Chapter 3: Decisions

After the meeting with Mr Morris ended abruptly, Noah was led to a room located down the hallway by the android assistant Natasha. Entering the room, he was yet again surprised. Noah expected a nice room considering where he was, but what he received was essentially, an entire one-story house. Multiple bedrooms with a luxurious master bedroom. An extravagant kitchen with white marble tabletops and a sunken dining room, where the floor gave way for leg room under the table. An expansive view of the futuristic city beyond it, flying vehicles swerving through skyscrapers in an organised fashion. Maybe this is just easier for multiple species? Noah commented as he walked into the living room, finding a set of fluffy slime bean bags and a large screen built into the wall.

“If you need anything please let me know via the messaging system within your Void card.” Natasha spoke respectfully. “Your sleep wear can be found in the dresser of the master bedroom; Mr Morris will continue your discussion tomorrow at 8am.” With that, the android wolf lady exited the room, leaving Noah in silence.

Finally having time to let his mind rest, Noah continued towards the master bedroom, the evening sunset filling the room with an orange glow. Throwing the suit jacket aside he slumped down on his stomach. His body wasn’t particularly tired, being rejuvenated during the healing process after he was shot. His mind however was another story, his emotions in turmoil after almost dying in his escape attempt.

After finding a glowing card he ended up in the Void, lost and separated from everything he knew. He saw creatures straight out of a H.P. Lovecraft book, distorting his sense of reality even further. The only saving grace was that he was able to save his precious belongings, the only memories of his family he had.

“Haaah” Noah sighed, his voice trembling in the process. Rolling onto his back he brings an arm to cover his eyes, tears moving down his face as he begins to sniffle. Although Noah was adept at putting up a façade, a teenager can only take so much before they break, succumbing to the mental stress. The tears continue to roll down his face as he sobbed silently to himself. Noah clung to his pillow, the action a manifestation of his loneliness. He knew it was useless to cry for his parents, but what else could he do?

Mr Morris had said he could return to Earth, though he didn’t say how. But it’s not like I have any place to return to anyway... Noah lamented, rubbing his eyes which grew cloudy from the tears. Where can I go?! What can I even do now? Noah sobbed, his cries growing and growing before letting it all out. He wailed in the empty room, the soft moon light caressing his cheek as he hugged the pillow tighter.

After his tear ducts ran dry, Noah sat up. Wiping away the tears staining his face with his arms before walking into the kitchen to get a drink. He quenched his parched throat, sore from the crying. “What now?” Noah’s voice crackled as he gazed out the kitchen window, the large moon staring back at him.

Haah, that’s enough whining out of you. I guess I lost that bet with Natasha…

“Woah!” Noah jumped, startled by the voice that filled the room. He looked at his pocket, the faint golden glow seeping through. “You heard all that?” Noah asked, too tired to grab the golden card.

If the windows were open, I’m sure you’d be receiving a noise complaint from some poor bastard on the other side of the Void.

“Oh, uhh sorry… It all just came out all at once.” Noah replied awkwardly, scratching his still sticky cheek. “Also, what bet did you make with Natasha?”

Well, she said I couldn’t keep up with that robot act for more than a day. I was doing so well, but you were just so… weak, pathetic, sad, annoy…

“Ok, ok I get it sheesh. No need to pile on when I’m emotionally vulnerable.” Noah pouted, taking another sip of his water. He grabbed his glass and walked over to the wall of windows that overlooked the city that seemed to never sleep, still just as active as it was when he looked outside the elevator. After a minute of silence, Noah’s faced twitched in indignation. “What, no response? Just going to sit there and complain about everything you don’t like about me?” He responded in jest.

Oh, I’d love to! But rather than letting my insults get to you and moping about all day, why don’t you pull your finger out and figure out what you want to do from now on?

Noah raised his head to start arguing again before stopping, letting out a deep sigh. Well, she’s right I suppose, I can’t afford to sit on my ass for too long… she’s still annoying though. “Ok, So, do you have any ideas as to what I should do?” Noah relented, picking up the golden card and placing it on the dug out dining room table before finishing off the last sip of his drink.

No, I’m not your mother Noah Valentine, you can make your own decisions. Sheesh, i don't get paid enough for this... Actually i don't get paid at all. This is slave labor! I object!

