The Vexed Generation by Scott Meyer

Author:Scott Meyer [Meyer, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B081LMMW5Z
Publisher: Rocket Hat Industries
Published: 2019-12-06T05:00:00+00:00

17.

The twins appeared somewhere dark and loud.

The first impression they had was of a raging fire in the distance and a horrible cacophonous sound, like a tractor-trailer crash, or a building collapse. As their eyes adjusted and their brains made more sense of the data coming in, they quickly realized that the sound of the raging fire was actually the roar of an enthusiastic crowd, and the red light in the distance came from stage lighting. The cacophony resolved itself into energetic drumming and an overly active guitarist showing off his prowess on the pedal steel.

After a quick look around, Brewster and Mattie saw that they were standing in the aisle at the very top of the balcony of a theater, about two-thirds full of people. On the stage, the four men standing in front of a band all said “Giddyup.” Then one of them sang “Oom poppa oom poppa mow mow” in an improbably deep voice.

Mattie and Brewster both asked, “Where are we?”

Phillip looked down at the stage, then back to twins as if he couldn’t believe they had to ask. “An Oak Ridge Boys concert. Where are your parents?” he asked.

Brewster said, “What?”

Phillip shouted over another round of oom poppa mow mows, “I asked where your parents are!”

Mattie said, “We know! We heard! How can you ask us that after what you did to them?”

She began squirming, trying to wriggle free from Phillip’s grip.

He clamped down tighter on her forearm. “Please, stop that! Mathison, please. Oh no—”

The vague form of two people started to appear, but Mattie, Brewster, and Phillip all vanished before the two fully materialized.

* * *

The environment around Phillip and the twins remained dark and loud, but everything else changed. Being students at an American high school, Brewster and Mattie immediately recognized that they were underneath a set of gym bleachers. They stood, surrounded by thin metal supports and struts. From above they heard the sounds of a basketball game and saw slivers of light with small glimpses of legs and backs through the gaps between the aluminum slats.

Brewster shook his head. “What is going on?”

Phillip said, “It’s an emergency macro I wrote. If I identify someone as a threat, it automatically teleports me away from them to one of several places that nobody who knows me would ever think I’d go. Where are your parents? Are they okay? Will you please stop trying to get away from me?”

Mattie grabbed one of the bleachers’ supporting struts and tried with all of her strength to pull herself free of Phillip. “Our parents are still frozen, thanks to you,” she grunted, “but we’ve hidden them somewhere safe. And no, I won’t stop trying to get away!”

Brewster knew a good idea when he saw one, and followed his sister’s lead, grabbing a strut himself and pulling in the opposite direction from Mattie.

Phillip stood between them, holding both of their arms as best he could, grimacing and straining as if he were being pulled apart by wild stallions.

Mattie hooked her arm around the strut and used her free arm to strike Phillip about the rib cage with her cane.

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