The Frontier Pt. 01

I had no idea what tags to put on this.. If i missed any important ones, let me know. I'm planning on this being a longer series.

*

Reggie sat at the desk, and looked at the thrumming device in his dining room, his jaw slack, and his head slowly shaking. He still couldn't believe that the entire thing started by accident.

He was in grad school, at Cal St, with his friend Mark and his twin sister, Kay. They were working together on an experiment to find a new way to transport electricity from point to point without wires. The experiment began, and ended at a round tube, looking much like a O-shaped neon light. The experiment stood about 6 feet tall, and had been an utter failure. There was simply too much degradation in amperage between the two points. The school had decided to end their funding, and when the lab was closed, the experiment had been deemed worthless. Reggie had been given permission to take the device home with him.

The friends took the failure on the chin, and quickly found a new direction for their final project, leaving the seemingly broken project behind. The three worked long hours on the new project, barely completing it in time. As Reggie returned home, the weight of the last few weeks suddenly hit him. He collapsed on the couch, and was asleep before he even stopped moving.

Reggie woke with a groan, frustrated with the sunlight in his eyes. As he sat up, he registered something being... odd almost immediately. As he turned his head, he saw the apparatus, sitting in his dining room, emitting a soft, almost undulating hum. He immediately doubted his own ears. After all, the device was dead, and wasn't even plugged in. He had no more completed his thought, than he saw a spark in the orb, and the center of the device was filled with an utter blackness, which seemed almost liquid.

David, Reggie, and Kay immediately agreed to keep the project a secret. The group decided that one of them needed to be brave/stupid enough to test the "abyss" on themselves. Reggie, being the bravest of the group, and fiercely protective of his sister, agreed to be the test subject. David tied a rope to the apartment's central pillar, and tied it around Kay's waist. The plan was for her to hold on to Reggie, as he stuck his hand into the portal. If nothing went wrong, the experiments would continue. Kay held Reggie's hand tightly, as he inched towards the device. As he extended his hand slowly, he braced himself for a sudden shock. When his finger touched the barrier, he instantly felt a change. Everything was black. He felt as if he were falling, but there was no wind, and no objects rushing by. His only sensory input in that moment was the feeling of his sister's hand in his. He turned his head, and saw her next to him. The look on her face was one of absolute terror, and she was clearly screaming, but somehow, no sound existed.

Reggie awoke with a start, and inhaled a mouthful of dust. Coughing, he reached out, and touched Kay, both to assure himself that she was truly there, and to make sure she was awake. As she was on her back next to him, she too woke with a start, but without the mouthful of dust. As she gasped, he grabbed her, and simply held her, thankful that she was alive. As they stood, they noticed the familiar scenery that surrounded them. It looked like a scene from an old western. They stood in the middle of a huge plains area, untouched by human hands. The pair no more that got to their feet, than they were met by a pair on Native Americans, who took them to the village. As they walked the two natives regarded the siblings with a guarded kindness. While the natives gave them water, and some jerky, Reggie noticed that neither of the two dared sit their weapons down, or let the siblings leave their sight. Immediately, upon their arrival, Reggie discovered the language barrier. No matter what the siblings tried, the natives simply did not understand, and vice-versa. Eventually, the natives simply took them to the river, and pointed to the other side. Reggie crossed first, making sure the path was safe for Kay. The pair crossed the shallow river without incident, and crested a small hill. What they saw stopped both of them in their tracks.

Before them was a dirt road, rutted with wagon tracks. As their eyes followed the road, they saw an old west town, bustling with cowboy types, and ladies in worn dresses, and bonnets. Wagons, and men on horseback crossed each others path, and the din of a bustling young civilization met their ears, full of rickety wagon sounds, horse hoof beats, and even the twang of a player piano. Kay, always full of a sense of adventure, stated first toward the town, with Reggie in tow. As they entered the town, all eyes seemed to be on Kay, and she quickly deduced that the sight of a woman in slacks was not a normal occurrence, One of the ladies in the street quickly pulled kay aside.

"Oh my, yer don't want to be advertising your curves, love. Not in a town like this. Coming from the North,are ye?

