*The following is an exerpt from my ongoing fanfic, Their Finest Hour." Here we introduce one of the main characters, a brash, reckless teenager named J.J. Carmichael.
San Francisco, Earth. | June 6, 2151...
The skimmer streaked down the reflective surface of the road. A blur of red, the thunder from the engine, and a sudden blast of music marked its passage though the city. It was a top-of-the-line model, sleek intimidating lines, and a super-charged jet engine.
To the driver, it was his baby, the exhilarating reward to the three years of working each and every day. And, putting up with his incredibly dull co-workers.
A laugh, the sharp liberated giggle of a girl who was no longer just a girl, but in her own mind, a woman, sounded from the passenger seat. She lowered the side window, and stuck her shoeless feet on the windowsill. The air buffeted her air, sending her red curls bouncing across her face.
With a glance at the driver, she grabbed her high-heeled sandals, and casually flung them out the window. The pair of black-strapped sandals bounced along the glossy road, tumbled, bounced, and landed against the curb.
“Oh my god, Kelly,” shrieked another girl from the cramped backseat. She leaned forward. Kelly looked down as an overly-made-up face, framed by long brown hair, appeared between the her and the driver, admonishing her for just throwing her shoes away like that. Kelly reached into her purse and let loose an exasperated sigh.
“Shut up, Marissa and drink,” she replied, handing the dark-haired girl the flask. Appeased with the gift of more liquor, Marissa returned to the backseat and took a long pull on the flask. She giggled drunkenly and pouted, as her boyfriend yanked it away from her for his own purposes.
“Ahh, young love,” Kelly jeered as Marissa’s attempt to slug her boyfriend in the shoulder was deflected. Seizing the opportunity, the boy caught her balled fist in his hand, and pulled her over to him. The two kissed as Kelly pretended to gag from the front seat.
“Why don’t we ever do that anymore,” she asked the driver. He looked at her, green eyes peering out from a sun-tanned face. He paused in his answer, and looked back at the couple in the backseat, wrapped in a tightening embrace.
For a moment, Kelly worried about what he would say next. But, like the sun breaking though cloudy skies, his mouth twitched upwards slightly, before breaking into a full grin.“What are you talking about,” he replied, an evil expression criss-crossing his face. “We still do that, remember the other night? Your parents’ place? The basement? Any of this ringing a bell?” Kelly’s freckled cheeks reddened at the reminder.
A voice rose from the backseat: “What’s this I hear about a basement?” Marissa tried to smother the voice of her boyfriend, but he broke free of her lips again as the car skidded into a sharp turn, slinging the occupants to the side, as the driver followed the road. Houses and skimmers, parked on the side of the road, flew past as the engine revved further.
“Oh wait, was this when you two got caught by her dad, and he called the cops?” Marissa's boyfriend asked. Despite Marissa’s feeble attempts, he continued and was taking a perverse pleasure in watching Kelly’s face turn a brighter shade of red behind her hands. He tapped the driver on the shoulder.
“The one where you had to climb out the basement window, and hop the fence,” he continued. In his inebriated state he was uncharacteristically basking in the spotlight. “And you had to call me to come pick you up, and told me never to …oh…. sorry, J.J.” His voice trailed off as he remembered the last words.
“Yeah, Mark,” J.J. Carmichael, the driver, said. “The one where I told you never to tell anyone, and never tell Kelly you know about. That’s the one.”
Kelly glared at the driver, a pouty look on her face.“You told me you wouldn’t tell anyone,” she proclaimed in mock disgust.
Carmichael looked over at her and shrugged innocently.“I didn’t tell anyone, just Mark… and he don’t count.”
Kelly kept her eyes locked on Carmicahel, still unimpressed, when Marissa poked her head between the couple. “J.J., is this the one where her dad got your shoe,” she asked innocently. Carmichael turned and glared back at Mark.
“What man,” Mark stammered, “I can’t help it… I talk in my sleep.” Marissa gasped at the confession, as Kelly’s laughter filled the cabin.
Sensing the opportunity to shake her embarrassment, Kelly threw Marissa into the spotlight. “Why Marissa,” she said condescendingly, “I thought you were a virgin."
“Yeah right,” Carmichael scoffed, grateful that Kelly’s wrathful scorn had abated, yet again. “Marissa hasn’t been one of those since freshman year.”
Marissa scowled and crashed back into the backseat, arms crossed. Carmichael looked back at her to continue the ridicule.He watched as her arms uncrossed and grabbed the headrests of the front seats, she took a depth breath, and her eyes opened wide. Her mouth hung open.
“J.J. . . .” She shrieked. He wheeled back around, facing forward, slammed on the brakes and yanked the skimmer to the left.
The nose of the sleek vehicle swung away past the rear of the stopped school transport, clearing it by mere inches. Gravity took hold, causing the skimmer to tilt wildly on its side. Ignoring the roadway rushing past his open window, Carmichael’s hands tightened as the controls shook violently.
