Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Fan Fiction ❯ FFC One Shot: Touch the Screen ❯ Touch the Screen ( One-Shot )

Touch the Screen

It was raining out but I didn't care, everyone else had other things to do and I planned to have a pleasant day alone. Alone to relax in a hot bath, watch a movie, and surfing the net. Namely visiting and posting at the boards where I "conversed" with friends from all over. "Sure you don't want to come with, Robin?" My husband Ron questioned putting his jacket on, grabbing a pack of Marlboro and a lighter from the kitchen table.

"I want to go look at cars as much as you wanted to go to the anime convention last month. Oh yeah you didn't go." I smiled snatching the cigarettes to take one from the pack before returning them.

"Those things are going to kill you." Devon lectured as he came into the room coat on ready to leave. "Come on Dad, or we'll be late." Thirteen is such a pleasant age, one I wished to forget, but having children you end up living it over as each of them do. Shit I had to have grandkids too.

The bath was wonderful, strains of Creed, Stain, and then the oldies; Moody blues, Kansas, and Cat Stevens filled the house at a volume that I would never dare let anyone know I liked. I was just browsing through the Anime DVD's when I heard someone pulling up. I wondered why Ron and Devon would be back so soon, or worse Tiffany and the grandkids. But as I went to the door and opened it there stood a UPS deliveryman with a package. "Package delivery sign here please." He handed me the package and left. I set the book size package on the table getting a knife out and slicing the top open. The label on the box said ACME; I didn't know that the company was real. Opening the box I pulled out the enclosed letter from the Nirweye Co. Inc. I read it as I pulled out a small black box with two phone jacks on one side and two phone plugs on the other. The letter read:

Congratulations:

You have been chosen to test the new Dimension Box, the ultimate in Internet connection allowing the user lightning fast uploads and gateways to new dimensions. Installation is a snap, all the software is programmed into the box so no CD to install. Please try our product for 30 days then fill out the enclosed questioner and send it back to us. The Dimension Box is yours to keep.

Sincerely,

AB

Marketing.

The DVD's now forgotten, I turned off the computer removing the phone lines and installing the Box into my modem. I turned back on the computer and as it came online I quickly grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge and settled in for those new dimensions promised by the letter. A dialog box came up instructing me to please make an Internet connection. OK another couple of minutes as the dial up connection established and MSN signed me in. I was getting really excited as the next dialog box popped up. "Are you ready?" below which there was an ok button, which I clicked on.

The program began scanning my system, pictures from various animes I had downloaded flashed across the screen, along with Word 2000 files opening and closing almost faster than my eyes could register. I blinked, what the? Then the screen cleared and read "Preferences loaded, connecting"

Blink

Blink

Blink

"Ultra connections established to the following users:"

Time Lady

Styar Madison

Dee-chan

Iamfanboy

Dueceofspades

Dezz

Dark Jades

Jehosi

The screen flashed again repeatedly with the words:

Touch the screen

Touch the screen

Touch the screen

I set my Pepsi on the desk and reaching out I touched the screen.

As my eyes opened and adjusted to the bright sunlight I stood amazed at the sight before me. I was standing next to the pool of a roof top garden. It was the Silky Doll building from the Anime Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and it was a cartoon. I was a cartoon. "I'm a cartoon." I voiced my thought.

"No my lady you're an anime there is a difference." The voice of a manservant startled me as he approached with a tray containing a drink of some sort.

"I hope there is alcohol in that." I mumbled taking the glass and downing it before turning my attention back to the elderly gentleman. "What's going on here?"

"Your party miss, the other guests shall arrive shortly. My employer only asks that you not leave the safety of the roof as there have been rogue boomer reports close by."

"Boomers?" I asked for a moment confused again.

"But not to worry you are perfectly safe here. There are two food areas set up over there one for you and your friends, and the other for the various muses and clones accompanying some of them. I don't know why, but they seem to prefer their food grossly undercooked." He talked in monosyllables and I could see there was more to follow.

"And." I prompted as the silence stretched out.

"And there is a bar set up over there, Macky will tend bar for you." I looked over at the boy of about 15 as he stood behind the bar. He was dressed in a blue jogging outfit with a white bandana around his forehead. He waved to me and then went back to cleaning glasses. God I am in Bubblegum 2040.

"Do you know how I got here or for that matter, why?"

"Not a clue." He turned leaving me standing there alone except for Macky.

