Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Way Over the Line on Smashwords
Way Over The Line is now available on Smashwords: Click here to check it out! You can download it to most (if not all) eReaders and phones with eReader apps. Smashwords has plenty of options. You can also read it right on your computer if you don't have any devices to read it on. It's only $1.99. It's geared towards kids ages 10-13, but I think even adults will enjoy it. It's a science fiction story with plenty of baseball, so if you enjoy either of those, give it a read. If you know any parents with kids who enjoy science fiction and/or baseball, let them know. And tell teachers about it, too; I'm sure they know some kids who would be interested in reading this story. I hope you give it a go and enjoy it!
Way Over the Line Chapter Fifteen
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 15
Exploration time had to wait, as the organizers scheduled their first on field practice less than an hour after they signed up. It had to be punishment for being so late. Instead of Jessie and Ryder exploring the space station, the team grabbed their equipment, including Pitch, and hustled to the stadium.
Coach led them past the entrance, where they'd been not an hour before, to a small side door in the structure. They walked down a short plain hallway, this one made of concrete, not metal. As they stepped out of the tunnel and onto the field, Ryder echoed Jessie's thoughts with a "Wow."
The hologram they'd watched back in the ship did the playing field and the stadium as a whole little credit. The grass looked greener, the walls higher, and that pitching machine way closer. The ring of seats around looked never-ending. Was this what it was like to step onto the field of a major league stadium back home?
Jessie closed his eyes and let everything wash over him. The grass smelled crisp and clean, like it had just been mowed. Did they cut it with a lawn mower, or did they have some sort of space-aged method? Since it was a space station, he'd assumed it was artificial, but his nose didn't agree. It felt real under his feet, too.
He opened his eyes and looked up. Disappointment hit him at first. The dome, while see-through from space, looked solid from the inside. As he kept his eyes on it, though, it went from dark gray to an intense black. Seconds later, he could make out stars.
Stretch broke his concentration. "It's designed to look gray for ten seconds or so from the field. Long enough to track the ball. Then it turns so you can enjoy the view."
"How come? Shouldn't the ball be easy enough to track through the black of space?"
"Yeah, but there are the occasional passing ships or other anomalies. This way it's the same for all teams."
Jessie pointed to the stands. "How about up there?"
"No, it's always see-through there. No need to wait for the view."
"Cool."
"Ryder, Jessie, catch." Rake dug into the equipment bag and tossed them each their mitts from home. Jessie had forgotten that the ship had beamed those up when it pulled them onboard.
"I was wondering what we were going to use," Ryder said. "I sure didn't want to break in a new glove during games."
"Out to your positions," Coach said. "Rake, show the kids where to stand. You two take turns out there. For every two plays you make, switch."
"He can have them all if you want," Jessie said. "Since he's the starter."
"You need to stay sharp, too. Get out there."
As everyone jogged to their positions, Jessie scouted the field. There was a path to the outfield on either side of the playing field. As he remembered from the halo, the first tier wasn't very big, but being so close to the plate, the fielder there wouldn't have much time to react. It also lay a few feet lower than the batter's box. He hadn't noticed that in the hologram.
When they passed the wall that separated the first two tiers, he saw the second was quite a bit bigger than the first. It was at least twice as long from foul line to foul line. No wonder a fielder with good range, like Mickey, was needed to patrol it. In the hologram it had looked like it had towered over the batter, but since the plate was elevated a bit, he could see that it wasn't really that much higher. A couple of feet, at the most.
"Holy cow," Ryder said as they came to the third tier, the outfield. Jessie could only nod. His mouth fell open, and he didn't bother to shut it. This had to be like looking at an outfield in a major league park from the infield. It was huge! He saw the yellow line that divided the grass from front to back. As they reached it and he looked back to the plate, he marveled that anyone could hit it this far, let alone for just a double. If the simulation in the ship could be believed, Ryder had cleared it by a lot. Almost to the wall. True to the hologram, the only bit of ground out here that wasn't covered in the lush green grass was a strip of dirt that acted as the warning track in front of the home run wall.
Rake held them up. "Here's the default position. It's easy to remember, just a game of halves. The first part's easy enough. We're halfway between the line and the wall." He pointed to the middle of the field. "Picture a line in the middle running from front to back. You stand between that phantom line and the foul line. Got it?"
Jessie nodded, and Ryder said, "You bet."
"Prove it to me. Take your position in right field. Both of you."
They started off jogging, but after a few strides picked it up and sprinted, each trying to get there first. Jessie pulled ahead, but as he looked to get his bearings, Ryder sped in front.
"Yes! Winner!" Ryder slowed and stopped, his arms raised in a "V" for victory.
Jessie came up behind him, his eyes scanning for the imaginary line. Ryder might have got there first, but maybe he wasn't in the right spot. Nope. Jessie came in second fair and square.
"Excellent, you two," Rake called. "Jessie, hit the sidelines. Remember, Ryder, when you make two plays, switch. Okay?"
"Yeah," Ryder called. Jessie jogged to the side to watch. Coach, standing at home plate, looked like he was holding a bat, but instead of tossing a ball into the air and smacking it into play, he held it on his shoulder and stuffed a ball into its end. The ball, with a sharp crack, shot out to the field. Whoa, it was a baseball bazooka. Cool! This shot flew up to the outfield. Rake took a few steps in and made an easy catch. Instead of firing the ball into the infield, he tossed a lazy grounder to foul territory. It smacked against the stands and came to a stop. As soon as it did, a small round metal object zipped over and sucked it up, just like one of those self-vacuuming robots he'd seen on infomercials. He scanned the foul territory on his side and saw one against the wall not too far from him. Though he knew it wouldn't hurt him, he took a couple of steps away from it.
Coach aimed in Ryder's direction and shot a ball. Ryder took a few steps back, watched the ball, and jogged forward to make the catch. Following Rake's example, he threw the ball to the side. When it stopped rolling, the vacuum robot sucked it up.
Everyone got balls shot at them, and after Ryder's second catch, he motioned for Jessie to switch. Jessie took a deep breath and hustled into position.
Ryder jogged past and said, "Just stay calm. You'll do fine." Jessie tried to nod.
As he watched first Mickey and then Stretch catch screaming line drives, his chest hurt from his heart beating so hard. Stop it, he told himself. Don't ruin everyone's practice by passing out again.
Coach shot the next ball deep over Rake's head. He sprinted back and snagged it just before it hit the wall. Jessie's heartbeat stabilized a bit. If Coach didn't shoot it right at him, he could do it.
Coach pointed to Jessie and launched the ball. Jessie took a step back and stopped. Shoot, where was it going? He took another step back, and then one forward. No, it was coming straight for him. At the last second, he ducked and threw his glove hand up. The ball nicked off his mitt and fell to the grass.
"Come on, Jessie." Coach's voice carried a little too well. "Use your mitt and you won't get hurt. Play the ball. Don't let the ball play you."
Jessie picked it up and lobbed it to the side. He didn't know if he got anywhere near the robot. He felt his face heat up, and the world went blurry through his tears. He didn't watch anyone else take their turn. When he heard the ball snap into Rake's mitt, he looked up and wiped his eyes to clear his vision.
"Let's go, Jess," Ryder shouted. "Show everyone you can do it."
Coach launched the next one. Jessie saw right away it was well short of him. He took off in a sprint. He passed the yellow line, still tracking the ball. It screamed down about halfway between the second tier wall and the yellow line. Jessie threw himself towards it, feeling it smack into the pocket of his mitt. The soft grass cushioned his fall, and he used his momentum to pop back up to his feet, his mitt held above his head to show his catch.
"That's the way, Jessie," Coach shouted. The others also yelled their encouragement.
"You got it, kid!"
"Way to go!"
"Knew you could do it, Jess!"
Jessie rolled the ball over towards the robot as he switched spots with Ryder, who gave him a high-five as they passed. That was why he loved baseball.
--------------------------------------
That's it for the sample chapters. I hope you enjoyed reading them. Roughly two-thirds of the book is left, so if you want to see how it all turns out, you need to buy it. It'll be available tomorrow, December 1st as an ebook on Amazon for the Kindle and at Smashwords for most other formats. It'll likely be available for the Nook at Barnes and Noble and (hopefully) in the iBook store for the iPad sometime soon. I will, of course, have easy-to-find links on the front page of my blog, so you won't be able to miss how to purchase the book. It'll be $1.99. I hope you not only buy the book, but also recommend it to others!
Chapter 15
Exploration time had to wait, as the organizers scheduled their first on field practice less than an hour after they signed up. It had to be punishment for being so late. Instead of Jessie and Ryder exploring the space station, the team grabbed their equipment, including Pitch, and hustled to the stadium.
Coach led them past the entrance, where they'd been not an hour before, to a small side door in the structure. They walked down a short plain hallway, this one made of concrete, not metal. As they stepped out of the tunnel and onto the field, Ryder echoed Jessie's thoughts with a "Wow."
The hologram they'd watched back in the ship did the playing field and the stadium as a whole little credit. The grass looked greener, the walls higher, and that pitching machine way closer. The ring of seats around looked never-ending. Was this what it was like to step onto the field of a major league stadium back home?
Jessie closed his eyes and let everything wash over him. The grass smelled crisp and clean, like it had just been mowed. Did they cut it with a lawn mower, or did they have some sort of space-aged method? Since it was a space station, he'd assumed it was artificial, but his nose didn't agree. It felt real under his feet, too.
He opened his eyes and looked up. Disappointment hit him at first. The dome, while see-through from space, looked solid from the inside. As he kept his eyes on it, though, it went from dark gray to an intense black. Seconds later, he could make out stars.
Stretch broke his concentration. "It's designed to look gray for ten seconds or so from the field. Long enough to track the ball. Then it turns so you can enjoy the view."
"How come? Shouldn't the ball be easy enough to track through the black of space?"
"Yeah, but there are the occasional passing ships or other anomalies. This way it's the same for all teams."
Jessie pointed to the stands. "How about up there?"
"No, it's always see-through there. No need to wait for the view."
"Cool."
"Ryder, Jessie, catch." Rake dug into the equipment bag and tossed them each their mitts from home. Jessie had forgotten that the ship had beamed those up when it pulled them onboard.
"I was wondering what we were going to use," Ryder said. "I sure didn't want to break in a new glove during games."
"Out to your positions," Coach said. "Rake, show the kids where to stand. You two take turns out there. For every two plays you make, switch."
"He can have them all if you want," Jessie said. "Since he's the starter."
"You need to stay sharp, too. Get out there."
As everyone jogged to their positions, Jessie scouted the field. There was a path to the outfield on either side of the playing field. As he remembered from the halo, the first tier wasn't very big, but being so close to the plate, the fielder there wouldn't have much time to react. It also lay a few feet lower than the batter's box. He hadn't noticed that in the hologram.
When they passed the wall that separated the first two tiers, he saw the second was quite a bit bigger than the first. It was at least twice as long from foul line to foul line. No wonder a fielder with good range, like Mickey, was needed to patrol it. In the hologram it had looked like it had towered over the batter, but since the plate was elevated a bit, he could see that it wasn't really that much higher. A couple of feet, at the most.
"Holy cow," Ryder said as they came to the third tier, the outfield. Jessie could only nod. His mouth fell open, and he didn't bother to shut it. This had to be like looking at an outfield in a major league park from the infield. It was huge! He saw the yellow line that divided the grass from front to back. As they reached it and he looked back to the plate, he marveled that anyone could hit it this far, let alone for just a double. If the simulation in the ship could be believed, Ryder had cleared it by a lot. Almost to the wall. True to the hologram, the only bit of ground out here that wasn't covered in the lush green grass was a strip of dirt that acted as the warning track in front of the home run wall.
Rake held them up. "Here's the default position. It's easy to remember, just a game of halves. The first part's easy enough. We're halfway between the line and the wall." He pointed to the middle of the field. "Picture a line in the middle running from front to back. You stand between that phantom line and the foul line. Got it?"
Jessie nodded, and Ryder said, "You bet."
"Prove it to me. Take your position in right field. Both of you."
They started off jogging, but after a few strides picked it up and sprinted, each trying to get there first. Jessie pulled ahead, but as he looked to get his bearings, Ryder sped in front.
"Yes! Winner!" Ryder slowed and stopped, his arms raised in a "V" for victory.
Jessie came up behind him, his eyes scanning for the imaginary line. Ryder might have got there first, but maybe he wasn't in the right spot. Nope. Jessie came in second fair and square.
"Excellent, you two," Rake called. "Jessie, hit the sidelines. Remember, Ryder, when you make two plays, switch. Okay?"
"Yeah," Ryder called. Jessie jogged to the side to watch. Coach, standing at home plate, looked like he was holding a bat, but instead of tossing a ball into the air and smacking it into play, he held it on his shoulder and stuffed a ball into its end. The ball, with a sharp crack, shot out to the field. Whoa, it was a baseball bazooka. Cool! This shot flew up to the outfield. Rake took a few steps in and made an easy catch. Instead of firing the ball into the infield, he tossed a lazy grounder to foul territory. It smacked against the stands and came to a stop. As soon as it did, a small round metal object zipped over and sucked it up, just like one of those self-vacuuming robots he'd seen on infomercials. He scanned the foul territory on his side and saw one against the wall not too far from him. Though he knew it wouldn't hurt him, he took a couple of steps away from it.
Coach aimed in Ryder's direction and shot a ball. Ryder took a few steps back, watched the ball, and jogged forward to make the catch. Following Rake's example, he threw the ball to the side. When it stopped rolling, the vacuum robot sucked it up.
Everyone got balls shot at them, and after Ryder's second catch, he motioned for Jessie to switch. Jessie took a deep breath and hustled into position.
Ryder jogged past and said, "Just stay calm. You'll do fine." Jessie tried to nod.
As he watched first Mickey and then Stretch catch screaming line drives, his chest hurt from his heart beating so hard. Stop it, he told himself. Don't ruin everyone's practice by passing out again.
Coach shot the next ball deep over Rake's head. He sprinted back and snagged it just before it hit the wall. Jessie's heartbeat stabilized a bit. If Coach didn't shoot it right at him, he could do it.
Coach pointed to Jessie and launched the ball. Jessie took a step back and stopped. Shoot, where was it going? He took another step back, and then one forward. No, it was coming straight for him. At the last second, he ducked and threw his glove hand up. The ball nicked off his mitt and fell to the grass.
"Come on, Jessie." Coach's voice carried a little too well. "Use your mitt and you won't get hurt. Play the ball. Don't let the ball play you."
Jessie picked it up and lobbed it to the side. He didn't know if he got anywhere near the robot. He felt his face heat up, and the world went blurry through his tears. He didn't watch anyone else take their turn. When he heard the ball snap into Rake's mitt, he looked up and wiped his eyes to clear his vision.
"Let's go, Jess," Ryder shouted. "Show everyone you can do it."
Coach launched the next one. Jessie saw right away it was well short of him. He took off in a sprint. He passed the yellow line, still tracking the ball. It screamed down about halfway between the second tier wall and the yellow line. Jessie threw himself towards it, feeling it smack into the pocket of his mitt. The soft grass cushioned his fall, and he used his momentum to pop back up to his feet, his mitt held above his head to show his catch.
"That's the way, Jessie," Coach shouted. The others also yelled their encouragement.
"You got it, kid!"
"Way to go!"
"Knew you could do it, Jess!"
Jessie rolled the ball over towards the robot as he switched spots with Ryder, who gave him a high-five as they passed. That was why he loved baseball.
--------------------------------------
That's it for the sample chapters. I hope you enjoyed reading them. Roughly two-thirds of the book is left, so if you want to see how it all turns out, you need to buy it. It'll be available tomorrow, December 1st as an ebook on Amazon for the Kindle and at Smashwords for most other formats. It'll likely be available for the Nook at Barnes and Noble and (hopefully) in the iBook store for the iPad sometime soon. I will, of course, have easy-to-find links on the front page of my blog, so you won't be able to miss how to purchase the book. It'll be $1.99. I hope you not only buy the book, but also recommend it to others!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Fourteen
We're just a couple of days away from Way Over the line being available for purchase! I have two more sample chapters to publish (this one and ch. 15 tomorrow), and then you can buy the entire novel for $1.99 at Smashwords or Amazon. If you haven't read all the sample chapters yet, please click the below link! And please remember to spread the word (and link!) to others if you are enjoying these sample chapters. Teachers, parents, and, of course, kids, are excellent targets for the links. Thanks! And now, on with Chapter 14.
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 14
Jessie had no time to check out the interior of the space station as they raced for the registration table. They dashed through a number of plain metal tunnels that reminded him of the inside of the Fastball 1. Were all space vehicles and ports so boring? That mindset changed not long after. Coach led them through one particular door and Jessie swore he stepped out into a park on Earth. Their path became a gravel road that led through a grassy field. To their left was a sandpit with concrete structures he assumed were playground equipment. Small aliens that looked vaguely human-shaped crawled on the structures. Were they kids playing on the toys?
He and Ryder slowed almost to a stop to look around, but before they could, Coach's voice snapped them to attention.
"Ryder, Jessie, move it!"
They sprinted to catch up. Jessie made sure to stay with the group to avoid any further reprimands. He soon found himself breathing hard as the alien's bouncy run moved them faster than he could match. Ryder seemed to be having the same trouble, but Mickey looked as if he could outdistance them all.
"You'll have plenty of time to explore later," Stretch said, his voice as normal as if they were sitting at the table talking. Jessie could only nod, afraid that if he spoke, he'd lose valuable oxygen and fall behind, drawing Coach's ire again.
The stadium appeared ahead. Other than the strange lettering and artwork, it could host any major league franchise. If he didn't already know, he never would have guessed the field inside was so different.
Coach led them to a pair of aliens sitting at a table with markings on it. If his eyes had undergone a Universal Language thingy, too, he guessed it'd read, "Registration."
The aliens at the desk looked nothing like those on his team. The one on the left looked as if he might be eight feet tall standing up. His skin had a reddish glow and shifted slightly with every movement, as if he had rubies between his muscles and skin. His head pulsed every few seconds. Was that his heart beating or his brain working?
The one on the right appeared almost human. If Jessie had passed him on the street, he wouldn't have glanced twice. He was a bit taller than Jessie or Ryder, and wore his brown hair short. The only real differences were the slits in his neck that looked like gills. Jessie had no idea gills worked out of water, but this guy seemed to be breathing fine.
Both aliens wore a look of impatience as the Aces approached. "You're late," the big one on the left said. His voice didn't boom as Jessie expected, but sounded soft, like a cooing dove.
"My apologies," Coach said. "I assume you'll let us sign in or you'd no longer be here."
