, but it was all to no avail.
Suddenly, a growing pain spiked within him. He collapsed in response to the surprise. "Urgh!" he cried. He took a look at his hands, which felt the worst. To his horror, he was fading away! His lab coat instantly fell to his feet as backed away into a wall.
"No... it can't be! Was I not worthy enough? Could this be a dud?" he muttered. Next to him was a counter filled with all kinds of equipment. On top of it laid a photo of his family that he left behind. While he wasn't able to pick it up, he took a long look at it as his life was vanishing.
"I-I love you all," he spoke to it. His voice was fading away. After he left for space, he had a son who he never got the chance to know the name of. "It's a-all up t-t-to you my boy..." he said, looking at the young child.
He collapsed on the floor all before vanishing completely. The orange cloud disappeared with him, and thus, not a single trace was left of the experiment.
Other scientists came bursting through the door to see an empty lab room. They've all desperately searched for the deceased scientist with no luck. All they found was his lab coat and a photo of his family. With spirits at its all-time low, they carried on with much difficulty. The Hammerspace project was canceled, and attention was shifted elsewhere.
The team made sure to send their best regards to his family back on the Planet.
End of Prologue
Chapter 1[]
Time: 08:00[]
Location: Nowhere
The sun shined above the dusty lands of Nowhere. Tumbleweeds, cacti, and rocks were all one can see for miles. All except for a lone building
The building itself took the form of a convenience store that withered away at any gust of wind. The exterior was burnt, torn, and just didn't look like the place you would want to stay for long.
Anyone who stops here is often a lunatic from the country or city. They leave the whole place in shambles and make the snacks offered there inedible. The owner? Well, the owner sits through it all 24/7. He's received tons of money from the even crazier maniacs who hold tournaments in "The Coop". He's nearing the end of his life, so right now, he doesn't care.
This morning was a particularly quiet one. Much to the surprise of plenty of the early bird bozos. A young, but not too young, alien walks into the store to take a bathroom break. You may not believe this, but the bathrooms are in top condition. Regulars here are sensible enough to not make the bathroom filthy. A healthy lifestyle when relieving yourself is a must!
The young alien steps out of the bathroom and chats with the owner for a bit. They leave soon after. Who could this alien be?
He's none other than the Headhunter. As said before, he's fairly young. He sports a snazzy fedora with a blue feather poking out of it. For what reason does he need it? To be honest, he doesn't know. He just wants to look cool.
Now, "headhunter" sounds intimidating, but don't worry. This isn't a job where you go find and ice somebody. It's instead a job where you go out to pick a nobody from the crowd to apply for positions in other businesses. Those picked out are often working elsewhere, but a headhunter ensures that their new job will have a higher salary.
The Headhunter isn't proficient at doing these jobs. He chooses the absolute worst people. Those people being a little underdeveloped to apply for high positions. Thus, he gets fired. However, where Headhunter comes from, the number of jobs available is endless, so he always applies to give others the chance to work at high-paying jobs. Mostly at the expense of the lower businesses losing employees.
Oh wait, where were we? Oh yeah, the outside of a convenience store. The Headhunter walks over to the side of the building where he hid his trusty unicycle. You never know when a lurker may swipe a unicycle to get home. This store was located very far away from any civilization, but it's between both the Country and the City. The Headhunter hopped onto his unicycle and started pedaling.
But...
The thing broke apart.
"Oh, for the love of..." Headhunter grumbled. This wasn't the first time he broke the unicycle. Traveling around the Planet on nothing but this thing was sure to do some damage. Don't get him started on the jewelry cat. Who knew cats were so vicious... and smart?
The Headhunter jogged towards the back of the store. It was vandalized. Not even cool graffiti art was visible. Somewhere on the ground laid a hammer. He'll use this amongst others to repair his unicycle.
While his hand grabbed the hammer, it also brushed against the nasty garbage can. Yuck! At the corner of his eye, he noticed a key tucked behind it.
"Where could this lead to?" he thought. Sure, the key reeked, but maybe he'll clean this inside the store. After all, the bathroom had all the essentials for cleanliness.
Headhunter strolled inside the store again. "Back again, I see?" the owner asked. "Uh, yeah. I forgot something in the bathroom." Headhunter said. He made sure not to stay there for very long. All the early regulars who would come to this place were eyeing him like a hawk. No one is bold enough to enter the place twice, let alone in 5 minutes!
The bathroom was occupied, much to Headhunter's dismay. He'll have to wait patiently for the person to get out. Which meant awkwardly standing near the group of people sitting by the drinks. They continued staring at Headhunter, some of them taking a few sips of their drink. Finally, one of them spoke up.
