The Day the Sun Set in the North
By MRW
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If the timeline of this story crossed into the present, one might find it dull and almost normal.
But to consider when these events happened, why, that might crinkle a few wrinkles in the old
thinker. That is, if one ever used them. After all, the computer world then was nothing, compared
to the domination of the 'artificial humans' as we know them today. Or, are we living in today?
These little electrical wonders that buzz around us everywhere do all the thinking for us, right? If
we're not allowed to think for ourselves because one of the "mind janitors" might detect abnormal
"human activity Segment 13" as we know it today, then is today actually today or are we trapped in
some "VR" machine executing a continous loop? Only, it couldn't be continuous because my so
called "thoughts" are changing. OR, maybe I just don't realize I'm looping because (let me get this
right)...everything is relative. Isn't that what some great thinker was quoted several thousand clock
ticks ago? Actually, he didn't say that, just was misunderstood as saying such. I wonder what it's
like to think for myself? So many questions, but so few answers. Well, I've deviated from the
story. Let me share it with you since story telling is one of the free things left in what ever
demension we're in.
The day was much like the day I'm having. Simple, yet dificult to describe. There was a slight
fog, yet it seemed bright. Dew clung to the vegetation, yet a dryness hung beside it. If one were
to see a graphic of it, it would appear foggy and wet, but graphics don't do justice to something
that actually exists out there in reality. There's an old phrase, it goes something like, "Reality
bytes are more numerous than can ever be stored." I'm not sure I have it exactly right, but that is
how it is stored in my memory and this day was no exception.
Upon a great rock, a figure stood. His long jacket flopping in the gentle breeze that blew across
the great plains and tall grass swayed with it. Almost creating an ocean out of the land. I've heard
reports of people actually getting sea sick just by looking at grass much like this. The figure stared
at the grass made golden by the sun setting low in the North.
"What's with our compasses, Samson?" Eric asked as he pulled himself ontop of the rock.
"I don't think it's our compasses." Samson mumbled as he turned around. Eric saw the puzzled
and fustrated look on his face. "I think it's the sun."
"How can that be?" Wolfrum stammered as he joined the duo.
"What were we doing last?" Samson asked as put his compass back in it's protective pouch.
"We've been walking all day. Why?" Eric answered.
"Wrong. We were fighting a goriella convoy on the Northern Edge of Cuba." Samson firmly
stated as he put on his back pack and started down the rock. Once half way down, he dropped
the rest of the way, landing lightly and staring at the soil he landed on.
"What now?" Utah asked. "The land not right?"
"I'm not sure. It just didn't sponge out like it usually does." Samson said as he kneeled down
and pulled some of the grass up by it's roots. The moist dirt clung in a big clod at the end of the
long stems. He then pitched the plant as far as his strength would allow. It arched up, then flew
in a straight line, then arched back to the ground, making a soft thud that came from somewhere
else. The group stared in confusion. This just defied most laws of physics.
"What's going on?" Flint stammered.
"That's what I think we'd all like to know!" Detjen softly said. "And, why aren't we supposed to
be fighting?"
"You remember?" Samson asked.
"My wounds are pretty good evidence!"' Detjen pulled up his shirt to show his cuts, but his skin
was fine. He turned white and started to fall over. Utah reached out and grabbed him.
"I told you we been walking all day!" Eric yelled.
"Really?" Flint yelled back "Then where's Chick and Wolfrum? Where did they vanish too? Or
did they never exist?"
The group was silent. They knew Flint was right. But, where were they?
"What time is it?" Utah asked.
Eric looked down at his watch. "Mine says 14:40. And yours?"
Utah shook his head. "Mine says 16:07."
"We always sycronize before leaving!" Samson commented as he turned to follow the sun.
"Where are you going?" Detjen asked.
"North. There's always something at the setting sun. Or did you forget that, too?" Samson
yelled over his shoulder as he started jogging, then slowly speeding up to a run.
"WOLFRUM!!" Chick yelled as he dove behind a log, dodging the spray of bullets that seemed to
come from nowhere, yet they were everywhere. "WOLFRUM!!"
"Over here!" A voice yelled back. It sounded as if it was a little over twenty feet away.
Chick started slithering towards him.
"Stay where you are! There's not enough cover over here!"
"Where's the rest of the group?" Chick yelled back over the gunfire.
"They just vanished! Right before my eyes!"
"Dead?"
"I don't think so. It's like they slipped into another dimension." Wolfrum said though confused
as to what exactly he did see.
