IMPALA (Farside Saga: Book One)

1972

A 16 year old Anthony Dodge was being bullied by a couple of highschool seniors in an empty alleyway one late September evening. He stood his grounds until a sucker punch to the stomach stopped his defense. Now he lay curled up on the ground protecting himself from the many kicks and stomps. The legs and feet was finally replaced by curses and name calling before disappearing altogether. Slowly getting up, wiping the blood from his lips, he hated himself for getting caught knowing he could've got away if it wasn't for those damn marbles. Of all corners to pick, he would get the one with a marble stand right on the edge...but the kiss from Ebonice Perkins, the prettiest senior at Utah High, was definitely worth it. He thought to himself as he smiled, limping down the street through the crowd of people who miraculously didn't see the beating of a slave as they danced and cheered at the Town Fair Parade.

Ebonice Perkins transferred to Utah High halfway into the first quarter semester, stunning all the boys when she walked into the classroom. A few months later she ended up with Tod Daniels, the captain of the basketball team and overall jerk. His over protective attitude had her locked in to where she couldn't have any friends, particularly Anthony, so when she volunteered for the kissing booth, he was pissed. To make matters worse, Anthony was the first to kiss her, but what pissed him off was that she enjoyed it, hence the reason for the literal 45 minute chase through Ukraine, Utah's Town Fair.

"Damnit man, I had 50 cents riding on you" Bobby said as he came up behind Anthony throwing his arm across his shoulders. Stooping down, whencing in pain, Anthony slowly reached up and removed Bobby's arm.

"Watch it man, that shit hurts....shit, i think my collar bone is broke or something. " Anthony said as tried to rotate his shoulder but stopped short, reaching for his shoulder in pain before bursting out laughing.

"Did you see the look on his face when she grabbed the back of your head and tongued you back? " Bobby asked in a fit of his own laughter.

"Naww man, but im tripping off how they kept running into each other in the mirror house...man i didn't think they would ever make it out of there." Anthony said, trying to ease the new pain added to the old.

Just as they were about to start walking with the crowd, Bobby disappeared with a loud thud.

"What the fuck!! Get off me...get off me!! " a muffled sounding Bobby said under the body of a 9 yr old little girl.

Bobby's little sister Tiana got up laughing and pointing at Bobby, ready to sprint off in any direction.

"Remember, you said always watch your back." Tiana said, then turned to Anthony. "How you holding up superman? Cant believe you didn't see that punch coming. I see imma have to teach you a few things. Which reminds me..." she said, taping her chin like the godfather as she slowly pivoted back around to Bobby. Bobby dusted himself looking at his little sister in amusement.

"Ok ok, geez, i think i created a monster. " he said jokingly as he reached in his pocket and fished out 50 cents then handed it to her.

She took the 2 quarters and gleefully skipped down the street ahead of the boys towards the games.

"How much you got left?" Anthony asked as they started walking after her.

"Ha!, I still got $2..." Bobby said as he pulled the two dollar bills out his pocket and gave Anthony one. "...it was her money that mom gave her she won back."

"Bobby my friend, you're one amazing dude." Anthony said as they continued their walk.

Later on that night, Anthony pulled up on his 4 speed Schwinn and dropped the kickstand in front of the gates to the town cemetery. He saw two flashlight beams waving around near the treeline beyond the gate as he dismounted the bike. At Bobby's urgent request, grabbing his own flashlight, he climbed the gate and made his way towards the light show in the distance.

"whats up man?" Anthony asked the two as he approached.

"Hey man, check it out!" Bobby said as he held the handle of a chrome 6 shot Colt. 45 revolver out towards Anthony. Stunned, amazed, and slightly scared, Anthony reached for the gun and turned it over in his hands before looking down it's sight, aiming through the trees at a slight movement in the tall grass.

"You look like you could be Shaft holding that gun like that." a soft but familiar voice said.

The colt .45 rang loud as the bullet traveled through the trees, hitting it's mark square in the chest of Mrs. Perkin's cat. The recoil was strong enough to knock Anthony's 150 pound body to the ground, hurting his shoulder again. Not intending on shooting the gun, let alone actually hitting the cat, Anthony and the rest frantically scrambled to turn off their lights and stood still in dark silence for a minute, listening.

"Next year im putting you in the riffle tournament." Bobby said after awhile.

"Definitely, that was a good shot. Don't worry about the cat, never liked him anyway." That familiar voice said.

Anthony turned in it's direction and flashed his light. He couldn't see her at first because she was standing behind her light, plus his fascination with the gun caught him off guard, but now his heart stopped as he looked at the face of Ebonice Perkins.

"S s ssorry!!" he stammered as he got up and dusted himself off. He looked at Bobby with the 'what the fuck' face, then back at Ebonice as she walked towards him and plucked a piece of grass off his head and wrapped her arms around his waist, whispering in his ear.

"You're a really great kisser." she said as she stood back smiling.

"Umm, thank you?" he said, blushing. He looked at Bobby, then down at the gun, but before he could ask.

"Got it from my older brother before he went off and got killed. Said it would bring me luck as long as at least one of these bullets is left in the gun...." he looked at Ebonice, then back at Anthony.

"....figured you could use it more than me right now." Bobby finished as he closed Anthony's hand around the gun.

Anthony looked into Bobby's eyes knowing what he meant. The Tod Daniels kinda luck. He wanted to give the gun back but two things stopped him; 1, it was his favorite gun and it was no telling when he'll be able to get another one, 2, he knew he would need it if he was going to continue with Ebonice....and he definitely wanted to continue, and 3, the Shaft line kinda sealed it cause he knew Richard Roundtree was her favorite actor. Ok 3 three things.

He opened his hand and gripped the gun, turning it so that he could pop the cylinder. 5 shots left. Closing the cylinder, he thanked Bobby with a hug as they made their way out the cemetery towards the pizza shop.

The gun never did get used on Tod Daniels. Ebonice and Anthony got married after highschool and had it mounted in a glass case years later after Bobby's death as a memorial.

Used only one other time to stop a home invasion, the gun had been passed to his son, then to his son, and finally to his son, as the dark-gray suited figure sat in his large swivel chair in his office staring out his nano-transparent wall overlooking a stadium sized docking bay. He admired the organized chaos as the tugs towed the cargo to their assigned areas and disappeared behind walls and panels.

After a while, the robots and machinery disappeared in the walls leaving the docking bay barren but knowing that it housed hundreds of cutlass class star fighters and enough supplies to start off their journey. There were thirty bays somewhat identical to this one and six larger docks for the jumpships along both sides of his large ship. Just then the intercom on his desk chimed. Holding a chrome colt .45 losely in his lap. The same gun that has been passed along like an heirloom through his family's history. He slowly brought the gun to his mouth and pulled the trigger, spraying blood and brain matter all across the office. He had the sound in the room dampened and internal sensors turned off in his office so no one was the wiser as to what was happening. The gun slowly fell to his lap as the blood and brain matter began to disappear. The gaping hole in his head slowly began to close as his intercom chimed for the 7th time. He swung around and pressed the receive icon.

"We're ready sir. Cleared for departure lane 7. They wish us the best of luck sir." The voice said.

"On my way." He responded, ending the connection.

He stood up, still holding the gun checking the ammo (3 shots left), then placed the gun back in his bottom drawer. He looked around his spartan like office before heading out the door with a heavy sigh, thinking of the stories he heard about Bobby and the gun from his great grandfather before he passed.