Both aliens behind the desk stared at Coach as if they wanted nothing more than to order the team away, but finally the human-looking alien nodded. "Sign here, here, and here." He thrust three pages at Coach, who pressed his thumb on each and handed them back. Jessie frowned. Was that how signatures were done in space?
The large alien handed Coach a packet. "Have each member sign the top sheet. Give it back to me and keep the rest. The rules, your opening round schedule, and other incidentals are listed. Learn everything. Ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse."
Coach tore off the top sheet and passed it around. "Just push your thumb in this box here," Rake told Ryder and Jessie as he handed it to them. Ryder flinched a bit when he complied, then handed it to Jessie. As soon as Jessie's thumb touched the paper, a slight electric shock shot through his hand. It didn't hurt, but his hand tingled for a few seconds. He placed the page on the desk between the aliens.
"I see you've already broken a rule," the human-looking alien said.
"I didn't . . ." Jessie started to say, but he saw both aliens staring at Coach, who shrugged.
"We'll have to disagree. That rule was passed after the Over-The-Line summit. It's not valid."
The large alien rose to his full height. "You are in not position to argue. You've come late with an extra player."
"Only four are starters. One is nothing but an observer. He's only here to play if someone gets hurt. Well within the guidelines passed at the summit."
"Rules change. And you've broken this one."
"If this rule is passed by majority vote at the coming summit, we'll abide by it next year. But we'll not be disqualified on a technicality that should not exist."
The human-looking alien put his hands out in a defensive pose. "Coach, please, we're not here to disqualify you. If that were the case, why would we have waited? All that we ask is that your fifth go to the free-agent pool. If one of your members is injured, he can rejoin your team."
"As long as he hasn't been selected by another," the large alien said.
No. Jessie hadn't come all the way out here, been rescued from pirates, to be taken off the team now. He looked around, frantic with fear that they would accept the deal.
Coach shook his head, as did each of the other Aces. He felt a jolt of pride for how they stuck up for him, even if he was the weak link.
"This is not a debate!" Now the large alien's voice more matched his size.
The human-looking alien put a hand on the large alien and whispered something. The large alien started to say something, but then nodded and sat back down. "Face it, Coach. There's nothing you can say that will change our minds."
Mickey stepped forward. "No, but maybe you'll listen to me."
Both aliens' eyes went wide as if they were seeing him for the first time. "Mickey Martell," they said in unison.
"If the kid doesn't stay on our team, I don't play. How would that look for the marketing of the tournament?"
The human-looking alien stared in disbelief. "You . . . you wouldn't."
"Try me. In fact, I won't just quit, I'll stand out in front of the stadium and tell everyone why I'm not playing."
Both aliens sat there speechless. Jessie and Ryder exchanged a look, but the others stared back as if daring the two to make the next move. When they didn't, Mickey turned around. "Looks like we got protests to organize." Jessie felt his eyes well up with tears. He couldn't believe that one of the best players of all time would stand up for him.
Before they'd even gone a step, the large alien stood back up. "No, wait. You can't. You're our marquee player. Many are coming to see you play."
Mickey turned. "Tell me what I want to hear."
The aliens looked at each other, and then slumped their shoulders, beaten. "You have your alternate. The rule is bunk."
"Thank you," Coach said. "We'll see you opening day."
The team turned and walked off. "Don't look back," Rake whispered. "We'll look more in control this way."
"And way cooler," Ryder said.
"That too."
When they were far enough away, Coach spoke up. "We'll head back to the ship to check out our practice and game schedule. We'll read through the rules so you two know what's expected of you on and off the field. Then you can go exploring. Deal?"
"Deal," the boys said. They smiled at each other and scanned their surroundings, anticipating the fun.
"Make sure you're both paying attention how to get back to the ship, too," Stretch said. "You'll get locators, but it's still better to know where you are."
"No worries," Jessie said. "Ryder always knows the way."
Click here to read Chapter 15
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 14
Jessie had no time to check out the interior of the space station as they raced for the registration table. They dashed through a number of plain metal tunnels that reminded him of the inside of the Fastball 1. Were all space vehicles and ports so boring? That mindset changed not long after. Coach led them through one particular door and Jessie swore he stepped out into a park on Earth. Their path became a gravel road that led through a grassy field. To their left was a sandpit with concrete structures he assumed were playground equipment. Small aliens that looked vaguely human-shaped crawled on the structures. Were they kids playing on the toys?
He and Ryder slowed almost to a stop to look around, but before they could, Coach's voice snapped them to attention.
"Ryder, Jessie, move it!"
They sprinted to catch up. Jessie made sure to stay with the group to avoid any further reprimands. He soon found himself breathing hard as the alien's bouncy run moved them faster than he could match. Ryder seemed to be having the same trouble, but Mickey looked as if he could outdistance them all.
"You'll have plenty of time to explore later," Stretch said, his voice as normal as if they were sitting at the table talking. Jessie could only nod, afraid that if he spoke, he'd lose valuable oxygen and fall behind, drawing Coach's ire again.
The stadium appeared ahead. Other than the strange lettering and artwork, it could host any major league franchise. If he didn't already know, he never would have guessed the field inside was so different.
Coach led them to a pair of aliens sitting at a table with markings on it. If his eyes had undergone a Universal Language thingy, too, he guessed it'd read, "Registration."
The aliens at the desk looked nothing like those on his team. The one on the left looked as if he might be eight feet tall standing up. His skin had a reddish glow and shifted slightly with every movement, as if he had rubies between his muscles and skin. His head pulsed every few seconds. Was that his heart beating or his brain working?
The one on the right appeared almost human. If Jessie had passed him on the street, he wouldn't have glanced twice. He was a bit taller than Jessie or Ryder, and wore his brown hair short. The only real differences were the slits in his neck that looked like gills. Jessie had no idea gills worked out of water, but this guy seemed to be breathing fine.
Both aliens wore a look of impatience as the Aces approached. "You're late," the big one on the left said. His voice didn't boom as Jessie expected, but sounded soft, like a cooing dove.
"My apologies," Coach said. "I assume you'll let us sign in or you'd no longer be here."
Both aliens behind the desk stared at Coach as if they wanted nothing more than to order the team away, but finally the human-looking alien nodded. "Sign here, here, and here." He thrust three pages at Coach, who pressed his thumb on each and handed them back. Jessie frowned. Was that how signatures were done in space?
The large alien handed Coach a packet. "Have each member sign the top sheet. Give it back to me and keep the rest. The rules, your opening round schedule, and other incidentals are listed. Learn everything. Ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse."
Coach tore off the top sheet and passed it around. "Just push your thumb in this box here," Rake told Ryder and Jessie as he handed it to them. Ryder flinched a bit when he complied, then handed it to Jessie. As soon as Jessie's thumb touched the paper, a slight electric shock shot through his hand. It didn't hurt, but his hand tingled for a few seconds. He placed the page on the desk between the aliens.
"I see you've already broken a rule," the human-looking alien said.
"I didn't . . ." Jessie started to say, but he saw both aliens staring at Coach, who shrugged.
"We'll have to disagree. That rule was passed after the Over-The-Line summit. It's not valid."
The large alien rose to his full height. "You are in not position to argue. You've come late with an extra player."
"Only four are starters. One is nothing but an observer. He's only here to play if someone gets hurt. Well within the guidelines passed at the summit."
"Rules change. And you've broken this one."
"If this rule is passed by majority vote at the coming summit, we'll abide by it next year. But we'll not be disqualified on a technicality that should not exist."
The human-looking alien put his hands out in a defensive pose. "Coach, please, we're not here to disqualify you. If that were the case, why would we have waited? All that we ask is that your fifth go to the free-agent pool. If one of your members is injured, he can rejoin your team."
"As long as he hasn't been selected by another," the large alien said.
No. Jessie hadn't come all the way out here, been rescued from pirates, to be taken off the team now. He looked around, frantic with fear that they would accept the deal.
Coach shook his head, as did each of the other Aces. He felt a jolt of pride for how they stuck up for him, even if he was the weak link.
"This is not a debate!" Now the large alien's voice more matched his size.
The human-looking alien put a hand on the large alien and whispered something. The large alien started to say something, but then nodded and sat back down. "Face it, Coach. There's nothing you can say that will change our minds."
Mickey stepped forward. "No, but maybe you'll listen to me."
Both aliens' eyes went wide as if they were seeing him for the first time. "Mickey Martell," they said in unison.
"If the kid doesn't stay on our team, I don't play. How would that look for the marketing of the tournament?"
The human-looking alien stared in disbelief. "You . . . you wouldn't."
"Try me. In fact, I won't just quit, I'll stand out in front of the stadium and tell everyone why I'm not playing."
Both aliens sat there speechless. Jessie and Ryder exchanged a look, but the others stared back as if daring the two to make the next move. When they didn't, Mickey turned around. "Looks like we got protests to organize." Jessie felt his eyes well up with tears. He couldn't believe that one of the best players of all time would stand up for him.
Before they'd even gone a step, the large alien stood back up. "No, wait. You can't. You're our marquee player. Many are coming to see you play."
Mickey turned. "Tell me what I want to hear."
The aliens looked at each other, and then slumped their shoulders, beaten. "You have your alternate. The rule is bunk."
"Thank you," Coach said. "We'll see you opening day."
The team turned and walked off. "Don't look back," Rake whispered. "We'll look more in control this way."
"And way cooler," Ryder said.
"That too."
When they were far enough away, Coach spoke up. "We'll head back to the ship to check out our practice and game schedule. We'll read through the rules so you two know what's expected of you on and off the field. Then you can go exploring. Deal?"
"Deal," the boys said. They smiled at each other and scanned their surroundings, anticipating the fun.
"Make sure you're both paying attention how to get back to the ship, too," Stretch said. "You'll get locators, but it's still better to know where you are."
"No worries," Jessie said. "Ryder always knows the way."
Click here to read Chapter 15
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Thirteen
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 13
Jessie took a huge bite of his bacon cheeseburger. The juicy burger and crispy bacon contrasted perfectly. Even the cool lettuce added to the experience. In order to eat this he had to promise to get lettuce on the burger and a heaping bowl of fruit salad on the side. They'd compromised on the fries and let him have a small plateful. Everything tasted scrumptious. He wished they'd let him have one of the cooking boxes for home, but Coach explained Earth wasn't ready for the technology. Luckily Mom was a good cook, so it wasn't too much of a disappointment. He felt sad for a few minutes thinking about home, but kicked himself out of it. Mom and Dad wouldn't even know he was gone.
Ryder had a personal pepperoni pizza, while Rake and Stretch ate bowls of blue gruel made of some sort of plant on their planet. Both Coach and Mickey had taken their meals elsewhere on the ship.
When Rake and Stretch finished, they got up and headed for the door. "We're going to see how close we are to the space station," Rake said. "We'll call you to the cockpit when we get there."
Stretch nodded. "You won't want to miss the sight. It's truly spectacular."
Both Jessie and Ryder had their mouths full so they just waved. With the two adults gone, Jessie swallowed his bite of burger and turned to Ryder. "They don't want to talk about it, but I do. How did you guys get to me so fast? I thought I was a goner. They were going to sell me into some kind of intergalactic slavery or something."
Ryder snickered. "Like the Spice Mines of Kessel?"
"Whatever 3PO. Seriously, what happened?"
"I heard your door explode, but I had to wait awhile before Coach came and unlocked me. It was easy to see the pirates had nabbed you, what with your door being totaled and all."
"But how did you guys know where to find me?"
"Sounds like Rake put a tracking device on you when he locked us in our rooms." He shrugged. "They didn't tell me, but that's what I pulled from the conversation."
Jessie reached around to the back of his neck and remembered the twinge he'd felt there. That must've been it. "Did you get one, too?"
"I don't know. Did you feel anything?"
"Yeah, like a bug bite."
Ryder frowned. "No. I didn't get anything."
The two finished the rest of their meal in silence. The burger and fries still melted in his mouth, but Jessie's entire focus wasn't on the food any longer. Why would they have marked him and not Ryder? More importantly, why had the pirates targeted him? He wanted to keep talking about it, but he could sense it would be a bit of a sore subject. Ryder looked to be mulling over the question of why Jessie, too.
Just as Ryder polished off his last bite of pizza and Jessie swallowed his last piece of fruit, Rake stuck his head into the room. "We're almost at the space station. Come take a look."
They jumped out of their seats and followed him down a couple of hallways. He stopped at a door that looked like all the others, but instead of waving his hand in front of it, he pressed it in the middle. The door slid open, presenting the cockpit.
"Wow," Ryder said.
Jessie wasn't sure what he expected an intergalactic spaceship cockpit to look like, but this wasn't it. The whole area was about the same size as his bedroom back home, and the three walls were covered from floor to ceiling with various-sized buttons, levers, and knobs. The fourth wall was one big window, though he doubted it was made of glass. There were two seats, both unoccupied. Plus there was no steering wheel or control stick or any other way to drive. The only thing that looked like it might be driving was the head of a robot positioned about half-way up the front window.
"Is that robot driving?" Ryder asked.
"A rather crude way to put it, Mr. Gonzalez, but the answer to your question is affirmative. Though I prefer flying. Or maneuvering may be more appropriate."
Whoa, the robot had said that.
"Cool!" Ryder said.
Coach stepped forward. "Ryder, Jessie, meet 7-23-AFX."
"Though I prefer Pitch."
"Pitch?" Jessie asked.
"In addition to piloting this vessel, Mr. Campbell, I am also the pitcher for the Aces."
Coach chuckled. "Mickey's nicknames tend to be right on the button, even if they do lack some in the imagination department."
"I heard that." Mickey Martell walked into the cockpit. "We there yet?"
"We're just coming into visual range now, Mr. Martell."
"It's Mickey, Pitch. How many times do I have to tell you that teammates are on a first name basis?" He paused for a second. "Or nicknames." He looked at Ryder and Jessie. "That goes for you two knuckleheads, too. I don't want to hear any more Mr. Martell. Got it?"
They both nodded and gave each other star struck looks.
"My apologies, Mr. Martell," Pitch said.
While Mickey rolled his eyes, Jessie and Ryder struggled to contain their giggles. Coach, Rake, and Stretch had no problem bellowing out their laughter.
"See what you started?"
"I don't know what you mean, sir."
Jessie had to work doubly hard to keep his laughter in. He had a feeling Pitch knew a lot more than he let on.
Ryder pointed out the windshield. "Is that the space station?"
"Yup," Coach said. "That's our home for the next few weeks."
At first it looked like a little disc floating in the sky, but as they got closer, Jessie saw it was so much more. He thought Pitch had chosen this trajectory for him and Ryder, but a quick glance around the room proved the adults were just as enthralled.
The first thing that jumped out at him was the stadium itself. It sat under a huge see-through dome, and as impressive at it was from this angle, Jessie couldn't wait to see the view from the field. Talk about playing under the stars! The playing field looked easily as big as Sea Lion Park in Newport Beach. Jessie could see the differences between this intergalactic version of Over-The-Line and a major league field, but the size matched up pretty evenly. The stands were comparable, too. He couldn't tell how individual seats differed from back home, but there were just as many.
"That must seat thousands," Jessie whispered.
"Seventy-five thousand, give or take," Coach said. "And they'll all be full."
"That many people, or whatever, show up?" Ryder asked. His eyes never left the stadium.
Rake scoffed. "Heck, they could quadruple the seating capacity and it'd be full."
"I would be glad not to be in charge of the docking bays if that were the case," Pitch said. "They're crowded enough as it is."
Coach patted Pitch's metal head. "You'll get us in. You always do."
"Speaking of that, Coach, the station computers informed me that they'll be closing down registration soon. You should make it in time, but be prepared to rush off as soon as we dock. I'll complete all of the shutdown maneuvers. We'll be set in a few moments."
As the ship moved closer to the station, Jessie pulled his eyes off the stadium and looked at the rest of the floating structure. Though it was mostly a smooth white disk, he saw pin-pricks of light dotting the walls. Were those windows? As Pitch drew them closer, he wondered if they'd be able to see inside some of them.
Someone tugged on his shirt. Jessie tried to shrug it off, but it persisted. He needed to see in one of the windows.
"Come on, Jess," Ryder said, snapping him out of his zone.
"We need to hurry as soon as we land," Coach said. "They'll be plenty of time to admire the station later."
Jessie blushed and followed his teammates out of the cockpit.
Click here to read Chapter 14
Chapter 13
Jessie took a huge bite of his bacon cheeseburger. The juicy burger and crispy bacon contrasted perfectly. Even the cool lettuce added to the experience. In order to eat this he had to promise to get lettuce on the burger and a heaping bowl of fruit salad on the side. They'd compromised on the fries and let him have a small plateful. Everything tasted scrumptious. He wished they'd let him have one of the cooking boxes for home, but Coach explained Earth wasn't ready for the technology. Luckily Mom was a good cook, so it wasn't too much of a disappointment. He felt sad for a few minutes thinking about home, but kicked himself out of it. Mom and Dad wouldn't even know he was gone.
Ryder had a personal pepperoni pizza, while Rake and Stretch ate bowls of blue gruel made of some sort of plant on their planet. Both Coach and Mickey had taken their meals elsewhere on the ship.
When Rake and Stretch finished, they got up and headed for the door. "We're going to see how close we are to the space station," Rake said. "We'll call you to the cockpit when we get there."
Stretch nodded. "You won't want to miss the sight. It's truly spectacular."
Both Jessie and Ryder had their mouths full so they just waved. With the two adults gone, Jessie swallowed his bite of burger and turned to Ryder. "They don't want to talk about it, but I do. How did you guys get to me so fast? I thought I was a goner. They were going to sell me into some kind of intergalactic slavery or something."
Ryder snickered. "Like the Spice Mines of Kessel?"
"Whatever 3PO. Seriously, what happened?"
"I heard your door explode, but I had to wait awhile before Coach came and unlocked me. It was easy to see the pirates had nabbed you, what with your door being totaled and all."
"But how did you guys know where to find me?"
"Sounds like Rake put a tracking device on you when he locked us in our rooms." He shrugged. "They didn't tell me, but that's what I pulled from the conversation."
Jessie reached around to the back of his neck and remembered the twinge he'd felt there. That must've been it. "Did you get one, too?"
"I don't know. Did you feel anything?"
"Yeah, like a bug bite."
Ryder frowned. "No. I didn't get anything."
The two finished the rest of their meal in silence. The burger and fries still melted in his mouth, but Jessie's entire focus wasn't on the food any longer. Why would they have marked him and not Ryder? More importantly, why had the pirates targeted him? He wanted to keep talking about it, but he could sense it would be a bit of a sore subject. Ryder looked to be mulling over the question of why Jessie, too.
Just as Ryder polished off his last bite of pizza and Jessie swallowed his last piece of fruit, Rake stuck his head into the room. "We're almost at the space station. Come take a look."
