The second that Sam stepped forward, led on by the Q-pid, the scenery around him transformed in an instant.
An unbelievable gale was blowing at Sam from behind. He lost his balance and almost fell forward. He tried to cover his head with both arms to brace for the impact, but it was useless. His body floated. Gravity was gone and Sam was flailing through the air. Next to him, a huge whale was flying as its body rotated around like a drill. The debris of buildings, ships, and cars of varying sizes that Sam had only even seen in picture form, and faceless people that had appeared out of nowhere, were swallowed up in a giant whirlwind and sucked into the sky.
EPISODE VIII – CLIFFORD
When Sam woke up, he found himself in a dilapidated town that he didn’t recognize. It was the kind of town that was built from stone and brick, not the kind of town you would find in America. The area was inundated with the sounds of shells and gunfire, together with the hum of heavy machinery that sounded like some kind of growling beast. The enormous bird that was tearing through the sky and causing the deafening roar above was an airplane. It was defying gravity. It was flying. Sam knew of planes that flew through the sky, but this was the first time he had seen one with his own eyes.
Sam fled to the nearest ruins to avoid the crossfire. The transceiver switched on and communication was established. It was Deadman.
<Is that you, Sam?>
Sam heard the worry in Deadman’s tone before he had even finished addressing him.
“What’s the matter? Where are you?” Sam asked.
<I don’t know. It seems like we were sucked up into that storm as well. Since we can contact each other wirelessly, that hopefully means that you’re close by. Me and the BB are fine. We’re in some kind of sewer system. I don’t think anyone has spotted us yet.>
An explosion went off somewhere in the distance, shaking the ruins. Debris began to fall from the ceiling.
<When I came to my senses we were by the entrance to a sewer, so I ran in there and now we’ve been lost for a while. I saw a guy who looked like the one you described last time. He was with the skeleton soldiers, so I’m sure he was the same one. He had a doll of a baby with him.>
Deadman seemed to be more talkative than usual. Maybe it was to distract himself from his own feelings of anxiety.
<This is probably a battlefield from World War Two. It’ll be somewhere in Europe. When I was running away I caught a glimpse of some tanks and fighter craft.>
“How do you know?”
<Did I never tell you how much of a World War Two nerd I am?>
Without even commenting, Sam launched into a new line of questioning.
“Are there any landmarks nearby? I’m coming to get you and Lou. And then I’m going to kick that guy’s ass. Then we should be able to go home.”
But Sam wasn’t certain of that. That just happened to be how events transpired last time, but he had to do something or they would never get out of here.
<There’s a Gothic-style building. It’s half rubble, so I can’t be sure, but it doesn’t look so old. It looks like it might be from the Gothic Revival period. It has a forest-like silhouette. There are a couple of pointed turrets coming out from the roof that look like trees. It’s a tall, huge building.>
Sam only understood about half of what Deadman said. “Is he some kind of architecture nerd now, too?” Sam muttered, heading outside.
Sam picked up an abandoned rifle that lay in the ruins of the building. It was lighter than the one he had picked up in the last battle and looked easier to use. It had been over a hundred years since World War Two, but Sam couldn’t believe how refined guns had already become. Come to think of it, it was around this time when nuclear weapons had first been developed as well. Humans had been creating tools to destroy each other for a long time, it seemed.
Sam soon found the building that Deadman had described. The one that had the silhouette of a forest. If Sam had understood correctly, then this was it.
It was indeed half rubble, just as Deadman had said, but the entrance wasn’t blocked.
Sam passed through the hallway and headed down the stairs into the basement. As Sam looked at the bulletins posted along the wall, he realized this must have been some kind of public building, but none of the postings were in English, they were all in German, so he couldn’t be sure.
All of a sudden, Sam was almost knocked to his feet by a powerful crash and violent tremors. He was left barely standing with a hand on the wall for support. Just as he thought it had calmed back down, he began to hear the intermittent explosions of shells followed by screams. It seemed like the location of the battleground had shifted.
He pushed on an iron door in the corner of the basement that was partially covered in green rust, and entered a tunnel. The space was filled with the stench of stagnant water and the tepid air seemed to coil around his body. In the background he could also faintly smell the scent of blood and gunfire. Sam heard another explosion and the tunnel shook once more.
“Deadman! Where are you?!” Sam’s voice echoed loudly. It was like he was surrounded by a thousand invisible Sams, shouting in unison.
“Sam! Over here!” Deadman shouted.
Sam continued down the tunnels, following the sound of Deadman’s voice, and eventually found him clinging tightly to an iron grille, calling out Sam’s name. Under one of his arms was the pod.
“Sam! Over here! Quick!” Deadman urgently beckoned. Sam calmed the agitated Deadman and shifted his gaze to the pod. Regaining some composure, Deadman held the pod out to him through the iron bars.
Sam couldn’t help but murmur Lou’s name as he took the pod back, but there was no response from Lou, who seemed to be asleep. Sam said Lou’s name once again, but the BB only cried out in displeasure after having its sleep interrupted.
“The little one should be working again. Let me see.” Deadman grabbed the pod back. Sam thought he was going to make some adjustments to the pod or something, but Deadman simply cradled it in his arms and gently swayed. He was rocking the BB. The BB stopped crying and Deadman looked at Sam triumphantly, but Sam didn’t say anything. Luckily, the awkwardness of Sam’s displeasure at how Lou had forgotten him and become attached to Deadman was dispelled by the sound of an explosion. It sounded like a bomb had been dropped. The whole tunnel shook, and fragments of brick fell from the ceiling. Nearby, Sam heard soldiers asking someone to identify themself. Deadman held the pod close as if to protect it.
“Maybe this is a special Beach for soldiers who died in battle. A maelstrom of their bitterness and regret,” Deadman muttered, handing the pod to Sam. “If this is the same place as last time, then maybe the key to getting home lies with the same man you met last time.”
Sam mounted the pod on his chest. A nostalgic weight returned.
“You should wait here,” he told Deadman.
Sam connected the cord to the pod.
“So? Do you still share memories?” Deadman inquired.
Sam silently shook his head at Deadman’s question. The BB inside the pod had an innocent expression on its face, like it had just been born. It seemed this kid had forgotten everything after all.
The Odradek booted into life with a groan. The sensor was spinning rapidly and soon formed into a cross shape.