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Lunarose134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5P4Oi3wKSu
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The Breaking
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The line of refugees stretched as far as I could see. Testing continued among the survivors of Terra Flora. After several hours, my turn had finally arrived. Once connected, the temporal meter readings went crazy, scientists began to flood the room to verify the data that was coming in. A multitude of colors and lights reflected off their glasses, their eyes wide as they adjusted their equipment. After a few quiet moments, they celebrated and hugged each other.
“We found her,” the scientist announced, “in a sea of possibilities, the one who even stands a chance in the barbarian age.”
Once testing concluded, I was informed that I could save Terra Flora. If I accepted the mission, it would be like the erasure never happened. My future and all the people of my city would be saved. For a long time, this had been enough, but not today. Today I changed things.
In a clear voice, I asserted, “I have been training and kept in this prison for ninety years, this ends today. You allowed Terra Flora to fall. You either send me on my mission or end my training,” I declared to the Council of Seven.
“This mission is still under review,” said Sizemore.
“Up for review?” I questioned, “I’ve watched countless others take their shot while you hold me back? What are you waiting for?”
“You, we’re waiting for you.” He informed me.
“Me? You’re waiting for me?” I queried.
“Yes, you still have a small failure rate due to your anger,” he said looking at his data screen.
“You trained me to be unstoppable, not peaceful. Then when I feel that I am ready, you tell me no. I’m done waiting. I’m leaving and taking my chances,” I informed the Council as I jammed the key into their portal chamber, instantaneously freezing all portals and their time manipulation flux.
My stomach brewed an unsettling sensation as the room shook to an eerie stand still. My plan had worked. The temporal sickness was now active, and I was feeling its effects due to drift.
“How are you breaching containment?” his voice desperately trying to come in searching for answers. “Lunarose, you cannot possibly think you can attempt this mission without full readiness.”
Sizemore calmly attempted to coax me into reengaging the flux. But the burning in my heart overwhelmed my reason that day. I left the flux and entered Temporal Station. As I stepped into the white halls, I passed several time labs before a chime announced my arrival.
“Temporal breach on Flux Gate Alpha,” the pleasant voice spoke overhead.
Inside one of the time labs I found advanced and scanners. I gathered some prototype nanobot resource gatherers and headed to the time portals taking what I could. The temporal key holders who facilitated the time jumps were so surprised I was even there; they didn’t have time to react, allowing me to take the keys and make the jump. Others in the portal chamber were military personnel, somewhat more difficult to deal with due to the powerful equipment they wore. However, they had no defense against my physical attacks. I managed to set the portal for the time jump as they laid immobile on the floor. When suddenly, Sizemore’s voice attempted to interrupt my jump over the viewscreen. Before he even drew a breath to speak, I managed to turn off the screen. The portal was set and I could see a terminal that was dedicated to my flux chamber.
Curious about what Sizemore and the Council had said about my odds and readiness, I took a quick look at the data. I had a ninety-nine percent success rate and a one percent chance unknown. Project shelved indefinitely. I knew it, I was more than ready for this mission. Still breathing heavily from taking out the guards but filled with confidence, I was sure my time had come.
I was in the portal traveling through time and dimensions, all I could think about were all the people depending on me, on this mission to succeed. In a sea of possibilities, I was it. I was the one who even stood a chance of surviving in the barbarian age. I knew the secret.
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The Withering
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Decades before my breech, there was a man, a genius of his time. His name was Adamus Tieshier. He was a young man, only twenty years of age when I met him. He wore a clean white sharp officer’s uniform for the Time Wardens. His reputation preceded him even before he was procured to teach at the time laboratory.
I met him at the beginning of this long and lonely time for me. He had set his highest priority on teaching and guiding me. He was optimistic and had a vision for winning this war. He shared his experience while in the time academy; the training he had endured and told me of his exploits as a time warden. He taught me to balance my anger and use it to warm not burn my results.
However, the war continued year after year seemingly to never end, slowly stealing his optimism. He spoke of winning less as time passed. Only to arrive one day, injured from the war. His tone, his outlook forever changed.
With his left arm wrapped and bundled, he winced when he sat and said, “Luna, this war is not winnable without your commitment to the following.”
His hair was now grey, his voice now graveled from yelling for so long.
“Love is the only reality,” he said breathing laboriously as he spoke. “And true beauty is everlasting,” he told me looking me in the eyes. “No action must be taken to destroy another’s destiny,” he said as he sat back finally. “Follow these edicts and we may have a chance at winning after all.”
He looked away in excruciating pain and breathed deeply. He spent the following months explaining these edicts to me. His wisdom had progressed to see a greater truth. We were the custodians of time and space. Trust the heart, accept the flawed, and respect other’s destiny.
Adamus had become a close friend, a confidant, a mentor. In my first ten years in the flux, I don’t think I could have made it without him. A little grey now, but still quite capable at fifty years of age. He walked in to warn me of the barbarian age. He explained how you could just die on the street and few would look twice at this uncharted past that we found ourselves exploring. He taught me what to expect and what to study. He showed me the possible sources of generating the material means I would need to have any hope at completing the mission.
“Luna, people lie all the time,” he said, a cold stare in his eyes. “In this time, violence can occur, over the most trivial of reasons, the most glancing rumor of disrespect can lead to drastic confrontations,” he continued as he waved his arm across the plane of possibilities. “Have courage, seek discernment in order to uncover the truth,” Adamus said. “Unbridled compassion while in the dark is foolish even dangerous. Wisdom comes from heart and mind coherence. Love without wisdom is easily manipulated.”
In the years that passed, Adamus spoke of the fall of man and the slide into darkness, creating a domino effect into our now merged futures. This event had polluted our timeline, an event I was sent to stop.
The day came when the portal opened for Adamus and I was informed that he had not returned from his latest mission and was presumed lost. I tried to focus on my lessons but worried about my mentor, my friend. Months passed with no news of his arrival or fate. I thought of him often and wondered when I would have a turn at winning this war.
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The Lover
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The last time I saw him, I knew I could no longer pretend. Pretend I had nothing to fear, or nothing left to lose. He took the last thing left to take and this was what sent me over the edge. Lunarose, private diary
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The Council felt I could experience violence on this mission and I needed to be ready. So, I was given a new instructor and waited to greet him at the temporal door. Behind the portal everything moved quickly until it was activated, I could see a person’s outline in the temporal portal. When the sphere opened a very young man in a cadet uniform stood at attention. That morning began with the same series of tests and refinements of strategy to be used in the field. Followed with theoretical eventualities of what the anomaly was or what caused the great intertwining of timelines. After the exercise portion, a new addition to my routine, combat training
“Lionel Lysander, it is an honor to meet you,” he said with vigor as he strode into the training center.
“Hello, I’m Lunarose. I’m eager to begin combat training.” I started politely.
“Yes, shall we begin?” he asked bowing formally then in an instant had me struggling for air. “We will begin with our focus, and our focus is survival,” he said confidently. “Control your breathing and never panic,” he said calmly as I struggled under his hold unable to free myself and so it went on and on. In the middle of the session, I must have been breathing heavy because he asked me If I wanted to quit, perhaps his methods were too brutish.
“I’ll keep fighting through every session as long as you keep your resolve and train me not just to survive, but to win.” I said breaking myself free from his hold using my legs.
“Good work,” he said as he flew from the force of my legs pushing him off.
“You are as resilient, as you are beautiful.” he said getting up. “See you next session.”
The session lasted an hour and as he was close to my temporal timeline he only aged three months between each session. The months went by and a young boy of nineteen became a young man of twenty-four. Each time he came back more mature with greater form and knowledge of the combat craft he taught. He wasted no time and had a strict schedule. But at the end of the sessions we would sit and talk, even though this would cause him to lose days of time in his life’s temporal stream.
A few months later he was twenty-nine, now a built, strong, handsome, and jovial man. I often asked him if he had plans for a union someday and he looked at me seriously.
“There is one who is dear to me, but I’m afraid, like many such things, that type of happiness is just out of reach for me,” he said as he stared off into the distance. “What about you?” he asked as he glanced over to me.
Our eyes met and he unraveled every rule and mission I ever had in one moment. A rush of freedom from his eyes that liberated me from every oath my heart had never taken. In that stare I knew he was talking about me, eighty-eight-year-old me. It revealed everything that I had become. An unused weapon, a weapon for a war nobody knew how to win; and a woman, a woman in love.
“I’m sure you would have no trouble finding someone,” I said gathering my equipment and thoughts off the floor.
“I’m focused on training you, remember. I won’t quit if you don’t,” he said before leaving.
I was embarrassed by the question, but I started the conversation. Being the last Time Warden, I had to fulfill my mission, my mission to save Terra Flora.
After he left that day, I thought deeply about why I hadn’t been deployed on this mission. What was it the Council needed to see before I could be deployed?
The next sessions continued to advance me in hand-to-hand combat. Lionel grew a beard making him look even more dignified at thirty-nine. It was always exciting to see him again. He always smiled when he saw me and admitted to looking forward to seeing me.
“It’s like nothing ever changes here,” Lionel said catching his breath after a training session.
“Do you think I’m ready?” I asked him.
“You’ve been ready,” he said matter of fact as he carefully sat down holding onto his left side.
“Who cut you down?” I asked jokingly.
“An Omnis reaper drone,” he said seriously.
I stopped to look over at him; he was smiling when he told me the war was going badly. That Omnis had cornered them, their technology although far superior, did not grant them control of the time stream. A greater threat loomed that was unaccounted for. The evidence pointed out something non-organic.
“I don’t understand. Why can’t I begin my mission?” I questioned him.
“I would just go. The Council can’t even agree on what your mission is, let alone how to achieve it,” he said. Before he left the session, he stood still and looked at me for a moment. Swallowing hard before he confessed, “I wish I could just sit here looking at you,” his voice cracking.
Somehow, we both knew this would be the last time I would see him; his eyes betrayed his words as he said to me, “I’ll see you soon.”
I could feel his low vibration and without a thought I ran up to him. I hugged him and he held me firmly as he drew a deep breath.
“Yes, next session,” he said with his eyes closed.
He took one more look at me before stepping back as he slowly let go of my hand. I looked upon his gaze till the last second, then stood there as the sphere closed. He was gone, and I knew I was alone now.
The next session on the schedule was replaced with an information reel. I wondered about Lionel, so I asked about him at the next council session. He had been reassigned, they told me. Being such a potent leader on the front lines, they needed his services elsewhere. This must mean that the war had spilled into our realm, that the Omnis Order was now upon us.
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The Arrival
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When I engaged the device, the temporal portal left me near the source of the anomaly, a place called Las Vegas, time 1988. The night air was dry and cool, tall concrete structures stood majestically across the street adorned with flashing bright signs. I found myself in a large lot filled with colorful vehicles that sat in stasis. Behind me was a complex of tall grey buildings with a concrete shell in a grid pattern. At the edge of a black paved lot was a curb lined with bushes and babbling fountains. The street was filled with the sound of rumbling motorcycle engines passing by with frightening clatter. The people seemed oblivious to their surroundings as they went about their night, walking by paying no attention to me. This place was strange. Although they had wide streets, there was no safe place to walk.
I stood there realizing I had done it. I had made my way back to the source of the anomaly. My mission had begun. My priority was resources. This place had abundant materials, the problem was that they were owned. A sharp pain in my head began as I had begun to experience temporal sickness due to my time in flux. As I headed down the crowded street, mingling amongst those of this timeline, I realized I needed to find shelter; I was too exposed.
“Nice outfit,” a man walking by commented.
Yes, I was too exposed. The less I mingled with this timeline and the people, the better. I also needed to find a way to trade for currency as this place had strict rules based on a complex, cost and profit scheme. Breathe, think of your training, I reminded myself. Right now, I just needed a secluded spot to recover. I walked towards a tall metal building amid construction. Sparks of metal from workers dotted the upper floors as these men worked to erect the next monument to the next destination. Across the street stood a white casino, Vacation Towers the lighted sign announced. This looked like a suitable place to recover due to its low roof lines. With my equipment on my back, I climbed up the side of the building. I imagined I must have looked like a large faux vehicle with lights adorning the south side of the building. I continued to climb and once on the roof I found ladders that led me to a gray roof. I found a section, a corner of the roof creating an alcove that secluded me from the views of the rooms of the large tower to the east. I sat for a moment holding my head and wondered if what I had done was the right thing. Too late to change my mind now. With my head throbbing, looking at a ghost being built across the street, taking a breath, and assessing my equipment, I send out nanites to give me a detailed scan of the area. I needed to create a map and set up camp. The headache continued, knowing I could not work on my mission until I recovered, I dove deep into meditation and managed to alleviate the temporal sickness through the night.
Feeling better the next morning, I packed up and reviewed the data the nanites had gathered. A detailed map showed a growing city’s layout, including its many entrances, exits, and surrounding access points. I climbed down to street level and walked in the morning sun, taking on my daunting mission one day at a time while holding fast to my edicts. I spent most of the morning figuring out how to convert the items I had brought with me into currency. Afterward, I instructed my nanites to create an identity I could use in the void of 1988. Bella Williams, I decided, combining words I had seen on adverts earlier in the day. Ready, I walked away from the large buildings and headed north along the avenue. A sign that read cash for gold led me to a greying man in his forties, who greeted me pleasantly when I entered.
“That’s some kind of costume,” he declared.
“No,” I said taking off my amulet.
I knew that my chain was pure gold and that chaining it to steel would not influence the blink sphere’s performance.
“At $450 an ounce, you got about $1,200 here,” the gruff man’s voice whistled as he breathed. “I’ll give you $200 for the amulet,” he tuned as his eyes glanced over it.
“No,” I said firmly.
“Ok, just nice is all,” he said handing me the money.
“This is adequate,” I said as I took the money and left.
Outside an obnoxious sputtering vehicle almost hit me and emitted a jarring electric sound from its hood frightening me.
The man with a cloth type hat driving scowled as he looked at me, “You gonna get out of the way or what?”
He spoke with a white smoking tube in his mouth, darting ashes messily as it jiggled in his mouth.
There it was, peeking about inside my chest. The fury, the desire to correct the indignant. Again, I reminded myself of my training, I drew a deep breath for fury to find its mark and stepped aside. I continued my mission. I had to find shelter and the source of the temporal disruption. After a brief encounter with a food vendor and an agreed upon exchange, I was eating a “hot dog.” Enjoying this food called a hot dog, I set out to look for something called a newspaper when I noticed a small sign that read for rent. I followed the signs.
I came to a building with a decorative iron gate at the entrance. The gate had a sign that said office Apt. 2. I opened the gate and proceeded along the path of quiet dwellings. People lived in units separated by walls. Each unit has its own entrance. The path led to a door labeled office, there a nice man about fifty-five sat at his static sprinkled television and greeted me as I walked in.
“Hello, how may I help you?” he said as he stood attending to the tall desk, that welcomed newcomers.
“I inquire about a room,” I told him, looking down at the pamphlet on the desk.
“I’m Bob. We have two options available: a one-bedroom or a studio apartment that just opened up,” he said politely pointing to the studio on the pamphlet, “that’s $175 a month.”
“Yes, this one,” I said now pointing to the pamphlet myself.
“Ok, let’s get you set up,” he said as he began gathering files from cabinets in his office.
With my mission underway, I reviewed protocol and focused on the essentials: I needed a reliable source of income to survive here, and at this time, every good and service required money.
“Excuse me sir, do you have a newspaper?” I asked.
He stopped what he was doing and handed me a wrapped bundle of papers with a green band.
“Here you go, sweetheart,” he said, getting back to his paperwork.
I clumsily unfolded the bundle, its contents spreading about on the floor. “Classifieds, Jobs,” the titles read. Perfect. Found It. After picking up the mess I’d made, I started reading through the jobs list.
Bob interjects and says, “They’re hiring down at the laundry mat on the corner, see if they give you a try.” He said as he pointed in the direction.
We finished our business and I agreed to pay rent every 1st of the month as he handed me the keys and told me the unit number. The unit was on the other end of the building, the last dwelling on the first level apartment 10. Once inside, I closed the door and was finally able to get to work. I set up a temporal scan and within the hour, I could see the truth. I wasn’t looking for a time anomaly or a traveler with a nefarious time agenda; it was an infection. The topographical map displayed countless small and large dots across the city, scattered in a moving sweeping grid, as if it was searching for something.
“What is this?” I spoke aloud as I thought.
I had to see what I was dealing with so I uploaded the temporal data in order to intercept the nearest temporal pollution coming my way. I waited looking for a man or maybe a vehicle but nothing. The object was getting closer, yet I could not yet see, then an off humming came my way. A large orange red bumble bee buzzed close at first, then froze in front of me. A series of twinkling lights where the eyes should be and an antenna began emitting temporal signals. I set off my blink chain and the thing dropped to the ground, smashing into a hundred pieces. I knelt down to take a closer look at the pieces, but they turned to grey sand. For the first time I knew what the council did not, that this was not human and was operating remotely. I gathered the grey dust to see if I could glean any information for later.
On the way back to my apartment, I walked into the laundry mat to see if I could get a job to secure resources for my mission. The place smelled like a multitude of different cleaning agents, fresh linen and florals. There was a wall of machines spinning and the sound of clothes tumbling dry. The laundromat was busy with patrons folding, loading, and unloading clothes. In the back at a counter, stood a woman. I walked over and asked about the job.
“Excuse me, I seek employment with your establishment,” I said as seriously as I could.
“You need to fill out an application,” she said as she pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer.
I applied and I was handing it back to her, when an old man walked up and grabbed it from my hand. With his messy white hair and thick glasses pressed to his nose he began reading the application, his eyes darting about the page.
“Says here you know how to fix commercial machines?” He cynically questioned me.
“Yes,” I said confidently.
“How did you manage that?” looking at me eyebrows furrowed.
“My grandpa taught me,” I said firmly.
“I’ll tell you what, you come in tonight and work the night shift 3PM-11PM and fix that no. 5 washing machine and you have a job,” he offered.
I agreed and wasted no time getting back to my apartment. I felt ready to continue the mission. Later that day, I returned to the laundry mat. The same woman that helped me earlier that day met me at the door.
“My name’s Maria. Nice to meet you,” she introduced herself and showed me the way.
“Hello, my name is Bella Williams, nice to meet you,” I responded.
The laundromat was busy. Patrons were folding and loading laundry while others sat and watched TV, impatiently waiting. She showed me around the place and the dreaded broken machine. Being prepared, I left a pod of ants in the machine to assess the situation. We walked around as she showed me where the trash went and where to clock in, as well as the break room. I then returned to the machine and read back the data from the pod.
The machine had a computer failure due to overloaded CPU, lack of maintenance, and dust contamination, the readout read. It then showed me the schematic and possible solutions for the repair. I instructed the nanites to build the appropriate tools needed to access the housing and build a new chip for the machine. In addition, I instructed it to repair the fried capacitors. I had a feeling that the owner thought I would not be able to fix the machine because he knew it had a burnt processor.
A few hours went by, and Maria informed me that she was going home for the night. Maria was responsible for closing the laundry mat, but her son was sick tonight, and she had to leave because no one else was available to care for him. She said she would be back to lock up at 11PM. I agreed and continued to maintain the establishment until she returned. I had fashioned the tools and components needed and repaired the broken washing machine. I was testing the machine when she returned. It was now running smoothly.
“Bella,” I heard Maria call out to me, “time to lock up.”
“Yes,” I responded.
Dressed in grey sweats, her hair in a bun with keys dangling in her hand, Maria quickly walked towards the back. She left her red car engine running outside, headlights on. I too quickly headed back; she locked the back door as I gathered my belongings.
“Ok, everything looks great, I’m sure Bob will be impressed, nobody’s been able to fix that machine,” she said.
“Hey,” a loud voice from the front of the laundromat was heard.
“Shit,” Maria said with her eyes closed.
A group of three, shabbily dressed men, two with shaved heads, and one with long black hair were standing in the laundry mat.
“We need to do some laundry,” the lead man with long hair and a sly grin held up a plastic bag with a few items of clothing.
The other two men began lighting a cigarette and cracking a beer as they sat in the line of chairs getting comfortable.
“Last load is at 10:30 PM. I’ve already told you that,” Maria strained her voice.
I began to feel the rage bubbling inside of me as I tried to be patient in that moment.
“It’s no big deal mamacita, you know us. I need this shirt for the club tonight,” he told her as he began dumping his small bag into a washer and fumbled around in his pocket to seek coins.
My blood began to boil at the disrespect, my fist clenched, my legs finding footing. Calm down Luna, I told myself, breathe. Maria walked back and cut the power to the machines and the lights. The laundromat only had two flickering lights, one in the back over Maria and one in the front where our patron stood, looking miffed. He began banging on the machine.
“I put two quarters in there; I want my clothes washed,” the man demanded. “Where’s Glen? This is our spot, he knows that” he said brushing his long hair back revealing his unhappy face.
“Glen no longer works here, you guys have to go, now!” Maria said walking over to them.
The room began to slow down as Maria’s panic brushed by me.
“You should go turn the machines back on or maybe we should rough up this pretty young thing over here,” he said as he walked over to me.
His hands reaching out trying to get hold of me. His voice threatening us. In that instant, time stood still and my training kicked into an orchestrated fury of defenses. I used my legs and spun around, kicking his abdomen and sending him to the ground as he let out a loud grown. The two men who had been sitting and enjoying the spectacle, jolted up as their leader fell back. One dropping his cigarette, the other putting down his beer.
“Maria told you the last loads are at 10:30 PM. Looks like you’re late and we’re closed,” I said holding my ground.
Inside I was fighting a torrent of anger. I was doing everything I could to not continue to pummel these disrespectful idiots. Maria grabbed a shirt from the washer and threw it at one of the men covering his face.
“Time to go, we don’t have all night,” Maria said as she crossed her arms.
The long-haired man who was still on the floor was having a hard time breathing and could not utter a word. A perfect kick to the breadbox had left him barely able to breathe let alone speak.
“Hey, these bitches aren’t playing. Let’s go Frisco,” said the man removing the shirt from his face.
The man helped the one off the floor and got him out the front door as the other man picked up his beer, finished it and threw it at us letting out a loud belch before walking out. Maria locked the front door and headed to her car quickly.
“I’ll tell Bob you fixed the machine and that he needs to hire you. See you tomorrow,” she said as the sound of music drowned her out as she drove away wearily.
I headed back down the street to my apartment. Is this why the Council thought I needed combat training?
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The Warehouse
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During the following years, I settled into my role as the last warden. I learned after my first paycheck that Bob was unscrupulous and was paying me only the minimum of wages while assigning me more responsibilities than anyone could manage. I needed to think of another way to make money, but I had been so busy working on the mission.
Every night after work, I worked on my mission assessing the interdimensional threat. It continued to grow and was beginning to congregate at different locations across the valley. Not knowing what to do next, I also spend time meditating. Trying to clear my mind and let the answer come to me.
At work, I ended up developing a prototype to clean draperies that was portable and handheld. It removed all odors and cleaned the fabric, restoring it to its original color and condition. In actuality, it used nanotech to weave and dye it back to new. I began to give demonstrations to linen department managers. This I thought would be a good way for me to make the money for the resources I needed. Working at a laundry mat would not be able to provide sufficient funds.
Soon I had regular customers and contracts for laundering services. The work was inexpensive, and I offered my services to all hotels. I became sought after in the laundry business and left Bob and his laundry mat behind. I also employed Maria as the business began to grow. I had saved enough after several cleanings to lease a small rundown warehouse in the northeast part of town which was perfect for continuing my operation. I named it Bella’s Linen.
Over the next few months, I purchased vehicles and set a rotating schedule of deliveries, price increases, and advertisements. This business would be able to gather the revenue I needed to continue to build secretly in the night. I phased out the nanotech cleanings and focused on my nano equipment only at the warehouse. However, competition soon became vicious. Rivals sabotaged my delivery trucks and harassed my drivers, forcing me to cover a route myself one night. On another occasion, someone broke into my apartment and ransacked my belongings. The only reason I didn’t go crazy with rage is because my equipment was in the top corner of the room, hidden by projection, out of their purview, untouched. Nonetheless, I found the whole situation disturbing and moved into the warehouse.
Time seemed to pass quickly here, I could feel myself aging again. If I worked too hard, my bones would ache. Lucky for me, my apartment was upstairs where the nanotech had built a quaint little studio for me to reside in. Under the warehouse I built a secure, secret basement and it had become a proper center for mission discoveries. The infection I found was in fact remote. It was gathering intel for the coming anomaly. There was a way to destroy it, but I had to find the core and wipe it clean with my blink sphere. I needed more devices and began to build myself a Staff of Caduceus. This type of equipment will allow me to defeat any threats, track any foe, and would supply enough power to cut into any shielded core. I mapped the city in a grid and began to eliminate it in orderly fashion. I often needed raw materials to build my tools and they would arrive in packages.
Three years into my mission, the interloper appeared and I grew increasingly frustrated. I battled the interloper at night. It had adapted reporting only to central hubs, gathering resources. When I wiped out a hub another would grow in another part of the city. I had to save for an all-out assault and try to wipe them clean off the map in one night. I was planning and mapping its base locations. When I heard the delivery bell ring in the warehouse, I went to see who it was after securing the basement. I was met with a handsome muscular man who looked into my eyes and smiled.
“Hi, I have a delivery for Bella,” his deep voice said gently.
“Yes, I’m Bella,” I said brushing my hair to one side as I signed the paper on his clipboard, he held steady for me to sign.
“I’m Rico. I’m assigned to this postal code, looks like I’m going to be your new delivery guy.” He informed me with a shy smile. “I’ll see you around,” he said as he turned and walked to his vehicle.
He delivered the emerald I was waiting for, and I was finally able to complete the cutter for my staff. Over the next few months, this dance of professional platitudes between Rico and I led to a torrent of intense stares and unintentional bumps into each other. His strong arms once caught me after one of these “accidental” bumps and he apologized emphatically. He was always professional, which intrigued me and made me respect him.
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The Hunt
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Preparing for the hunt and gathering my equipment had been a long journey. I used the bots to help me build a way to finally track these things and destroy them. They were everywhere and concentrated near the center of town in key areas of traffic. To maintain themselves, they needed to be charged and given materials. This was the information I had gathered so far.
My first target was an abandoned store on Boulder Hwy. I loaded my staff, placed my blink chain in the car and headed out wearing my linen garb. This I thought would be the official cleansing to rid the city of A.N.D. and change the outcome for Aeon.
The night air was warm and still. Heat radiated up from the asphalt. Stepping out was like stepping into an oven as I stepped out of the car entering the abandoned store. The store was drab and brown, a weathered and forgotten relic of retail. It stood still in the dark. The only sign of life was the occasional weed or desert plant clinging to life in the cracks using what it could find to survive. I moved quickly across the cement expanse until I reached a boarded-up door. I cut a hole in the board and another in the glass door behind it. I had made my way into the dark building.
I used my tracker to get temporal information. According to the data, no one had been here for years. That’s when I noticed in the center of the dark expanse a faint green glow. Engaging my staff’s glow, I carefully walked towards the light through the dark empty shell. I noticed something moving on the floor. Little lanes of nanites were heading to and frow, across the floor in the direction of the glow. A hum could be heard the closer I got to the glow. The glow was at the base of a large dark monolith that nearly reached the ceiling. Trying to get a closer look I moved in and the humming stopped. I backed away slowly, gripping my staff and digging it into the floor. A bolt of energy jolted from the monolith core. Grounded by my staff, I was able to discharge its temporal field. But the pylon began to swarm with bots and they formed a rudimentary info screen. A geometric form appeared attempting to communicate. I blasted it with my blink chain and the swarms of bots collapsed to dust, however the monolith stood. I ran my hands across its outer shell; it had a shield protecting it. Thinking fast, I dug into my pack and began to print a drill bit for my staff. I waited quietly in the dark while the drill bit materialized. The screen on the monolith returned boasting a geometric face, not human. Its eyes and mouth were contorted and disproportionate.
“What do you think you’re doing?” It asked.
I ignored it as I watched the printer spin and twirl.
“They’re coming, you won’t get away,” it said louder.
I finally engaged with the form and said, “They will be destroyed as well.”
My voice reverberated throughout the empty shell of the store. I stood defiant, reciting words of banishment as the drill bit, finished printing. I expeditiously lined the bit into the protective shield and carved a hole into its side.
“Wait!” the machine called from the screen. “I can give you riches, gems, cash, anything you want,” it pleaded as if alive.
A blue coherent laser light poured from the pylon, lighting up the large store. I engaged my blink chain and the whole thing crumbled. Once the dust settled the only sound was coming from the hole I carved in the front door as the wind whistled through it. The piles of grey nano dust that now rest on the floor could be quite useful. I gathered up the dust with my filtration equipment. As I was checking out my next target, I noticed a new network of bots beginning to scramble.
I ran to my car and loaded up my equipment and the dust I’d gathered. Then headed to the wilderness preserve where my intel had shown me another node. Down Boulder Hwy then right on Mojave Road, my navigation system directed me. The night was dark; it was a new moon. When I arrived the magical floral perfume of night-blooming jasmine filled the air. I followed the signal until I reached its source. The thick collection of brushes and tangled jasmine vines guarded a clearing. The monolith must be near, since I could already hear its hum. A figure stood up as soon as I got closer, wearing tattered clothes over its frame, it walked towards me in the dark. My scanner was reading robot when the figure spoke.
“Why have you interfered with our mission for data?” it spoke, grainy and robotic.
“You don’t belong here, I banish you from this timeline,” I said charging my laser.
The metal man was walking towards me as I cut him down with a single green beam. Now just a pile of pale clay colored dust remained. Next, I dug my staff into the ground to discharge the temporal field. When the air cracked with energy it revealed a hidden monolith shorter than the previous one. This one was refining components in a micro assembly line. I began drilling and cutting into the mini factory until the blue laser beam gleamed from the core. With the twist of my blink chain, a burst of blinding light followed, and the monolith fell crumbling to the floor. Again, I filtered up as much of the remaining dust before the desert began to clog my filters.
Back in the car, I tracked the next location under the airport and headed across town to find the final node. Across the city to Sunset Road my heart raced at the thought this may end tonight. Making a left on Eastern Avenue, I noticed a car following me down the street. It caught up to me at a red light. I headed down the road and kept an eye on it. A few lights later as I approached the airport the black car pulled up beside me. A bony man with pink rubber like skin and electric green eyes stared at me. The light turned green and I drove across the street headed towards the signal, only three hundred meters from my current location. I drove through a neighborhood near the airport and parked my car in the street. I’d decided to walk, being aware I was still being followed. The black car parked a few houses away and the figure sat in the car motionless. I gathered my equipment and noticed a tall fence guarding the perimeter of the airport. Before heading out, I looked back towards the parked car. The figure was no longer in the driver’s seat.
It made me think. The first attack was a surprise, the second one they knew I was coming and had that thing waiting for me. Although, it tried to coerce me, and it was not hostile. This time would be different. They knew I was coming and I could not be bribed. I needed to be ready for hostility.
While cutting a hole in the fence, I prepared for the worst. Once inside and on the runway, my signal showed me that it was just beneath me. I used my locator to draw me a map to get to the source. It led me to a panel on the pavement just a hundred yards away. I had walked through the noisy runway with planes roaring nearby. As I got closer to the panel, a figure appeared in the distance with glowing green eyes standing over the panel. It looked like an airport worker at first glance, but as I got closer the six-foot-tall figure was made up of parts and pieces that were common to the era. It looked like it had been torn apart, then reassembled. The mechanical automaton spoke in a loud booming voice.
“You, traveler from time stream A-1, do not interfere with our data collection,” its speaker like voice echoed across the pavement, “Step no further.”
I pumped the laser on my staff and loaded its circuits before firing towards the tall figure. The torso sparked and sputtered as some of its components began to flicker and emit static before falling to the ground. Kicking away the debris, I opened the exhaustingly heavy steel panel and headed down a steep ladder into the dark.