They jumped out of their seats and followed him down a couple of hallways. He stopped at a door that looked like all the others, but instead of waving his hand in front of it, he pressed it in the middle. The door slid open, presenting the cockpit.
"Wow," Ryder said.
Jessie wasn't sure what he expected an intergalactic spaceship cockpit to look like, but this wasn't it. The whole area was about the same size as his bedroom back home, and the three walls were covered from floor to ceiling with various-sized buttons, levers, and knobs. The fourth wall was one big window, though he doubted it was made of glass. There were two seats, both unoccupied. Plus there was no steering wheel or control stick or any other way to drive. The only thing that looked like it might be driving was the head of a robot positioned about half-way up the front window.
"Is that robot driving?" Ryder asked.
"A rather crude way to put it, Mr. Gonzalez, but the answer to your question is affirmative. Though I prefer flying. Or maneuvering may be more appropriate."
Whoa, the robot had said that.
"Cool!" Ryder said.
Coach stepped forward. "Ryder, Jessie, meet 7-23-AFX."
"Though I prefer Pitch."
"Pitch?" Jessie asked.
"In addition to piloting this vessel, Mr. Campbell, I am also the pitcher for the Aces."
Coach chuckled. "Mickey's nicknames tend to be right on the button, even if they do lack some in the imagination department."
"I heard that." Mickey Martell walked into the cockpit. "We there yet?"
"We're just coming into visual range now, Mr. Martell."
"It's Mickey, Pitch. How many times do I have to tell you that teammates are on a first name basis?" He paused for a second. "Or nicknames." He looked at Ryder and Jessie. "That goes for you two knuckleheads, too. I don't want to hear any more Mr. Martell. Got it?"
They both nodded and gave each other star struck looks.
"My apologies, Mr. Martell," Pitch said.
While Mickey rolled his eyes, Jessie and Ryder struggled to contain their giggles. Coach, Rake, and Stretch had no problem bellowing out their laughter.
"See what you started?"
"I don't know what you mean, sir."
Jessie had to work doubly hard to keep his laughter in. He had a feeling Pitch knew a lot more than he let on.
Ryder pointed out the windshield. "Is that the space station?"
"Yup," Coach said. "That's our home for the next few weeks."
At first it looked like a little disc floating in the sky, but as they got closer, Jessie saw it was so much more. He thought Pitch had chosen this trajectory for him and Ryder, but a quick glance around the room proved the adults were just as enthralled.
The first thing that jumped out at him was the stadium itself. It sat under a huge see-through dome, and as impressive at it was from this angle, Jessie couldn't wait to see the view from the field. Talk about playing under the stars! The playing field looked easily as big as Sea Lion Park in Newport Beach. Jessie could see the differences between this intergalactic version of Over-The-Line and a major league field, but the size matched up pretty evenly. The stands were comparable, too. He couldn't tell how individual seats differed from back home, but there were just as many.
"That must seat thousands," Jessie whispered.
"Seventy-five thousand, give or take," Coach said. "And they'll all be full."
"That many people, or whatever, show up?" Ryder asked. His eyes never left the stadium.
Rake scoffed. "Heck, they could quadruple the seating capacity and it'd be full."
"I would be glad not to be in charge of the docking bays if that were the case," Pitch said. "They're crowded enough as it is."
Coach patted Pitch's metal head. "You'll get us in. You always do."
"Speaking of that, Coach, the station computers informed me that they'll be closing down registration soon. You should make it in time, but be prepared to rush off as soon as we dock. I'll complete all of the shutdown maneuvers. We'll be set in a few moments."
As the ship moved closer to the station, Jessie pulled his eyes off the stadium and looked at the rest of the floating structure. Though it was mostly a smooth white disk, he saw pin-pricks of light dotting the walls. Were those windows? As Pitch drew them closer, he wondered if they'd be able to see inside some of them.
Someone tugged on his shirt. Jessie tried to shrug it off, but it persisted. He needed to see in one of the windows.
"Come on, Jess," Ryder said, snapping him out of his zone.
"We need to hurry as soon as we land," Coach said. "They'll be plenty of time to admire the station later."
Jessie blushed and followed his teammates out of the cockpit.
Click here to read Chapter 14
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Twelve Part Two
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 12 Part 2
"What happened?" Jessie asked.
"You pushed me into the sensor before it was blinking."
Rake and Stretch came up behind them. "What happened?"
"I didn't tell Jessie about the sensors soon enough."
"I pushed him into it."
Rake pointed at the sliding door, which was almost halfway shut. "Got a dart?"
Stretch nodded. "I hope it's enough. If that blast door shuts before we're out, we could be here awhile."
Rake nudged Jessie and Ryder forward. "Stand by the door. Plug your ears and close your eyes. After the explosion, dive through. Hurry!"
The boys did so. When they reached their spot, the blast door was just under half-way closed and gaining momentum. Ryder clenched his eyes shut and plugged his ears. Jessie followed suit. A loud crack sounded. Jessie opened his eyes, saw the bottom half of the regular door was gone, and followed Ryder through. With the blast door about three-quarters of the way shut, Stretch and Rake sprinted down the corridor. Their natural bouncy gait made their strides that much more powerful, and they closed the distance quicker than Jessie thought possible.
With just enough room to spare, the two dove through the opening. The blast door slammed shut a second later.
"Safe!" Ryder bellowed, making the umpire signal with his arms.
"High five us later," Rake said as he and Stretch bounced to their feet.
Stretch pointed down the corridor. "Last door on the left. Go!" All four took off and met no resistance. Rake waved his hand in front of the door, springing it open.
"Nice try," the hissing voice of the pirate leader said. A glance through the door showed a half-dozen pirates waiting for them. Fastball 1 was on the other side.
Each pirate drew a gun, and though they didn't point them at anyone, the threat was there. Jessie felt light-headed, but he bit the inside of his cheek to stop from blacking out. This time it could spell doom, not just for him, but for his friends. He managed a glance around, and though he couldn't read either Rake's nor Stretch's expressions, he could see the fear in Ryder's eyes. The pirate leader saw it, too.
"So this is the other human child. The one, they say, who can actually play the game." He ran a scaly finger across Ryder's cheek. Jessie had to suppress a smile as the fear in Ryder's eyes turned to hate. "If he's as good as my master says, why aren't we targeting him? Why have we been instructed to kidnap the other boy?" He threw a questioning glance to Rake and Stretch, both of whom shrugged.
"We're just the hired help," Rake said.
The pirate leader bellowed an unpleasant laugh. His snake-like vocal tendencies almost completely took over. "I think you underestimate yourselves. On purpose, most likely." He turned to the five pirates at his back. "Let them pass."
"The boy?" Stretch asked, nodding towards Jessie.
"He's still our captive. The offer was for you three only."
Ryder stepped towards the pirate leader. "No deal." Even though he was at least a foot shorter, he stared into the pirate's eyes.
This time all the pirates hissed out their reptilian laughs. Even with Ryder's aggressive move, none of them pointed their guns. Ryder wasn't perceived as a threat. Jessie figured that was to their advantage, but he wasn't sure how yet. He glanced over at Rake and Stretch, but still couldn't read their passive expressions. Were they really as calm as they appeared? Did they have any of this under control?
"Do you think you could stand against me, boy? I promised all but the loser boy would arrive to the tournament safely, or I'd teach you exactly how inferior you are. When it's all said and done, feel free to challenge me."
"Did you call me a loser?" Jessie said. He wasn't sure where the courage came from, but he needed to do something before Ryder took the bait and got himself into real trouble.
The pirates again laughed, and the pirate leader reached for Jessie. Before his hand grasped Jessie's shoulder, Ryder shoved the leader hard to the side. That set off a series of simultaneous events.
The pirates aimed their weapons, while the leader whirled around on Ryder. Jessie reared back and kicked him as hard as he could in the shin. Rake moved in to help Jessie and Ryder, while Stretch yelled, "Now!"
An explosion rocked the pirate ship, which knocked everyone off balance. A couple of the pirates dropped their guns, and none of them were in a position to use them. Rake pushed the leader, who was already off balance, into the wall. Jessie and Ryder sprinted towards the Fastball 1, where Coach and Mickey Martell stood with laser rifles in their arms. As the pirates regained their composure and saw the guns, they kept their own pistols aimed down. In seconds, everyone was aboard, all in one piece, and the airlock connecting the two ships closed.
"Won't they chase us?" Jessie asked as he gasped for breath, not just from the quick sprint, but from the whole terrifying incident.
"We're safe," Stretch said. "When that robot blew up, it sent waves to disrupt both their engines and their navigation. By the time they get it all figured out, we should be at the space station."
"Packed a heck of a punch, too," Mickey Martell said. "We felt it all the way in here."
The whole group filed back to the sitting room and collapsed into the couches and chairs. No one said anything for a few minutes until Ryder broke the silence.
"Dude, Jessie, that was awesome when you kicked that pirate guy. I didn't think you had it in you."
"Yeah, kid," Rake said. "See? You do have some courage. You'll be fine." Everyone else nodded and agreed. Even Mickey Martell.
Jessie felt himself get a bit light-headed again. This time it was from smiling so hard.
Click here to read Chapter 13
Chapter 12 Part 2
"What happened?" Jessie asked.
"You pushed me into the sensor before it was blinking."
Rake and Stretch came up behind them. "What happened?"
"I didn't tell Jessie about the sensors soon enough."
"I pushed him into it."
Rake pointed at the sliding door, which was almost halfway shut. "Got a dart?"
Stretch nodded. "I hope it's enough. If that blast door shuts before we're out, we could be here awhile."
Rake nudged Jessie and Ryder forward. "Stand by the door. Plug your ears and close your eyes. After the explosion, dive through. Hurry!"
The boys did so. When they reached their spot, the blast door was just under half-way closed and gaining momentum. Ryder clenched his eyes shut and plugged his ears. Jessie followed suit. A loud crack sounded. Jessie opened his eyes, saw the bottom half of the regular door was gone, and followed Ryder through. With the blast door about three-quarters of the way shut, Stretch and Rake sprinted down the corridor. Their natural bouncy gait made their strides that much more powerful, and they closed the distance quicker than Jessie thought possible.
With just enough room to spare, the two dove through the opening. The blast door slammed shut a second later.
"Safe!" Ryder bellowed, making the umpire signal with his arms.
"High five us later," Rake said as he and Stretch bounced to their feet.
Stretch pointed down the corridor. "Last door on the left. Go!" All four took off and met no resistance. Rake waved his hand in front of the door, springing it open.
"Nice try," the hissing voice of the pirate leader said. A glance through the door showed a half-dozen pirates waiting for them. Fastball 1 was on the other side.
Each pirate drew a gun, and though they didn't point them at anyone, the threat was there. Jessie felt light-headed, but he bit the inside of his cheek to stop from blacking out. This time it could spell doom, not just for him, but for his friends. He managed a glance around, and though he couldn't read either Rake's nor Stretch's expressions, he could see the fear in Ryder's eyes. The pirate leader saw it, too.
"So this is the other human child. The one, they say, who can actually play the game." He ran a scaly finger across Ryder's cheek. Jessie had to suppress a smile as the fear in Ryder's eyes turned to hate. "If he's as good as my master says, why aren't we targeting him? Why have we been instructed to kidnap the other boy?" He threw a questioning glance to Rake and Stretch, both of whom shrugged.
"We're just the hired help," Rake said.
The pirate leader bellowed an unpleasant laugh. His snake-like vocal tendencies almost completely took over. "I think you underestimate yourselves. On purpose, most likely." He turned to the five pirates at his back. "Let them pass."
"The boy?" Stretch asked, nodding towards Jessie.
"He's still our captive. The offer was for you three only."
Ryder stepped towards the pirate leader. "No deal." Even though he was at least a foot shorter, he stared into the pirate's eyes.
This time all the pirates hissed out their reptilian laughs. Even with Ryder's aggressive move, none of them pointed their guns. Ryder wasn't perceived as a threat. Jessie figured that was to their advantage, but he wasn't sure how yet. He glanced over at Rake and Stretch, but still couldn't read their passive expressions. Were they really as calm as they appeared? Did they have any of this under control?
"Do you think you could stand against me, boy? I promised all but the loser boy would arrive to the tournament safely, or I'd teach you exactly how inferior you are. When it's all said and done, feel free to challenge me."
"Did you call me a loser?" Jessie said. He wasn't sure where the courage came from, but he needed to do something before Ryder took the bait and got himself into real trouble.
The pirates again laughed, and the pirate leader reached for Jessie. Before his hand grasped Jessie's shoulder, Ryder shoved the leader hard to the side. That set off a series of simultaneous events.
The pirates aimed their weapons, while the leader whirled around on Ryder. Jessie reared back and kicked him as hard as he could in the shin. Rake moved in to help Jessie and Ryder, while Stretch yelled, "Now!"
An explosion rocked the pirate ship, which knocked everyone off balance. A couple of the pirates dropped their guns, and none of them were in a position to use them. Rake pushed the leader, who was already off balance, into the wall. Jessie and Ryder sprinted towards the Fastball 1, where Coach and Mickey Martell stood with laser rifles in their arms. As the pirates regained their composure and saw the guns, they kept their own pistols aimed down. In seconds, everyone was aboard, all in one piece, and the airlock connecting the two ships closed.
"Won't they chase us?" Jessie asked as he gasped for breath, not just from the quick sprint, but from the whole terrifying incident.
"We're safe," Stretch said. "When that robot blew up, it sent waves to disrupt both their engines and their navigation. By the time they get it all figured out, we should be at the space station."
"Packed a heck of a punch, too," Mickey Martell said. "We felt it all the way in here."
The whole group filed back to the sitting room and collapsed into the couches and chairs. No one said anything for a few minutes until Ryder broke the silence.
"Dude, Jessie, that was awesome when you kicked that pirate guy. I didn't think you had it in you."
"Yeah, kid," Rake said. "See? You do have some courage. You'll be fine." Everyone else nodded and agreed. Even Mickey Martell.
Jessie felt himself get a bit light-headed again. This time it was from smiling so hard.
Click here to read Chapter 13
Way Over the Line Chapter Twelve Part One
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 12 Part 1
The space pirates didn't worry about Jessie's comfort. He bounced around in the bag, which he pictured as a large grocery sack tied closed at the top. That's what it both looked and felt like from the inside, though he couldn't imagine something so low-tech being used to transport hostages. He could sense when they went from his ship to the pirates' by the sounds. Fastball 1 had no outward noises, just the clangs of footsteps in the metal corridors. The pirate ship, on the other hand, hummed and clanked in ways which couldn't be good. It sounded as if it might shake itself apart. He didn't want to hear the horrible noises it would emit when it sped away.
"Toss him in the cell," the pirate leader said. His henchmen took him at his word, and Jessie soared though the air and landed with a thud. It hurt, but not too bad. The bag cushioned the worst of it. He examined the top, hoping they'd left an opening, and after a few pushes and prods, slithered out.
As he emerged, his mind's eye had him in a jail cell like he was used to seeing in movies and on television, with bars and a little cot. Instead he found himself in a small metal room that looked like his bedroom back on Fastball 1, just without a comfortable bed or adjoining bathroom and closet. He supposed if he was stuck here for very long, he could lay on the bag. It turned out it was a large duffle bag with pull strings.
Jessie picked a spot against the back wall where he could watch the door and slumped down. He put his head in his hands, but no tears came. Why bother? They weren't coming for him. No one would. He'd only been brought along because they hadn't been able to get Ryder alone. Now the pirates had him, so his team wouldn't risk missing the registration to come after Jessie. Ryder would want to, but he wouldn't get a vote.
Maybe after the tournament the team would try to track him down, but would it be too late? What did pirates do with their captives? Make them walk the plank into deep space? No, they wouldn't have bothered capturing him if they were just going to jettison him. Would they sell him into slavery? He moaned. That was it. Why someone would want an Earth kid when he imagined plenty of robots were available was beyond him, but that would be his fate.
He leaned his head back against the wall and willed himself not to cry. He'd feel sorry for himself, but he wasn't going to spill tears. He was sick of the reputation back home as that kid, and though he'd probably never see anyone from school again, he wouldn't fall into that behavior anymore.
As he sat there, he realized the ship was rumbling again. It had been so smooth for awhile that he hadn't paid attention. He felt the walls and floor. Yes, they were shaking like when he'd first been brought aboard. He stood up, his legs jiggling separate from the ship. Were they going to blow up? Fastball 1 never vibrated like this. He didn't want to think about his future at the moment, but he at least wanted to have one.
His cell door slid open. Maybe they thought him bad luck and were going to toss him into space anyway. Jessie, who'd never even considered getting into a fight in his life, balled his hands into fists and prepared to pounce. He'd probably get trounced, but they weren't taking him down easy.
Instead of one of the lizardy space pirates, Ryder walked in. "Come on, dude. Let's get out of here."
Jessie almost slumped down in relief, but he knew they couldn't waste time. "How?" he managed to get out.
"I don't know. They put some sort of tracking device on you. Now let's go. Rake and Stretch are almost here."
Ryder led him out of the cell just as the two aliens arrived. They held a bag between them that looked like the one he'd ridden in. They dumped it down with about as much grace as the pirates had shown him. Instead of the muffled sound of flesh and bone, the bag held something a bit more solid.
"What's in there?" Jessie asked.
"A robot," Rake said. "We're hoping it'll keep them from chasing us out of here."
They shook it out of the bag. It looked about Jessie's height, but other than that didn't resemble him in the slightest. "How is that going to fool them?"
"Questions later. Ryder, make sure Jessie doesn't trip the sensors. Go!"
As he dashed out of the cell, he saw them pushing the robot into a sitting position in the middle of the room. How was that going to trick the pirates? Did something monitor this room that could only sense humanoid shapes? Why couldn't it tell something was wrong now? Before he could speculate, Ryder stopped. Jessie had been so caught up in the escape that he noticed a second too late and barreled into his friend.
"No, wait! Crud." Ryder tumbled forward. The door slammed shut, and another huge door started to slide closed in front of it.
Click here to read Chapter 12 Part 2
Chapter 12 Part 1
The space pirates didn't worry about Jessie's comfort. He bounced around in the bag, which he pictured as a large grocery sack tied closed at the top. That's what it both looked and felt like from the inside, though he couldn't imagine something so low-tech being used to transport hostages. He could sense when they went from his ship to the pirates' by the sounds. Fastball 1 had no outward noises, just the clangs of footsteps in the metal corridors. The pirate ship, on the other hand, hummed and clanked in ways which couldn't be good. It sounded as if it might shake itself apart. He didn't want to hear the horrible noises it would emit when it sped away.