I used the time alone to think and to survey myself in the glass of the door panels leading to the enclosed area. I only slightly resembled my self. Well I was me with a touch of Destiny, one of my fictional characters, and Hitomi from Escaflowne thrown in. Short sandy brown hair lightly brushed my shoulders in thick masses, and I could swear there was a ring of light around the middle of it like some strange halo. My eyes were wide and green the same color of my real eyes but I didn't look to be more than 17 or 18 years old. The gold trimmed black oriental style gown I wore had a high neckline, with a triangle cut in the front bodice revealing the cleavage of my oversized breasts. Where did they come from? The floor length gown had slits to mid calf up both sides and was embellished with golden dragons. And on my wrist was a bracelet that resembled a dragon's head. I pulled the head from the clamp knowing immediately what it really was. I concentrated as I held out the dragon mouth forward. The liquid metal blade shot out from the end, as jagged and deadly looking as the one I had created in my mind for an RPG I was involved in. I willed the blade to retract and replaced it on my wrist. I needed another drink. As I approached the bar Macky smiled handing it to me before I could even ask. "You write lemons don't you."

"How did you…?" He simply smiled and pointed at my heaving chest. I groaned as he handed me the drink.

At various locations across the real world the program had infiltrated the computers of people I had met on the boards. Each one sat in front of their computer staring at the strange message flashing on the screen.

Touch the Screen

Touch the Screen

Touch the Screen

One by one they each reached out to touch the screen of their computers.

There was a crackling sound and I turned to look in the direction of the pool where I had first appeared. The air hummed and a man materialized out of thin air then proceeded to split into two. Both had black hair but the shorter man's was longer reaching to his shoulders. As I approached I noted that there were other differences in the two. The tall one had brown intelligent looking eyes to the others more adventuresome green ones. I studied both before deciding who was who. The tall man wore black baggy jeans and a colorful tie on top of a T-shit of all things. His shoes were mismatched and his bracelets jangled as the man reached for a short sword at his side. The shorter of the two wore tight fitting black breeches and a green tunic, and was wielding a large two-sided hammer of some sort. He stepped toward me with the hammer raised when the other grabbed his arm. "What do you think she is going to do attack you with those breasts?" I groaned. "You must be Dezz and Xerlic." I extended a hand to them. "You're taking this situation very calmly."

"More than you seem to be if the look on your face is any indication. I don't tend to startle easy, and Xerlic has never been a flesh human, so to him I would think this is normal. But you have me at a disadvantage here you know me, but I don't know you."

"Oh sorry, the names Ro.. It's Fanilia."

"Fanilia, I read your bio and I thought you were much older."

"I am. But here I seem to have been remixed. I look like the examples I gave in that post on characters. Oh my god, the program..."

"What?"

The air began crackling again and I grabbed both men pulling them out of the way as a woman appeared where the two had been standing. I knew who this was immediately. She wore a black beret with the emblem of a spade on the front. But her appearance varied from the bio she had posted, I could have sworn the outfit she wore was strait out of the Tomb raider movie. Her brown hair was braided and hung almost down to her knees, and she had a silver handled black whip coiled and hung at her side. I noticed that the black ties in her braid as well as the handle of her whip were accentuated with pairs of silver spades. Deuces. She looked at the three of us with narrowed blue/gray eyes. "What the hell am I doing here and why are we all anime?" Her hand went for the whip. I groaned again.

"I think this all my fault, I got this new modem enhancer, I used it, your names along with several others came up, I touched the computer screen, and…" I was babbling now tears coming out of my eyes even as I tried to hold them back. Goddamn that program had given me Destiny's sensitivity. I hate crying.

"Destiny?" She asked, boy that gal was a great beta reader she could see the parts of me taken from the story she was editing.

"Fanilia. And this is Dezz and Xerlic his alternate persona. Dezz, Xerlic this is Duecey."

"Do I smell food?" Xerlic sniffed the air as the breeze blew the aroma of cooked meat our direction. He spotted the food tables and made for the one with the undercooked food. Well at least now I knew which category he fell into.

"Have you noticed that we so far we all have weapons?" I asked as I eyed the whip and the sword.

"You don't." Dezz replied, "Unless you count those." Again with the breasts, someone was going to pay once I figured out who had done this. Because there had to be a someone, this was anime after all and there had to be a villain here somewhere.

"Enough with the breasts." I growled then pulled the dragon off my bracelet letting the blade grow. "I wonder if it glows?" I commented while I put my palm to the blade applying just enough pressure to draw blood making it glow with orange fire immediately.

