[00] The Teleporter

[DA 2009]

Kaden awoke, with a smile on his face, the kind you have after somebody tells a joke so bad you can’t help it. As he felt consciousness return, he was flooded with a mixture of emotions: anger, disappointment, guilt, disbelief, and strangely…relief. It was a bit like waking up from a nightmare. He couldn’t help but pinch himself just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, but he already knew what had transpired, and sure enough, true to the words of Sage, his bullet wound was completely gone, and his face no longer sore. He sat up in the hospital bed, noting that the sheets, pillows, and blankets were ridiculously comfortable, and a welcome change from the frigid atmosphere of the Arctic Sector. The courier examined the room for a bit, noticing the teleporter on the far side of the wall. Part of him doubted it would be that easy; it could very well have been just another game set up by the sadistic Dukes.

He swung his legs over the side, and noticed a tray next to the bed. On it was a folded newspaper, creased in such a manner that the front page could not be seen. At first thought, he was going to ignore it. What use did he have for a paper? It was such a common object, an oversight, really. Then, second thought hit him, and he figured it must have been placed there so ostensibly as for him to find it. The courier picked up the newspaper, and a loose sheet fell out of the crack. He bent over and picked it up; it was a letter, addressed to him. It read:

“Dear Kaden,

It’s a shame that things had to turn out this way; it would have been…interesting…to see how things would have unfolded. I’m not going to try to change your mind about any of it, because I know it’s pointless to try. In the end, it’s just business. Your part in this tournament is over, and you are free to move on with your life. I should caution you, however, that if you find me distasteful, that you would be wise to not become it. We are separated by many differences, but you are more like me than you may realize. For your exit, simply enter the location of your choice into the keypad of the teleporter, and it will take you anywhere you desire. I may be many things, but I am also a man of my word. A deal’s a deal. Taped to the front of the newspaper is an electronic voucher for an all-expenses paid vacation you were promised, to any planet of your choosing. Enjoy.

Regards, Your Humble Host,
Damon Dukes”

Kaden read the letter again just to make sure he’d seen correctly. He opened up the newspaper, and indeed, taped to the very front was a Syntex cash card in his name, that was engraved with specific instructions, and read: ‘To be redeemed at any officially licensed resort within the known galaxy. Not valid for exchanges, refunds, or cash back.’ The courier plucked it off, and was completely surprised by what the cash card had been deliberately obscuring: his picture. His eyes rolled over the large, bold title splashed all over the front page: “Local Hero Saves Central City.” The courier became engrossed in the article itself, which meticulously documented his heroic efforts to dispatch a terrorist threat and a giant monster. Underneath the giant news article was a much smaller article, titled: “Judge Norman Attkerson Removed From Court: Emergency Elections to be Held Shortly.”