“Pffft” Noah spat out his drink at the unexpected answer, coughing out the water stuck in his windpipe. “Wow, thanks for nothing…” Noah coughed again, “is what I’d like to say… but you’re right, I have to figure this out on my own. If I don’t even try to forge my own future, then I’m sure my parents would be pretty mad about that.” A small chuckle left Noah’s lips at the thought of his mother scolding him for wasting what could be the opportunity of a lifetime. After all, how many people in the vastness of the universe get a chance to come here?

“Mum and Dad gave up their lives for me, it’d be pretty shitty if I let it go to waste.” Noah placed the glass down, walking back to the bedroom and flopping down on the bed. I’ll learn as much as I can tomorrow from Mr Morris and see where things go. And with that thought, Noah drifted off into the land of dreams.

As the morning sun peeked through the window, Noah was woken up by the piercing light attacking his puffy red eyes. The light seemed to force the gloomy atmosphere out of the room. He lifted his arms up, still sticky from his tears and snot as he cried the night before, his messy hair flopping over his turquoise eyes as he sat up. The surrounding bed was a complete mess, desecrating the once beautiful room as if a large party had swept through in the night.

Noah turned to the bedside table and looked at the small holographic alarm, a rather wasteful use of technology in Noah’s opinion. His eyes darted open as he saw it was already 7:50am. “Oh shit I’ve gotta meet Mr Morris, can’t stand up the guy who let me stay a night in his house.” Noah ran into the bathroom ripping off the prepared dark red Pyjamas. His mind halting for a second as he realised, he never put them on in the first place. But he didn’t have time to dwell on the thought as he quickly washed up and went to look for his suit, finding it neatly folded on his bed, everything cleaned as if he had never slept there.

“Good morning Mr Valentine, Mr Morris is waiting for you in his office.” A robotic female voice appeared behind Noah causing him to jump, the towel around his waist almost falling completely off. Having managed to just save his dignity… and the eyes of poor Natasha, he closed the door to the bedroom. The pitter patter of Noah running around could be heard from outside, followed by a crashing sound and then more running until Noah reappeared at the door in his suit, panting like he had just ran a marathon. “Uhh good morning Natasha, you’re looking lovely this morning” Noah awkwardly commented.

Natasha simply smiling in response. “I took the liberty of changing you into your night clothes and preparing the room this morning” Natasha said, a knowing grin on her robotic face. Ahh fuck this what am I a baby?!Noah complained internally, his cheeks blushing and ears reddening. “Well shall we go?” Natasha turned to walk down the hallway. “Oh and don’t forget to wear your shoes Mr Valentine. Do you need me to tie your laces?” Noah turned red again at the joke, reminding him of how his card had retorted last night. Although he subconsciously enjoyed the banter, his mood brightening significantly at the relaxed interaction.

“Ahh good morning Mr Valentine. I trust the amenities were to your liking. Mr Morris commented, waving a paw. “Yes, thank you very much. I apologise for the way I left the room, I wasn’t in the best state of mind last night…” Noah trailed off, his eyes lowering as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Natasha simply stood smiling behind him.

“Oh no matter, it’s understandable considering your circumstances. Anyway, come take a seat and let’s continue where we left off.” Mr Morris gestured for him to sit in the slime bag.

With renewed vigour, Noah didn’t waste any time before diving into his first question. “Ah! Umm sir, I was actually wondering something. Why does it seem like there are no two of the same species? Everyone I saw yesterday was different. The only ‘species’ which shared characteristics were people like Ms Natasha.” Noah asked as he sat down. Mr Morris nodded as he thought of how to answer. “Yes well, every world has one being with a void card. Depending on how much they have invested into their domain, they can bring others of their species to the void as guests. This limits the population here to mostly those with void cards. I myself have brought my family to live here with me, since I have the financial leeway, and sometimes I bring guests for business purposes.” Mr Morris pauses to catch his breath. Does that mean Mr Morris has cute puppy children?Noah’s mind wandered before being brought back by Mr Morris’s monologue.

“Natasha, however, is part of the void itself. In fact, she is the personification of my void card. The form they take is up to the card itself though.” Mr Morris lifts his card out, glowing silver, the same colour as Natasha’s hair, ears and metallic eyes. “In time your card will also come to life… when it feels like it, to support you in whatever you decide to do.” Mr Morris’s eyes drifted over to Natasha. “In my case she acts as an assistant. Her personality, as with most void cards acts complementary to your own, each has their own quirks though and they can be a bit cheeky, an odd quirk most of them share. All the people you saw that were similar to Natasha, were actually just her clones, all controlled by one mind that rests within my card.”

Noah was stunned, Mr Morris had just confirmed that the card was in fact alive. And while Noah had a hunch that was the case after what happened last night, this cemented the idea. “Thank you. So, can you tell me more about these Domains?” Noah was especially eager for this answer as its existence seemed essential for those who lived here. However, he was disappointed by the response he received.

“Well…” Mr Morris hesitated, “It’s best you leave that to your card for when you arrive at yours today, the Domain is a very personal thing for the people here, as it often acts as a sign board for your world and it’s culture. But I can tell you that the potential is limitless, it really just depends on what you want, what your goals are, and what decisions you make.” Noah reluctantly yielded, looking down at the pocket of his red suit, a faint glow pulsing for a moment. Guess I’ll leave it to you then buddy.

Who you calling buddy, huh, punk?!

A small smile crept up on Noah’s face.

“Mr valentine, did you happen to bring anything interesting with you when you arrived here? I heard you had a vehicle of your own.” Mr Morris commented, his eyes staring intensely into Noah’s like a predator towards his prey. Mr Morris was a businessdog through and through. Any scent of a profit was enough to get him riled up, especially considering Noah was a new species.

“Ah yeah, all personal items, and memories from when my parents were still alive. The car isn’t mine, it kind of just got caught up in the whole teleportation thing.” Noah said as he avoided eye contact with Mr Morris. “Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.” His gaze softening. “You see as you’re a new species your planets resources, culture and technology are all new and rare for citizens of the void. If you have anything like that, I would be happy to purchase the rights to use them in my world for a fair price.”

Noah thought for a moment. He didn’t want to part with any of his things, all the comics he had were memories he wanted to keep. “I do have some comics, which are like paintings turned into stories, I guess. However, they’re precious to me and I don’t want to sell them. If you’re able to copy them I guess that’s ok.” Noah bargained with himself, as long as he could keep the originals, he didn’t mind selling them, and he doubted he could be sued for selling intellectual property here.

Mr Morris’s eyes lit up again. “Oh my please! While my world has advanced far in technology, entertainment was never a focus due to our long history of war. Well, that’s another story, anyway I would pay handsomely for the rights to publish these ‘comics’ to push our entertainment industry forward. It’s an untapped market after all.” Noah was surprised to hear a race of fluffy dogs had an intense and bloody history. If culture was so poorly developed, the war’s must have completely consumed their development for a long time.

Noah took out his card and accessed his inventory, taking out his collection of his favourite comic books. “Oh wow, how interesting, your species has combined paintings and a story in such an interesting way!” Mr Morris exclaimed as he excitedly looked over the pile.

“Hmm well considering the difference in our species I’ll have to adapt them before release. For now, I’ll take two and adapt them. I’m thinking Iron Dog and the Incredible Bark.” Mr Morris listed off what sounded like bootlegs of the originals causing Noah to chuckle, well that’s one way to avoid paying interdimensional copyright.

“You see, most worlds are not widely aware of the void. Some worlds only have a few elites which work with their card holder, others treat the card holders like gods, the situations vary. In my case the masses would prefer if I adapted these ‘comics’ to be more relatable for the population.” Mr Morris explained as he turned through the pages of the soon to be released ‘iron Dog’.

“So does your world know about you having access to the void?” Mr Morris turns his eyes to meet Noah. “No, in my world I run a large corporation, politics is noisy, so I’d rather just do business. The leaders of most nations are aware of my position however.” Scary! I wonder if he realises that the leaders of those nations are probably scared shitless of him. Noah thought, remembering the significant power multinational corporations have back on earth.

Nevertheless, Mr Morris was a bigshot in Noah’s eyes, and judging from the size of his Domain he probably has a lot of power here too, he didn’t notice many buildings the same size as his after all. “Ok!” Mr Morris clapped his paw hands. “For the adaptation and publishing rights for these two ‘comics’ would you like a lump sum payment? Or does another method suit your preferences?”

