“Unbelievable.” Agent Austin Waller muttered in actual mild disbelief as he and the rest of his fellow spooks sat through yet another death by powerpoint by their manager, who, at least, was just as unmotivated in giving said powerpoint as they were listening to it. At least he was being quick about all of this, blitzing through most of the filler slides and other nonsense.
“Well, start believing it.” Senior manager Koi replied deadpanned to the responses from the assembled. “The bastards who have been causing millions of deaths, millions with a capital M, out there in that other world in the past year. They’re apparently traced back to here.” The fact that the majority of those deaths were merely natives that no one cared about and probably would have been dead from something or another in that unhappy world didn’t escape anyone in the audience, but the rhetorical appeal still worked, at least for a few seconds before the glaze of apathy reasserted itself.
“Like here, here? As in our version of earth?” Agent Whiteburn asked, grasping at straws, any straws, that maybe it’s not really going to be their problem. Koi sighed.
“Some of them, yes.” Koi confirmed, much to the dejection of everyone in the conference room. “We have been sharing data with our counterparts for a while now, and we all have to do our part in our world.” He paused with another sigh. “I don’t trust any of them bastards either, certainly not enough to invite their ass over here.”
“So, um, shouldn’t this be the FBI’s job?” Agent Brenman asked. “As pressing as it is, this is basically an internal matter at the national level.”
“That too.” Koi admitted. “Which is why we are cooperating with them in rooting out these recruitment cells. Question is, do you really want them to hog all the glory of a job well done?”
“Sure…” Waller muttered, whose tone of voice managed to convey the opposite. Even years removed from the field work, it seems that Koi still has that gung ho attitude at times, probably picked up from that ex-marine that he worked with back in the day.
“Look on the bright side, at least we’re not likely to jump over the portal border for this shit.” Koi said, trying to find something positive, and not doing too great at that. “Not like we have a choice in what we do.” He sighed, the fake type to cultivate some flavor of comradery. “Meeting adjourned.” He announced, dismissing everyone, who all but jumped to leave that lethargic meeting, even if it signals the beginning of another round of ‘work never ends’ for the next however many months.
------
Where the fuck do I even begin? Waller thought to himself as he sat on the old battered couch in his one bedroom apartment. It’s a homely place, all things considered, and as bad as it is. At least it’s more dignified than living in his parents’ basement, a thought living rent free at the back of his mind from time to time even after a decade.
There’s still the current task at hand though, which is of course finding the source of the pipeline in which the insurgency in that other world is getting their seemingly limitless flow of ‘hero’ fodder from. Sure, the majority of them just end up being bullet ridden corpses if they’re lucky, but they still constitute a military threat in that forsaken world.
And a more insidious concern back in this one.
Which he has not the faintest idea of where to even start. It’s not like he could just read up on the archives and libraries and study the culture that he needs to infiltrate, there’s only a little body of work so far and most of that is wild ass guesses. He knew very well how much the likes of him and even Koi just threw shit that sounded about right to their superiors back in the day, who themselves obviously knew just as little.
It was easy to bullshit the blind, and the problem was for future them… but it turns out that future them is now, and they don’t like it one bit.
… but there’s another source of information.
He shook his head, promptly dismissing or even entertaining that notion. No way, that shit’s gay, and more relevantly probably full of nonsense and depraved fantasies.
He sighed as he sank further back into his couch. While there’s a lot of leeway in their work, results are still to be expected at some point… accountability is a thing for the likes of him after all.
His wallowing in self pity was abruptly truncated by the ring of his phone, and as he grabbed it it showed that his mother was calling.
“Hey mom, what is it?” He asked as he answered the call. Great, the last thing he needed right now is family matters to intrude. And it is family matters, as none of them are the talkative types.
“Well Austin, gram has just had a stroke and is currently in critical condition, so I was wondering if your younger brother could stay with you for a bit while we visit her at the hospital?” She asked, getting straight to the point, though he could hear a lot of emotions swirling just beneath the surface.
He thought about rejecting it outright, given his work, but something tells him otherwise. It wasn’t exactly his proudest thought, not that he had many of those in recent years, but it would make for a convenient excuse to explain away his lack of progress.
“Yes mom, but you do know-” He answered.