"Toss him in the cell," the pirate leader said. His henchmen took him at his word, and Jessie soared though the air and landed with a thud. It hurt, but not too bad. The bag cushioned the worst of it. He examined the top, hoping they'd left an opening, and after a few pushes and prods, slithered out.
As he emerged, his mind's eye had him in a jail cell like he was used to seeing in movies and on television, with bars and a little cot. Instead he found himself in a small metal room that looked like his bedroom back on Fastball 1, just without a comfortable bed or adjoining bathroom and closet. He supposed if he was stuck here for very long, he could lay on the bag. It turned out it was a large duffle bag with pull strings.
Jessie picked a spot against the back wall where he could watch the door and slumped down. He put his head in his hands, but no tears came. Why bother? They weren't coming for him. No one would. He'd only been brought along because they hadn't been able to get Ryder alone. Now the pirates had him, so his team wouldn't risk missing the registration to come after Jessie. Ryder would want to, but he wouldn't get a vote.
Maybe after the tournament the team would try to track him down, but would it be too late? What did pirates do with their captives? Make them walk the plank into deep space? No, they wouldn't have bothered capturing him if they were just going to jettison him. Would they sell him into slavery? He moaned. That was it. Why someone would want an Earth kid when he imagined plenty of robots were available was beyond him, but that would be his fate.
He leaned his head back against the wall and willed himself not to cry. He'd feel sorry for himself, but he wasn't going to spill tears. He was sick of the reputation back home as that kid, and though he'd probably never see anyone from school again, he wouldn't fall into that behavior anymore.
As he sat there, he realized the ship was rumbling again. It had been so smooth for awhile that he hadn't paid attention. He felt the walls and floor. Yes, they were shaking like when he'd first been brought aboard. He stood up, his legs jiggling separate from the ship. Were they going to blow up? Fastball 1 never vibrated like this. He didn't want to think about his future at the moment, but he at least wanted to have one.
His cell door slid open. Maybe they thought him bad luck and were going to toss him into space anyway. Jessie, who'd never even considered getting into a fight in his life, balled his hands into fists and prepared to pounce. He'd probably get trounced, but they weren't taking him down easy.
Instead of one of the lizardy space pirates, Ryder walked in. "Come on, dude. Let's get out of here."
Jessie almost slumped down in relief, but he knew they couldn't waste time. "How?" he managed to get out.
"I don't know. They put some sort of tracking device on you. Now let's go. Rake and Stretch are almost here."
Ryder led him out of the cell just as the two aliens arrived. They held a bag between them that looked like the one he'd ridden in. They dumped it down with about as much grace as the pirates had shown him. Instead of the muffled sound of flesh and bone, the bag held something a bit more solid.
"What's in there?" Jessie asked.
"A robot," Rake said. "We're hoping it'll keep them from chasing us out of here."
They shook it out of the bag. It looked about Jessie's height, but other than that didn't resemble him in the slightest. "How is that going to fool them?"
"Questions later. Ryder, make sure Jessie doesn't trip the sensors. Go!"
As he dashed out of the cell, he saw them pushing the robot into a sitting position in the middle of the room. How was that going to trick the pirates? Did something monitor this room that could only sense humanoid shapes? Why couldn't it tell something was wrong now? Before he could speculate, Ryder stopped. Jessie had been so caught up in the escape that he noticed a second too late and barreled into his friend.
"No, wait! Crud." Ryder tumbled forward. The door slammed shut, and another huge door started to slide closed in front of it.
Click here to read Chapter 12 Part 2
Friday, November 26, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Eleven
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 11
The next morning at breakfast, instead of ordering anything he wanted, Jessie found himself face to face with a bowl of oatmeal, half a grapefruit, and a tall glass of orange juice. Ryder, who'd greeted him as if nothing had happened, had the same breakfast, except for one of those gooey cinnamon rolls on the side.
He leaned over and whispered, "Sorry. I tried to get one for you, too, but they wouldn't budge."
Rake leaned over and gave his own whisper. "We budged on you because you didn't pass out yesterday and sleep until morning." Ryder cringed and blushed at being overheard, and it almost got a smile out of Jessie. Almost.
"Mickey's idea," Stretch said. "Something about growing boys needing a healthy breakfast. We all had it." He shrugged, which proved to be an exaggerated movement, much like his bouncy gait. "It wasn't bad, really. I enjoyed it."
"Speak for yourself," Rake said. "It'll never replace food from home."
Jessie was about to ask what he normally ate, what that food from his home planet was like, but then remembered his sour mood. He glanced over to Ryder, hoping he'd take the bait, but he'd crammed his mouth full of cinnamon roll and wasn't paying much attention. As he watched Ryder chew, a transcendent look on his face, Jessie sighed and looked at his own plate.
He tried the oatmeal. Not bad. The computer had gotten the blend of brown sugar and cinnamon perfect. If he'd have let himself, he would've enjoyed it. He dug into the grapefruit and found it good even though he didn't normally like the bitter-tart taste. This piece must have been grown in sugar.
As he and Ryder finished their breakfast, Coach spoke. "We'll get back in the simulator today. Don't worry, Jessie, you don't have to participate, but you do need to watch."
Jessie stared down hard at his breakfast, but was glad Coach hadn't made a bigger deal out of yesterday than that.
"I persuaded Mickey to take his batting practice with us. You'll both learn a lot just by watching him up close. Stretch and Rake can teach you some things, too."
Rake nodded. "I saw a couple of tweaks we can make to your swing, Ryder. Next time that partial trampoline shot will fly right over the fence."
"Cool," Ryder said with a half-chewed bite of cinnamon roll in his mouth.
"How close are we?" Rake asked.
"We'll be there later today," Stretch said. "We left the wormhole not too long ago, so the station is within range."
"We're cutting it close," Coach said, "but we'll make it in time."
"Are there a lot of wormholes?" Ryder asked.
With his bad mood simmering just under the surface, Jessie tried not to look too obvious about perking up to hear the answer.
Coach fielded the question. "It's estimated that only a small fraction of them have been discovered, which is impressive since there are countless in operation. In fact, the space station is where it is because there are over a dozen different wormholes within a light year of it. It's like a galactic transportation hub."
"Wow. Will there be people or whatever from all over the universe?"
"Nah, the universe is too big," Rake said. "This one caters to the nearby galaxies."
Coach started to say something when the whole ship lurched. Jessie and Ryder managed to catch their plates before they tumbled to the ground. Coach aimed himself into a chair so he didn't fall. Had they hit something? Who was flying this thing anyway?
A voice Jessie didn't recognize came over the loudspeakers. "Space pirates. They snuck up on us. Hide. They're about to board."
Coach stood up and looked at the ceiling. "Find out where Mickey is. Make sure he's hidden."
"He's safe in his quarters."
Coach hurried everyone out. "Rake, get them to their rooms and lock the doors. Stretch, make sure the cargo door is locked. I'll get to the cockpit and see that our distress signal is aimed everywhere. Hurry!"
Rake pushed Jessie and Ryder forward and they sprinted down the hallways to their rooms.
"Are they going to hurt us?" Ryder asked. Jessie's stomach sank. He'd never seen his friend so pale.
"Not if we're locked up. The pirates won't take the time to open secured doors. The distress signals are already out. Coach is just making sure they're answered in a timely fashion."
When they reached their doors, Rake shoved first Ryder, then Jessie into their own rooms. Jessie had hoped they could be together, but Rake didn't give that option. Before Jessie turned around, a tiny jab stung the back of his neck, like a bug bite. His hand flew up there, but he couldn't feel anything unusual.
As the door closed, Rake yelled, "You'll hear the all clear when they're gone."
Jessie stared at the door, too nervous to even sit on the bed. The back of his neck itched right where he'd felt the prick, but he couldn't feel a bump or anything. As he turned to find a mirror, a loud crack blasted from his door. He stumbled back to his closet and hid. Maybe the pirates would look in, see no one, and leave. But Coach, Rake, and Stretch all said they wouldn't take the time. Why choose his room to break that policy?
The sound of bending metal joined the next crack. Hissing voices, muffled by the clatter outside, flowed in, but he couldn't make out the words. He ducked down deeper into the corner and prayed they'd let him be.
A final thud came from the door, and the pirates pushed into his room. "He's in here," a voice hissed. "Look in the back."
They couldn't be here for him. First off, who knew who he was? Second, he didn't matter. Not even a little bit. They wanted Ryder but picked the wrong room. At least if they grabbed Jessie, Ryder would be safe. He was important.
Two big lizard-like creatures pushed their way back into the closet area. Jessie held his breath and shrunk down as far as he could, but it didn't work. "There he is," one said, and the other grabbed him.
"Excellent," the biggest of the lizardman pirates said. "Make sure you have a good grip on him." Even if he hadn't been giving the orders, Jessie would have pegged him as the leader. His uniform, if you could call it that, had more fancy adornments than the others. He also didn't wear a gun on his hip, at least not that Jessie could see. Maybe leadership here was not having to show visible force.
"Get him in the bag and we'll go."
Bag? What? Before Jessie could protest, they lifted him off his feet and shoved him into somewhere dark.
"Don't worry, boy," one of the pirates said. "We don't want to hurt you." Even with the Universal Language-thingy, Jessie had to fight hard through the hisses to understand him.
"The boss has a lot of money riding on the Slammers winning. Your team is the only real threat." That voice came from his other side. Two of the pirates must've been pulling him along in the bag.
Jessie considered screaming his lungs out, but he'd seen too many movies and TV shows where that got the captive in nothing but trouble. Besides, there was no doubt now that they thought he was Ryder. If he just kept his mouth shut, the team could go on and not worry about him being dead weight. Tears sprang to his eyes, but what choice did he have? This was for the greater good.
Click here to read Chapter 12 Part 1
Chapter 11
The next morning at breakfast, instead of ordering anything he wanted, Jessie found himself face to face with a bowl of oatmeal, half a grapefruit, and a tall glass of orange juice. Ryder, who'd greeted him as if nothing had happened, had the same breakfast, except for one of those gooey cinnamon rolls on the side.
He leaned over and whispered, "Sorry. I tried to get one for you, too, but they wouldn't budge."
Rake leaned over and gave his own whisper. "We budged on you because you didn't pass out yesterday and sleep until morning." Ryder cringed and blushed at being overheard, and it almost got a smile out of Jessie. Almost.
"Mickey's idea," Stretch said. "Something about growing boys needing a healthy breakfast. We all had it." He shrugged, which proved to be an exaggerated movement, much like his bouncy gait. "It wasn't bad, really. I enjoyed it."
"Speak for yourself," Rake said. "It'll never replace food from home."
Jessie was about to ask what he normally ate, what that food from his home planet was like, but then remembered his sour mood. He glanced over to Ryder, hoping he'd take the bait, but he'd crammed his mouth full of cinnamon roll and wasn't paying much attention. As he watched Ryder chew, a transcendent look on his face, Jessie sighed and looked at his own plate.
He tried the oatmeal. Not bad. The computer had gotten the blend of brown sugar and cinnamon perfect. If he'd have let himself, he would've enjoyed it. He dug into the grapefruit and found it good even though he didn't normally like the bitter-tart taste. This piece must have been grown in sugar.
As he and Ryder finished their breakfast, Coach spoke. "We'll get back in the simulator today. Don't worry, Jessie, you don't have to participate, but you do need to watch."
Jessie stared down hard at his breakfast, but was glad Coach hadn't made a bigger deal out of yesterday than that.
"I persuaded Mickey to take his batting practice with us. You'll both learn a lot just by watching him up close. Stretch and Rake can teach you some things, too."
Rake nodded. "I saw a couple of tweaks we can make to your swing, Ryder. Next time that partial trampoline shot will fly right over the fence."
"Cool," Ryder said with a half-chewed bite of cinnamon roll in his mouth.
"How close are we?" Rake asked.
"We'll be there later today," Stretch said. "We left the wormhole not too long ago, so the station is within range."
"We're cutting it close," Coach said, "but we'll make it in time."
"Are there a lot of wormholes?" Ryder asked.
With his bad mood simmering just under the surface, Jessie tried not to look too obvious about perking up to hear the answer.
Coach fielded the question. "It's estimated that only a small fraction of them have been discovered, which is impressive since there are countless in operation. In fact, the space station is where it is because there are over a dozen different wormholes within a light year of it. It's like a galactic transportation hub."
"Wow. Will there be people or whatever from all over the universe?"
"Nah, the universe is too big," Rake said. "This one caters to the nearby galaxies."
Coach started to say something when the whole ship lurched. Jessie and Ryder managed to catch their plates before they tumbled to the ground. Coach aimed himself into a chair so he didn't fall. Had they hit something? Who was flying this thing anyway?
A voice Jessie didn't recognize came over the loudspeakers. "Space pirates. They snuck up on us. Hide. They're about to board."
Coach stood up and looked at the ceiling. "Find out where Mickey is. Make sure he's hidden."
"He's safe in his quarters."
Coach hurried everyone out. "Rake, get them to their rooms and lock the doors. Stretch, make sure the cargo door is locked. I'll get to the cockpit and see that our distress signal is aimed everywhere. Hurry!"
Rake pushed Jessie and Ryder forward and they sprinted down the hallways to their rooms.
"Are they going to hurt us?" Ryder asked. Jessie's stomach sank. He'd never seen his friend so pale.
"Not if we're locked up. The pirates won't take the time to open secured doors. The distress signals are already out. Coach is just making sure they're answered in a timely fashion."
When they reached their doors, Rake shoved first Ryder, then Jessie into their own rooms. Jessie had hoped they could be together, but Rake didn't give that option. Before Jessie turned around, a tiny jab stung the back of his neck, like a bug bite. His hand flew up there, but he couldn't feel anything unusual.
As the door closed, Rake yelled, "You'll hear the all clear when they're gone."
Jessie stared at the door, too nervous to even sit on the bed. The back of his neck itched right where he'd felt the prick, but he couldn't feel a bump or anything. As he turned to find a mirror, a loud crack blasted from his door. He stumbled back to his closet and hid. Maybe the pirates would look in, see no one, and leave. But Coach, Rake, and Stretch all said they wouldn't take the time. Why choose his room to break that policy?
The sound of bending metal joined the next crack. Hissing voices, muffled by the clatter outside, flowed in, but he couldn't make out the words. He ducked down deeper into the corner and prayed they'd let him be.
A final thud came from the door, and the pirates pushed into his room. "He's in here," a voice hissed. "Look in the back."
They couldn't be here for him. First off, who knew who he was? Second, he didn't matter. Not even a little bit. They wanted Ryder but picked the wrong room. At least if they grabbed Jessie, Ryder would be safe. He was important.
Two big lizard-like creatures pushed their way back into the closet area. Jessie held his breath and shrunk down as far as he could, but it didn't work. "There he is," one said, and the other grabbed him.
"Excellent," the biggest of the lizardman pirates said. "Make sure you have a good grip on him." Even if he hadn't been giving the orders, Jessie would have pegged him as the leader. His uniform, if you could call it that, had more fancy adornments than the others. He also didn't wear a gun on his hip, at least not that Jessie could see. Maybe leadership here was not having to show visible force.
"Get him in the bag and we'll go."
Bag? What? Before Jessie could protest, they lifted him off his feet and shoved him into somewhere dark.
"Don't worry, boy," one of the pirates said. "We don't want to hurt you." Even with the Universal Language-thingy, Jessie had to fight hard through the hisses to understand him.
"The boss has a lot of money riding on the Slammers winning. Your team is the only real threat." That voice came from his other side. Two of the pirates must've been pulling him along in the bag.
Jessie considered screaming his lungs out, but he'd seen too many movies and TV shows where that got the captive in nothing but trouble. Besides, there was no doubt now that they thought he was Ryder. If he just kept his mouth shut, the team could go on and not worry about him being dead weight. Tears sprang to his eyes, but what choice did he have? This was for the greater good.
Click here to read Chapter 12 Part 1
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Ten
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 10
Jessie sat up and found himself in his pajamas. Pressure thudded in his head, but it was nothing like the pain earlier that he thought would rip his brain into shreds. He felt his face to see if it was still sweaty and clammy, but it was dry. His pajamas also didn't stick to him. How long had he been asleep?
He thought about going across the hall to find Ryder when his stomach grumbled. He hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and though he didn't know exactly how long, he guessed it was awhile ago.
The dining area wasn't that hard to find. He could probably make it there with no problem. He glanced at the doorway and saw what looked like an intercom system. Maybe he could use that to get the colored lights to direct him. He didn't want anyone to get mad at him for wandering alone, but if the light showed him the way, they couldn't get upset, could they?
He waved his hand in front of the door, like he'd seen the aliens do. It hissed open. Ryder's door was closed. Before he tried anything on his own, he'd get Ryder to help. But what if it was the middle of the night? He'd hate to wake him just to go eat. Especially since Ryder probably wasn't even hungry.
"I'm being stupid," he whispered. He walked over to Ryder's door and tapped. When he got no answer, he knocked a bit harder. He didn't even know if you could hear a knock through these doors. He glanced around for a doorbell or something, but didn't see one. It was possible it wasn't as late as he thought and Ryder was somewhere else. Maybe even back at the simulator.
Chills ran up and down his spine at just the thought. He was glad he wasn't expected to actually play. He'd leave that to Ryder, thank you very much.
A growl from his stomach reminded him that he wanted to eat. He wondered if he could get that magic food machine to produce a bacon cheeseburger and fries. He hoped so, as his mouth was watering at the thought. He gave up on waiting for Ryder and wandered back to his door and the intercom system.
There were a few buttons under the thing that looked like they'd operate the speaker, but he didn't know which to push. He didn't want to mess anything up. Maybe if he talked into it. "Uh, can you put a line for me to follow?"
He looked out to the hallway for the same trail he'd followed to breakfast, whenever that had been, but no luck. Wait, he hadn't said where he wanted it to go. Why couldn't Ryder be here? He was so much better at this kind of stuff.
"Sorry, could you put a line to the dining room?" Still nothing. Maybe it didn't know dining room. Hadn't Coach called it something different? Something simple? Yes.
This time, without thinking, Jessie pushed the button on the far left under the speaker. "Can you lead me to the eating center?" The illuminated blue band under the floor greeted him. Had it been because of the button or because he'd called it by its proper name? Maybe later he could play with it to figure that out, but for now he wanted to eat.
He kept his footfalls light, as he wasn't sure what Coach or any of the others would say if they knew he was out here on his own. He hadn't thought of putting on shoes, so he didn't have to worry about those echoing through the metal corridors. Luckily the floor was warm, pleasant under his feet.
As he passed a half-dozen doors, he wondered if there was anything behind any of them, or if they were all fake. Had Ryder gotten the tour today? Maybe he was out exploring right now.