"Cool." Duecey reply as she reached out to almost touch the blade.

"I don't think you want to do that, it's cursed." I concentrated and the blade retracted into the dragon so I could snap it back into its holder. I could see she had an idea where it had come from. "It's kind of a cross between the bracelet in Witchblade and the weapon Kore uses in Domineering. I hope you don't mind."

Over the next half hour I greeted what I came to think of as guests in the strangest One

Shot fiction never written. And why not, it was a party of sorts, and the food for the muses was grossly undercooked. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see the obvious. I actually was listening to hear if someone mentioned latex. Johosi a newbie to the boards had to sit down after an energy bolt shot out from her hand exploding a potted plant. The poor girl was only 4' 11" and the bolt had knocked her back several feet. Xerlic helped her to her feet and I heard him say as he escorted her to a table. "I like the hair, that's cherry wine isn't it?"

"Yeah." She answered dazed as her chocolate brown eyes still tried to focus.

Time Lady just shrugged when she arrived as if nothing that could be done by anyone above the 3rd grade level would surprise her in the least. She was holding one heck of a big ass sledge hammer in one hand tapping it in that `keep your eyes on your own paper' motion that still to this day gives me shivers. And since I've been out of school longer than… well let's just say I decided that I would count that ability as an extra weapon. She pushed the bangs of her dark hair back to the side, where they obviously belonged and then strode over to the bar to engage Macky in discussion while having a drink.

Star was actually excited when she appeared as an anime character that was till she saw what she was wearing. The 2002 baseball looked kind of out of place with the Card Captor style Fluke she wore, the purple and black outfit showed almost all of her legs. She pulled a worn brown leather back from her back. That had to be the "Bag" from her post; sure enough she opened it and pulled out chocolates, flowers and little hats. But being the queen of muses she didn't arrive alone. Muses both human and non-human began popping all over the place all making a beeline for the food tables. It was getting crowded, and reverting to teacher mode, Time Lady was doing a beautiful job at crowd control.

"Do you have your Katana or daggers in that bag somewhere?"

"Yes, why?"

"It seems that everyone has arrived armed so far, it may be just a coincidence, but keep them close."

"Are those your weapons?" Star gaped as the question came from her pert little mouth. I just groaned again throwing up my hands and going to the bar where Macky had my drink waiting.

By the time I returned Dee-chan had arrived, dressed in knee length white oriental tunic threaded in silver only the leggings that clung tightly to her legs were black. This was a definite change from everyone else there. That was till the midnight black wings unfolded from her back. Believe me she looked as shocked as the rest of us. At her side was a short sword, the black hilt shaped like wings, and the black pouch at her side glowed slightly as she opened and then quickly closed it.

"No they are boobs!" I almost shouted getting several stares and a look of total confusion from Dee-chan. Duecey grabbed her arm pulling her away. But as they left I heard her whisper "Fanilia is getting kind of sensitive about the breasts, so steer clear of them."

"I heard that." I called after them, only to be answered by the strains of female laughter. "Sure make fun of the lady with the big breasts." I looked back over the where Dee-chan and Duecey were now seated on two very comfortable looking bubbles, which Dee had just produced from thin air. I watched the two talk for a couple of minutes, Duecey's hands never stopped moving as she spoke, they reminded me of little birds twitting around.

The crackling started again and I knew it would either be Fanboy or Dark Jades, I don't know which one I was more nervous about, Jade was nice, but the Princess of Mordor, she would be free from the bounds of Jades mind, and who knew what plans of conquest that woman had cooking at the moment. And Fanboy, you just never knew with him. I received my answer quickly as Jade materialized and promptly split into her two selves. I knew the difference at first glance. Jade had a more military look to her. Her dark blue tunic belted with a leather braid, and the baggy black breeches were tucked securely into the calf length boots. I could see the hilt of a short knife sticking out of the top of one boot and she held a bamboo staff with the ease of long practice. Her shoulder length blonde hair was strait, but what I noticed most was the way the much longer two front locks framed her face and set off her jade green eyes. Dark Jades had those same eyes, but that is where the similarities stopped. Her strawberry blond hair cascaded in soft waves down to her knees. The lacey-sleeved red tunic she wore off one creamy colored shoulder should have clashed with that hair, but instead it gave her a dangerous look that I realized she had been striving for. She had a long sword hung from one very well rounded hip and she leaned casually against a staff that practically hummed with magic.