“Of course of course, I know you got a lot of work at that accounting firm and they’re really hard on you. You know that Ralph won’t be a problem.” She assured him. He nodded along, not really believing it either way. Last time he saw his brother the boy was in the beginning of his teen angst stage, and by now… he’s what, 16 now?
He should feel ashamed that he barely remembers his brother’s age, but he doesn’t. It’s as if his interest in the living side of life has been steadily drained by the demands of his job. His career. The definition of his essence in society, even if he couldn’t tell anyone about it.
“Um- Yes. Of course I’ll make some time for that.” He finally replied, knowing that nothing good will come of it. And it’s not their fault. It’s not anyone’s fault.
It’s just the present circumstances being what it is, which makes it all the more maddening. There’s no tangible force to focus on, to struggle against, to do something about it.
Only the resignation and acceptance of more burdens. And of course, the guilt of even thinking of that as burdens.
------
“Welcome bro.” Austin said with all the warmth he could muster as he opened the door after hearing the doorbell rang. The teen youth in front of him sullenly, even more so than the last time the two had seen each other.
“Sup.” Ralph replied as he shuffled listlessly into the apartment, his eyes glued to his phone the entire time. He hasn't improved since they last met, but it’s hard to tell with teens these days.
It’s gonna be a long couple of weeks. Austin thought to himself as he closed the door. “So, um, what you doing these days?” He asked, trying to be nonchalant about it.
"You wouldn't get it." Ralph muttered, a hint of bitterness in his voice. Usual teen angst, no one in the world understands their particular pains, just like everyone who ever lived.
"First time?" Austin joked, the ancient meme completely flying over the younger sibling's head.
"There's nothing left in this world." Ralph explained in the vague lashing out that marks those of his generation. "The job market is shit, society's atomized, and we're fighting another stupid ass war in bumfuckstan."
"And what does any of that have to do with you?" Austin tries to steer the conversation to a safer direction, with his usual lack of tact. "You're too young to be worrying over the fate of the world."
"Because that's all I have to look forward to!" Ralph countered, to Chris’s growing unease with actual bitterness and weight to his words. "A world gone in shit, gone to shit, and will go to shit!”
“Bruh, you can’t just think like that. You only got this one life here in this world.” Austin said gently. “It’s not like there’s another world you can just bum off to-”
“Oh, like the Marines did some years back?” Ralph threw the words out.
“Just because you can’t point the place out on a map doesn’t mean it’s in lala land.” Austin joked with a slight awkwardness. “Maybe you should hit the books and worry about the coming midterms.”
“Yeah whatever.” Ralph rolled his eyes as he put away the last of his luggage, if a single backpack and a duffle bag could be called as such. “I’m heading out.” He continued immediately without skipping a beat as he turned around back towards the door he just entered.
“Don’t you want to rest a little-” Austin said after his brother, only to be met with the slam of the door, and the eerie silence that followed.
He stared at the closed door for a couple of seconds in disbelief before reaching for his shoes and jacket. As soon as he finished dressing he reached for the door.
It's not fair. He might not be the most caring of people, but this is really out of his control. It’s not his fault that-
Regardless, it would not do for him to screw up a glorified babysitting task this early.
……
Rex's gaming emporium was the last place that Austin had expected Ralph to run off to when checked the geolocation on his phone, mostly because he really hadn't expected someone of the younger generation to actually go anywhere In the first place. Heck, even he himself wasn't that much of a touch grass type of person, or even that bastard Koi for that matter.
He wasn't sure what exactly to expect when he pushed open the doors, perhaps dusty shelves with overpriced tomes, tacky nerd decorations, cringe weeb shit, and the festering stench of those stunted losers who never interacted with real, normal, well adjusted people who are completely and mentally stable.
And his expectations were filled. Well, except for the crowd part, which was a bit more varied than he had expected. In fact he could have sworn that there's a professor from one of the local community colleges sitting at one of those tables, playing some children's card game with a bunch of college age youths.
All that, of course, makes the slutty elf cosplayer or whatever over at the corner surrounded by a sizable crowd of unwashed losers just slightly out of place. Maybe it's some shitty ass promotion for some shitty ass mobile game or something.
