Dinner drinks and waiters were hovering over the tables and signing areas of a writer’s event with people chatting and giggling over their new releases. Two figures were sitting at the back of the room at a table while they slipped some wine.
“You know Chris, this is quite a moment for me. For someone to write a novel about myself and my journeys through the outer space,” spoke one of the pair.
“Yeah, it’s just a shame that no one knows it’s for real. This is the second strangest thing to have happen to me in my life,” Chris said.
A media reporter quickly came up to take a photo of the two, “This novel is quite personal I feel. It just feels very real in this novel. Your friend Daniel Phoenix has done a great job working with you,” noted the reporter.
“He has done a great job and I’m very happy about the work we have done,” Chris answered.
Daniel took the photo with Chris and made his way towards the front of the room to see the novels. He fixed up his suit and saw another author working on papers and Chris came up from behind him.
“That’s Malcolm one of the older writers here. We’re not fans of each other for some reason. He’s not into young writers. He believes writing has changed for the worse since the internet was made,” Chris said to Daniel.
“Many people or can we can aliens don’t like me. Maybe because of the justice of the universe I like to keep in order. I have to return at some point to discuss some problems that are firing up again. It feels like it’s never ending,” Daniel replied.
Malcolm stood up with his papers when Daniel turned around and Chris had disappeared from sight. He turned back to see a paper that Malcolm dropped. He picked it up to see the grey haired and dark eyed author wandering to a room and looked at it.
“Author’s War. I think I remember that from somewhere. It must have been type of war that could be made. Then again the memory’s not too flash,” Daniel thought to himself.
Chris had wandered out from the toilets where he disappeared earlier and saw a door cracked half open where he saw Malcolm and a unknown author with him. He peeked around with his eyes to see what they were talking about.
“Please don’t say this book sucks too,” he whispered to himself.
Malcolm poured himself a drink and turned to his author friend, “The Author’s War is true. Thou it’s never been done before. I believe with the funding I have given to these people I think the real deal is here,” he said to his friend.
“If this goes through this could be dangerous for everyone, and I mean everyone. Lucky for you that no one can stand in your way.”
“Exactly and that is my plan. I have researched some of the rules and I know it’s within my power to rule everything that I dream of,” Malcolm said.
Chris moved back from the door and sight worry showed on his face. He walked away from the discussion room and returned to see Daniel with the paper, “Someone dropped this. I feel like getting out of this suit and back into my jeans. My life is not about celebrating, it’s more about saving,” Daniel said.
“Author’s War, that’s what he said. It’s dangerous and that he will rule everyone that he dreamed of,” Chris replied seeing the paper.
“Ruling everything? This sounds like you listened to something you weren’t supposed to. Let’s return back to my temp base and look into this more,” Daniel said.
Chris and Daniel headed for the doors as Chris kept on talking about what he heard from the discussion, “He built a machine. I don’t even have the money to publish books let alone machines.”
“Most of the machines I know I nicked from aliens. It’s far easier than building them or paying them off. However most of those times I would have been dead if I didn’t” Daniel said patting Chris on the back.
The late night caused a winter chill as Daniel Phoenix paid a pizza man off and carried them into a lounge room of six computers, thousands of papers and books on aliens and out space. He pushed some old books off the table and threw the pizzas there.
“I got ya the Ham and Cheese one, just as you like it. The pizzas are far bigger in American than they are in Australia. They are shockingly small here.
Chris dived into the pizza and Daniel skipped over to one of his computers and read someone on the screen, “Alien activities are very low this evening. That’s not a bad thing, the numbers are not too low to be concerned. This Author’s War is a concern you know,” Daniel read online.
“What’s the bad news about it?” Chris asked taking the pizza box with him to the chair next to Daniel.
“The Author’s War is an old and rare science experience that was never completed. There was a idea that characters from novels and other worlds could be brought together to the main world or as the two of us know is our known world. The idea is that the Author can control them at his or her will to…” he then paused.
“What’s wrong?” Chris asked as he and Daniel both looked at the words on the computer.
“Control the world that the author wishes to dominate over. This can’t be right. This hasn’t been proven or even tested. He said something about a machine right?”
“Yes he did.”
“That machine would be able to pull those characters; I mean those people or creatures from the other dimensional worlds. I saw the amount of money he pulls from those novels and the power he has from other people. If he putted his mind to it he could have indeed created a Author’s War.”
“Can’t we just get Hervey and some gadgets you have here to put a plug in the problem. We can just put a end to this quickly. We are the real deal when it comes to world problems,” Chris asked.
“Hervey’s back at work at NASA and the gadgets will need a serious upgrade against what could be called a all-star team of people. There must be more to this Author’s War” Daniel replied reading more on the computer.
He jumped off his seat and run over to another computer and started typing in information notes. He scanned through the web sites and a paragraph flashed up.
“Challenger Author, what’s this now! A challenger author can be called upon to combat the dominator author in the war. The game is played as a game of Chess. The Author’s as the Kings and whoever King is killed first wins the war.”
Daniel sat on the seat for a moment and turned to Chris, “What’s wrong now. A challenger we need?”
“There’s only one writer I know of and it’s you. Crazy enough out of all the species of aliens and worlds I have seen you’re the only author who I have kept in contact with,” Daniel replied.
“I don’t think I can do this one. I’m not a expert writer by any means,” Chris said worried.
“It’s your characters, I’m a character. All of your writings are real in other worlds. All you need is six of them including myself to sort this mess out. This also means putting together the most powerful group you have ever seen. Trust me Chris, there’s no one else who can do this. You’re lucky; you still have the easy transport from the world of LegoLand from all of those years ago. That chap Wizard would help you in a heartbeat. I mean he’s saved your world and you have saved his world a number of times. “
“Who else would I need? I don’t like the idea of being a target to be killed yet again since the time of Zare. Those days are over!” Chris cried.
Daniel grabbed some books and moved them to the table and grabbed a piece of the pizza, “Sure I understand you don’t want to return to that period of your life again but this Author’s War threat is real and dangerous. We can go to Malcolm’s house and this machine for real. If it’s real then most likely he has withdrawn his characters or army of some sorts from the other worlds. While we go there you have to think of the four people you believe be able to save this world and keep you alive. I know I’ll be trying my hardest. I’m not going to lose to an author after a spaceship and alien onslaught over millions of miles.”
Daniel collected his Comdex and took Chris outside of the house and towards his car, “We’ll going to see the writer and see what he’s really up to.”