Kay blushed at the woman's concern, and the pair stepped into a shop, with Reggie in tow, to get out of the sight of the locals.

Kay quickly adopted the twang of the woman's voice immediately. :Well, I don't rightly 'member.. Yer see, we took a fall, and lost everthing.."

Over the next hour, Kay's new friend gifted her a dress, and explained the rules of the area. Apparently, after a lengthy war with the natives, With the "cowboys" controlling one side of the river, and everything North, and the "savages" controlling the other side of the river, and everything South. The war had ended two generations ago, and the uneasy peace had drifted into a sort of wary friendship, and trade partnership. However, the cowboy side of the river had maintained the typical lawless atmosphere, until the new government was installed. Suddenly, any crime was met with an instant death sentence. Even firing a gun outside of a lawful excuse was criminal. Kay, Reggie, and their new friend walked down the wooden sidewalk as they chatted. As if to illustrate the lady's point, a rider tore onto town in a buckboard, with a woman on the back. As they stopped, the pair scooped up a young, bloody child, and ran into the doctor's office. Moments later, the man exited the building, and approached Reggie.

"hello, friend. I needs a witness. My dog bit my boy, and I aim to put it down."

Reggie stepped back, clearly not wanting to get involved, but the woman grabbed his arm.

"Callin' ye for a witness is sumtin ye can't refuse. It's law I'll keep yer woman wit me until ye return."

Reggie nodded, and climbed onto the buckboard. Neck to the man. As they pulled away, the woman called out "don't say nothin. Witnesses don't interfere. Ye just watch," and as Reggie nodded his understanding, he was gone.

Kay looked at her friend, and smiled. "I'm Kay, that was my brother Reggie. Thank you for ever'tin."

The woman smiled back. "I'm Keena. And yer welcome. I need ta ask, tho. I know ye don 'member much before yer fall, but ye know about the challenge, right?"

Kay shot her friend a quizzical look, and shook her head. "ne'er heard of it."

Keena sat her on a bench, and explained. "wit gunfights illegal now, an fistfights too, we kinda needed a way to settle things. All the women find 'em a man to stick wit'... if trouble starts, they fuck it out. Loser dies."

Kay's eyes were like saucers. "dey.. fuck it out?"

Keena smiled. "say yer man gets called a cheat at cards by another man. Ye' get yer women, and a witness. Ye' fuck the other man, and yer man fucks his woman. If ye' cum first, ye die, and yer man finds another woman to back him. If yer man cums, he dies, and ye' find another man. Witness decides who cum first, and does the killin'."

Kay was floored. She probed for information. " Say, Keena? What is the next city North? Big city, I mean."

Keena thought for a second. "That's persimmon, love. About a hunnerd thousand people. Two weeks ride."

As they chatted, Key learned that they were in the territory known as Abalet, in the young country of Marquet. Her original assumption had been that they had been send through time to the old west. This, however, was a alternate dimension. Even the maps bore no resemblance to any country or continent on Earth.

Kay stood up, and realized it would probably be best of she waited for her brother outside of town, as she was afraid of what might happen if a conflict arose. Clearly, she jinxed herself, because on cue, a man stepped out of the saloon across the street, and pointed at Kay immediately, calling out at the top of his lungs.

"Witness! Ye' have been called!"

Kay stepped back in fear, but Keena caught her arm, much as she did to Reggie. "Ye' can't refuse, love. Just watch, don' speak, and fer GOD'S SAKE, be fair. To cheat as witness is death as well."

Kay stepped into the saloon with Keena at her side. The friend immediately spoke on her behalf.

"Is her first time as witness, new to tha territory. But promises to be fair."