Then upon a closer look he realized that it wasn't cosplay that said elf is wearing, and that it's an actual elf in the physical and literal definition of the term. Not that he had seen one before or anything. Rumors had it that old man Koi did, but he never mentioned those either way.
He then noticed his brother among the crowd, as enthralled as the rest of them, almost as in bewitched. He shook his head, realizing that his mind was also being tugged at, for things and whatnot he could not put a finger on.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Something that’s just unnatural, unbecoming, unsettling.
“Hey fu-, bro.” Austin called out, catching himself at the last moment. He is really picking up a lot of bad habits at the workplace. “What’s going on?” He asked, half rhetorically and half hoping it’s not his wildest worries.
The crowd turned their attention towards him, and suddenly Austin felt the glare of a dozen pairs of suspecting eyes as the spotlight was put on him. His first thought was to look down, making sure that he wasn’t wearing anything in particular that would identify him to his workplace. To his relief and also internal cringe he was wearing rather nondescript clothing: polo shirt, khaki pants, web belt, white socks, and tennis shoes. Okay, so they’re kinda wrinkled and he might have picked out a few pieces from the to be washed basket, but that’s supposed to make the outfit more authentic… and totally not because he’s caught slacking.
And that’s all irrelevant, as he felt something inside of his head. Not the usual shenanigans of caffeine withdrawal or cringe memories floating up to the surface at inappropriate times. It’s something else entirely: as if someone’s rummaging around in his mind, searching for something-
It was then that he noticed the slightly out of focus expression on the face of that elf bitch, who he’s getting more and more certain is an actual elf in the flesh rather than some crazed cosplayer. She noticed his glare after a moment, and as her expression changed to that of fear she mouthed out a single word in presumably her wackass language, which roughly translated into the following:
“Wrathbringer”.
It was surreal to hear the term in actuality, rather than from some shitty powerpoint based off of stupidass hearsay from dumbasses, like the persistent baseless rumor that 3rd world yokels fear dudes with pistols because it supposedly reminded them of the secret police executing their relatives.
But this isn’t made up. At least, not in this particular case here and now. And that’s rather worrying.
In a snap moment of decision making Austin strolled forward with a confidence that he didn’t exactly feel, and grabbed his younger brother by the collar.
“Sorry for crashing the party.” He apologized unapologetically to the crowd before returning his attention to Ralph. “Dude you can’t just run off just because, there’s dangerous people out there.”
“I know.” Ralph said in a tone that chilled the heart. “You are one of them.”
“Mother will decide your fate.” Austin half joked in trying to keep up appearances as he continued to drag Ralph out of the store. From the glare he received he knew that the pointy eared bitch wasn’t fooled for a moment, but at least the rest of the crowd did, or at least passive enough to not rock the boat. That’s the important part really. Both of them do have their true natures to hide. Less of a masquerade and more of a veneer.
It’s common knowledge that Murica’ has brought freedom to another bumfuckstan, it is just as well that the average folk has accepted that they don’t care that they couldn’t find where it is on a map. After all, the past decade the government admitted to aliens and all that jazz, and none of those really mattered in the grand scheme of things.
“Why!? What the fuck!?” Ralph snapped at his brother as they two walked to the latter’s car, all the while him still being dragged by the collar.
“You should know better than to run off like that.” Austin replied curtly as he opened the rear door of his car. Taking the hint, Ralph got in, though his eyes were still defiant.
“You are definitely grounded.” Austin added, as he got into the driver’s seat and began calling their mother on his cellphone.
It’s shaping up to be quite a few long days ahead.
------
“Sonofabitch.” Koi muttered out the word dismissively though his facial expression seemed to suggest otherwise.
“It’s all true.” Austin stated, even though he knew the reaffirmation is not necessary.
The two of them were sitting in Koi’s office, which Austin made his way to as soon as he walked in the main entrance of the office. He had a fitful night of half-assed sleep, debating whether to immediately inform his superiors via email or in person the morning after, before deciding on the latter as his mind drifted off to the world of nightmares and seemingly frivolous thoughts. The heated conversation with mother earlier concerning Ralph certainly didn’t help matters.
He just hopes that Ralph will stay in the apartment, though as a precaution he had slapped on an ankle monitor to the still defiant teen. It’s not a working one (in fact it was one he picked up as a souvenir from some place or another), but no one needs to know that, least of all the teen. It’s certainly a drastic and a dick move, but he didn’t see another option. There’s no way that he could just call in and take the day off work.
