The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

"Twenty-Eight" (Draft 2)

David put the things back in the bathroom and returned to the bed. He laughed.

"What?"

"We watched the rest of the X-files after you left. I was just thinking of that guy who ate all that toothpaste."

Morpheus felt sick. He remembered the episode. The one with the giant fluke worm creature swimming about the sewers of New Jersey biting people and impregnating them with its spawn. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Jul'n was explaining to me that back then everyone thought of New Jersey as a very polluted place." Morpheus still couldn't place the accent. It occurred to him at once that David reminded Morpheus of several different members of the Jewel family and that it was likely David was Julien's child-in-blood.

David slipped from the bed again and opened a drawer on the nightstand. He took up a cigarette and lighter and he lit the cigarette. He turned it about and offered it to Morpheus. Morpheus took it, and then stared at it. He'd never smoked that he could remember, but David seemed to think that he would want it. "You've seen me smoke?"

He laughed. "Lot's of times. You always say that you only do it because Julien thinks it cute. But you smoke when he isn't around too. Only, not when Opium's around."

Morpheus had seen Julien smoke enough times. You sucked in air, let the smoke go down in your lungs, and then you exhaled. It made him cough of course, but he realized he had a nice taste on his lips. It was very sweet.

David was watching him curiously. "Is this like you meeting Julien before he ever met you?"

"What do you mean?" Morpheus asked trying to sound innocent as possible.

"You definitely aren't the same person who left to visit Opium the other day. When you came here you had on this really old jacket. Last time I saw a jacket like that it had Death painted on the back and Trip was strutting around in it smoking cloves."

Morpheus thought it pretty obvious David wanted to see if he would know who Trip was. And obviously he didn't. "I'm not trying to hide anything. I'm not even sure how I came here. Last I remember I was trying to get to New Orleans and I got caught in the void. I thought I'd die there somehow..." Morpheus sucked smoke into his lungs. He thought he was getting the hang of smoking, it warmed him up and got rid of the taste in his mouth.

"Really. I heard that happened to Thierry once, he was trying to leave New Orleans, teleport, the way you do, he had Mara and the baby with him, and they got caught, he only made it a few blocks really. I heard they were all scratched up."

Morpheus didn't know who all these people were, but over three centuries had passed. There had to be new people about. Morpheus wondered if Thierry was the same one he knew. It seemed odd to him that Thierry would ever be able to teleport.

Julien came up then with a large tray of food. He smiled when he saw Morpheus smoking. He folded down the legs and set the tray on the bed. He told David to bring the television over.

Julien took off his shoes. He climbed into the bed and sat at the middle close to Morpheus. David wheeled the mid-sized monitor in on its cart and plugged it in. Morpheus expected David would give Julien the remote next, but he just got in bed the other side of Julien.

Julien only had to think about it and the set came on, and the channels changed.

"It's a different Morpheus," David said.