"'Oi, you." a voice said. The Headhunter turned around. One of them was standing up. "Where moight you be from, pal?" they asked.
The booming voice was enough to catch anyone off guard. Not the owner or the rest of the crazies though. Only Headhunter would flinch. "Uh... I'm from the Country! I'm making my way towards the Ci-"
"Yoi from the Cointry, eh!? Yoi're just the poison we were loikin' fer!" they told him. "Last poison from the Cointry got oiced in the Coip, we've been loiking fer a little replacement!"
His accent was incredibly thick, but Headhunter understood what he said. "What? The Coop? Uh... no thanks! I have some important business somewhere, and I must get my thing back from the bathroom!" Headhunter explained.
"Oi! Yoi ain't going anywhere. Yoi'll be here for the Coip or else we'll oice you oiselves!" the voice boomed. The accent was still almost indecipherable, but Headhunter knew that he had to stay until noon for the City folk to get here, or else he'll be out of the picture.
The clock read 08:10. This was going to be a long day.
Time: 12:00[]
Location: Nowhere Convenience Store
For 4 hours, the place has been quiet. More and more people showed up. Some of them went to either side of the store. People who were from the Country were stationed near the bathroom and drinks, whereas people from the City were near the frozen foods and back door. The crazies towered over Headhunter, who should be of normal alien height. Whispers echoed across the store until...
BOOM!
The auto sliding doors broke once again. A menace showed up before the crowd. Everyone flinched as a reaction, and it wasn’t just the Headhunter this time. The owner was still taking a nap behind the counter.
The menace was finally in the Headhunter’s view, and to his horror, this guy looks even crazier! Sure, everyone in the store had what? Skulls? Belts? Pssh! That guy’s antennae looked ripped apart! Paint of some kind was splattered across his face, he didn’t look like he slept for a week, and he reeked of odor indescribable.
His eye was most interesting, however. Unlike the usual emerald green pupil that aliens have, his was bright red that looked like it hurt. Just what exactly happened to him?
Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. That fool was nearing the crowd to do something. He walked by everyone in the store giving each person a glare that sent chills. By the time the Headhunter was in his eyesight, the glare felt longer than usual. He’s not going to make it out alive, is he?
By the time he finished, he made his way to the center of the store. He closed his eye as if concentrating on something. All of a sudden, nails emerged from his skin and shot the store shelves toward the walls. For as long as the Coop lasts, the nails will hold tightly against those shelves. Once the entire store was an open area, he picked out of the City and Country folk. One of them on each side will have to duke it out.
To his relief, the Headhunter wasn’t picked. Thankfully, everyone’s attention was away from him, and on the fighters. The person using the bathroom was long gone at this point, so this was his chance to wash the key.
There was strict no bathroom policy during the Coop as listed on the rules near the door. Headhunter didn’t care, however, and snuck into the bathroom. The door was slightly open as a reaction of the shelves hitting the room. Quietly, he shut the door behind him as everyone was cheering for both sides. The maniac, however, was staring at the bathroom door. He knew something was going on.
The Headhunter successfully cleaned the key! It took a bit, but it was surprisingly shiny after. On the key, a series of numbers were engraved on it.
060514
What would this mean? Perhaps once he unlocks something with this key he’ll be able to enter the numbers on this thing to a computer or something.
Now what?
Headhunter didn’t feel safe staying here any longer. Exiting the bathroom would be a huge risk, so he had to find another way out.
There was a vent on the ceiling that could be used to escape. He’ll just have to find something to boost him up.
The Headhunter took a plethora of towels, stools, and a trash bin to reach the vent. The lid to the vent was fairly loose, so all he had to do was wiggle it a bit for it to snap off. At that, it did! However, a barrage of dust fell on him! He was able to jump into the vent while all the supplies came crashing down on the floor. So much for a clean bathroom.
The rest of the vent wasn’t much better. Dust at every corner. It was dreadful. At the end of the vent, he saw light. This was his chance! With no hesitation, he quickly crawled within the vents toward the light.
But...
DING! ... DING! ... DING!
The fight that started a while ago ended. Someone bit the dust. At first, Headhunter thought the bell signaled the end of a match, but...
That sound wasn’t a bell! 3 nails have collided with the vent he was in! It’s going to fall on the ground!
The vent came crashing on the floor with the Headhunter in it. Everyone stared in shock, not at the vents, but the results of the last battle. Who won it? Who lost it?
Both lost.
The two crazies who were fighting collapsed on the ground. They were unconscious! The Headhunter made his way out of the vent and came face to face with the craziest of them all. “Well, where might you be from?” they asked. The Headhunter didn’t feel like answering the same question again, nor being in his presence and ran towards the door. However, a nail was shot at the bottom of his foot.