The saloon slowly emptied, save the two men standing face to face. It seemed that unlike gunfights, these... duels... were a private affair. As Kay and Keena settled into chairs, two women entered the saloon, and took their places next to their men. In a rare swap of gender roles, the women eyed their "opponents" hungrily. Without speaking, the two men slowly backed away from each other, and grabbed their opponent's woman, falling to the floor in a wanton display of kissing, clawing at each other, and torn clothing. One of the women flipped her lover over, and quickly mounted him, with seemingly little interest in foreplay, or anything else. The opposite pair, however, were entangled in what could only be called a lover's embrace. Arms were wrapped around each other, as they kissed passionately, they man hooked her under her knee, and was remarkably gentle, as he sheathed himself slowly into her. In fact, he acted as if he were taking her virginity, and was focused on her comfort. The girl writhed slowly under him, moaning gently, as he started his brutally slow, tender strokes inside her.

As if in contrast, the woman who was riding her opponent bounced on his cock as if she were breaking a colt. She cried out lustfully, and impaled herself on him harder with each stroke. Her mouth opened in shock, as he thrust his thumb against her clit, rubbing her furiously. Clearly, she was unprepared for this, and knew she was in trouble. But the young woman had her own trick prepared. She reached back, and grabbed him by the balls, squeezing him gently in time with her thrusts down onto his cock. It took only four such thrusts, before the man under her bucked, and cried out..

"NOOOOOOOOO... Damn ye' woman.... I can't take.... FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!'

Kay stood, to announce the winner, but Keena stopped her,

"Don' stop him. Thas' his prize. He gets to fill her up. But, since he's won, ye' can always help him along.."

Kay looked at her friend, thoroughly confused, and keena giggled, before stepping behind the victorious man. He was still gently thrusting into the woman, and Keena quickly dropped to her knees, and pulled his testicles into her mouth, sucking noisily. The man grunted loudly, and dove his tongue into the woman's mouth, causing them to cum together in unison. As they collapsed to each other, the bartender walked up beside Kay, and handed her a revolver.

"Miss, I'm yer witness, time fer judgment." Kay shuddered, but only once, and fired a single shot between the loser's eyes, killing him instantly. Handing the weapon back to the bartender, she spotted Reggie, standing behind her, in shock.

Over the next few days, Keena laid out all the rules to her new friends. Apparently, Kay had done the right thing as witness. The woman whose man had lost was not allowed to bear a grudge, either towards the winners, or the witness. She simply found another man. That was another quirk. The woman always chose her man. Never was it the man choosing. Although the pair were usually lovers as well, they were not required to be. Many a pair had been mother and son, father and daughter, and even arch rivals, as a man without a partner was not allowed to refuse a woman's choice. It seemed that winning was more important than liking your partner.

Keena looked at Kay, with a sheepish look. "Kay, my man died last year of the flu. If you don't claim yer' man quick, I will.. Anybody else, I wouldn'a warned ya, but laid claim immediate."

Kay jumped to her feet with a worried look, and kissed Reggie on the cheek. "He aint my man, Miss Keena, he's muh brother.. but I's claimin' him all the same."

The trio settled in for dinner, and keena prepared a room for her guests. As the three separated for bed, a loud knock rattled the door. Reggie grabbed Keena's gun in instinct, but she grabbed the barrel, pulling it to the floor, and mouthed the words "no shooting," before answering the door. As she opened it, Kay recognized the man in the doorway as the winner of the duel in the saloon. With a tip of his hat, he grabbed keena by the arm.

"Newcomer just walked inta the saloon, asked fer somebody named Kay. I 'membered yer friend, and come runnin. Says his name is Mark sumtin'"

Reggie and Kay tore out the door at the first mention of their friend's name, making a beeline for the saloon. They were desperate to get there before their friend fell into trouble, knowing he would be unaware of the town's... quirky rules. As they entered the saloon, they spotted him immediately, as he leaned on the bar, surrounded by cowboys, beer in hand. Reggie chuckled as he approached his friend.

"I should have known. You never met a stranger."

Mark spun, and hugged his friend, and didn't even question why Reggie was guiding him out the door. As they left, the victorious cowboy appeared with his lady friend on his arm. Kay smiled at her, and said "No offense, love, but your man deserves a hell of a thank you for rescuing my friend," Kay stepped to him, kissed him deeply, and pivoted on her heel to catch up to Reggie and Mark. If she had looked back, she would have seen the cowboy's slack jawed stare, and his lady cackling at the top of her lungs.