Caution lights illuminated the display panel, flashing in a desperate bid for attention. Kelly, eyes wide, held her breath as the car continued to tilt, heading closer and closer to vertical. A shriek came from the backseat, as gravity tried to pull Marissa into her boyfriend’s lap. She gripped tighter to the headrest.
Under the craft’s belly, magnetic grips struggled to keep a hold of the roadway. It was a losing battle between technology and the immutable law of physics.
They failed.
The skimmer rolled past the vertical, and robbed of its ability to remain upright, and above the road’s surface, slammed to the ground.A shower of sparks sprayed across the windshield, flying in a crazed dance of calamity. They leapt up through Carmichael’s open window, pinpricks of fire burning his arm. J.J.’s hands flew off the controls and shielded his face, as the wreckage of skimmer left the roadway, struck the curb, and launched into the air.
The next few seconds were like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, thrown against a wall. Splashes of color punctuated by a series of sounds, that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fully understand.
A spinning kaleidoscope of green and blue.
The sky? The ground?
The car cartwheeling, tumbling, spinning.
A scream.It came from behind him.
Marissa? Or was it her boyfriend?
A flash of brown.
The police said the skimmer came to a stop after slamming into a tree.
A glimmer of red.
Blood.
No.
Kelly?
Her red hair.
It always made me laugh, he remembered. Her Colombian father married to her blonde-haired, blue-eyed mother. And their red-haired, mocha-complexioned daughter.
The impact of something hitting his shoulder.
Knocked it clean out of socked the doctors had said.
Amazing amount of force in that impact.
The pain or shock caused him to close his eyes.
The blackness.
Marissa.
Later on, the police and the doctors figured out what had hit him, or more who.
The tumbling of the car sent her flying.
Her head struck J.J. in the shoulder.
An arm had hit Kelly in the head.
She went out the front windshield.
Ahead of the careening vehicle.
They promise she was dead or unconscious when the car went over her.
They promised…
He never saw the last seconds, the looming tree.
But he heard the scream.
The awkward shrill terrified scream.
Kelly.
It was a deep, full-bodied scream.
The kind that resonated in his ears, and in his mind.
But it was the sudden abrupt stop that resonated in his mind.
And then…
Cicadas.
Birds.
The sound of wind chimes as small shards of glass fell to the ground.
A warble in the distance.
A siren.
A sole voice.
So quiet, so weak.
A gurgling noise flowing like a current underneath the plaintive question.
Why?
Kelly’s voice.
And the blackness engulfed him.
And nothing more.
"Objects in Motion"
San Francisco, Earth. | June 6, 2151...
The skimmer streaked down the reflective surface of the road. A blur of red, the thunder from the engine, and a sudden blast of music marked its passage though the city. It was a top-of-the-line model, sleek intimidating lines, and a super-charged jet engine.
To the driver, it was his baby, the exhilarating reward to the three years of working each and every day. And, putting up with his incredibly dull co-workers.
A laugh, the sharp liberated giggle of a girl who was no longer just a girl, but in her own mind, a woman, sounded from the passenger seat. She lowered the side window, and stuck her shoeless feet on the windowsill. The air buffeted her air, sending her red curls bouncing across her face.
With a glance at the driver, she grabbed her high-heeled sandals, and casually flung them out the window. The pair of black-strapped sandals bounced along the glossy road, tumbled, bounced, and landed against the curb.
“Oh my god, Kelly,” shrieked another girl from the cramped backseat. She leaned forward. Kelly looked down as an overly-made-up face, framed by long brown hair, appeared between the her and the driver, admonishing her for just throwing her shoes away like that. Kelly reached into her purse and let loose an exasperated sigh.
“Shut up, Marissa and drink,” she replied, handing the dark-haired girl the flask. Appeased with the gift of more liquor, Marissa returned to the backseat and took a long pull on the flask. She giggled drunkenly and pouted, as her boyfriend yanked it away from her for his own purposes.
“Ahh, young love,” Kelly jeered as Marissa’s attempt to slug her boyfriend in the shoulder was deflected. Seizing the opportunity, the boy caught her balled fist in his hand, and pulled her over to him. The two kissed as Kelly pretended to gag from the front seat.
“Why don’t we ever do that anymore,” she asked the driver. He looked at her, green eyes peering out from a sun-tanned face. He paused in his answer, and looked back at the couple in the backseat, wrapped in a tightening embrace.
For a moment, Kelly worried about what he would say next. But, like the sun breaking though cloudy skies, his mouth twitched upwards slightly, before breaking into a full grin.“What are you talking about,” he replied, an evil expression criss-crossing his face. “We still do that, remember the other night? Your parents’ place? The basement? Any of this ringing a bell?” Kelly’s freckled cheeks reddened at the reminder.
A voice rose from the backseat: “What’s this I hear about a basement?” Marissa tried to smother the voice of her boyfriend, but he broke free of her lips again as the car skidded into a sharp turn, slinging the occupants to the side, as the driver followed the road. Houses and skimmers, parked on the side of the road, flew past as the engine revved further.
