City on the Edge of Forever Episoide I

I thought I would write a story through this over the next couple of days. I am not exactly sure how long it will go on, but I do hope you enjoy it! So, here we go. CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER EPISODE I: ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT


A curtain hung over the city, giving it both a silence and an eerily still sensation in those early morning hours. The river glided silently before me. No boats passed along those typically crowded waters. The roads on the bridges unoccupied. It was as if someone had taken a black and white photograph of the city at the exact moment when it looked to be at its most peaceful. If you were paying attention, you may think that something was off. But who was really paying attention? I know I wasn't. Shit, I could have cared less. The night before played over and over again in my mind.

Slowly, I took another drag from the cigarette, and I held my breath.

Wait.

Wait.

When I finally exhaled, the smoke was barely visible. I closed my eyes, and pulled the glass bottle in my other hand up to my lips. Apparently drinking vodka straight out of the bottle at 6 in the morning gives off the impression that you're an alcoholic. Well, by all means, assume everything you like about me from that simple act.

A buzz rose from my pocket.

I retrieved the culprit, and looked into its small screen.

JANE SHEPARD.

Didn't expect that one. For about a second I deliberate whether or not to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hello yourself. Are you alright?"

Shit, I must have been pretty far gone.

"I've been worse."

"Your voice would express otherwise."

"What's up Jane?"

"Well, you seemed like you were determined to go on one hell of a bender last night. And from the sound of it, you damn well succeeded."

"And?"

"I figured I could pick you up if you needed it." She added as an afterthought, "Something weird's going on here. I figured you'd be out of the loop."

Tempting. I raised the bottle to examine its contents. There was barely anything left. You're lucky you don't need to get your stomach pumped, I told myself. I took another quick drag from the cigarette, and then dropped the butt into the bottle. Then I threw them both into the river.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm here. That would probably be for the best."

"Alright, where are you?"

I told her, and took a seat on the hood of my car. She would be about 20 minutes getting here. Leaning back, I looked into the sky. The light of the sun had barely begun to break through the veil of fog and cloud. As I allowed myself to relax muted sounds began to drift towards me.

Screams.

Sounds of metal and concrete ripping themselves violently apart.

Gunshots.

Slowly these noises began to register in my head. Slowly I raised myself back up to look at the city. Paying attention now, I noticed that the fog was not the only source of the veil surrounding the city. Smoke was pouring out of the buildings, wafting silently into the sky. I reached for the phone in my pocket and made a call.

"Jane. What the hell is happening in the city?"

"I'll explain when I get there. I'm just a few minutes away."

As she spoke those words, I saw a flash of light flare up in the center of the city. A guttural roar ripped through me as a followup, and on of the buildings on the waterfront began to cave in on itself. It was like watching a landslide as the building cascaded down into the water. Smoke and debris billowed all around it. From where I was standing, nearly a mile away, I watched as three blocks vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Try to hurry."

She had already hung up.

Or at least that's what I wanted to hope had happened.