Only one more guest was left to arrive from that list the program produced before all this craziness started, and that was Fanboy. I stood there, waiting and watching as everyone else mingled. I thought about the absurdity of it, like a grand party where the invitations read wear black, BYOW (bring your own weapons) It was strange to see these people, I guess we still were people anime people, but people just the same, and not be looking at type written words or staring at Avatars wondering why they chose the one they had. I was brought out of my musings by the crackling sound that signaled the arrival of the final guest. Aaron or Fanboy to his friends materialized and split in to not two, but three people one of them a woman as well endowed as I was myself. Fanboy was tall and solidly built looking both darkly dangerous and intelligent in a long black trench coat and a pair of wire frame glasses. The man was still reading a book that had materialized with him. I thought at first that he had come unarmed, but closer inspection of his cane revealed it to be a zatoichi, in other words a sword built into a cane. I remembered one time him telling me that he wore only anime t-shirts and wondered which he had on. Why I was surprised when the bold English print over Japanese lettering read Fanboy the Series. The woman standing next to him, I had heard him call her Aerin right after the split, was as tall as Fanboy. Every generous curve of her body was screaming I have sex and I'm good at it. She wore a black sheath of a dress that might just have been painted on her body it was so tight. But the thing that startled me was the way she kept mothering both men and neither seemed to notice. The woman spoke to me inside my mind, her thoughts of greeting as strong as spoken language. Well, I knew what her weapon was she was a very strong physic. Last but not least in my recent memory was Eyewrin, Aaron's evil clone. The man was slightly shorter and a little less solid, but they did look like twins except Eyewrin didn't wear glasses. There was a wicked looking rapier hanging from his side and a pair of black gloves stuffed in his pocket. I almost laughed at the thought of him pulling them out to slap the face of a possible challenger. The man was lust personified. I knew this from his very brief stay at my home. He tormented my fictional characters and entered my mind to "help" me write. I even caught him peeking at my memories. He gave me an evil, I remember what you've done, smile as the three approached. God he was looking directly at my breasts. I opened my mouth to tell them that they were not weapons when Fanboy beat me to it. "Quit starring Eyewrin, you know she writes lemons."

"And she knows we do to." Eyewrin announced as the man looked down at his`brothers' lower regions while my face burned with embarrassment. "Fanilia you've changed some." Gee and I wondered why Fanboy referred to him as the evil clone.

"Hey, Fanilia looks like the makings of a great party, want to have some fun." Before I could ask him what kind of fun he was referring to Fanboy strolled over to Jade and Dark Jades. "Do you prefer digital or analog?"

They answered in unison

"Digital"

"Analog"

Then both proceeded to argue about the conflicting answers as Fanboy just chuckled and moved on. All someone had to do was mention latex and I would know without a doubt that I had entered the twilight zone.

The evening was turning out to be something of a surprise, everyone having a good time laughing and talking, eating and drinking. I was beginning to wonder how bad this could be. No rogue boomers had come to call, no wizards appearing out of no where to zap us, hell not even a red guymelth with a crazed pyro at the helm showed up. Is there anything worse than being lulled into a false sense of security? And to my great relief, so far no one had mentioned latex though most present were wearing some. I spent a moment wishing my husband could have been here with me, and then at least the breasts would have served some purpose. Wait a minute did I just think that? I shook my head, no more drinks for this lady, when noticed a computer terminal over to one side and decided to try to figure some things out. It wouldn't allow me access. The screen flashed Nirweye program running…You Are in the Twilight Zone. Shit, I jumped back from the terminal as the screen went blank and a screen saver popped up running the words hehehehehehehe across it. The damn thing was laughing at me. Dezz and Xerlic came over to me then. "What's wrong Fanilia, why aren't you enjoying the party?"

"I don't think this is your everyday party Dezz. Am I the only one concerned about all this? And that damn computer just informed me that we are all in the Twilight Zone. I think this is a trapped here and that something bad is about to happen." I jumped as Dezz draped an arm across my shoulders. "Everyone here is concerned, and we `have' all been trying to figure out a solution, so please, come enjoy the party. A chance like this may never happen again." I let him steer me over to the bar for another drink.