Chick was know completed confused. He and Wolfrum stayed in behind cover as the sun slowly
set in the West. After a few minutes, the gunfire ceased Chick lay as still as he could so as to not
be picked up on infared. He imagined his body to be very cool, like he had been trained. He
wanted to use his scope to check out where they were, but it just suddenly quit. His mind drifted
elsewhere as his body temperature began to drop.
"I do believe they're dead" A voice said in Spanish. "That, and all of their electrical equipment is
not working. If they are alive, they can't find their way back home!" Some other voices started to
laugh and soon, the chitter chatter of the group faded into the distance. The jungle was now
silent. A few minutes later, the birds started to sing again and then all the other animals started
making their normal racket making the jungle as loud as ever again.
"We'd better get us some shettler. I don't want to sit out in the rain tonight." Wolfrum
mumbled. He was now standing over Chick who didn't respond. "Chick" He said as he nudged
him with his toe. "Chick, bring yourself back up!"
"Steak water...needs yum...for good um..." Chick mumbled back.
Wolfrum reached down and pinched a nerve under Chick's armpit. Chick quickly sat up, and his
body began shaking.
"Your went a little too far, there, buddy!" Wolfrum half scolded. "Come on, you need to get
moving.
"Oooh. It's dark." Chick slowly said as he looked around. "How long have I been out?"
"I'd say half an hour with your condition. Can't let yourself slip like that! Come on!"
Wolfrum commanded as he helped Chick to his feet. Then, the duo started working their way to
an abandoned cabin about a mile away. Maybe half an hour later Wolfrum looked at his compass.
"This is loony! We've walked a straight line, right?"
"Near as I can tell. Every once and a while, I'll catch the North star through the canopy. And, if
it's not moving, we're walking a straight line." Chick replied.
"HMM. My compass is gone bonkers!" Wolfrum paused to look around. "It now says we're headed
South. We started out heading North, then we were going West, now South."
"You know what that means?" Chick asked, half stating.
"Yep. Something is throwing our magnetics off. Let's follow it." The duo turned until the
needle was on North. Then, they headed off into the dark.
"Samson, stop...please." Flint barely weazed out. "This is getting ridiculous. NOTHING is out
HERE!!!"
"And nothing is what I'm looking for...somewhere." Samson yelled back.
Flint stopped running and the group followed suit. They watched as Samson ran about thirty
yards, then disappeared in a glittery, dazzling, bright light.
"Samson!" Flint yelled as loud as he was capable of. There was no responce.
"Welp, guess he might be right..." Detjen stammered with his eyes wide open.
The group fell silent. What they had just seen was completely beyond their comprehension.
Eric broke the silence when he stepped forward to examine the spot where Samson disappeared.
"Humm..." He mumbled. "It seems that there's a disturbance in the force!" He smarted off.
"You've been watching way too much television!" Flint replied.
"Probably, but it gives me an idea..." Eric stated as he pulled up a clump of grass and tossed it to
where Samson disappeared. It landed with a dull thud, again the sound seemed to be coming from
a distant location. Then he pulled out his pocket knife and tossed it. It 'vaporized' in a dazzling
display of light. "See!" Eric yelled so excited that he could barely get the words out.
"See what?" Utah asked.
"The items that belong here, stay here. Those that have come from elsewhere, go elsewhere."
Eric explained.
"Elsewhere where?" Flint asked.
"Only one way to find out..." Eric said. His eyes gleamed as he took a couple steps forward, then
disappeared.
"OH NO!" Flint yelled as Relo shoved him forward. "NOOO!"
"Oh YES!" Relo replied, a huge smile across his face.
The hot, desert sun glared down onto the sand. Samson looked around. No indicators of where
the 'exit' might be, only the wind whistling in his ear. He plopped down on a rock, the wind
flipped his jacket up as he did such. "Wind..." Samson thought outloud.
"What about wind?" Eric asked. Samson looked towards the voice.
"So, you followed me?" Samson asked.
"You expect us to let you have all the fun? Not on this adventure. But what about wind?"
"I was just thinking, which way was the wind blowing before?"
"Um...West." Eric slowly said.
"Right. And which way did the sun set?"
"North."
"Right. And which way did we go to get here?"
"North." Eric replied, then paused to think. "So what you're saying is the wind blows to where
the sun should be and the exit is at the sun?"
"Well, maybe." Samson commented.
"Maybe what?" Flint asked, appearing out of nowhere.
"Which way was the wind blowing before?" Eric asked.
"Before what?" Flint stared back.
"Before the scenery changed."
"I don't follow you." Relo added as he walked into the picture, the rest of the group following.
Samson and Eric looked at each other, then simultaneously said "Great."
"Movement!" Wolfrum signed to Chick.
"Register." Chick signed back.
