Bermuda Shorts

Triggered

By the time I arrived at the coffee shop, it was already too late. Everyone inside the restaurant was turned to stone. The PAWS officers were already on the case and about five steps ahead. But don't worry, in about ten minutes everyone will return to normal. I was more concerned with Archie. Poor Archie Stevenson. I was meeting him here to discuss what to do about his...situation.

Listening to the eyewitnesses and checking out the security video, I pieced together what happened. Archie sat at a table waiting for me, drinking a coffee. Suddenly, the people at the table next to him got into an argument over whether we should put a force field around the solar system in order to keep out aliens. That was all it took to "trigger" Archie. He doubled over for a second like he'd eaten bad pork then a gas cloud sprayed over everyone. Once it cleared, everyone was turned to stone. Archie naturally ran and PAWS soon followed.

PAWS has been after him ever since he arrived. They see him as an unregistered transbeing. Every transbeing upon turning eighteen must register with PAWS as either Good, Evil, or Neutral. You then either join the International League of Super-Transbeings (ILOST) to be trained in helping the world, or you join the Legion of Villainous Entities (LOVE) and trained in how to take over and/or destroy the world. Or you can stay Neutral and become part of PAWS (Paranormal And Weirdness Specialists) and trained to become a "normal" member of society, such as an actor or doctor or PAWS officer.

I scanned the coffee shop, already the people were starting to thaw. Archie must have left a clue somewhere. I eventually spotted the money Archie used to pay for the coffee, which is odd because a) everyone just uses eCred and b) it was in the shape of a triangle. I knew where Archie was.

I found Archie not long ago when Sally and I took a diving adventure sea cruise.

***

I stepped onto the deck of the luxury cruise liner. I wore a dark tux complete with cummerbund. Oranges and reds played along the horizon as the sun set. The wind stroke my blond hair as shadows stretched across the floor. Standing next to the guardrail was the sunlight beauty known as my girlfriend (sunlight meaning she's blonde for those less romantic in the audience). She wore an elegant light blue dress. She slowly turned to me, her dress and hair danced in the wind.

"Joe," she said, "it was such a wonderful idea to take a cruise for our anniversary. Swimming with the dolphins, seeing the coral reef, and watching you wrestle that shark...it was lovely."

"Well, he did try to steal my tuna sandwich."

She softly touched my cheek. "Only one more thing would make this day flawless: lift me onto the guardrail and hold me tight."

I gently lifted her onto the guardrail. She stretched out her arms. Soft, romantic music swelled from somewhere.

"It's perfect," Sally said, breathlessly.

Suddenly, she whipped out a plasma shotgun and fired. In the distance a small buoy exploded.

"Excellent, most excellent." A plump man with a bushy, white mustache and spectacles approached us as I lowered Sally. The man turned to the crowd. "And with a new record of 251 yards, we have a winner, Miss Sally Pine."

The audience applauded as the trophy was handed over to Sally. She clutched it close to her chest. "Oh, thank you! I couldn't have done it without my lovely assistant." She motioned to me as cameras clicked.

But things went horribly wrong when the ship hit a vortex of some sort.

A crew member pointed towards a swirling blackness. "Captain! Abyss straight ahead!" The abyss looked like a massive whirlpool, but also similar to a black hole. It looked like a normal whirlpool but darker, like not very much light escaped it. Though, enough light seemed to escape to make it look menacing.