In the next corridor, the lighted guide led him past an open door. He couldn't be positive, but he thought it was the living room-type area with the holographic television. The eating center wasn't too far past, but he didn't want to be seen sneaking around. He crept over to the side of the doorway and listened for anyone inside. Almost at once he heard a conversation, so he stayed back out of sight. He'd have to pick the perfect opportunity to cross.
"What's it going to be like when he faces live pitching?" That was Mickey Martell.
Jessie thought the next voice came from Rake, though he couldn't be positive without a visual. He didn't know who else was in the room. "We can't have him falling unconscious in the middle of a game, that's for sure."
Jessie's face burned red. It wasn't surprising that they were talking about him, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear. At least this hadn't happened at school. What would his classmates say? It wouldn't be pretty. He'd be a laughing stock, no doubt about it. As it was, he wanted to slink back to his room, but his legs wouldn't let him.
"Do we really need him?" Mickey Martell asked. No one answered, which Jessie took to mean that Rake and anyone else in the room agreed. Coach had already told him he was just a spectator, but it hurt to know they didn't even want that. He wiped away a few tears that ran down his cheeks and hurried back to his room, his hunger forgotten.
Click here to read Ch. 11
Chapter 10
Jessie sat up and found himself in his pajamas. Pressure thudded in his head, but it was nothing like the pain earlier that he thought would rip his brain into shreds. He felt his face to see if it was still sweaty and clammy, but it was dry. His pajamas also didn't stick to him. How long had he been asleep?
He thought about going across the hall to find Ryder when his stomach grumbled. He hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and though he didn't know exactly how long, he guessed it was awhile ago.
The dining area wasn't that hard to find. He could probably make it there with no problem. He glanced at the doorway and saw what looked like an intercom system. Maybe he could use that to get the colored lights to direct him. He didn't want anyone to get mad at him for wandering alone, but if the light showed him the way, they couldn't get upset, could they?
He waved his hand in front of the door, like he'd seen the aliens do. It hissed open. Ryder's door was closed. Before he tried anything on his own, he'd get Ryder to help. But what if it was the middle of the night? He'd hate to wake him just to go eat. Especially since Ryder probably wasn't even hungry.
"I'm being stupid," he whispered. He walked over to Ryder's door and tapped. When he got no answer, he knocked a bit harder. He didn't even know if you could hear a knock through these doors. He glanced around for a doorbell or something, but didn't see one. It was possible it wasn't as late as he thought and Ryder was somewhere else. Maybe even back at the simulator.
Chills ran up and down his spine at just the thought. He was glad he wasn't expected to actually play. He'd leave that to Ryder, thank you very much.
A growl from his stomach reminded him that he wanted to eat. He wondered if he could get that magic food machine to produce a bacon cheeseburger and fries. He hoped so, as his mouth was watering at the thought. He gave up on waiting for Ryder and wandered back to his door and the intercom system.
There were a few buttons under the thing that looked like they'd operate the speaker, but he didn't know which to push. He didn't want to mess anything up. Maybe if he talked into it. "Uh, can you put a line for me to follow?"
He looked out to the hallway for the same trail he'd followed to breakfast, whenever that had been, but no luck. Wait, he hadn't said where he wanted it to go. Why couldn't Ryder be here? He was so much better at this kind of stuff.
"Sorry, could you put a line to the dining room?" Still nothing. Maybe it didn't know dining room. Hadn't Coach called it something different? Something simple? Yes.
This time, without thinking, Jessie pushed the button on the far left under the speaker. "Can you lead me to the eating center?" The illuminated blue band under the floor greeted him. Had it been because of the button or because he'd called it by its proper name? Maybe later he could play with it to figure that out, but for now he wanted to eat.
He kept his footfalls light, as he wasn't sure what Coach or any of the others would say if they knew he was out here on his own. He hadn't thought of putting on shoes, so he didn't have to worry about those echoing through the metal corridors. Luckily the floor was warm, pleasant under his feet.
As he passed a half-dozen doors, he wondered if there was anything behind any of them, or if they were all fake. Had Ryder gotten the tour today? Maybe he was out exploring right now.
In the next corridor, the lighted guide led him past an open door. He couldn't be positive, but he thought it was the living room-type area with the holographic television. The eating center wasn't too far past, but he didn't want to be seen sneaking around. He crept over to the side of the doorway and listened for anyone inside. Almost at once he heard a conversation, so he stayed back out of sight. He'd have to pick the perfect opportunity to cross.
"What's it going to be like when he faces live pitching?" That was Mickey Martell.
Jessie thought the next voice came from Rake, though he couldn't be positive without a visual. He didn't know who else was in the room. "We can't have him falling unconscious in the middle of a game, that's for sure."
Jessie's face burned red. It wasn't surprising that they were talking about him, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear. At least this hadn't happened at school. What would his classmates say? It wouldn't be pretty. He'd be a laughing stock, no doubt about it. As it was, he wanted to slink back to his room, but his legs wouldn't let him.
"Do we really need him?" Mickey Martell asked. No one answered, which Jessie took to mean that Rake and anyone else in the room agreed. Coach had already told him he was just a spectator, but it hurt to know they didn't even want that. He wiped away a few tears that ran down his cheeks and hurried back to his room, his hunger forgotten.
Click here to read Ch. 11
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Chapter Nine Part Two
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 9 Part 2
Before either Jessie or Ryder could ask where they should move, a home plate appeared in the middle of the room. The far wall disappeared and became a huge Over the Line field, just as it had looked in the hologram model from earlier.
"Step up, Ryder. The balls aren't real, just bursts of energy. When they're in front of home plate, they're as solid as a baseball, but if they pass it, they dissipate into nothing. So don't be afraid to take some pitches. They won't hit us back here."
Ryder took his stance. Jessie expected a pitching machine, one with two wheels that the ball shot between, but instead an actual robot pitcher stood on the mound. He looked to see if there were any players in the field, but he couldn't see any.
The pitcher wound up and fired home. It blazed in so fast Jessie almost couldn't see it. He let out a screech and leapt back. Without looking back, Ryder said, "It's energy, Jess. It's not going to hurt you."
"Don't lean into one, though," Coach said. "Remember it has the density of an actual baseball in front of the plate."
Jessie moaned and stepped towards the door. No way was he taking a turn in that death machine. Before he'd made it two steps, Stretch grabbed his arm. "We have it set to only throw strikes. You don't have anything to worry about. Just watch your friend. You'll see."
Ryder let three or four pitches hurtle past him. "Almost got it timed," he called back. He swung at the next pitch, but missed. "Come on, one more." He sent that next one arching over the first wall and into the middle of the second tier. It dribbled to the wall.
"Nice, kid," Rake said. "Would have been a single."
It took a few more swings and misses, and a few dribblers that didn't make it to the pitchers mound, but after that, Ryder got into a groove. He drove each pitch into the top two tiers. Many would probably have been outs, but that didn't matter. Jessie marveled that his friend could smack what had to be at least 100 MPH fastballs around like he was facing little league pitching.
"One more good one," Coach said.
Ryder nodded and bore down. He took a mighty swing, but all Jessie heard was a little ping of the bat. He thought Ryder had foul-tipped it, but the ball sailed up past the first wall, over the second, and deep into the third tier. For a second, Jessie forgot he was in a simulator on a spaceship, and he was instead watching a blast at Sea Lion Park. "Get out, get out!" He even waved his arms to coax it out of the park.
"Nope, just missed," Ryder said. Jessie watched the ball plummet and land a few feet short of the warning track, where it two-hopped the wall. "Almost got the whole sweet spot on it."
"Feels good, doesn't it," Rake said. He stepped up and gave Ryder a slap on the shoulder. "If you get all of it, you'll have an easy home run."
Ryder was all smiles as he put his bat back. Jessie couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw him run his finger over the edge of the rubber sweet spot where the last pitch had hit.
"You're up, Jessie," Coach said. Those words froze him. In all the excitement, he'd forgotten he was next.
"You can do it, Jess. It's not going to hit you, so you don't have anything to worry about." Ryder put his hand up for a high five, but when Jessie didn't meet it, he followed through and slapped Jessie on the shoulder.
Jessie took a deep breath and wondered if he'd actually survive all of this. Before he stepped into the batters box, Coach pulled him aside and whispered so no one else could hear. "I don't want you to swing. Not even once. Go in there and get a feel for the speed of the pitches. Can you do that? No pressure in a swing, okay?"
Jessie tried to nod, but he wasn't sure if his head moved. Don't swing. He could do that. He could. But could he stay in the batter's box? He could. He had to.
"Nod when you're ready," Stretch called from the control panel in the corner of the room.
Jessie positioned his feet in the far back corner of the box, as far from the pitcher and the plate as he was allowed to go. It was a good thing Coach told him not to swing because he wasn't sure if he could hold onto the bat if he did. He'd have to ask about batting gloves if he lived through this.
"Jessie? Ready?" In his haze, he wasn't sure who asked it, but he nodded.
He didn't see the first pitch, but he heard it whiz past him. He saw the next one and felt his knees buckle. The third one blasted past him, and it took all of his concentration to not fall down. As it was, an intense ringing sounded in his ears, and a black circle formed around the rim of his vision. As another pitch winged past him, his head threatened to implode. He'd never blacked out before, but he had the distinct idea that it was happening now. The dark outline around his vision grew more pronounced, and the entire simulated stadium tilted and spun.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard Ryder's voice. He couldn't make out the words, but the tone of encouragement caused the dark band to retreat, just a little at first, but then totally. The room still threatened to spin, but the deafening screeching in his head went away. It was a start.
"That's enough," Coach called from somewhere down a long tunnel. No, not a tunnel. It just sounded like it. The lights in the room flashed on, and the virtual stadium disappeared. He stumbled a bit and a pair of hands steadied him. His skin felt cold, clammy, like he'd been sweating in the sun and moved into an air conditioned room. The spinning stopped, but his headache came back with a vengeance. His head was only seconds from splitting wide open.
"Good job, kid. Excellent job." He looked up to see Rake saying it. His lips didn't quite match up with the words, but Jessie couldn't quite tell if that was a glitch in the Universal Language thingy or his own brain.
"Ryder, can you take him to lie down?" He thought Coach said it, but he couldn't tell. "Follow the green line. Stretch, you'd better go, too."
Jessie felt two sets of arms grab him around the shoulders, but he didn't remember anything after that. The next thing he knew he was lying in the bed that served as his own on this spaceship.
Click here to read Chapter 10
Chapter 9 Part 2
Before either Jessie or Ryder could ask where they should move, a home plate appeared in the middle of the room. The far wall disappeared and became a huge Over the Line field, just as it had looked in the hologram model from earlier.
"Step up, Ryder. The balls aren't real, just bursts of energy. When they're in front of home plate, they're as solid as a baseball, but if they pass it, they dissipate into nothing. So don't be afraid to take some pitches. They won't hit us back here."
Ryder took his stance. Jessie expected a pitching machine, one with two wheels that the ball shot between, but instead an actual robot pitcher stood on the mound. He looked to see if there were any players in the field, but he couldn't see any.
The pitcher wound up and fired home. It blazed in so fast Jessie almost couldn't see it. He let out a screech and leapt back. Without looking back, Ryder said, "It's energy, Jess. It's not going to hurt you."
"Don't lean into one, though," Coach said. "Remember it has the density of an actual baseball in front of the plate."
Jessie moaned and stepped towards the door. No way was he taking a turn in that death machine. Before he'd made it two steps, Stretch grabbed his arm. "We have it set to only throw strikes. You don't have anything to worry about. Just watch your friend. You'll see."
Ryder let three or four pitches hurtle past him. "Almost got it timed," he called back. He swung at the next pitch, but missed. "Come on, one more." He sent that next one arching over the first wall and into the middle of the second tier. It dribbled to the wall.
"Nice, kid," Rake said. "Would have been a single."
It took a few more swings and misses, and a few dribblers that didn't make it to the pitchers mound, but after that, Ryder got into a groove. He drove each pitch into the top two tiers. Many would probably have been outs, but that didn't matter. Jessie marveled that his friend could smack what had to be at least 100 MPH fastballs around like he was facing little league pitching.
"One more good one," Coach said.
Ryder nodded and bore down. He took a mighty swing, but all Jessie heard was a little ping of the bat. He thought Ryder had foul-tipped it, but the ball sailed up past the first wall, over the second, and deep into the third tier. For a second, Jessie forgot he was in a simulator on a spaceship, and he was instead watching a blast at Sea Lion Park. "Get out, get out!" He even waved his arms to coax it out of the park.
"Nope, just missed," Ryder said. Jessie watched the ball plummet and land a few feet short of the warning track, where it two-hopped the wall. "Almost got the whole sweet spot on it."
"Feels good, doesn't it," Rake said. He stepped up and gave Ryder a slap on the shoulder. "If you get all of it, you'll have an easy home run."
Ryder was all smiles as he put his bat back. Jessie couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw him run his finger over the edge of the rubber sweet spot where the last pitch had hit.
"You're up, Jessie," Coach said. Those words froze him. In all the excitement, he'd forgotten he was next.
"You can do it, Jess. It's not going to hit you, so you don't have anything to worry about." Ryder put his hand up for a high five, but when Jessie didn't meet it, he followed through and slapped Jessie on the shoulder.
Jessie took a deep breath and wondered if he'd actually survive all of this. Before he stepped into the batters box, Coach pulled him aside and whispered so no one else could hear. "I don't want you to swing. Not even once. Go in there and get a feel for the speed of the pitches. Can you do that? No pressure in a swing, okay?"
Jessie tried to nod, but he wasn't sure if his head moved. Don't swing. He could do that. He could. But could he stay in the batter's box? He could. He had to.
"Nod when you're ready," Stretch called from the control panel in the corner of the room.
Jessie positioned his feet in the far back corner of the box, as far from the pitcher and the plate as he was allowed to go. It was a good thing Coach told him not to swing because he wasn't sure if he could hold onto the bat if he did. He'd have to ask about batting gloves if he lived through this.
"Jessie? Ready?" In his haze, he wasn't sure who asked it, but he nodded.
He didn't see the first pitch, but he heard it whiz past him. He saw the next one and felt his knees buckle. The third one blasted past him, and it took all of his concentration to not fall down. As it was, an intense ringing sounded in his ears, and a black circle formed around the rim of his vision. As another pitch winged past him, his head threatened to implode. He'd never blacked out before, but he had the distinct idea that it was happening now. The dark outline around his vision grew more pronounced, and the entire simulated stadium tilted and spun.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard Ryder's voice. He couldn't make out the words, but the tone of encouragement caused the dark band to retreat, just a little at first, but then totally. The room still threatened to spin, but the deafening screeching in his head went away. It was a start.
"That's enough," Coach called from somewhere down a long tunnel. No, not a tunnel. It just sounded like it. The lights in the room flashed on, and the virtual stadium disappeared. He stumbled a bit and a pair of hands steadied him. His skin felt cold, clammy, like he'd been sweating in the sun and moved into an air conditioned room. The spinning stopped, but his headache came back with a vengeance. His head was only seconds from splitting wide open.
"Good job, kid. Excellent job." He looked up to see Rake saying it. His lips didn't quite match up with the words, but Jessie couldn't quite tell if that was a glitch in the Universal Language thingy or his own brain.
"Ryder, can you take him to lie down?" He thought Coach said it, but he couldn't tell. "Follow the green line. Stretch, you'd better go, too."
Jessie felt two sets of arms grab him around the shoulders, but he didn't remember anything after that. The next thing he knew he was lying in the bed that served as his own on this spaceship.
Click here to read Chapter 10
Way Over the Line Chapter Nine Part One
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 9 Part 1
Coach, Rake, and Stretch led them to the simulator, which sounded like a high-tech batting cage. The path through the ship was a jumble of hallways that all looked the same: white and silver metal with a ton of doors. Since they hadn't been on the tour yet, Jessie had no idea how big the ship actually was. Sure he'd seen it from the bottom, but how accurate was that memory? Not only had he been scared, but it all happened so fast.
They stopped at a door that looked like all the rest. "In here," Coach said.
"How can you tell?" Ryder asked. Good, Jessie wasn't the only one feeling a bit disoriented.
This brought a chuckle from all three aliens. "It's our home," Rake said. "We know the doors the same as you know those in your house."
"Yeah, but our houses don't have anywhere near this many doors. What's in all of them?"
"Most are false portals," Stretch said. "They're built to confuse space pirates."
"Space pirates?" Jessie asked. A ball of dread formed in his stomach, threatening to burn him alive.
"A threat on the other side of the wormhole," Coach said. "The Interplanetary Police keep them from getting to your side, but we always have to be on guard over there."
"When they board us," Stretch said, "if they can't find anything of importance quickly enough, they'll leave. With all of these doors, it fools them so they get out without taking anything. Our pilot hits an emergency beacon, and we hide. They know the authorities are on the way, so they can't take the time to try every door."
"But space is so big," Ryder said. "Doesn't it take a long time for the police to get there?"
The door to the simulator room slid open, revealing Mickey Martell on the other side. "Ships are fast, kid. The pirates never know how long they have. Why not just move onto greener pastures, right?"
Ryder looked up at Mickey Martell with a goofy grin on his face and nodded. Jessie felt a lump in his own throat. How had a real major leaguer, maybe the best player ever, gotten mixed up in this? He wished he could blurt out the question, but he couldn't just talk to Mickey Martell. Not unless he was directly addressed, and he hadn't been. And truth be told, he wasn't sure he could get words out even then.
"I'm done with my batting practice, Coach, so get these kids set." He looked at Jessie, then Ryder, and then back to Jessie before addressing Coach again. "You really think this will get him up to speed? He's supposed to be the difference maker."
"Practice, practice, and practice some more," Coach said. "As you always remind us."
Mickey Martell grunted and stepped past them into the hallway.
"You don't want to stick around to see what they're made of?" Rake asked.
"You guys pay me to knock in runs and play solid defense." Mickey Martell pointed to Coach. "It's his job to get them up to where they need to be." With that, he turned and headed down the hallway. All five watched him until he exited through the door at the end.
Coach grunted. "As he said, he's here to play. Let's get you two started."
As they walked in, Jessie thought about the brief conversation. Were they really worried Ryder wouldn't be able to hit? Against a pitcher that had to throw him strikes, Ryder might be as good as anyone. Maybe home runs, or even triples, were a bit much to ask, but Jessie had no doubt he'd be ripping plenty of singles and doubles.
Ryder leaned over and whispered in Jessie's ear. "That was him. It was really him."
"Yeah, you saw him last night. Did you think he was an optical illusion?"
"I don't know, but he was right here, and he's really on our team. I wish we could have watched him hit."
Jessie looked around the room, wondering where the simulator was. He didn't know what he expected--an actual batting cage, or maybe one of those screens that made it look like a real person was pitching to you--but he hadn't expected a room with nothing in it. He supposed this could just be the front room, but he didn't see another doorway.
