The Amazing Adventures of...Someone
The desert fifty miles south of Las Vegas is lonely. Sometimes teenagers come out here on their four wheel drives and race around, kicking up dirt and grit. The dry lake beds are perfect terrain for rocket enthusiasts, gun nuts, and anyone else bored enough to actually make the drive. Today was too cold in the desert for any of those people. They stayed in Vegas, lured by the casino's offer of easy money and free drinks, or stayed in their homes on the outer edges of town.
As it was, only the snakes and bugs and birds and other desert-dwelling animals were around to see something like a shooting star. Something that looked like a man wrapped in bright orange flame, framed by the fading light of dusk.
A loud sonic boom shot through the area. Dirt and a few lizards were wiped out in the shockwave as the strange, man-shaped object hit the ground. Had anybody been there, they would have rushed to the crash site, but the animals knew better. They kept their distance.
The man who lay in the shallow, hot crater was in some sort of protective suit, made out of what looked like hard, black rubber. Though whether it was that color naturally or was scorched by the flames was anyone’s guess. Flesh showed through rips and tears in the suit and the white stripes that ran along the sides were smudged with black and sand-colored dust. The helmet meant to protect his head had a large crack down the center. His face was obscured by a black mask. Surely the man was dead. After all, who could survive such a fall?
Prompted by the smell of singed flesh, a hungry coyote came out of hiding. His curiosity getting the better of him, he trotted carefully towards the body and sniffed his potential meal starting at the feet, then moving up his legs on the side. Saliva started to form on the corners of the animal's mouth. The idea of snacking on a human was rather appealing. He howled out into the darkening night to invite others in his pack of the tasty meal that awaited them. As he started to lean in to the small crater, preparing to nibble lightly until the rest of the pack arrived, he heard a slight beat. The beat that was a signal of life was faint at first, then started to get louder as the tempo increased. The coyote stopped, backed up, and cocked his head to one side.
The man's eyes opened barely. His fingers twitched slightly and his chest begin to rise and fall as his lungs took in precious air, causing the coyote to give up on his meal entirely. Inside the darkened mask, the man’s eyes opened ever so slightly. Despite evidence to the contrary, this man was alive! He took a small breath, moved his tongue around his mouth. His eyes opened wide, a look of shock on his face. He sat up, and looked to his right, at the coyote. The animal took two steps back, let out a yip of surprise, then ran away with all his might.
Carefully, the man crawled out of the hole. He looked at the rips in his outfit, and examined his body for any open wounds or broken bones. It didn't really surprise him that he didn't find any, but there was a dull pounding in his head, as if something was boring into his brain, and very slowly at that. He looked up to the sky, and shook his head. Shaken and still woozy from the fall, the man spoke his first words. “Oh. Crap.” A slight buzzing sound came from his left pocket. His communicator? Why did that survive?
He pulled it out, and read the screen. It was the Lieutenant. Headquarters. They were looking for him. With the tracking beacon built in to the communicator, he knew they would be here soon. Time to make a decision; was he going to follow through with his plans, or be their puppet again. It wasn't a hard choice to make. Finding a huge rock, he placed the communicator on the ground and struck it again and again until it was just useless, twisted pieces of metal. Satisfied with a job well done, he turned towards the lights of Las Vegas that can be seen for miles on a clear, balmy night like this. Might as well find some new clothes, and realizing how hungry he was, something to eat.
As he walked away, the coyote came back. He looked at the smashed remains of the communicator, and a bright light blinked on. The tracking device somehow worked. To the coyote, this was indeed a curious thing, so he ate it.
