Cloud to Cloud

Episode 50: Oh No, Not Again

Evan threw open the door to Hannah's store. The space was dark. He dropped the file box of papers at his feet and searched the wall for a light.

As his eyes adjusted he stepped into the room, crystals crunched beneath his feet. He toed at cards and trinkets strewn across the floor. Abandoning the file box, Evan rushed to the second floor. The light from the stairwell was enough to see the tangle of wires and shattered equipment.

"They didn't leave us half a chance." He fell against the doorframe.

He made his way to Fred's room and shoved aside a stack of books blocking the entryway. A stash of vintage CDs tumbled into his path, shattering the aging plastic cases.

"Seriously." He stooped to restack and pick up the cracked plastic boxes.

The cover of the top case fell off in his hand. Inside the shattered case he spotted something loose. He tipped the case and a mini-SD Magna chip tumbled into his palm.

"Sometimes your old fashioned ways are wonderful, old man." Evan turned the tiny chip between his fingers. "You didn't trust the Cloud, after all."

The chimes of a phone rang in the store below. Startled and curious, Evan wrapped the tiny SD chip in a tissue and slipped it in his front shirt pocket. Side stepping into the kitchen, he grabbed a knife from the scatter of utensils on the floor.

Picking his way through the front of the store, Evan sought the source of the ringing. He worked his way toward the front windows.

Outside, a shadow moved across the empty street, catching Evan's eye.

"Linc? Is that you?" Evan called quietly. He shook his head questioning why his friend would physically manifest. Looking again, he could swear the figure shifted to stare across the street into the store window.

"Damn thief. This day cannot get any more messed up." Evan ran outside and bolted across the street.

The figure was gone.

Stricken and certain he had lost his mind, Evan turned back to the store.

"Only a few seconds left, Dude." Linc's voice filled his ears.

Evan caught his breath as sparks rippled over the edges of the building.

"You know the drill. Hit the dirt." Linc's voice barked into Evan's mind, all but shouting.

Out of conditioning, Evan leapt over the curb away from the store and dove behind a transit bus bench for cover.

The front of the store glowed a deep, electric blue. The force of the EM Pulse tore through the glass in the front window. The blast cleared the store's front porch of the bells and dangling suncatchers, firing them over the street toward Evan.