"You two ready?" Coach asked.
"Where is it?" Ryder asked.
"The simulator? You're standing in it."
Both Jessie and Ryder looked around. Nope, still an empty room. Stretch pressed his hand against a panel in the wall, and a rack of bats rose from the ground in the corner. Coach looked them both over from head to toe, then picked up two bats and handed them each one. "Tell me what you notice about those."
Ryder took a few steps back, got into his batting stance, and took a couple of practice cuts. Jessie, on the other hand, focused on the bat itself. He ran his hands from the handle up to the barrel. It felt like a regular aluminum bat, though he had no idea what it was actually made of. Who knew what sort of metals they had out here in space? He was about to take a few swings of his own when his fingers ran across something rubbery on the barrel, right in the sweet spot.
"What is that?" He murmured to himself. It was an elastic round bit of rubber the size of a baseball. He pushed down on it and didn't feel anything solid under it. He looked up at Coach. "If you hit the ball just right, it might never stop."
"And if that ever does happen to you, kid," Rake said, "it's the sweetest feeling in the world."
"You'll think you swung and missed," Stretch said, "only to look up and see the ball sailing over the fence."
Ryder had stopped and was now examining his bat. "But what happens if you just miss? If part of the ball hits the trampoline, but not all of it?"
"When a round ball hits a round bat, kid, it's unpredictable enough," Rake said. "But when that happens, who knows? Your ground out might turn into a solid single, or your home run becomes a lazy fly out."
"I think it's time to get started," Coach said. "Ryder, you're up first."
Click here to read Chapter 9 Part 2
Chapter 9 Part 1
Coach, Rake, and Stretch led them to the simulator, which sounded like a high-tech batting cage. The path through the ship was a jumble of hallways that all looked the same: white and silver metal with a ton of doors. Since they hadn't been on the tour yet, Jessie had no idea how big the ship actually was. Sure he'd seen it from the bottom, but how accurate was that memory? Not only had he been scared, but it all happened so fast.
They stopped at a door that looked like all the rest. "In here," Coach said.
"How can you tell?" Ryder asked. Good, Jessie wasn't the only one feeling a bit disoriented.
This brought a chuckle from all three aliens. "It's our home," Rake said. "We know the doors the same as you know those in your house."
"Yeah, but our houses don't have anywhere near this many doors. What's in all of them?"
"Most are false portals," Stretch said. "They're built to confuse space pirates."
"Space pirates?" Jessie asked. A ball of dread formed in his stomach, threatening to burn him alive.
"A threat on the other side of the wormhole," Coach said. "The Interplanetary Police keep them from getting to your side, but we always have to be on guard over there."
"When they board us," Stretch said, "if they can't find anything of importance quickly enough, they'll leave. With all of these doors, it fools them so they get out without taking anything. Our pilot hits an emergency beacon, and we hide. They know the authorities are on the way, so they can't take the time to try every door."
"But space is so big," Ryder said. "Doesn't it take a long time for the police to get there?"
The door to the simulator room slid open, revealing Mickey Martell on the other side. "Ships are fast, kid. The pirates never know how long they have. Why not just move onto greener pastures, right?"
Ryder looked up at Mickey Martell with a goofy grin on his face and nodded. Jessie felt a lump in his own throat. How had a real major leaguer, maybe the best player ever, gotten mixed up in this? He wished he could blurt out the question, but he couldn't just talk to Mickey Martell. Not unless he was directly addressed, and he hadn't been. And truth be told, he wasn't sure he could get words out even then.
"I'm done with my batting practice, Coach, so get these kids set." He looked at Jessie, then Ryder, and then back to Jessie before addressing Coach again. "You really think this will get him up to speed? He's supposed to be the difference maker."
"Practice, practice, and practice some more," Coach said. "As you always remind us."
Mickey Martell grunted and stepped past them into the hallway.
"You don't want to stick around to see what they're made of?" Rake asked.
"You guys pay me to knock in runs and play solid defense." Mickey Martell pointed to Coach. "It's his job to get them up to where they need to be." With that, he turned and headed down the hallway. All five watched him until he exited through the door at the end.
Coach grunted. "As he said, he's here to play. Let's get you two started."
As they walked in, Jessie thought about the brief conversation. Were they really worried Ryder wouldn't be able to hit? Against a pitcher that had to throw him strikes, Ryder might be as good as anyone. Maybe home runs, or even triples, were a bit much to ask, but Jessie had no doubt he'd be ripping plenty of singles and doubles.
Ryder leaned over and whispered in Jessie's ear. "That was him. It was really him."
"Yeah, you saw him last night. Did you think he was an optical illusion?"
"I don't know, but he was right here, and he's really on our team. I wish we could have watched him hit."
Jessie looked around the room, wondering where the simulator was. He didn't know what he expected--an actual batting cage, or maybe one of those screens that made it look like a real person was pitching to you--but he hadn't expected a room with nothing in it. He supposed this could just be the front room, but he didn't see another doorway.
"You two ready?" Coach asked.
"Where is it?" Ryder asked.
"The simulator? You're standing in it."
Both Jessie and Ryder looked around. Nope, still an empty room. Stretch pressed his hand against a panel in the wall, and a rack of bats rose from the ground in the corner. Coach looked them both over from head to toe, then picked up two bats and handed them each one. "Tell me what you notice about those."
Ryder took a few steps back, got into his batting stance, and took a couple of practice cuts. Jessie, on the other hand, focused on the bat itself. He ran his hands from the handle up to the barrel. It felt like a regular aluminum bat, though he had no idea what it was actually made of. Who knew what sort of metals they had out here in space? He was about to take a few swings of his own when his fingers ran across something rubbery on the barrel, right in the sweet spot.
"What is that?" He murmured to himself. It was an elastic round bit of rubber the size of a baseball. He pushed down on it and didn't feel anything solid under it. He looked up at Coach. "If you hit the ball just right, it might never stop."
"And if that ever does happen to you, kid," Rake said, "it's the sweetest feeling in the world."
"You'll think you swung and missed," Stretch said, "only to look up and see the ball sailing over the fence."
Ryder had stopped and was now examining his bat. "But what happens if you just miss? If part of the ball hits the trampoline, but not all of it?"
"When a round ball hits a round bat, kid, it's unpredictable enough," Rake said. "But when that happens, who knows? Your ground out might turn into a solid single, or your home run becomes a lazy fly out."
"I think it's time to get started," Coach said. "Ryder, you're up first."
Click here to read Chapter 9 Part 2
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Eight Part One
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 8 Part 1
The blue line in the floor led Jessie straight to the dinning room, or eating center as Coach called it. He walked in and found Ryder already there.
"Dude, this is awesome. Pick anything you want to eat." He had a plate of scrambled eggs with cheese mixed in, hash browns, and a gooey cinnamon roll.
"I want that," Jessie said as he took a seat next to Ryder. Rake pushed a few buttons on what looked like a microwave. Seconds later, he pulled out a plate of food identical to Ryder's and set it in front of Jessie. "Thanks," Jessie said as he dug in.
The eggs and hash browns melted in his mouth. They were as good, no better, than those at Hattie's Breakfast Hut, his favorite morning restaurant. He wanted to keep at the eggs and potatoes, but that cinnamon roll wasn't going to wait. It looked like those they served at the mall shops. He put a huge chunk on his fork and stuffed it in his mouth.
"Wow! That's the best thing I've ever tasted." Pieces of it shot out of his mouth as he talked.
"Gross, dude," Ryder said. "Chew your food. We didn't ask for the floor show."
Jessie blushed as he chewed and swallowed. "Sorry." Both Ryder and Rake laughed. Rake's laugh shared the same qualities as Coach's.
"It's cool," Ryder said. "And you're right. This is awesome. How'd you say it worked again, Rake? Seems impossible."
"Nothing's impossible as long as someone can engineer the right tools. This machine has most all of the recipes from your home world programmed in. All it has to do is shape matter into that food. It's as simple as that."
Jessie looked from Rake to Ryder and back to Rake. "How is that simple?"
Ryder stuffed the rest of his cinnamon roll into his mouth. "Who cares? It's simple enough to eat."
Jessie nodded and went back to attacking his breakfast.
"As soon as you two finish up, we'll join Coach and Stretch so you can learn the rules of the game. I'm guessing you'll both even get a turn in the simulator so we can see how you do. Coach has no doubts that you'll shine, Ryder."
Jessie stopped chewing for a second, remembering how Coach told him he was only here because they couldn't get Ryder by himself. Would he really get any simulator time, whatever it was? If not, he probably wouldn't mind.
Rake stood up and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a minute to see if Coach is ready for us."
As soon as they were alone, Ryder turned to Jessie. "Do you believe this? I mean, is it real?"
Jessie shrugged. "I keep hoping it's a dream. I don't think I like it."
"How can you not like this? The aliens seem pretty cool, we have awesome food to eat, we're going to play Over the Line, and Mickey Martell is even here. What's not to like?"
Jessie shrugged again. "Aren't you going to miss home? Your mom and your brothers?"
Ryder scooped up the last of his eggs. As he chewed, he said, "I asked about that last night. We're going to time-travel back so it'll be like we never left. That means they're not going to miss me, so why should I miss them? I like hanging out with my family and all, but don't you think it's kind of sweet to be on our own for awhile?"
"Yeah, I guess." Jessie concentrated hard on finishing the rest of his breakfast to keep his eyes from watering up.
Chapter 8 Part 1
The blue line in the floor led Jessie straight to the dinning room, or eating center as Coach called it. He walked in and found Ryder already there.
"Dude, this is awesome. Pick anything you want to eat." He had a plate of scrambled eggs with cheese mixed in, hash browns, and a gooey cinnamon roll.
"I want that," Jessie said as he took a seat next to Ryder. Rake pushed a few buttons on what looked like a microwave. Seconds later, he pulled out a plate of food identical to Ryder's and set it in front of Jessie. "Thanks," Jessie said as he dug in.
The eggs and hash browns melted in his mouth. They were as good, no better, than those at Hattie's Breakfast Hut, his favorite morning restaurant. He wanted to keep at the eggs and potatoes, but that cinnamon roll wasn't going to wait. It looked like those they served at the mall shops. He put a huge chunk on his fork and stuffed it in his mouth.
"Wow! That's the best thing I've ever tasted." Pieces of it shot out of his mouth as he talked.
"Gross, dude," Ryder said. "Chew your food. We didn't ask for the floor show."
Jessie blushed as he chewed and swallowed. "Sorry." Both Ryder and Rake laughed. Rake's laugh shared the same qualities as Coach's.
"It's cool," Ryder said. "And you're right. This is awesome. How'd you say it worked again, Rake? Seems impossible."
"Nothing's impossible as long as someone can engineer the right tools. This machine has most all of the recipes from your home world programmed in. All it has to do is shape matter into that food. It's as simple as that."
Jessie looked from Rake to Ryder and back to Rake. "How is that simple?"
Ryder stuffed the rest of his cinnamon roll into his mouth. "Who cares? It's simple enough to eat."
Jessie nodded and went back to attacking his breakfast.
"As soon as you two finish up, we'll join Coach and Stretch so you can learn the rules of the game. I'm guessing you'll both even get a turn in the simulator so we can see how you do. Coach has no doubts that you'll shine, Ryder."
Jessie stopped chewing for a second, remembering how Coach told him he was only here because they couldn't get Ryder by himself. Would he really get any simulator time, whatever it was? If not, he probably wouldn't mind.
Rake stood up and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a minute to see if Coach is ready for us."
As soon as they were alone, Ryder turned to Jessie. "Do you believe this? I mean, is it real?"
Jessie shrugged. "I keep hoping it's a dream. I don't think I like it."
"How can you not like this? The aliens seem pretty cool, we have awesome food to eat, we're going to play Over the Line, and Mickey Martell is even here. What's not to like?"
Jessie shrugged again. "Aren't you going to miss home? Your mom and your brothers?"
Ryder scooped up the last of his eggs. As he chewed, he said, "I asked about that last night. We're going to time-travel back so it'll be like we never left. That means they're not going to miss me, so why should I miss them? I like hanging out with my family and all, but don't you think it's kind of sweet to be on our own for awhile?"
"Yeah, I guess." Jessie concentrated hard on finishing the rest of his breakfast to keep his eyes from watering up.
Way Over the Line Chapter Eight Part Two
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 8 Part 2
After breakfast, Rake led them to the room where they'd met everyone last night. Coach and Stretch sat waiting by the television-looking thing. Jessie sensed Ryder's disappointment that Mickey Martell wasn't there.
"Ready to hear all about the Over the Line tournament?" Coach asked.
"Yeah," Ryder said. "But why Over the Line? It's just something to play when you don't have enough players for a real baseball game."
"It's the game the founders fell in love with," Stretch said. "Wait until you see the stadium. You'll change your tune."
Ryder looked at Jessie, and they both shrugged. Jessie wouldn't complain. He loved Over the Line. Any time he could play without having to bat against a pitcher was fine in his book.
"Each team fields four players, plus a robot who controls the pitching machine."
"But there are five here, not counting me," Jessie said.
"Mickey gave me my nickname, Coach, for a reason. I'll stay in the dugout to make sure everything runs smooth. In the field, one player guards the first line, one guards the second, and two guard the third. Think of the first as a corner infielder, the second as a middle infielder, and the last two as outfielders. On our team, Stretch is the first fielder, Mickey the second, and Rake the left fielder. You'll play right field, Ryder."
"Outfield, yeah, cool." Ryder almost always played shortstop at home because he was so good. If given a choice, though, he'd choose center field. Whenever they played catch, he loved having Jessie throw him fly balls to chase down.
Coach clicked a button on the TV. "This will show you what the field looks like, and it'll lead us through the rules."
Instead of an image on the screen, a picture jumped out in front like a 3-D projection. The field wasn't a diamond, like he was used to seeing and playing on. It really did look like a fancy Over the Line park, except instead of lines separating the parts of the field, there were walls.
"What's with the walls?" Ryder asked. "I thought this was Over the Line, not Over the Wall."
"A small distinction that helps in game play, as you'll see," Coach said. "Watch the holo and learn."
The pitching machine fired a pitch. The batter knocked a weak grounder to the first fielder, who picked it up with no problem. The image was so life-like that it was like watching an actual game, not a computer simulation.
First field was a small area, probably about the size a third baseman would be expected to patrol. The wall was about the same height as the player. Even though the area was tiny, it would still take an expert fielder to play the position since it was so close to the batter.
"Any time the first fielder catches a ball, either on the ground or on the fly, before it hits or goes over the wall, it's an out. If he drops the ball, or it hits the wall behind him, it's a single, and any runners move up one base."
"Are there actual runners?" Ryder asked.
"Nah, they keep track of those on the scoreboard," Rake said.
"Like ghost runners," Jessie said.
They looked back to the hologram, and this time the little batter struck the ball to the second level. The area started at the top of the first wall. It was the same size from front to back as from side to side, about what a shortstop would cover. The wall in the back looked to be the same height as the first one. The ball flew to the second fielder's right, bounced once off the ground, ricocheted off the wall, and landed in his mitt.
"That's also an out," Coach said.
Ryder frowned. "But it hit the wall. That should be an automatic hit."
Coach waved his hand over the hologram, and it replayed the last scene. "The second level is different from the other two. If the fielder catches the ball after one or two hops, it's an out. For this purpose, the wall counts as the ground. You'll see the best second fielders using the wall to their advantage. Mickey, as you might guess, is one of the best."
"If it bounces three times, it's a single?" Ryder asked. "How far do the runners advance?"
"Only one base, but that leads us to the third tier."
On the hologram, the batter smashed a drive up to the top level. The area didn't look to be quite the size of a major league outfield, but that was okay since there were only two fielders. The wall was the same size as the other two, and there was even a warning track in front, just like on baseball fields back home. The ball landed in front of one of the fielders, who gobbled it up on one hop.
"He caught it in one bounce," Ryder said. "Is that an out?"
Coach shook his head. "To be an out on the third tier, the fielder has to catch the ball before it hits the ground, just like an outfielder on your world. But see the line in the middle?"
He pointed halfway between the second and third tier walls to a thin yellow line. "It's like a first outfield and a second outfield," Jessie said.
"That's more true than you realize." They watched the fielder make the one-hop catch in front of the line. "If the fielder picks the ball up in front of the line, it's a single, and the runners advance one base. If it lands in front of the line, but the fielder picks it up behind, it's a single and the runners advance two bases."
On the next play, the batter smashed a ball deep into the outfield. The ball landed behind the line, and the fielder dove and snagged it before it hit the wall. "If the ball lands behind the line and the fielder grabs it before it hits the wall, it's a double, and the runners advance two bases. They'll never go more than two bases on a double. If the ball hits the wall, it's a triple, and the runners advance three bases."
Ryder raised his hand as if he had a question in school. "What if it lands before the line for a single but rolls all the way to the wall? Is that a triple, or only a single?"
"If it hits the wall, it's a triple. Doesn't matter how it gets there."
They looked back at the hologram. Jessie figured he knew what was coming next, and he wasn't disappointed. The batter smacked the next pitch deep. The fielders drifted back, but ran out of room. "Home run!" Jessie said a little louder than he meant to. When everyone laughed, he felt his face heat up, and he did his best to focus on the hologram and not look up.
"Yes," Coach said, "that one needs no explanation. Also, three strikes make an out, and each side gets three outs per inning. There are some differences you won't be used to. Games last five innings, and instead of four balls drawing a walk, it only takes two. This encourages pitchers to throw strikes."
Jessie gasped. "But I thought they were pitching machines. Don't they always throw strikes?"
"Only the bad ones always throw strikes," Stretch said. "The good ones mix in some wild pitches to keep the batters off balance."
"But what if someone gets hit?"
"It happens," Coach said. "If someone gets hit or walked, it's like a single. If it happens again in the same game, it's a double. A third time, a triple, and any more after that equal a home run. This discourages pitchers from walking batters like Mickey every time he comes up to bat."
"But I don't want to get hit at all," Jessie said. He knew he wouldn't be playing, but tears still rose to his eyes.
"Nothing to worry about," Coach said. "This brings up rules for young players, which is why we want Ryder on the team."
"There are special rules for me?"
"And others like you," Stretch said. "You're not the only youngster in the tournament."
Coach nodded. "When you're batting, the pitcher has to throw a strike. One ball equals a walk. And if the pitcher hits you, it's an automatic home run, and every run counts double. So, theoretically, if you come up with the bases loaded and the pitcher hits you, that's eight runs."
"Cool! A double grand slam! I'd get plunked for that."
Jessie shuddered about how excited Ryder was.
"Now you see why we wanted you on our team. We have no doubt you'll be able to handle the pitching when it has to be a strike. Now let's get you boys into the simulator to see what you can do."
