Authors Note - I've decided to start on that novel, please join me in this grand adventure! The beginning is here...
As Dex lay bleeding in the middle of the road, the screams and gunfire slowly started to fade into the relaxing sound of his slowly beating heart. He was looking up into clear blue sky and by the location of the sun, which was slightly out of his view, he knew it was exactly 4:27 pm. Another one of those silly "gifts" brought to him by the wonderful scientists at the Enochian Corporation. He was suddenly very tired, but he did have the energy to roll his eyes in aggrivation as an FBI helicopter flew overhead disrupting his peaceful scenery.
Dex made an extreemly unsuccessful attempt to roll over, but only accomplished moving his head to touch chin to right shoulder. It seems he could no longer feel anything below his neck. Now his sight centered on the Eye Glass Hut. An atrotious name for a business that sold over priced glasses, but the building made him smile none the less. Years before, twenty six years four months and three days to be exact, that very building is where he first pinned his name. It was considered the Meca of nerds in this thriving matropolis that is the crap town of Evansville, Indiana. It was Put-Put Golf and Games back then.
Of course, he remembers it with an unnatural clarity, just like he remembers everything now. The teenage girl behind the counters name was Jessica. She smiled at him as she gave him his five dollars worth of game tokens, told him to have fun and then continued her conversation with her boyfriend that was obviously cheating on her because he smelled like perfume and it was not the same as Jessica was wearing.
Dexs' mind was beginning to wander, he was quite sure he was bleeding out, but there was nothing he could do about it. He set his thoughts back on this one memory, that moment of triumph when he finally got his name on the top of the players list for Street Fighter II. There were several other kids crowded around him as he beat M. Bison, the final boss.
The few friends he had all called him Decks before that, because he loved to play cards. His real name was actually Johnathan, but no one ever called him that, not even his mother. When the flashing red line appeared for his initials, he put in the three letters that would become his call sign for the remainder of his life, which seems to be in just a few more minutes. D E X. It brought a smile to his face even this many years later.
A familer voice softly spoke to him, "That was a nice memory Dex."
"I know." He said aloud, coughing up some blood and flem, "It was mine, ya know."
"It was ours." Replied the voice, "let's not go through this again. There isn't much time left. You need to concentrate on us now. It's painless, and it's the only way your going to survive this."
"I won't survive this, you will survive this." Said Dex, again out loud, even though he knew no one else could hear the voice. Not that anyone was paying attention to him anyway. "The doc said we needed another six months to...". Another cough and more blood.
The voice softly spoke again, "Just relax Dex, open your mind and let me fill in the spaces. We can do this, it's not over for you. Your immortal, remember?"
Dex smiled, he did remember. He always told everyone he was going to live forever. He relaxed and opened his mind to the disembodied voice. It felt like warm water gently flowing over his body, then his heart stopped beating. Dex died, for the first time.