The duo squatted down in the vegetation. It appeared to be about half the party they had just
encountered, but being almost dark, it was difficult to tell. The group was heading 'West.' Two
men broke off and began to follow the new magnetic North.
"Follow them," Wolfrum signed. Chick nodded his head as the two moved out going as fast as
they deemed safe. An hour later, they sighted a concrete pill box of sorts and on this side hung a
good sized metal door. Chick reached down to pull out an electronic scanner, but Wolfrum
stopped him. "They probably have scanners, too." Before Chick could respond, the door began to
open. The duo charged full tilt, guns ready to fire.
"Okay," Detjen began to reiterate the story. "So what you're saying is we've entered some sort
Halodeck...the sun is actually the computer...and the wind blows from where the sun currently is."
"Well, that's my theory," Samson said in approval.
"OUR theory," Erik and Utah corrected simultaneously.
"So what do we do?" Relo asked.
"Follow the Sun!" Flint yelled as he tore off for into the sunset.
"Great!" Relo cussed, "more running!"
Soon Flint went out in a great show of light, as the group followed suit single file.
"Now where are we?" Detjen weazed out as he lay on the cool concrete.
"Here." Flint stated. Detjen rolled his eyes and began to get up to study the dimly lit settings,
but before he could, a door atop the stairs began to open and two figures jumped into the stair
well.
"Don't move!" One of them yelled. Detjen could see the laser sight, he was targetted.
"Chick?" Utah called back.
"Who goes there?" A gruff voice responded.
"Utah, and the rest of us."
Suddenly, intense light shone from what seemed every direction.
"Welcome to my parlor." A voice spoke.
"Great, a movie buff." Relo retorted.
"SILENCE! Now drop your weapons and proceed through the door!"
Another door opened opposite the stairs. The door atop had now closed. The group had little
choice but to do as instructed. They started for the door, but did not make it. The scenery was
again that of jungle.
"Now what?" Wolfrum asked.
"Have no idea," Erik replied.
"My compass seems to be working, but my watch isn't." Utah noticed.
"Yeah, it's 23:00, but it's still light out." Relo added.
"So I noticed." Samson commented as he looked about for some sort of clue. "There's no wind.
But the sun is directly in front of us."
"Right!" Flint yelled out. "We were headed for the door. Let's go!"
The group kept going, and within a couple steps, found themselves in a cinderblock room,
painted white, with little crystal looking devices plastering the walls, floor, and ceiling. "So, what
do you think?" The group turned to see a man, tall, with whitish hair and wire frame glasses
gesturing towards the devices.
"Some kind of a halodeck?" Flint asked.
"Well, of sorts. Follow me." the man continued as he proceded through yet another door. "It's a
maze in here. Room after room of these things."
"But how did we get involved?" Detjen inquired.
"The goriella convoy you were to take out was not carrying ordinary cargo," the man began to
relate. "For you see, they were carrying a load of this crystaline stuff. I'm racing the American
government to put the first person on Mars!"
"So, we were actually moving around?" Relo asked.
"Sometimes. It's very complex. I had to bring you into the compound, but once in, you only
moved from room to room."
"But what about our electronics?" Erik half demanded.
"That we have yet to figure out. We believe the particle machine sometimes uses the electrical
gear for temporary storage. If you notice, everything should be working now." They looked over
their gear, seemed to be okay.
Detjen then remembered his wounds. "So...uh, what about my wounds?"
"Ah!" the old man exlcaimed as he raised a finger. "Your molecular structure was recorded before
you got the wounds. Each person has to be recorded by the computers so they can rebuild you
after a teleport. With six of you, we had to start early. You were the first, and we wanted it to
go smoothly and correctly, so everything was double checked."
"And our memories?" Erik inquired. "Why did we sometimes remember what had previously
happened, and sometimes had what seemed to be planted memories?"
"Well, the human psichy is very delicate, and sometimes it creates false...um...explanations as to
why the scenery so abrubtly changed. At least that's the theory."
"So, what is this stuff?" Chick inquired, rubbing one of the crystals.
"Well, just that...stuff. You want to know why I really chose you? Because I want to tease the
Americans. Now if you will excuse me, I have to answer the call of nature. Happens alot when
you get my age." With that, the man exitted.
The group found themselves standing on a beach. After much agonizing, they realized they were
on the Southern edge of Florida. Now I know my story seems to be just that, but considering it
happened in 1993, six years before humans figured out how to teleport a simple beam of light, it
is quite remarkable. And I assure you, it is most true. I believe there is an old saying to the effect
of "Truth is the most fantastic lie." Very fitting here. Now if you will excuse me, I need to put
this back into my memory module before I get reformatted and it is lost forever.