“Oh wait, was this when you two got caught by her dad, and he called the cops?” Marissa's boyfriend asked. Despite Marissa’s feeble attempts, he continued and was taking a perverse pleasure in watching Kelly’s face turn a brighter shade of red behind her hands. He tapped the driver on the shoulder.
“The one where you had to climb out the basement window, and hop the fence,” he continued. In his inebriated state he was uncharacteristically basking in the spotlight. “And you had to call me to come pick you up, and told me never to …oh…. sorry, J.J.” His voice trailed off as he remembered the last words.
“Yeah, Mark,” J.J. Carmichael, the driver, said. “The one where I told you never to tell anyone, and never tell Kelly you know about. That’s the one.”
Kelly glared at the driver, a pouty look on her face.“You told me you wouldn’t tell anyone,” she proclaimed in mock disgust.
Carmichael looked over at her and shrugged innocently.“I didn’t tell anyone, just Mark… and he don’t count.”
Kelly kept her eyes locked on Carmicahel, still unimpressed, when Marissa poked her head between the couple. “J.J., is this the one where her dad got your shoe,” she asked innocently. Carmichael turned and glared back at Mark.
“What man,” Mark stammered, “I can’t help it… I talk in my sleep.” Marissa gasped at the confession, as Kelly’s laughter filled the cabin.
Sensing the opportunity to shake her embarrassment, Kelly threw Marissa into the spotlight. “Why Marissa,” she said condescendingly, “I thought you were a virgin."
“Yeah right,” Carmichael scoffed, grateful that Kelly’s wrathful scorn had abated, yet again. “Marissa hasn’t been one of those since freshman year.”
Marissa scowled and crashed back into the backseat, arms crossed. Carmichael looked back at her to continue the ridicule.He watched as her arms uncrossed and grabbed the headrests of the front seats, she took a depth breath, and her eyes opened wide. Her mouth hung open.
“J.J. . . .” She shrieked. He wheeled back around, facing forward, slammed on the brakes and yanked the skimmer to the left.
The nose of the sleek vehicle swung away past the rear of the stopped school transport, clearing it by mere inches. Gravity took hold, causing the skimmer to tilt wildly on its side. Ignoring the roadway rushing past his open window, Carmichael’s hands tightened as the controls shook violently.
Caution lights illuminated the display panel, flashing in a desperate bid for attention. Kelly, eyes wide, held her breath as the car continued to tilt, heading closer and closer to vertical. A shriek came from the backseat, as gravity tried to pull Marissa into her boyfriend’s lap. She gripped tighter to the headrest.
Under the craft’s belly, magnetic grips struggled to keep a hold of the roadway. It was a losing battle between technology and the immutable law of physics.
They failed.
The skimmer rolled past the vertical, and robbed of its ability to remain upright, and above the road’s surface, slammed to the ground.A shower of sparks sprayed across the windshield, flying in a crazed dance of calamity. They leapt up through Carmichael’s open window, pinpricks of fire burning his arm. J.J.’s hands flew off the controls and shielded his face, as the wreckage of skimmer left the roadway, struck the curb, and launched into the air.
The next few seconds were like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, thrown against a wall. Splashes of color punctuated by a series of sounds, that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fully understand.
A spinning kaleidoscope of green and blue.
The sky? The ground?
The car cartwheeling, tumbling, spinning.
A scream.It came from behind him.
Marissa? Or was it her boyfriend?
A flash of brown.
The police said the skimmer came to a stop after slamming into a tree.
A glimmer of red.
Blood.
No.
Kelly?
Her red hair.
It always made me laugh, he remembered. Her Colombian father married to her blonde-haired, blue-eyed mother. And their red-haired, mocha-complexioned daughter.
The impact of something hitting his shoulder.
Knocked it clean out of socked the doctors had said.
Amazing amount of force in that impact.
The pain or shock caused him to close his eyes.
The blackness.
Marissa.
Later on, the police and the doctors figured out what had hit him, or more who.
The tumbling of the car sent her flying.
Her head struck J.J. in the shoulder.
An arm had hit Kelly in the head.
She went out the front windshield.
Ahead of the careening vehicle.
They promise she was dead or unconscious when the car went over her.
They promised…
He never saw the last seconds, the looming tree.
But he heard the scream.
The awkward shrill terrified scream.
Kelly.
It was a deep, full-bodied scream.
The kind that resonated in his ears, and in his mind.
But it was the sudden abrupt stop that resonated in his mind.
And then…
Cicadas.
Birds.
The sound of wind chimes as small shards of glass fell to the ground.
A warble in the distance.
A siren.
A sole voice.
So quiet, so weak.
A gurgling noise flowing like a current underneath the plaintive question.
Why?
Kelly’s voice.
And the blackness engulfed him.
And nothing more.
Last edited:
