Featureless like the Nexus

[Rick]

Without any clear destination, Rick kept wandering on the bright landscape he found himself into. How he got there or what he was doing beforehand was beyond him, but he wouldn't just stay still. Walking on the featureless desert felt like a better idea.

But he did remember the strange vision before waking up. Omni, who appeared to be some sort of powerful alien, explained himself. While Rick couldn't replicate his words exactly, the part about the supposed value of the glimmering orb he now carried on his pocket resonated with him. Anything he desires, right? Probably too good to be true, but intriguing nonetheless.

Of course, the first thing that crossed his mind was the accident on his first race on Alwas. He wanted to win. He wanted to represent Earth on such an important tournament. And he wanted to be able to compete again. While there were plenty of other stuff he could do, if this Omni guy were to be right, then returning himself to his former glory would be a sure course of action. He didn't have to return as a race pilot, but not having his body shut down on the most pathetic way posible when he needed it the most would be a good start.

He grabbed the orb from his pocket, and without stopping his stride, he closed his eyes. Anything I desire...

Atop the Whizzing Arrow, Rick stood with his right arm greeting the cheering mob, who eagerly chanted his name. Jordan kept screaming through the communicator, all too excited not only to win, but to do so with the best pilot Earth had to offer. Of course he was, why would he be competing on the Avatar's race, if he wasn't?

He was back at the real world. Fantasies like these always cheered him up, but this one brought more of a sour taste on his mouth, instead of the usual smirk and boost in perceived self-awesomeness. It would be a memory (actually it should be a memory, not a fantasy), if it weren't for the sabotage of his ship.

The orb didn't appear to have changed. Just in case, he dared to look at it without his shades, but that proved to be for nothing. As he thought, just desiring something was too great to be true. Lousy, powerful aliens pranking people – don't they have something better to do? On the other hand, what should he expect? How thinking about a cool thing would make it true? And if it did, how it'd go about it? And what he'll do in such a case? And, on another topic, what was he doing before this alien abduction thing? Shouldn't he be on his trip to Earth? What happened to that...?

So many questions, and so many useless things to think about on this boring and endless trip...

At last, after who knows how long of walking across the white void, Rick finally saw something: a weird palm (or was it? He wasn't sure) not that far away from where he was. So, naturally, he headed there, if only to see what will happen.