Noah thought for a moment, from what Mr Morris had said earlier and his genuine excitement over the comics, the entertainment industry in his planet is very basic. Yet they were advanced and thus educated. While Noah was tempted to take a lump sum payment, he had another idea. “Mr Morris, if possible, rather than a lump sum could I receive payment based off the sales of the comics?” Noah takes a breath, gauging Mr Morris’s reaction before continuing.

“For payment, 60% of the profits of comic sales, and any other products based off the initial comics I’d like 30%.” Mr Morris sat in silence, his paws covering his face. Noah was unable to gauge his reaction and wondered if he was too aggressive in his demands.

“Haha” hmm? Was that a laugh? “Hahahahaha!” Mr Morris burst into laughter, slapping his paws against his side as he walked in circles on his desk, his tail swaying rapidly. “Wow boy you really have some guts huh! I like it.” Mr Morris said, pointing at Noah with his left front paw. After a few minutes of laughing, Mr Morris returned to his doggy bed chair. “Haah, what a day huh, while I like your attitude, for the official agreement since I will be covering costs including printing, advertising and distribution etc, for the comic sales I’ll hand over 40% and for other products including merchandise I’ll give you 25%. However, any future comic books I purchase you will receive 10% of the profits generated.” “Deal” Noah stood raising his hand. While he didn’t get what he initially demanded. In Noah’s mind he was making money he had no right to in the first place, so he was more than satisfied.

Deal confirmed by two consenting parties. Noah Valentine, your payment will be converted into void credits as per the agreed upon amounts on the first of every month.

“Ah, ok sure,” huh my card is being all serious again, Noah thought as the message appeared in front of him.

Payment method received.

“So, your card confirmed the deal? I’ll clarify for you. Any money I make as a result of your ‘comics’ will be converted into the equivalent Void Credits and sent to you; in the ratio our deal stipulates of course. Oh, and considering the value of Void Credits is more valuable than essentially every other world’s currency, don’t be alarmed if the amount you receive is less than what you would expect in your own world’s currency. After all, with enough void credits you can literally do anything. Truly capitalistic right?”

Well, I guess that makes sense, considering the things you can buy with Void Credits, it’s like a premium currency from a game. Noah was glad that the deal would be automated by the system and he wouldn’t need to do anything on his end. “Well, it’s about time for brunch, but I think you should go out and explore the city, maybe visit your domain and spend some of the starting credits you would have received. And also think about what you want to do from here.” Noah got up out of the slimebag at this cue, and walked towards the door, not wanting to overstay his welcome.

“I think you’ll make an excellent businessdog if you put your mind to it Noah Valentine.” Mr Morris said as Noah was walking out the door. Despite the use of the word businessdog, Noah was happy. He had never had a goal to strive for, having to spend all his energy keeping his mind intact. But since he steeled his resolve last night, he didn’t want to let any opportunities go by, he wanted to make his parents proud, he wanted to make himself proud.

[Mr Morris’s office]

“That was an awfully generous deal you gave Mr Valentine, your galaxy certainly isn’t lacking in entertainment, wasn’t it a bit mean to play around with the kid like that?” After Noah had left, Mr Morris sat on his desk gazing out the wide window of his office at the city below. Natasha had returned with a bowl filled with cut up steak. “Well, I couldn’t help it, no one talks to me like that anymore.” With a sigh he turned around to munch on his carnivorous lunch.

“Anyone that knows you wouldn’t dare to talk to the highest ranked species in the entire city in such a direct way.” Natasha retorted, a smile on her lips. “Yeah yeah, but it wasn’t a bad deal, just fairer than the ones I usually make. The profits will still be decent. We aren’t just gaining a few ‘comics’, we are gaining an entire new artform, that part was true. He never asked for the rights for all comics just the one’s from his world. I think I’ll buy a new habitable planet with the proceeds, that’ll solve some of the overpopulation issues for a while. Besides, even though they will be sold for cheap, considering the trillions of potential customers, it’s certainly worth it.” Mr Morris said in between bites, his table manners not so different to any normal dog. “And now that I know to an extent the potential young Noah has, it will benefit me to keep him close. Well, I also just like him in general though…” he trailed off, obviously in a happy mood. Whether he was happy because he met an interesting new person or the steak was just tasty, only Mr Morris would know.