Story debate.

Alexander spent the afternoon tracking down apple, but he came up empty. His research showed that apple didn't exist in this verse, so he had no choice but to slingshot. In the corner of a deserted alleyway, he pulled out his tether and held down its only button for six seconds. He closed his eyes in preparation for the journey he never enjoyed. After the sensation of a crushing universe passed, he opened his eyes only to find himself in an interrogation room sitting across from two officers. Alexander had to remind himself that while he was gone, some sap from another verse was dealing with this mess. These cops had found his bewildered alter-ego in a basement filled with bloody prints and a strange device. Clearly he was not just walking out of here. "You okay, there?" asked the first cop. "Yeah, uh, yeah," stammered Alexander. "Good, I'm going to ask again for an explanation as to why you were at a murder scene and I don't want to hear any more stories about how you were fishing on a quiet lake one second and then you just woke up in that basement." Alexander didn't have time to fuss with cops all day; his mind quickly fabricated a haphazard plan. "The truth is," he said, "that I did teleport into that basement, and I can prove it to you." The cops could not conceal their reaction, not only to his claim for proof but probably to his sudden lucidity. He likely appeared to be a different man to them, and they'd be right. Of course, it also meant they thought he was certifiably insane. "Okay, prove it." "I need that device you found in the basement. Bring it here and I'll show you how it works. It's a teleportation device." The cops laughed, all but certain he was crazy. Eventually the first cop nodded to the second who left the room. A few minutes later the second officer had returned with the apple device and set it on the table. "This I gotta see," he said. Alexander placed the metal ring over his head and switched the device on. Its previous coordinates were still in the system's memory; all he had to do was increase the throughput in order to force a double jump. Alexander forced out a maniacal laugh as he worked--a little show for the cops. When the device was ready, he closed his eyes and said another little silent prayer for the poor fellow that would be sucked back into this predicament. As the machine hummed louder he heard the cops jump from their seats and grab at him. It didn't matter, he was already going. The universe was already crushing him. At the last second, he vaguely felt the sensation of a hand in his pocket--the pocket containing the only physical device that could transport with him. His tether. ******* Arnie followed Johnny Appleseed into his lair. There was no other word to describe his first floor apartment which clearly hadn't been cleaned in months. "Dealing in apple must not be all that lucrative." "Not anymore," quipped Johnny as he stepped over garbage and headed for a bookcase at the rear of the apartment. "Cops been crackin' down hard on the stuff, and I prefer it that way. Demand don't change and the fuzz do me the favor of reducin' supply." Johnny smiled broadly as he pulled on a book. "And I got the only supply." The bookcase slid to the side to reveal a narrow staircase, which led them into a pristine chamber with very little furniture. A single table with two chairs on either side adorned the center of the room. A device sat on the table with various wires and rings coming out of it. "Here she is," announced Johnny. "Apple. The best high money can buy." Arnie approached the table and examined it. "This is what brought me here?" "Somethin' like that, yeah," replied Johnny. "What do you think?" "Looks like a piece of junk to be honest." "She ain't pretty, but she gets 'er done." "So, how does it work? How do I get home?" "I was hopin' you'd tell me." "Me?" Johnny sat down across from him and kicked his legs up on the table. "Apple only goes one direction. That means there's always some poor idiot like you lookin' for a way home. I figure they'd pay at least twice as much, but apple only goes one way. I need you to figure out how to reverse it." Arnie found this conversation both troubling and bewildering. "Why me? What makes you think I can do this?" "Cause you invented it." Arnie slowly sat in his own chair in shock. As he did so, Johnny rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a ragged newspaper clipping. He handed to Arnie. Arnie slowly absorbed it. There was no mistaking that photo of Arnold Parkerson, inventor of a revolutionary new device. Arnold's Parallel Personality Lateralization Emitter. A.P.P.L.E. "You wanna go home?" asked Johnny with a smirk, "You gotta earn it."