“Of course it’s true.” Koi snapped, more to himself, before shaking his head. “Bastards.” He muttered. “We’re so used to fighting the cyberspace and social media war that we’re forgetting the one in the real world”. Conveniently sidestepping any accountability by blaming it all on institutional problems, the bland faced mid manager has learned the skills of his position well.
“So um- would you like me to start rounding up a listening team-” Austin began looking for busywork before the older man waved him off, a new and worrying glint in his eyes.
“A bit too late for that, especially if the part about the pointy eared bastard uttered was true.” Koi said without emotions, as if laying out the bare facts rather than pointing accusations. “They’re probably gone now.” He got up, and Austin noticed a tremor in his left hand: a sure sign of the stresses getting the better of him once again.
Which has been happening quite a bit for a while.
“So what now?” Austin asked, the otherwise normal question hanging in the air like an imminent poisonous bite. While he has some ideas of potentially what’s to come, he was also hoping that his assumptions are incorrect.
“We do what we must.” Koi said without fanfare as he walked to the door. “Come,” He gestured to his subordinate as he opened the door, “We have shit to do.”
……
As it turned out what that shit to do meant was to round up every skater who was twiddling their thumbs, check up a bunch of gear from the off the books armory, suit up like shoving 10 lbs of shit into 5 lb bags, and bundle into an otherwise unremarkable maroon van. It was only as they settled in their seats did Austin have time to think about things a little more… and it’s not good. In fact it’s worse than his prior worst assumptions.
“Isn’t this a bad idea?” He finally asked. Koi nodded.
“Of course it is.” The aged man replied, all of a sudden looking a bit older than his actual age. “Pray that we are already too late.” He paused a bit before continuing. “You, and everyone here, know full well that there’s no time for a proper mission with all the powerpoints and paperwork.”
And the worst part is that he’s somewhat correct about that. Fighting other organizations is easy in comparison: there’s always paper trails, lines of communications, chains of hierarchy. The moving parts and lifeblood of any organization, the same things that makes them slow in comparison. In comparison to whatever the fuck they’re fighting these days: lone individuals who seemed to appear and disappear at will, communication through planes beyond known understanding, and decisions made not by some commander or even community, rather the whims of forces unknown.
“But still…” Austin continued, before stopping himself, not sure what he wanted to object to even.
“But what?” Koi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Spit it out. You still have some sick days left.”
“We’re here.” The driver called out from the front. Koi merely nodded in acknowledgement, still staring at Austin. It took a moment for him to realize that he is looking for a reply.
“Isn’t this-” Austin began, taking a moment to recompose himself before continuing. “Isn’t this escalating things too quickly?”
“Sure.” Koi flippantly replied. “But I expect to vindicate myself.” He snarled, the intrusive malevolence rising to the front.
“There’s something more about this.” Austin prodded on, more and more convinced that he has to do something, anything, to prevent a coming shitstorm.
“You’re damn right there is, fuck them all!” Koi snapped angrily, the metaphorical mask finally slipping off even as everyone slipped on their physical gas masks.
“Why?” Was all Austin could get out, feeling more helpless than ever before.
“Gamers, incels, fucking weebs. They’re all going down to the same place, THE DEPTHS OF HELL!” Koi snarled, dark malevolence with a hint of his ill defined Asian accent absolutely dripping out of every word and gesture, as he flicked on his AEG-12 coilgun in a fluid motion made possible only through many repetitions in training and moreover experiences in real events. Clearly the man has some undiagnosed and unresolved issues, but no one’s willing to point that out to someone who’s decked out in kit and wielding a gun. Oh, and he’s technically in charge of whatever the fuck this is, even though that’s the least important aspect by now.
“Roger that.” Came the muted and less than enthusiastic chorus of acknowledgments as the rest of the team also flicked their weapons’ safeties off. It’s a small blessing that all of them are wearing masks, for they have much reasons to hide their faces. From the truth, from the consequences of their imminent actions, from man and God.
“You’re unhinged.” Austin pointed out the obvious in what passed for defiance as his mind still mulled whether insubordination was a good idea or not before Koi grabbed him roughly with his free hand.