Click here to read Chapter 9 Part 1
Chapter 8 Part 2
After breakfast, Rake led them to the room where they'd met everyone last night. Coach and Stretch sat waiting by the television-looking thing. Jessie sensed Ryder's disappointment that Mickey Martell wasn't there.
"Ready to hear all about the Over the Line tournament?" Coach asked.
"Yeah," Ryder said. "But why Over the Line? It's just something to play when you don't have enough players for a real baseball game."
"It's the game the founders fell in love with," Stretch said. "Wait until you see the stadium. You'll change your tune."
Ryder looked at Jessie, and they both shrugged. Jessie wouldn't complain. He loved Over the Line. Any time he could play without having to bat against a pitcher was fine in his book.
"Each team fields four players, plus a robot who controls the pitching machine."
"But there are five here, not counting me," Jessie said.
"Mickey gave me my nickname, Coach, for a reason. I'll stay in the dugout to make sure everything runs smooth. In the field, one player guards the first line, one guards the second, and two guard the third. Think of the first as a corner infielder, the second as a middle infielder, and the last two as outfielders. On our team, Stretch is the first fielder, Mickey the second, and Rake the left fielder. You'll play right field, Ryder."
"Outfield, yeah, cool." Ryder almost always played shortstop at home because he was so good. If given a choice, though, he'd choose center field. Whenever they played catch, he loved having Jessie throw him fly balls to chase down.
Coach clicked a button on the TV. "This will show you what the field looks like, and it'll lead us through the rules."
Instead of an image on the screen, a picture jumped out in front like a 3-D projection. The field wasn't a diamond, like he was used to seeing and playing on. It really did look like a fancy Over the Line park, except instead of lines separating the parts of the field, there were walls.
"What's with the walls?" Ryder asked. "I thought this was Over the Line, not Over the Wall."
"A small distinction that helps in game play, as you'll see," Coach said. "Watch the holo and learn."
The pitching machine fired a pitch. The batter knocked a weak grounder to the first fielder, who picked it up with no problem. The image was so life-like that it was like watching an actual game, not a computer simulation.
First field was a small area, probably about the size a third baseman would be expected to patrol. The wall was about the same height as the player. Even though the area was tiny, it would still take an expert fielder to play the position since it was so close to the batter.
"Any time the first fielder catches a ball, either on the ground or on the fly, before it hits or goes over the wall, it's an out. If he drops the ball, or it hits the wall behind him, it's a single, and any runners move up one base."
"Are there actual runners?" Ryder asked.
"Nah, they keep track of those on the scoreboard," Rake said.
"Like ghost runners," Jessie said.
They looked back to the hologram, and this time the little batter struck the ball to the second level. The area started at the top of the first wall. It was the same size from front to back as from side to side, about what a shortstop would cover. The wall in the back looked to be the same height as the first one. The ball flew to the second fielder's right, bounced once off the ground, ricocheted off the wall, and landed in his mitt.
"That's also an out," Coach said.
Ryder frowned. "But it hit the wall. That should be an automatic hit."
Coach waved his hand over the hologram, and it replayed the last scene. "The second level is different from the other two. If the fielder catches the ball after one or two hops, it's an out. For this purpose, the wall counts as the ground. You'll see the best second fielders using the wall to their advantage. Mickey, as you might guess, is one of the best."
"If it bounces three times, it's a single?" Ryder asked. "How far do the runners advance?"
"Only one base, but that leads us to the third tier."
On the hologram, the batter smashed a drive up to the top level. The area didn't look to be quite the size of a major league outfield, but that was okay since there were only two fielders. The wall was the same size as the other two, and there was even a warning track in front, just like on baseball fields back home. The ball landed in front of one of the fielders, who gobbled it up on one hop.
"He caught it in one bounce," Ryder said. "Is that an out?"
Coach shook his head. "To be an out on the third tier, the fielder has to catch the ball before it hits the ground, just like an outfielder on your world. But see the line in the middle?"
He pointed halfway between the second and third tier walls to a thin yellow line. "It's like a first outfield and a second outfield," Jessie said.
"That's more true than you realize." They watched the fielder make the one-hop catch in front of the line. "If the fielder picks the ball up in front of the line, it's a single, and the runners advance one base. If it lands in front of the line, but the fielder picks it up behind, it's a single and the runners advance two bases."
On the next play, the batter smashed a ball deep into the outfield. The ball landed behind the line, and the fielder dove and snagged it before it hit the wall. "If the ball lands behind the line and the fielder grabs it before it hits the wall, it's a double, and the runners advance two bases. They'll never go more than two bases on a double. If the ball hits the wall, it's a triple, and the runners advance three bases."
Ryder raised his hand as if he had a question in school. "What if it lands before the line for a single but rolls all the way to the wall? Is that a triple, or only a single?"
"If it hits the wall, it's a triple. Doesn't matter how it gets there."
They looked back at the hologram. Jessie figured he knew what was coming next, and he wasn't disappointed. The batter smacked the next pitch deep. The fielders drifted back, but ran out of room. "Home run!" Jessie said a little louder than he meant to. When everyone laughed, he felt his face heat up, and he did his best to focus on the hologram and not look up.
"Yes," Coach said, "that one needs no explanation. Also, three strikes make an out, and each side gets three outs per inning. There are some differences you won't be used to. Games last five innings, and instead of four balls drawing a walk, it only takes two. This encourages pitchers to throw strikes."
Jessie gasped. "But I thought they were pitching machines. Don't they always throw strikes?"
"Only the bad ones always throw strikes," Stretch said. "The good ones mix in some wild pitches to keep the batters off balance."
"But what if someone gets hit?"
"It happens," Coach said. "If someone gets hit or walked, it's like a single. If it happens again in the same game, it's a double. A third time, a triple, and any more after that equal a home run. This discourages pitchers from walking batters like Mickey every time he comes up to bat."
"But I don't want to get hit at all," Jessie said. He knew he wouldn't be playing, but tears still rose to his eyes.
"Nothing to worry about," Coach said. "This brings up rules for young players, which is why we want Ryder on the team."
"There are special rules for me?"
"And others like you," Stretch said. "You're not the only youngster in the tournament."
Coach nodded. "When you're batting, the pitcher has to throw a strike. One ball equals a walk. And if the pitcher hits you, it's an automatic home run, and every run counts double. So, theoretically, if you come up with the bases loaded and the pitcher hits you, that's eight runs."
"Cool! A double grand slam! I'd get plunked for that."
Jessie shuddered about how excited Ryder was.
"Now you see why we wanted you on our team. We have no doubt you'll be able to handle the pitching when it has to be a strike. Now let's get you boys into the simulator to see what you can do."
Click here to read Chapter 9 Part 1
Monday, November 22, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Seven
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 7
Jessie's door slide open, and he sat up in bed. How long had he been asleep? It took him a few seconds to remember where he was, and another few to realize it had all really happened. That thought was further brought home when Coach stepped into his room.
"Good morning, Jessie. It's breakfast time."
"Is it really morning?"
"Out here there is no morning, day, or night, but if you were home right now, it would be."
"What's going to happen back home? Ryder's mom will probably find out we're not there soon, if she hasn't already. It won't be long before she calls my mom and dad."
"None of that will happen."
Jessie frowned. "How do you know?"
"We'll get you back home just after you left. No one will know anything happened but you and Ryder."
"But you just said it was morning. How can we get there if it's already in the past?"
"The wormhole we're travelling through does many strange things to the fabrics of time. We've can manipulate how it flows while we're in there, so we'll set everything to get you back at the correct moment."
"Will we see ourselves when we come back?"
Coach shook his head. "When we left your planet, we were invisible, and we will be when we return, too. Neither our leaving nor returning selves will know the other is there."
"But if we can't see each other, we might crash."
Coach laughed. It sounded like some sort of sound effect that might be in a science fiction movie. Was that his real laugh, or something the Universal Language thingamajiggy did to it? "You forget that we know where we were when we left. All we have to do is avoid that area. We have an exceptional pilot."
"Oh." Yeah, that made sense. Hunger crept up on him and he pushed the covers down. What did aliens serve for breakfast?
Coach turned to leave. "Get dressed and meet us in the eating center. A blue line on the floor will guide you."
"What about Ryder?"
"I've already given him the same instructions. I'm sure he'll be there shortly, if he's not already. Just tell your door to open when you're ready." He pointed back to the hallway. "You can already see the blue line." With that, Coach left and the door closed behind him.
Chapter 7
Jessie's door slide open, and he sat up in bed. How long had he been asleep? It took him a few seconds to remember where he was, and another few to realize it had all really happened. That thought was further brought home when Coach stepped into his room.
"Good morning, Jessie. It's breakfast time."
"Is it really morning?"
"Out here there is no morning, day, or night, but if you were home right now, it would be."
"What's going to happen back home? Ryder's mom will probably find out we're not there soon, if she hasn't already. It won't be long before she calls my mom and dad."
"None of that will happen."
Jessie frowned. "How do you know?"
"We'll get you back home just after you left. No one will know anything happened but you and Ryder."
"But you just said it was morning. How can we get there if it's already in the past?"
"The wormhole we're travelling through does many strange things to the fabrics of time. We've can manipulate how it flows while we're in there, so we'll set everything to get you back at the correct moment."
"Will we see ourselves when we come back?"
Coach shook his head. "When we left your planet, we were invisible, and we will be when we return, too. Neither our leaving nor returning selves will know the other is there."
"But if we can't see each other, we might crash."
Coach laughed. It sounded like some sort of sound effect that might be in a science fiction movie. Was that his real laugh, or something the Universal Language thingamajiggy did to it? "You forget that we know where we were when we left. All we have to do is avoid that area. We have an exceptional pilot."
"Oh." Yeah, that made sense. Hunger crept up on him and he pushed the covers down. What did aliens serve for breakfast?
Coach turned to leave. "Get dressed and meet us in the eating center. A blue line on the floor will guide you."
"What about Ryder?"
"I've already given him the same instructions. I'm sure he'll be there shortly, if he's not already. Just tell your door to open when you're ready." He pointed back to the hallway. "You can already see the blue line." With that, Coach left and the door closed behind him.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Six
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 6
Coach led them into a large metal hallway, where they headed towards a door at the end. He waved his springy hand in front of it, and it slid open. He walked in and looked back. "Well, come on in. Everyone's here."
It looked like a living room area, with plenty of chairs and a thing that might have been a futuristic television situated in the middle. Two other aliens, almost identical to Coach, lounged around the TV. They sat up a bit straighter and stared at Jessie and Ryder, the same way the boys stared at them. Another man, one who looked human, sat in the corner of the room, but Jessie didn't pay him much mind.
"These are my friends, and your new teammates. Like my name, theirs would be too much for you, so call them Rake and Stretch. Our final team member gave them their nicknames."
Before they could figure out which was Rake and which was Stretch, they turned to look at the man in the corner. Ryder gasped. Jessie frowned, looked over at Ryder, and back at the man. Then it hit him. That was Mickey Martell! He didn't know how he'd not made the connection right away. He'd seen the posters often enough.
"Mickey Martell," Ryder said, a look of reverence on his face.
"You got it, kid," Mickey Martell said as he stood up. "Now if you'll all excuse me, it's time for my beauty sleep." Without looking back, he walked to another door and left.
"Likes to keep to himself," one of the aliens, either Stretch or Rake, said.
"Fine by me," said the other. "All that matters is that he's the best player in the tournament."
"What tournament?" Ryder asked.
"The Intergalactic Over the Line Tournament. Didn't Coach fill you in?"
"Not yet," Coach said. "Wanted to get them situated first."
"An Over the Line tournament? You're kidding, right? You dragged us out into space for that?"
Either Stretch or Rake grunted. Jessie stared over at them to see if he could tell them apart. He noticed one had a bit rounder head and a more blue-green skin color. The other was the green color of fresh grass.
"It's only the most important event each galactic year, kid."
"Patience, Rake," Coach said. "I said I haven't explained anything yet."
That solved that mystery. Rake was the one with the blue-green skin.
"But why Over the Line?" Ryder asked. "Why not real baseball?"
"We mix the best of both," Coach said. "You'll understand when you see how the field is set up."
"But why us?" Jessie's voice squeaked when he spoke, but he continued. "Especially if pros like Mickey Martell are playing. We're just kids."
"There are special rules for children. You'll learn them later. We think Ryder is good enough to exploit those rules and give us a leg up on the competition. You're just here for the ride, Jessie. We needed to leave, so we couldn't wait another night to get Ryder alone. But don't worry, you'll have a good time."
"So what rules do you guys use?" Ryder asked. "How does this tournament work? When do we start?"
Coach laughed. Rake and Stretch had gone back to the television thing, though Jessie couldn't quite see what was on it, and he heard no sounds. "No need to rush these things. Even with the wormhole, we have a couple of days ahead of us. When you wake up, we'll go over everything. I'll even let you both in the simulator to get a feel for the game."
"But I'm not tired," Ryder said. "Can't we do it all now?"
"Later," Coach said. "You might not be tired, but I am."
Jessie looked over at Coach. "Do you sleep like we do?" His voice cracked a bit. He still couldn't get over that he was on a spaceship talking to an alien.
"We do. Our planets share a similar rotation and day-night cycle. We keep to it on the ship. Out here that little bit of normalcy is a great help in staying alert. And sane."
Coach led them out the same door Mickey Martell left from and down another short hallway. Numerous doors lined both walls. Coach pointed to a couple of doors that faced each other across the hall. "These are your rooms. They're a bit small, but the beds are comfortable. You'll find everything you need in there--extra clothes, things for hygiene, and so forth. Don't be alarmed, but I'm locking you in tonight. Until you have a full tour of the ship, I'm afraid I won't feel you're safe enough to wander alone. We'll take care of that tomorrow."
The two doors opened. Jessie looked at Ryder, who shrugged and went into his room. Jessie took a deep breath and did the same. As soon as he was in, the door slid shut behind him.
As Coach said, the room was tiny, with just a bed in it. There was another door in the back wall that opened into a small bathroom. Inside, a closet held clothes that looked like they'd fit him perfectly. He also saw a pair of pajamas, which he figured he might as well put on.
The bed felt quite comfortable. He climbed in. Had this all really happened? He'd wake up any minute now and find himself on the air mattress in Ryder's room, just below the Mickey Martell posters. Right?
He shook his head. With everything that was going on, he didn't feel tired at all, but once his head hit the pillow, he zonked out.
Click here to read Chapter Seven
Chapter 6
Coach led them into a large metal hallway, where they headed towards a door at the end. He waved his springy hand in front of it, and it slid open. He walked in and looked back. "Well, come on in. Everyone's here."
It looked like a living room area, with plenty of chairs and a thing that might have been a futuristic television situated in the middle. Two other aliens, almost identical to Coach, lounged around the TV. They sat up a bit straighter and stared at Jessie and Ryder, the same way the boys stared at them. Another man, one who looked human, sat in the corner of the room, but Jessie didn't pay him much mind.
"These are my friends, and your new teammates. Like my name, theirs would be too much for you, so call them Rake and Stretch. Our final team member gave them their nicknames."
Before they could figure out which was Rake and which was Stretch, they turned to look at the man in the corner. Ryder gasped. Jessie frowned, looked over at Ryder, and back at the man. Then it hit him. That was Mickey Martell! He didn't know how he'd not made the connection right away. He'd seen the posters often enough.
"Mickey Martell," Ryder said, a look of reverence on his face.
"You got it, kid," Mickey Martell said as he stood up. "Now if you'll all excuse me, it's time for my beauty sleep." Without looking back, he walked to another door and left.
"Likes to keep to himself," one of the aliens, either Stretch or Rake, said.
"Fine by me," said the other. "All that matters is that he's the best player in the tournament."
"What tournament?" Ryder asked.
"The Intergalactic Over the Line Tournament. Didn't Coach fill you in?"
"Not yet," Coach said. "Wanted to get them situated first."
"An Over the Line tournament? You're kidding, right? You dragged us out into space for that?"
Either Stretch or Rake grunted. Jessie stared over at them to see if he could tell them apart. He noticed one had a bit rounder head and a more blue-green skin color. The other was the green color of fresh grass.
"It's only the most important event each galactic year, kid."
"Patience, Rake," Coach said. "I said I haven't explained anything yet."
That solved that mystery. Rake was the one with the blue-green skin.
"But why Over the Line?" Ryder asked. "Why not real baseball?"
"We mix the best of both," Coach said. "You'll understand when you see how the field is set up."
"But why us?" Jessie's voice squeaked when he spoke, but he continued. "Especially if pros like Mickey Martell are playing. We're just kids."
"There are special rules for children. You'll learn them later. We think Ryder is good enough to exploit those rules and give us a leg up on the competition. You're just here for the ride, Jessie. We needed to leave, so we couldn't wait another night to get Ryder alone. But don't worry, you'll have a good time."
"So what rules do you guys use?" Ryder asked. "How does this tournament work? When do we start?"
Coach laughed. Rake and Stretch had gone back to the television thing, though Jessie couldn't quite see what was on it, and he heard no sounds. "No need to rush these things. Even with the wormhole, we have a couple of days ahead of us. When you wake up, we'll go over everything. I'll even let you both in the simulator to get a feel for the game."
"But I'm not tired," Ryder said. "Can't we do it all now?"
"Later," Coach said. "You might not be tired, but I am."
Jessie looked over at Coach. "Do you sleep like we do?" His voice cracked a bit. He still couldn't get over that he was on a spaceship talking to an alien.
"We do. Our planets share a similar rotation and day-night cycle. We keep to it on the ship. Out here that little bit of normalcy is a great help in staying alert. And sane."
Coach led them out the same door Mickey Martell left from and down another short hallway. Numerous doors lined both walls. Coach pointed to a couple of doors that faced each other across the hall. "These are your rooms. They're a bit small, but the beds are comfortable. You'll find everything you need in there--extra clothes, things for hygiene, and so forth. Don't be alarmed, but I'm locking you in tonight. Until you have a full tour of the ship, I'm afraid I won't feel you're safe enough to wander alone. We'll take care of that tomorrow."
The two doors opened. Jessie looked at Ryder, who shrugged and went into his room. Jessie took a deep breath and did the same. As soon as he was in, the door slid shut behind him.
As Coach said, the room was tiny, with just a bed in it. There was another door in the back wall that opened into a small bathroom. Inside, a closet held clothes that looked like they'd fit him perfectly. He also saw a pair of pajamas, which he figured he might as well put on.
The bed felt quite comfortable. He climbed in. Had this all really happened? He'd wake up any minute now and find himself on the air mattress in Ryder's room, just below the Mickey Martell posters. Right?
