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It had been a couple of years since the doppelganger incident, and AJ frankly could not have been more relieved that they turned out to be friends, rather than enemies. For a while, the four of them wondered if their new friends would ever return, but after a year of waiting they figured not. It seemed like a one-time event. After all, none of them seemed to have any idea how it happened in the first place. The two girls they met –and who'd helped them escape– had done some digging, but came up with nothing. It was certainly a peculiar event.
Tomorrow was the next Shoot From The Hip show, but at the moment it was furthest from thought. AJ had pulled every file and book he could think of about magic and portals, and laid them across his desk, skimming every chapter for answers. There were chapters on hexes, chapters on voodoo, and even chapters on possessed household items. Strangely enough, he even found a book on a time portaloo that had caused some trouble some thirty years ago. The thought of it made AJ laugh. A portaloo? Magic? It was certainly a preposterous thought, but it had happened in history.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up at the clock on the corner of his desk to see that it read 8:30pm. Shit. He was supposed to meet his friends for drinks an hour ago.
“AJ, buddy, are you in there?” He heard his friend Sam's voice first.
“We were just a little worried about you, since you didn't show,” AJ heard his buddy Luke next.
“Everything alright?” Tom's voice followed, worry trailing in all three of his friends’ voices.
“Yep, I'm totally alright,” AJ called back, grabbing his coat and heading to the door. “Just lost track of time, is all,” he finished, walking out and greeting his friends with a smile. He turned to close and lock the door, but as he did so he heard Tom's voice again.
“You know, we can do this another night, if you're not up for it tonight.”
“No, I totally am, I just lost track of time,” AJ repeated. He felt the looks of concern from his friends, but pushed it aside. The looks vanished off their faces by the time he turned around, but he knew they were still there. After all, this was the fifth time he'd been late to a guys’ night out. And every single time he'd given the same excuse.
The truth was he was worried what they would say if he told them he was still digging into the whole portal affair. The rest of his friends had seemingly given up hope of seeing their new friends again, especially since Tom hadn't received any message from the other group. They'd all figured communication cross-universe was near impossible with basic devices, but they'd all had hope. AJ, however, was still determined to find and replicate the cause of the portal.
The four walked through the town to find the nearest pub, laughing and joking along the way. The sun was setting to the right of them, and there was a gap in the buildings where, for just long enough, AJ could see the sunset. For a few minutes –and hopefully for the rest of the night– AJ forgot about the portal and his research, just living here in the moment with his three best friends.
“There is no way you heard him say that!” Tom's disbelieving voice pulled AJ from his trance.
“I did!” Luke responded, laughing. “I heard him say, word for word, ‘beer is far too fizzy for any sane person to drink,’ when sparkling water is twice as fizzy, and he drinks those almost daily.”
“That is one strange man,” Sam said, shaking his head as he laughed. AJ gave a light chuckle. Despite only having caught the end of the conversation, and having no idea who they were talking about, the comment was still enough to make him laugh.
Soon enough, they reached the pub. It was fairly filled, being 8:45 on a Saturday night and everything. The group walked in, ordered drinks, and found an empty table to sit at.
☆
Zan scanned all his books again. There had to be something on cross-universe portals. This could not have been the very first occurrence. Strange as the event was, Zan would admit he was glad to have more friends. And improv was so fun! He'd done more research, and convinced his own friends to practice with him. It was rocky at first, but after two years they'd all gotten pretty good –at least in Zan's opinion. They'd never performed in front of an audience larger than Zan and Tim's significant others and Tim and Jeremy’s cats, however.
Zan had been hoping he could replicate the portal so they could perform for –and hopefully with– their new friends, but he'd kept that from his companions. None of them ever talked about performing in front of a crowd again, and frankly he didn't blame them. The first and only time they had, it had spiraled very out of control.
Zan would admit, he was skeptical at first about being friends with these strange look-alikes, but after they and the two strange girls from the audience helped him and his friends return home, he realized how much he had enjoyed hanging out with them. He missed it, in fact. And that was why he was so desperate to figure out the trick to summoning the portal again.
It wasn't until he heard a knock at his door that he realized he'd missed drinks with his friends. They'd planned to meet at 8:00, and, Zan realized, the clock read 9:15pm.
“You alright, buddy?” He heard Lich's voice through the door.
“Yes! Coming!” Zan replied, grabbing his dark green jacket as he rushed towards the door.
☆
It was well past midnight by the time the group left the pub. Each of them had only had three or four drinks, but exhaustion was sweeping across all of them. It had been a bit of a mistake staying out this late, especially when they had a show tomorrow, but the only one who seemed a little concerned was Tom.
“Hey..anyone know what time it is?” Luke asked, his words slurring a bit in drunken exhaustion.
“12:15,” Tom answered, looking at his watch. Shit…we weren't supposed to have been out this late.
“Oh, shit! Didn't mean to keep us out this late,” Luke apologized, as if having read Tom's thoughts.
L
“Jay gave me the night to hang out, but I'd imagine her and Scarlett are probably both asleep by now, and I don't want to wake them,” Sam thought aloud.
“Same with Pip,” Tom agreed.
“Hey, AJ, can we all crash at your place?” Luke asked, voicing what the three of them were all wondering. “I'd offer, but I don't think my hotel room would fit all of us.”
“Sure, I've got plenty of space,” AJ answered, a small grin on his face.
Despite his tired eyes, Tom could see AJ's smile was sincere. He was a bit relieved, as he’d worried whatever was up with AJ meant they wouldn't be able to crash there anymore. But whatever stress he'd had was gone now –had been for hours while they were at the pub– so Tom figured whatever had been bugging him wasn't too life-altering.
Within no time, the group had stumbled sleepily back to AJ's place. It took him a bit longer than usual to unlock the door, but that was to be expected, given their current state. Once he'd opened the door, he fumbled around for the light switch. The four of them were momentarily blinded when he found it.
Fucking hell that's bright…Tom thought to himself, shielding his eyes from the light as they readjusted. Once they did, he took in the room around him, as AJ frantically tidied up a small mess. Tom watched as AJ raced around the place, going in and out of rooms. He noticed AJ closing a random door in his haste, though he didn't think much of it. A man's allowed privacy, after all.
“I've got extra blankets and pillows,” AJ announced. “You guys know I'm prepared if any or all of you have to stay over,” He added with a smile.
“Thanks again, mate,” Luke said.
“Yes, thank you,” Tom and Sam followed.
“Anytime! Right, so who wants to sleep where?”
☆
Zan left the bar and his friends around midnight. He wasn't sure how long they'd be there, but Zan had other things on his mind. He'd lied and said he was tired and left early, wanting to get back to his research. Okay, it wasn't a complete lie, he was tired. But he was awake enough to be able to focus on researching the portal.
Zan reached his apartment, and fumbled with the lock. He'd only had two drinks, but in that moment, it felt like he'd had five. After a few attempts, he finally got the key in and unlocked the door, momentarily blinded by the lights that he'd left on. He let his eyes readjust for a moment as he placed his key back in the small basket by the door, then, turning off the rest of the lights as he walked by, went to his office at the back of the apartment.
His wife was on a trip with her friends for another week, so the house was empty. That was the reason Zan had decided to leave the lights on, and didn't worry about coming back late. Though, he would admit he missed her. It wasn't often they were apart, so when they were, Zan always missed her. But he knew she was going to be back next week, so he dove back into his books.
Another hour had passed, and Zan still couldn’t find anything. He began to wonder if what happened really did happen, or if it was all some dream. But, then again, his friends remembered the same events, so the likelihood of them all having the same dream was very low.
It was then that he looked up at the clock. 2:03am. Shit. Exhaustion flowing over him, Zan stood up from his desk. He walked out of the room, switching the light off and shutting the door behind him as he left. Sleepily, he wandered across the apartment to the bedroom, careful not to accidentally run into any of the furniture. Successfully making it to the bed without tripping, he laid across it, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. He was in deep sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
☆
AJ was up with the sun, and well before his friends. Winter meant the sun was up later than usual, so it wasn't entirely abnormal to be up with the sunrise. He carefully stepped out of the slumber pile he and his friends had made on the floor in the middle of the flat. It hadn't been very comfortable, but the four of them had been too tired to care much. Successfully making it out without waking anyone, he quickly changed and ventured back to his research.
The guys won't be up for another three or four hours, anyway. Tom may be up in two, but Sam and Luke are far too drunk to be up sooner, he thought to himself. He slowly closed the room's door, worried haste would wake someone. Finally alone, he dove right back into his research.
Much to his surprise, it was well past eleven by the time he heard anyone else awake. Realizing he could get caught, AJ waited for the footsteps to pass before sneaking out of the room and into the kitchen. He scoured his cupboards for tea bags and got his kettle heated up as the rest of the group awoke.
“Mornin’ pal,” Luke drawled, sleepiness still lingering in him. He sat down on a stool behind the counter as he spoke.
“Feel any better?” AJ inquired, finishing Luke's tea and sliding it across the countertop to him.
“Somewhat,” he replied, taking a sip of his tea. “Oh that's perfect, thanks buddy.”
“Morning guys,” Tom greeted, more awake than Luke, but not by much. AJ slid him his tea as he sat down next to Luke.
“Morning,” Luke and AJ repeated.
“Seems I am the last one up,” Sam noted, with a light laugh. It was quickly followed by a yawn.
“Not by much,” Tom assured, sipping his tea.
“Don't worry, you didn't miss much,” Luke commented, smiling. He yawned, too, before taking another sip of his own tea.
“How's everyone feeling this morning?” AJ questioned once more, sliding Sam his tea as he sat down next to Tom.
“Aye, I might have a bit of a headache,” Sam admitted with a light groan.
“I've got something that'll help with that,” AJ replied, dashing off to the lavatory. Inside, he searched through the cabinet behind the mirror for headache relief. Finding it, he grabbed the bottle and went back to the kitchen.
“Thanks, buddy,” Sam said with a smile.
☆
Zan awoke a little later than usual. It was only after ten, but it felt far later to Zan. He checked his phone and found four missed calls: one from Lich at 2:32am, one from Tim and 4:47am, one from Jeremy at 5:03am, and one from his wife at 9:45am. Shit.
He figured his friends were drunk and half-awake when they called, and probably were only calling to tell him how drunk they were, but he rarely ever missed a call from his wife. Just then, his phone buzzed, and a message from her appeared.
Hey Zan, just checking in. The girls and I are going to Grand Canyon today! Super fun. Hope you are having fun with your friends! Don't miss me too much. XO
Wow, she's certainly having a blast, Zan thought to himself. He quickly typed up a reply.
Sounds like fun! Send me some pix if you get the chance! Miss you lots. XO
Zan felt his phone buzz again. This time, a message from Tim appeared.
the guys are pretty zonked out
can we come over later?
Sure no problem!
Zan loved his friends, but he wanted to keep researching. He couldn't say no to Tim, though. Especially since he’d been late to guys' night out last night. He wandered back to his office and dove back into his research. Skimming book after book, he moved and shifted books and papers everywhere. Lifting up a book on voodoo, Zan spotted a small slip of paper with a set of numbers all across it. Underneath, read the words
In case you wanna keep in touch.
-Tom
Tom? Zan wracked his brain, trying to remember who that was. Right! Our improv buddies! He realized. He quickly searched for and grabbed his phone. Pulling up the messaging app, he typed in the listed phone number. Saving it under “Tom”, he typed in a message.
Hi Tom! It's Zan, your doppelganger buddy!
A moment passed as it attempted to send. Then, the words “Not sent” appeared underneath the message.
“Fuck. Should've known these things don't work cross-universe,” he said to himself. Frustrated, he dropped his phone back on the table.
Zan turned to the stack of books next to his desk. He scanned the titles, though none seemed helpful. Until he came across one that read “Phone Booths and Portaloos, a Guide to Time Travel and Portals.”
“The fuck is a ‘portaloo’?” He thought aloud. He grabbed his phone and Googled it. “Oh, it's a British term,” he realized with a laugh. He set his phone back down and opened the book. “This should be helpful,” he thought aloud.
A few days passed, and Zan was deep in the book about portals. He was so invested, that when his phone buzzed one evening, it startled him.
Heya Zan! Nice to hear from you! How are things?
So his message had eventually gone through. Strange… he thought to himself.
Likewise, Tom!
Not many interesting things have happened. The guys and I were inspired and have been practicing improv, tho!
Oh that's great to hear! Ive got my pals here with me, and theyre ecstatic to hear from you.
Just then, Zan heard a knock at the door. He walked to the door and opened it, seeing familiar faces on the other side.
“Heya Zan!” Jeremy exclaimed, beaming.
“Hey guys! I'm actually really glad you're here, I've got something to show you,” Zan replied.
He hadn't been expecting his friends to come over, but gleefully, after gesturing for them to come in, he led them to the table. Once everyone was seated around it, he showed them the text chain.
“Woah, it works?” Tim gasped.
“Yeah, strangely enough,” Zan confirmed. He quickly typed another message.
Ive got my friends here too
Wanna see if cross-universe calls work too?
A few minutes passed before he got a reply.
Why not!
A moment after he got the message, Zan felt his phone vibrate slightly more intensely, and the call screen covered his phone screen. He pressed “answer.”
“Hello?” Zan asked after a moment. A brief static sound came out of his phone before he heard voices on the other end.
“Hello!” Four replies followed.
“Hi!” His own friends answered as well.
“I can't believe this works!” He heard Tom say. It had been two years, but Zan knew each voice well, having watched many of their videos online.
“Neither can I!” Zan replied.
The groups talked for around two and a half hours, before Zan's friends left. It was then Zan realized he hadn't asked the question that had been nagging at him the whole time.
“Hey, has anyone figured out how to get the portal to come back again?” He inquired.
“I've been searching non-stop! But I haven't found anything yet," AJ admitted. Judging by the small gasps from the other three on the line, he assumed AJ had done research secretly as well.
“So have I,” Zan agreed. “I may have actually found something, though. A book on time travel and portals.”
“Wait, did it have something with time portaloos?” AJ asked.
“Yes! Do you have that book, too?”
“Yes! Let me go run and grab it!” The sound of quick footsteps faded out. Zan took his phone and hastily ran back to his office to grab the book he was reading earlier. A few moments later, he heard hurried footsteps fading back into the call.
“Found it!” He heard AJ announce.
“Phone Booths and Portaloos?” Luke questioned.
“Hey, it's a guide to both time travel and portals!” Sam exclaimed.
“Oh that should be really helpful, then,” Tom inferred.
“Definitely,” Zan agreed.
☆
“So now that we have an idea of how to recreate it, where are we going to put the portal?” Zan asked.
“Good question…” AJ trailed off. Luke wracked his brain for ideas. Last time, it ended up in some park, and though they all collectively decided it was probably only visible to them, Luke was still worried someone would see it this time.
“Well if we're gonna perform together again, maybe we drop it in the venue?” Tom suggested. “In the back, though, so no one accidentally comes across it.”
“Ah, great idea,Tom!” Zan exclaimed. Yeah, I didn't even think of that, Luke agreed.
“So…now that we've established the where and know how, who's got the materials for the portal?” Sam inquired.
“I could ask around, I’m sure-”
Luke cut Zan off. “Actually I think I've got everything we need.” Now I just need to remember where my books are, he thought to himself.
“You do?” All four of the guys asked at once.
“Yeah…been experimenting with some spells, so I have all the ingredients,” Luke answered. “Sam, you know this! You've seen me perform a good luck charm or two before a show!” He added, turning to his companion. He's caught me like three times now! How does he not remember?
“Oh, yeah, that's right.”
“Wait, those worked?” AJ blurted.
“Yeah, actually. I've noticed we've had better outcomes of our ideas during shows,” Sam explained.
“I guess I just thought we got more cohesive.”
“That too,” Tom added. “And now that you point it out, Sam, I've noticed it too.”
“Okay, so, Luke summons the portal in the venue,” Zan started. “But which one?”
“Birmingham, again?” Tom suggested.
“Oh good idea. Okay so my next question would be: will the portal summon in Birmingham on our side too, or nearer to us?”
“I think I should be able to summon it near you guys,” Luke answered. Gonna have to practice that a bit more, but it should work.
“Great! I'll pass word along to my pals, and we'll wait for the portal.”
☆
Shoot From The Hip Presents:
Birmingham Town Hall Show!
19th January
6pm
Ft Special Guests
The flyers were out and the fans were alerted of the new show. They'd collectively decided to just say “Special Guests” mostly because their friends didn't have a group name yet. Some ideas were passed back and forth through text, but none had stuck. Sam had a new idea he was eager to share, but he wanted to wait until the group was there with them later tonight to tell everyone.
They'd decided their friends would come a day early, so everyone would have a general idea of what would happen before the show. Also Zan had insisted he and his friends had had some practice, and Tom suggested Zan’s group do a mini performance for the four of them. Sam himself was excited; he always enjoyed when they performed with a guest.
It was incredibly fun having someone perform with them, and even more fun to torment them a little. He smiled, remembering their shows with Max Fosh and Henry Lewis. It was really fun torturing Max in Party Quirks and their Longform. He still couldn't believe they'd found someone worse at Party Quirks than AJ. And the whole briefcase thing had been hilarious. And when they performed with Sophie Duker, she did great too.
“Whatcha thinkin' about?” Luke's voice pulled Sam out of his thoughts. “Obviously something funny. I know that face.”
“Oh, just memories,” he replied, looking out to the water in front of them. The two of them had decided to take a stroll through downtown Birmingham, and had stopped at a bench along the way to rest for a bit and watch the people walk by.
“Yeah? Any worth sharing?”
“Yeah, you remember that one show we did, a few months ago, with Max Fosh?”
“Oh yeah.”
“I remember he called you Sherlock Holmes during Party Quirks.” They both laughed.
“I did look like I could be Sherlock, didn't I?”
“Yeah a short Sherlock.” Luke playfully shoved Sam at the comment.
“You're only three inches taller!”
“Yeah, three whole inches!” They both chuckled. There were always height jokes between the four of them about Luke, but Tom got hit a bit too because of his tall height.
“The longform…what was it called?” Luke thought for a moment. “Something like ‘Roadtrip of Hell'?”
“Uh, I think it was like ‘Highway to Hell’ or something.”
“Oh yeah, that's the one. Can't forget that..experience.” This made both of them chuckle.
“Yeah that was definitely something,” Sam started. Just then, his cell buzzed. It was from Tom.
They're here!
I just got a message from Zan, they're in Birmingham now.
That's great! We'll head back now.
Are they catching a cab over to our hotel?
Yeah, that's what Zan said.
“They're here,” Sam informed his friend, and stood up.
“Great! Let's get going, then.” Luke stood up as well. The pair took off.
Back at the hotel, AJ greeted them and Tom informed the pair that their friends were on their way over, and would be there soon.
“Cab was a bit late, Zan said, but they're excited to be back,” Tom said.
“That's great!” Luke exclaimed. “Can't wait to see them.”
“I, personally, can't wait to see the improv,” Sam noted. His friends nodded in agreement.
“I'm sure it's gotten pretty good,” AJ chimed in.
☆
The day of the show arrived. Birmingham Town Hall filled once again, and the audience was excited for what was to come. This was a more special show, they'd decided, because the special guests’ –more than one, apparently– identities had yet to be revealed.
Zan couldn't be more nervous. This was the first time they'd performed for people since the night they met Shoot From The Hip. Lich stood beside him, and Zan felt a hand on his shoulder as they looked out at the audience from backstage.
“Don't worry, buddy, we'll do good!” Lich said reassuringly.
“You think?” Zan asked, worry etched into his brow.
“Yeah. They liked our little mini performance last night, so I'm sure the crowd will like us tonight.” Zan smiled at this.
“Yeah, it was pretty good, wasn't it?” Just then, the rest of the guys walked over to them.
“We're on in three,” Tom informed everyone. The rest of them nodded.
“Oh, hey, I completely forgot, I had a name idea for you guys I meant to tell you yesterday,” Sam announced. “How about ‘Method To The Madness'?”
“Oo, I like it,” Jeremy said.
“Me too,” Tim agreed.
“Me three,” Lich added. Everyone looked at Zan.
“Yeah, I agree. I like it.” Small cheers followed from everyone.
“Great, great!” Sam said joyfully. “Oh, we have one minute!” He informed, looking at his watch.
“Welcome, everyone, to Birmingham Town Hall!” A voice rang out across the venue.
“That's our cue!” Luke announced in a stage whisper. Zan watched as they took positions in the wings, waiting to run out.
“Please welcome to the stage, SHOOT FROM THE HIIIP!!” Cheer erupted as AJ, Sam, Luke, and Tom all raced out onto the stage. The other four waited in the wings until they were announced.
“Heyy, how we all doin!?” Sam announced from the front of the stage. More cheer erupted. “Great, great! For those of you who don't know us, I'm Sam Russell, and these are my friends Tom Mayo, Luke Manning, and Alexander Jeremy, or AJ. But, as you all have seen, we have some special guests. Please help us welcome to the stage, our doppelganger friends Method To The Madness!!”
More cheer rang out as the new group ran out. Four guests was unusual for Shoot From The Hip, but a fun new idea. Zan took the lead and moved to the front of the stage as Shoot From The Hip walked off to the side.
“Heya everyone! My name is Zan Brussells, and these are my friends Tim Maro, Lich Banning, and Jeremy Alexander,” he announced, pointing to each friend as he introduced them. Shoot From The Hip joined them onstage again as more cheer rang out.
“Who's ready for some improv comedy?” Sam announced. A lot more cheer followed.
☆
The show had been going so well thus far. The crowds were loving Method To The Madness and Zan couldn't be happier. It was Longform time, and he watched as Tom took to the front of the stage.
“Now, we are going to tell you a story. This story is gonna have a Beginning, a Middle, and, if we can afford it, a beautifully tied up End. I need suggestions!” He announced enthusiastically.
“The Wedding Fiasco!” was shouted immediately.
“'The Wedding Fiasco'? I like it. Any more?”
“The Chronicles of Luke Manning!” Luke and Sam laughed at that. Zan smiled, remembering a longform from a few months ago.
“Nice, nice. Any others?” Tom asked once more.
“The Raptor Gunslinger!” Someone shouted. Everyone laughed at the silly idea. Zan remembered the raptors with guns from another longform of theirs.
“I like it, let's do it!” He looked to the seven behind him for confirmation. Subtle nods came from all of them. “Alright! This is the story of 'The Raptor Gunslinger'!” Just as he said that, Sam, Luke, Zan, and Lich all took to the stage, acting like raptors. Tom and Jeremy followed.
“Mighty fine pack o’ raptors ya got here,” Jeremy started, donning a southern accent.
“Yeah, t’was my pa's before me,” Tom continued, following suit with a southern accent himself.
“Mighty special, eh?”
“Yeah. They're gunslingers.” Laughter filled the venue.
☆
Sam and Zan stood tall amongst the rest of the raptor group, all of whom were “dead”. A few cowboys were in the mix as well. Tom and Jeremy stood to the side.
“Only one of us gon' make it out on top,” Sam said in a growly southern accent. He mimed pointing a gun at Zan. Zan did the same.
“This raptor town ain't big enough for the two of us,” Zan said, mimicking Sam's accent. “It's you or me.”
The two remained with their imaginary guns aimed at each other, eyes locked. They mimed reaching for the other gun in their pockets. In a flash, they both grabbed their other gun and fired. Sam mimed getting shot in the chest and collapsed, and Zan mimed the other bullet grazing his leg. He then turned to Tom and Jeremy.
“This here,” he began. “This is Raptor Town.” He mimed firing his guns and Jeremy and Tom mimed getting shot before collapsing.
“ANNND SCEENNE!” Sam yelled, standing up to announce it. Cheers erupted immediately.
“Give it up for our guests, Zan, Tim, Jeremy, and Lich!” Tom shouted. The cheering only grew louder.
“Thank you all! Hope you enjoyed the show!” Luke announced. Shoot From The Hip and Method To The Madness took their bows, and walked offstage.
☆
It was time to say goodbye. The portal remained in the theater, and as the two groups approached it, no one spoke. Nobody knew what to say. Finally, Zan spoke up.
“Thank you guys so much for letting us perform with you.” “Thank you’s” from the other three followed.
“We would love to do it again,” Luke stated. His three friends nodded in agreement.
“Especially now that we can communicate and know how to make portals between our worlds,” AJ added. Another few moments of silence passed, before someone spoke again.
“Well, I think it's time to say goodbye,” Zan said.
“Group hug?” Tim asked. Immediately, all eight guys were tangled into a hug.
They stayed like that for a long few moments, before the four doppelganger new friends waved goodbye and walked through the portal.