[00] The Teleporter

[DA 2009]

Orion didn’t get to experience the sensation of waking up, at least in a conventional sense. It was a bit like blacking out: one moment he was receiving Hollywood’s sneaker to the face, and the next, he was standing in an empty room. From ceiling to floor, all six walls of the area lay completely white and bare, save for a small wooden cabinet placed directly in front of him. Also in front of him, sadly, was a blue-skinned ogre in office attire. Orion glanced up, as if suddenly remembering his halo, and then he stared the oni straight in the face, knowing exactly why he was there.

“Over already?” Orion scoffed.

The oni nodded. “I’m here to take you back. You were only allowed one precious day back in the mortal world. I’m sorry.”

Orion just nodded in grim acceptance. Back to Heaven he would go—or Hell, as he preferred to call it with Anitan’s incessant yapping.

“There is one more thing you’re allowed to do before we leave,” the oni said, pointing to a letter on the cabinet.

Taking the hint, the pureblooded saiyan picked up the piece of parchment and let his good eye rove over each and every word. It read:

“Dear Orion,

I am most regretful of your early departure in this competition. Were it within my power, I would grant you the breath in your lungs, a body to house your soul, so that you may permanently return to this plane of existence. Sadly, it is not, and I pray that merely this brief interlude amongst mortals will suffice. I have no doubt that you will only grow stronger from this experience, strong enough to eliminate any who stand in your path. I would be honored to have you in any competition. For your exit, the oni will escort you back to the heavenly plane, and return you to the supervision of your godly custodians. There is little I can give you that would be of use in your spiritual state, and I can no longer sate your appetite for combat, but before you leave, I grant you one last gift of mortality. Open the cabinet, and take as much time as you’d like. May you find success in any endeavor you undertake.

Regards, Your Humble Host,
Damon Dukes”

Orion crumpled up the letter in his fist and knelt down, opening the cabinet doors. Inside lay two racks of imported saiyan-style beer of various strengths and flavors. He couldn’t take it with him, but perhaps he could savor the state of being alive for just a little while longer.