He shook his head. With everything that was going on, he didn't feel tired at all, but once his head hit the pillow, he zonked out.
Click here to read Chapter Seven
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Five
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 5
Jessie and Ryder found themselves in a large room with nothing in it: no furniture, no fixtures, not even a door. Jessie hugged his legs, while Ryder explored. He ran his hands all along the walls in the circular room, and then crouched down and checked every inch of floor.
"Nothing." Ryder said when he finished. He plopped down next to Jessie.
Jessie didn't trust himself to speak, so he just shrugged.
"But why us?" Ryder stood up again. "And why hasn't anyone come?"
"Maybe we don't want to meet them," Jessie said in a croaking whisper.
Ryder stared back at him for a few seconds before answering. "Yeah, maybe you're right."
Jessie had no idea how long they sat there. Time made no sense while he worried how Mom and Dad would take the news of him missing. He hated crying in front of Ryder, who always seemed so grown up. There had been plenty of times--too many times--where Ryder had to comfort, console, and cheer him up, but Jessie was determined that this wouldn't be one of them. Especially since Ryder looked on the verge of tears himself.
A sound snapped behind them, and a doorway opened in the wall. Nothing came through for a few seconds. Ryder looked as frozen as Jessie felt.
A large green man walked in. He looked almost human in build and height, but the way he moved proved him without a doubt to be an alien. His legs stretched with each step. It didn't give Jessie the impression that this alien could grow like a plastic man from cartoons or comics, but it looked more like he had springs in his legs. His head looked almost like a cat, but not quite. More like a cat mixed with a person. Not a perfect description, but it was as good as any he could think of. Definitely not something from Earth.
The alien opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Its mouth moved like it was giving a long lecture. Maybe these aliens talked by reading lips. Jessie wasn't good at that, but it didn't matter. He doubted the words were in English anyway.
A loud humming started from somewhere in the room. Jessie looked around, but it grew louder, coming from everywhere. It turned into a buzz that shook his brain. He moaned, but before he could cover his ears, the noise stopped.
"Sorry about that," the alien said. "It was necessary to get the Languages of the Universe into you."
The alien had a voice that reminded Jessie of his Grandpa Joe, tough-sounding, but also with a promise of candy and coins at every turn. He and Ryder might not be in immediate danger, but he remained tense and alert. A million and one questions bounced around in his mind, but he couldn't get one to form on his lips.
"I'd tell you my name, but I don't think you'd be able to comprehend it, let alone speak it. So you can call me Coach."
"Coach?" Ryder asked. With the strain in his voice, Jessie was impressed he managed to get it out.
Coach nodded. Like his walk, this movement proved to be bouncy and stretchy. "Anytime anyone refers to me, you'll hear Coach."
Ryder stood up and looked Coach in the eyes. "Where are we? Why did you take us?"
"I'm sure you've guessed that we're in space. We're probably passing by the outer rim planets of your solar system now. The wormhole is just a few light years past the final planet."
"Wormhole? Isn't that something that lets you travel to another part of the galaxy instantaneously?" Ryder asked. Jessie heard the nerves bleeding out of his voice.
Coach smiled, which made his face look a bit like a happy puppy dog. Some of Jessie's tension melted away, even though in the back of his mind he knew that any similarities an alien had with something on Earth was purely coincidental. That didn't stop him from thinking that he wanted to make Coach smile as often as possible.
"You're basically correct. There is a bit of travel involved once inside a wormhole, but it cuts time down substantially. Without wormholes, interstellar flight of any significance would be impossible."
Without thinking, questions popped out of Jessie's mouth. "But why did you take us? You aren't going to hurt us, are you?" He clamped his hands over his mouth as soon as he said it.
"Hurt you? Goodness gracious, no." Another smile from Coach settled Jessie down. "We need Ryder's help. And we're glad to have you along for the trip, Jessie."
Jessie and Ryder exchanged a look.
"My help? Why?"
"All will be explained. First you need to meet everyone else."
Click here to read Ch. 6
Chapter 5
Jessie and Ryder found themselves in a large room with nothing in it: no furniture, no fixtures, not even a door. Jessie hugged his legs, while Ryder explored. He ran his hands all along the walls in the circular room, and then crouched down and checked every inch of floor.
"Nothing." Ryder said when he finished. He plopped down next to Jessie.
Jessie didn't trust himself to speak, so he just shrugged.
"But why us?" Ryder stood up again. "And why hasn't anyone come?"
"Maybe we don't want to meet them," Jessie said in a croaking whisper.
Ryder stared back at him for a few seconds before answering. "Yeah, maybe you're right."
Jessie had no idea how long they sat there. Time made no sense while he worried how Mom and Dad would take the news of him missing. He hated crying in front of Ryder, who always seemed so grown up. There had been plenty of times--too many times--where Ryder had to comfort, console, and cheer him up, but Jessie was determined that this wouldn't be one of them. Especially since Ryder looked on the verge of tears himself.
A sound snapped behind them, and a doorway opened in the wall. Nothing came through for a few seconds. Ryder looked as frozen as Jessie felt.
A large green man walked in. He looked almost human in build and height, but the way he moved proved him without a doubt to be an alien. His legs stretched with each step. It didn't give Jessie the impression that this alien could grow like a plastic man from cartoons or comics, but it looked more like he had springs in his legs. His head looked almost like a cat, but not quite. More like a cat mixed with a person. Not a perfect description, but it was as good as any he could think of. Definitely not something from Earth.
The alien opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Its mouth moved like it was giving a long lecture. Maybe these aliens talked by reading lips. Jessie wasn't good at that, but it didn't matter. He doubted the words were in English anyway.
A loud humming started from somewhere in the room. Jessie looked around, but it grew louder, coming from everywhere. It turned into a buzz that shook his brain. He moaned, but before he could cover his ears, the noise stopped.
"Sorry about that," the alien said. "It was necessary to get the Languages of the Universe into you."
The alien had a voice that reminded Jessie of his Grandpa Joe, tough-sounding, but also with a promise of candy and coins at every turn. He and Ryder might not be in immediate danger, but he remained tense and alert. A million and one questions bounced around in his mind, but he couldn't get one to form on his lips.
"I'd tell you my name, but I don't think you'd be able to comprehend it, let alone speak it. So you can call me Coach."
"Coach?" Ryder asked. With the strain in his voice, Jessie was impressed he managed to get it out.
Coach nodded. Like his walk, this movement proved to be bouncy and stretchy. "Anytime anyone refers to me, you'll hear Coach."
Ryder stood up and looked Coach in the eyes. "Where are we? Why did you take us?"
"I'm sure you've guessed that we're in space. We're probably passing by the outer rim planets of your solar system now. The wormhole is just a few light years past the final planet."
"Wormhole? Isn't that something that lets you travel to another part of the galaxy instantaneously?" Ryder asked. Jessie heard the nerves bleeding out of his voice.
Coach smiled, which made his face look a bit like a happy puppy dog. Some of Jessie's tension melted away, even though in the back of his mind he knew that any similarities an alien had with something on Earth was purely coincidental. That didn't stop him from thinking that he wanted to make Coach smile as often as possible.
"You're basically correct. There is a bit of travel involved once inside a wormhole, but it cuts time down substantially. Without wormholes, interstellar flight of any significance would be impossible."
Without thinking, questions popped out of Jessie's mouth. "But why did you take us? You aren't going to hurt us, are you?" He clamped his hands over his mouth as soon as he said it.
"Hurt you? Goodness gracious, no." Another smile from Coach settled Jessie down. "We need Ryder's help. And we're glad to have you along for the trip, Jessie."
Jessie and Ryder exchanged a look.
"My help? Why?"
"All will be explained. First you need to meet everyone else."
Click here to read Ch. 6
Final Cover Art
I took from both covers (the picture of the first one, and the title size of the second) and came up with what I believe will be my final cover. I'm going to go ahead on it.
Another Possible Cover for Way Over the Line
I drew the space station myself on this one. I don't know; I don't think it looks good enough. Let me know what you think. I wish I could afford a real cover artist, but on my budget (nothin'), I'll have to do.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Way Over the Line Chapter Hub
In case you've missed any of the chapters for Way Over the Line, here they are. I'll be going to Chapter 15 (with a few of the chapters being broken up into two parts). If you want to finish the story, it'll be available soon for purchase. Don't worry, I'll make sure there's no way you can miss how to get it! If you enjoy these sample chapters, pass the link to this page along! Great recipients would be teachers, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and any other adult who can recommend reading to kids. And, of course, let the kids know about these chapters, too!
Final Cover Art for Way Over the Line
Description of Way Over the Line
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight Part One
Chapter Eight Part Two
Chapter Nine Part One
Chapter Nine Part Two
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve Part One
Chapter Twelve Part Two
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
The entire ebook will be available for purchase at Amazon and Smashwords on December 1st!
Final Cover Art for Way Over the Line
Description of Way Over the Line
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight Part One
Chapter Eight Part Two
Chapter Nine Part One
Chapter Nine Part Two
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve Part One
Chapter Twelve Part Two
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
The entire ebook will be available for purchase at Amazon and Smashwords on December 1st!
Way Over the Line Chapter Four
Click here to read earlier chapters
Chapter 4
After dinner, the boys headed up to Ryder's room to clear enough space for the air mattress. Jessie loved coming in here if for no other reason than the contrast to his own room. While his parents didn't allow anything to hang on the wall, Ryder's were covered from top to bottom in baseball posters. Most were from the Orange County Sea Lions, their favorite team. One entire wall was dedicated to last season's World Series championship, everything from store bought posters and pennants, to magazine and newspaper clippings, to articles and pictures printed out from the Internet.
As much as Jessie liked looking at the Sea Lion stuff, the far corner perplexed him. It was plastered with posters of Mickey Martell, the starting shortstop for the Las Vegas Aces. Mickey Martell was not only the best hitter in the entire league, but he'd probably be everyone's choice for the best fielder, too. Jessie, who didn't care much for him because of his tendency to beat the Sea Lions, had to admit that he was the most fun major leaguer to watch. At least when he was playing other teams.
Jessie pointed at the Mickey Martell posters. "It's just wrong. You should take them down."
"If being the best player in baseball is wrong, then I don't want to be right." He stared at the posters. "If I can turn into half the player he is, I'll be an all-star."
They grabbed a few items from the floor and stuffed them in the closet or under the bed until there was plenty of room for the mattress. Ryder looked around. "That should do. Go grab your glove and we'll play catch out back while Donny sets it up."
The backyard had flood-lights, so even though the sun had set, playing was no problem. It was sort of like being at a night game. Plus the yard shared a fence with the well-lit field from Bishop Bailey Elementary, their old school.
Ryder picked up a tennis ball and flung it towards Jessie, who snared it with his mitt. They played catch with a tennis ball for two reasons: one, Jessie didn't jump out of the way and have to chase it down nearly as often, and two, it took extra concentration because it tended to bounce out of the mitt much easier than a regular baseball. Ryder had heard that tip in an interview with Mickey Martell, so the tennis ball stayed.
As they played, Jessie occasionally looked up to the sky. So far no shooting stars, and there was no doubt that the only airplane he saw was actually an airplane. He wondered what Ryder would think of the UFO.
"I think I was asleep before you even got back from the bathroom last night."
Ryder made a catch over his shoulder and fired a strike back. "No, you were still awake. Once I got into my sleeping bag and started talking, though, you were out."
"I dreamt that a huge flying saucer came down and hovered right above me. Before I knew it, it took off again."
Ryder caught Jessie's next toss with his bare hand. "That'd be something to see. Wouldn't it be cool if aliens really existed?"
"It felt so real."
As Jessie reared back to throw, all of the lights in both the backyard and schoolyard went dark. He kept a grip on the ball and smacked it into his mitt. A shooting star fell straight above. Like last night. It paused for a second before disappearing.
It hadn't been a dream.
"What's going on?" Ryder said. "None of the other lights in the neighborhood have gone out." He pointed over to one of the windows in his house. The lights were on, and they saw the flicker of the TV.
Jessie's eyes snapped up to the stars. "Look. Something's going to happen."
Ryder jogged over to him. "It's just a power failure. You were dreaming last night, Jess. No aliens are coming down to get us." Jessie smiled, though, when Ryder's eyes betrayed him and scanned the sky.
What came next happened almost too fast. The blinking red and blue lights appeared high up, and a second later the flying saucer hovered right above them. Ryder let out a gasp, and Jessie slipped on the wet grass and toppled to his bottom. His eyes never left the alien ship.
Ryder reached down and pulled him to his feet. "Run!"
Jessie expected to take off for the back door, but instead Ryder threw himself towards the school's chain-link fence. Jessie followed, and they scaled it in record time.
"To the classrooms," Ryder said between puffs for breath. Not only were there a lot of overhangs around and between the classrooms, but there were also a bunch of trees which could block sight from above.
Jessie had a hard time keeping his footing through the wet field, which was saturated with puddles. He didn't look up to see if more hatches opened, but kept his attention on staying close behind Ryder. Though the school buildings wouldn't be much of a maze from below, he imagined they'd be just that from above. If they could get there, Ryder would keep them safe.
They managed to not fall and had made it only a few steps from the cover of the classrooms when a blue beam of light engulfed Ryder. His legs kept pumping, but he could only run in place. Jessie lunged to help when another beam came down and caught him in his tracks.
"What's going on?" Jessie yelled.
"No idea."
Something jerked Jessie backwards and up towards the ship. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the blue light was their only means of support. He looked over at Ryder, whose eyes were wide and his face pale.
The jolting ride up to the spaceship took only seconds. Jessie looked down to see if anyone else was around, but it was as if the entire world, all except them, had frozen in time. Nothing moved, not even blocks away where the shopping centers were. From this height, he should have been able to see headlights flashing about.
He looked down at Ryder's house. Just before they were closed up inside, another light shot down and scooped up their baseball mitts. The tennis ball fell out of his, and the mitts rose into an opening in a different part of the ship.
That was strange.
Click here to read Ch. 5
Chapter 4
After dinner, the boys headed up to Ryder's room to clear enough space for the air mattress. Jessie loved coming in here if for no other reason than the contrast to his own room. While his parents didn't allow anything to hang on the wall, Ryder's were covered from top to bottom in baseball posters. Most were from the Orange County Sea Lions, their favorite team. One entire wall was dedicated to last season's World Series championship, everything from store bought posters and pennants, to magazine and newspaper clippings, to articles and pictures printed out from the Internet.
As much as Jessie liked looking at the Sea Lion stuff, the far corner perplexed him. It was plastered with posters of Mickey Martell, the starting shortstop for the Las Vegas Aces. Mickey Martell was not only the best hitter in the entire league, but he'd probably be everyone's choice for the best fielder, too. Jessie, who didn't care much for him because of his tendency to beat the Sea Lions, had to admit that he was the most fun major leaguer to watch. At least when he was playing other teams.
Jessie pointed at the Mickey Martell posters. "It's just wrong. You should take them down."
"If being the best player in baseball is wrong, then I don't want to be right." He stared at the posters. "If I can turn into half the player he is, I'll be an all-star."
They grabbed a few items from the floor and stuffed them in the closet or under the bed until there was plenty of room for the mattress. Ryder looked around. "That should do. Go grab your glove and we'll play catch out back while Donny sets it up."
The backyard had flood-lights, so even though the sun had set, playing was no problem. It was sort of like being at a night game. Plus the yard shared a fence with the well-lit field from Bishop Bailey Elementary, their old school.
Ryder picked up a tennis ball and flung it towards Jessie, who snared it with his mitt. They played catch with a tennis ball for two reasons: one, Jessie didn't jump out of the way and have to chase it down nearly as often, and two, it took extra concentration because it tended to bounce out of the mitt much easier than a regular baseball. Ryder had heard that tip in an interview with Mickey Martell, so the tennis ball stayed.
As they played, Jessie occasionally looked up to the sky. So far no shooting stars, and there was no doubt that the only airplane he saw was actually an airplane. He wondered what Ryder would think of the UFO.
"I think I was asleep before you even got back from the bathroom last night."
Ryder made a catch over his shoulder and fired a strike back. "No, you were still awake. Once I got into my sleeping bag and started talking, though, you were out."
"I dreamt that a huge flying saucer came down and hovered right above me. Before I knew it, it took off again."
Ryder caught Jessie's next toss with his bare hand. "That'd be something to see. Wouldn't it be cool if aliens really existed?"
"It felt so real."
As Jessie reared back to throw, all of the lights in both the backyard and schoolyard went dark. He kept a grip on the ball and smacked it into his mitt. A shooting star fell straight above. Like last night. It paused for a second before disappearing.
It hadn't been a dream.
"What's going on?" Ryder said. "None of the other lights in the neighborhood have gone out." He pointed over to one of the windows in his house. The lights were on, and they saw the flicker of the TV.
Jessie's eyes snapped up to the stars. "Look. Something's going to happen."
Ryder jogged over to him. "It's just a power failure. You were dreaming last night, Jess. No aliens are coming down to get us." Jessie smiled, though, when Ryder's eyes betrayed him and scanned the sky.
What came next happened almost too fast. The blinking red and blue lights appeared high up, and a second later the flying saucer hovered right above them. Ryder let out a gasp, and Jessie slipped on the wet grass and toppled to his bottom. His eyes never left the alien ship.
Ryder reached down and pulled him to his feet. "Run!"
Jessie expected to take off for the back door, but instead Ryder threw himself towards the school's chain-link fence. Jessie followed, and they scaled it in record time.
"To the classrooms," Ryder said between puffs for breath. Not only were there a lot of overhangs around and between the classrooms, but there were also a bunch of trees which could block sight from above.
Jessie had a hard time keeping his footing through the wet field, which was saturated with puddles. He didn't look up to see if more hatches opened, but kept his attention on staying close behind Ryder. Though the school buildings wouldn't be much of a maze from below, he imagined they'd be just that from above. If they could get there, Ryder would keep them safe.
They managed to not fall and had made it only a few steps from the cover of the classrooms when a blue beam of light engulfed Ryder. His legs kept pumping, but he could only run in place. Jessie lunged to help when another beam came down and caught him in his tracks.
"What's going on?" Jessie yelled.
"No idea."
Something jerked Jessie backwards and up towards the ship. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the blue light was their only means of support. He looked over at Ryder, whose eyes were wide and his face pale.
The jolting ride up to the spaceship took only seconds. Jessie looked down to see if anyone else was around, but it was as if the entire world, all except them, had frozen in time. Nothing moved, not even blocks away where the shopping centers were. From this height, he should have been able to see headlights flashing about.
He looked down at Ryder's house. Just before they were closed up inside, another light shot down and scooped up their baseball mitts. The tennis ball fell out of his, and the mitts rose into an opening in a different part of the ship.
That was strange.
Click here to read Ch. 5
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