“You got 5 to prove otherwise.” He said flatly before pushing him out of the back door of the van.
Austin blinked for a moment in disorientation and disbelief as he stumbled outside, no one around really paying much attention to the heavily armed and kitted up masked man. As he got his bearings again he straightened up, and walked to the gaming shop, opening the door as if he’s just another patron.
“Hey buddy, I think you got the wrong date, the airsoft meet isn’t until Saturday.” The nerdy store clerk said jokingly as Austin walked in. “Nice gear though, must have cost a pretty penny.” He continued with a smile of the blissfully unaware.
“Hey, I got a question to ask. That pointy ear chick still around?” Austin asked, trying to be as casual as possible as he slung his coilgun.
“Bruh you need to stop thirsting over them thots-” The store clerk began before the sound of something crashing made the both of them turn around.
And there she was, that elf. And Austin was more certain than ever of that little fact. Perhaps it’s the ominous glowing orb of magical energy on her hand, which is pointing at his exact position.
He was in the process of unslinging his coilgun when he was knocked off his feet, and everything went blank right after.
……
It couldn’t have been more than a handful of seconds, and as his senses rushed back in Austin noticed a few things: that the place’s now filled with canned smoke, the occasional whistle of coilguns, and what sounded like someone barking commands, mixed among the moaning of wounded or worse. He felt a now familiar gloved hand grab him roughly by the collar as Koi dragged him back up to a standing position, what’s left of his body armor falling by the wayside.
“Shocking, isn’t it?” Koi said dryly, sounding not at all surprised though whatever expression he might have hidden behind the mask.
“You knew.” Austin stated. The older man shrugged as he took his hand off of him.
“Enough.” He said. “Now get back there and see what use you can be.”
“Aye.” Austin said with a cough as he stumbled forward. The show’s mostly over, with the other guys dragging bodies and cuffing the more alive suspects. Belatedly he could hear sirens of emergency responders off in the distance. Maybe he was out for more than a few seconds after all.
And then he saw it: a body a bit a ways off, next to what remained of some makeshift portal or something. There wasn’t much that should have stood out, a male of average stature, nondescript in appearance and clothing, so shot up that it’s all but impossible to identify any identity… if it weren't for that oddly looking ankle monitor.
Austin rushed forward, ignoring the sudden stabs of pain in his abdomen. He knelt down to the body, and began to rummage though the pockets. With shaking hands he pulled out a wallet, and from it a learner’s driver’s license.
The world went black again for Austin for the second time that day.
------
It was officially a successful operation, the internal memorandum says so from the email sent from Koi. Another lie they tell themselves, as if they do not have ears that hear, eyes that see, nor social media accounts who’s inboxes were quickly filled with angry messages. The undirected rage that even OPSEC couldn’t shield them from.
And for Austin that’s the problem. For the past few days he had retreated into his apartment, all plugs pulled, all devices turned off, the curtains pulled over and the window itself taped over with some black tape that was found from a dark corner of the couch.
The meds didn’t help, sleep was elusive, and the wider world? He was dead to them- no, probably worse.
It’s not gonna get better, it’s never gonna get better. It’s what he deserves, it’s what they all deserve…
------
The untimely and unscheduled death of another low level employee was annoying, but nothing so out of the blue. When the news broke in the office his coworkers shrugged, and continued their work, taking on the additional tasks left by that minute void until another body gets poached from another department. His family, their misplaced anger crumbled into yet more sadness, but no more tears could be spared from those who have suffered beyond what they should have bore in a lifetime.
And as for the war at large? It continues, grinding down more men, women, children, and others by tangible and intangible forces. More bodies for the slaughter, inflicting suffering on each other, for goals always to be out of reach, illusionary nonsense, the only thing left for those with nothing, hope for the hopeless.
All the while those who revel in the bloodlust, in the chaos and the madness, prospered. Promoted, granted more power. Higher they go, new champions for the depravity of sinister forces beyond. Drinking the poisons that unknowingly twist their very essence, or at least more than they already were. For the potential for wickedness always lies within, in the souls of men at birth. To claim otherwise would be an affront to accountability, not that anyone cares for such.
It is what it is, and it do be like that. Life, and death, goes on, in both worlds.