I had my drink in hand when I heard someone tapping the side of their glass to draw everyone's attention. The crowd quieted as the speaker cleared his throat. It was Eyewrin. "First I'd like to thank our hostess, Fanilia for inviting us here." He then waved his hand in a sweeping motion and all the muses vanished completely leaving only originals, clones, and alternate personas left. That brought the number of guests down considerably, but how had he done that. "It's now time to tell you all the reason you are here." He waited a moment for everyone's undivided attention. "Its your villains, they just don't make the cut, in other words they die or are defeated every time. Every story needs a good plot, say, real people turned into anime, transported to an alien world for reasons unknown. Then enter the villain, me of course. Dress you in my favorite color; give you weapons for that false sense of security, and Fanilia they do count. And then…"

A bolt of energy sailed toward Eyewrin as Jehosi stood smiling, for a short girl, the newbie sure was quick. Unfortunately the energy dispersed before it hit its intended target. "I said false sense of security." He sneered as evil laughter filled the air.

"Can't you do anything to stop him Fanboy, he's your clone." Jade asked staring directly at Aaron.

"I don't think so, Jade, a clone is only as good as the original it came from, but your right, he is taking way too long to get to the point." Fanboy strolled over to his brother; drink in hand, his cane tapping as he walked. "I know how much you love to hear yourself talk about your genius, about the days you spent at Fanilias using her computer to set this up, about the hours you spent searching the net because of the lack of good latex clothing for our guests here, but I would much prefer if we just skip to the torture if you don't mind."

Latex, shit he said latex. The world went black for a few seconds then came back into focus. We were no longer on the roof of the Silky Doll, but on a trail in a dense forest. Heavy shadows lay in-between the small patches of filtered light. I should know this place. I felt the wind on my bare legs. Bare legs! Looking down I realized that I along with almost every female present now wore a fuku. These were of a Sailor Moon style in every detail including our ribbon tied hair. Dezz and Xerlic were dressed in the male equivalent, well at least they were still male, I wouldn't have put it past those perverts to perform a little anime `fate alteration'.

Fanboy and Eyewrin stood apart from us, with Aerin who was bound and gagged but hadn't been subjected to the clothing change. The evil clone smiled triumphantly at his good sister as he tossed a strangely glowing orb up and down in his hand. I recognized the thing from my fiction; well Aerin wouldn't be using any physic powers with that thing turned on. I guess the two of them had thought about just about everything. Suddenly it dawned on me where I had seen the forest before. "La Blue Girl." I gasped. If this forest was from that anime then there were perverted demon monsters all around.

At that moment Dezz and Xerlic made a move on Fanboy. Or to me more accurate they tired to make a move. Vines shot out from the ground wrapping around both men and slamming them into large trees. I could hear groans from Dezz, but Xerlic was already out cold. Vines were coming out of the ground everywhere trapping our feet and legs to keep us `rooted' to the very spots we stood. Fanboy had turned his back to us surveying the forest as evil yellow tinged eyes blinked from the dark depths almost as if they were welcoming back one of their own.

Fanboy turned back around arms extended in the air as they changed before our eyes. Tentacles replaced his arms as more shot out from his back and sides some were already oozing slime. God it was a rewrite of Fanboy's Through the Looking Glass, and we were the sailor sushi. By the way Eyewrin had spoken at the party it was time for the villain to win. God I hate sudden realizations when ignorance is so much more appealing. Little charges of energy zapped between the two tentacles that at one time had been Fanboy's arms and hands. Eyewrin could hear Fanboy's words a scant second before the energy hit both him and Aerin knocking them unconscious. "Sorry, I work better alone."

He turned his attention back to us laughing one of those truly insane laughs that they never quite get right in the movies, as his tentacles snaked for us. "I will tell you now why I have done all this, brought you all here to be my victims. It is because I'm …" He paused then looking at all the female faces, each one of us knowing what was coming next, each reply ready to leave our lips before he could finish the line. Yes that one line that Fanboy and all his story characters had been trying so hard to deliver, each and every attempt met with resistance, and now it had driven him over the edge into the realm of the anti-sane. His eyes narrowed as he continued to star at us for a moment then brightened with the dawning of a new evil idea. With a wave of his hand, oh sorry tentacle, the vines holding us snaked up clamping each or our mouths tightly shut. Now nothing would stop him we were all his captive audience, and soon to be his captive lunch or worse. He grinned in victory as he began to speak little energy sparks coming for his tentacles for effect. "It is because I am smarter than the average….

Tap, Tap, Tap

Tap, Tap, Tap

The computer screen went black as Devon hit the reset button on the computer. "Hey Dad where is Mom, her computer froze, I rebooted it, but whatever she was working on is lost."