“Agh!” he cried. He can feel his energy draining from the nail.
“That was certainly rude, pal. What’s even ruder is that you decided to use the restroom while these 2 were having the time of their life!” the fool said. “I believe you and I haven’t properly introduced ourselves, hm? I’m none other than the Kidder, a jester if you will.”
Headhunter got the name of this guy at last, but didn’t know anything about him besides the fact that he shoots nails! How does he do it? He doesn’t have a nail gun, and he doesn’t look like the type to throw them with much skill!
“Now, fellow fedora friend, who might you be?” Kidder asked. A nail was being pressed against Headhunter’s face.
“I’m... the Headhunter,” he answered. The nail was gracefully swiped across his face, leaving a scratch that might be a problem later. “Well, then, Headhunter. What brings you here? Looking for one of these clowns? Perhaps traveling?” he asked. “Hmm. No matter the answer, you’ve done a great crime. You’ve broken one of our most important rules here in the Coop.”
Kidder turned toward the crowd, all of them jumped at his attention. “Tell me, everyone. What happens when a clown decides to break one of our most important rules?” he asked.
“The no-good delinquent will be punished by facing the Kidder himself at the cost of the previous 2 combatants’ power.” everyone said in unison. Kidder nodded and turned toward the Headhunter again. “You hear that? I sure hope you do, because I’m not repeating myself any more times today.” his voice sounded more and more menacing.
“The power of the previous 2 combatants? What does that mean?” Headhunter thought. As to answer his question, the Kidder walked towards the two fallen aliens, and stuck his two fingers within them, absorbing their energy.
“Wh-wh-what!?” Headhunter screamed. He wasted no time and dashed towards the dissembled unicycle. Luckily, the process of absorbing power took some time, but not enough time to fix the unicycle! Against all odds, Headhunter went to work on the unicycle. The Kidder emerged from the back door to thrash. At the last minute, Headhunter pedaled off with his unicycle down the road towards the City. The Kidder was following every single move Headhunter made. There was no escaping this guy without getting extremely exhausted and kicking the bucket!
Until...
As if by some magic, the dusty and sunny road of Nowhere disappeared, and all that replaced it was a night sky surrounded by carnival-like scenery. What is even happening right now?
While nice to look out, it wasn’t helping that the Kidder was still following the Headhunter. There were so many twists, turns, and jumps that could make anyone vomit. Unfortunately, Headhunter was feeling a bit queasy. By the time he lost almost all hope, the desert road appeared again, as well as a glimpse of the city buildings. Was this some shortcut that he found on accident?
Whatever the case, a nail collided with the wheel and launched the Headhunter out of his seat. His face planted into the dusty ground. Sure the landing hurt, but the amount of dirt in his eye was enough to hurt for life! He looked above him and saw the Kidder standing directly above him.
“So, friend? Had a fun time at my home? I sure had a lot of fun. I bet we’ll have even more fun once you become part of the family. Here, let me give you a hand.” he swung his hand with a nail through it that was heading the Headhunter’s way. But...
SMASH!
Everything seemed to stop for a moment. The Headhunter thought this was the end for a moment until he realized what just did. The Kidder believed he would claim yet another victory until he looked at his left foot.
The hammer wedged deep within the alien’s foot.
“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!” the Kidder screamed. Red-ish tears came flying out of his eye as he hopped in one place shouting out nasty words. Finally, those curses turned into sobs, and eventually, he cried himself to sleep. What a day...
The Headhunter, absolutely exhausted, dug his face into the ground. With an injury like that, the Kidder won’t be waking up for a while. He was feeling very... sleepy.
“Just... one quick... nap...” Headhunter whispered. He fell asleep on the spot and remained that way for hours on end.
Time: ??:??[]
Location: ???
It was a dark place. A void. A realm of nothing. I found myself floating, walking, running, shouting, crying. No answer, no place to go. Everything I’ve ever had in my life is gone. No hope of returning.
All that remains now... is this power. What use did I have for it? Where was this concept, this idea, this... creation... going to lead? Advanced civilizations? Brand new methods of transport and communication? None of it came to be.
What sparked from my failures turned into more mistakes and grief that have unleashed upon a world I know, but have never seen or visited.
I know deep within my heart that there’s a light in this void. Something that will outshine the bad. I give my power to thee. With just only one light, we can find and achieve the path towards greatness. This ability I cast upon you will be the answer to problems that arise in your journey. You must not brave this world on your own, however. The bonds formed with several you’ll meet will further guide your way to the end.
That’s all I ask for, friend. Please, prevent the inevitable crisis that looms upon our world.
End of Chapter 1 Click here to go to Intermission 1 -->
600th-ish edit, woo.