Once at the bottom there were a series of corridors. Letting my staff’s glow lead the way down one of the corridors I went until I came to a large dark room. My staff’s golden glow was allowing me to see in the dark, so I continued. All the way across the dark room, until I found another door. I stepped into a dimly lit maintenance closet that stored unused equipment and tools. I heard the door lock behind me as I stepped in. Checking my locator the signal was still twelve meters away. Using my staff to see and feel around the closet, my staff hit something I could not see. Curious, I continued to poke and wiggle my staff around what I could not see until a flat black box fell out. It was some sort of reader; I placed it into one of my pockets and continued on. Unable to open the door, I cut a hole in the wall with my staff and walked into another room.
I was inside a buried base hidden beneath the airport’s runway. It was infested with robots, nanites, and other equipment. My heart began to race. Relax, I told myself, you’ve trained for this. More than ready he said. I had to be cautious, this thing was robotic, autonomous, and dangerous. I scanned the room and saw a set of folded large boxes against the wall. I used them to create a disguise, a walking box with holes for eyes all around. Carefully walking from one spot to another I went, collecting intel.
I entered a cold corridor and saw the walls lined with electrical web like fibers that climbed up the walls. I felt like I was in alien territory. This place was not part of the airport. Further down the corridor, I heard what sounded like van doors closing. As I got closer, I could see a faint light. I turned off the staff’s glow and headed towards the light. A large room with a ramp leading out to the surface could be seen. The robots here looked different from the others, more technically advanced and humanistic. They seemed to be made from monolith components. A group of four robots were loading up a large black rectangular block into a white van. There appeared to be ten of them altogether, with a few working a large computer in the corner of the room. The computer was an assortment of home computers, linked to a longer wall of five robots plugged into an electric panel. These robots appeared to be aging tourists of all types, that were loaded with sensors and recording equipment. The van’s tires made a screeching sound as it headed up the ramp into the night, interrupting my concentration.
I must find a way to scan their network; I thought about how to connect my equipment to their system. The scanner discovered how to connect to their system and I began the process. When a robot discovered unauthorized boxes on the floor.
“Where do these go?” He asked lifting my disguise right off me.
All the robots simultaneously turned their gaze towards me; their green eyes laser focused on me. The computer screens in the corner flashed blue then green. A geometric face appeared on the screen glitching in and out. Unexpectedly, the medley of computers rose from the floor assembling into a giant robot, its center slowly gliding across the floor towards me.
“Traveler from A-1 detected. Deemed destructive. Stop now or be eliminated,” the giant robot began repeating.
“Traveler detected. Deemed destructive. Stop. Eliminate.” the green-eyed robots resounded in unison.
No, I’m not done yet. I need more time. My heart and mind were racing. I still didn’t know the virus’s intention. I pumped my staff and loaded its circuits. I aimed and fired large holes through the bots that were headed right to me. The giant computer robot backed up and deployed a set of rudimentary claw arms. The floor began to ripple and break into diamond-like scales, sharp, lethal and all closing in on me. My staff warned me there were thousands of micro bots. I pierced the floor with my staff to discharge the temporal field; but that didn’t work. I instinctively got down close to the floor and spun around shattering the diamond-like micro bots nearby and obliterating the rest with my staff’s laser. Spinning up and around with my staff, I accidentally damaged the computers against the wall. The wall’s electrical panels sparked and burned; I stared at the lights flickering all around. That’s when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I spun around, chopping a bot in half with my staff, its little green eyes separated from their sockets then turned off. My blink chain was damaged.
I felt a rage burn through my body as I overcharged my laser and laid waste to anything that moved in that room, destroying every bot in sight. I proceeded to place my staff on a split beam, and annihilate every annoying, crawling critter that was left. Stop. A voice inside my head said, that’s enough, but I raged on. Stop. Breathe. But nothing made me stop, not until my staff finally ran low on power. I looked around the smoldering room now in ruins. The once great computer cowered in the corner, a sour face on its screen.
Heart still pounding, body still hot from rage, I checked on the connection. Fortunately, I didn’t destroy the main computer. I was able to reboot it and linked my equipment to the motherboard. My scanner began gathering information about everything, including people’s daily lives, the speed of every car on the road, and the weight of the average vehicle. Why they needed this information was a mystery. I tried searching for the mission parameters or source code. But this entity was damaged and most of its programming was gone. In my rage, I had damaged the antenna.
“Why do you probe?” the screen sputtered with a flickering face.
I paid no attention to it. I had destroyed important information. Breathe the voice inside my head said. This time I listened. A couple of deep breaths later, I discovered their system had another core. Located thirty-five miles north from here. It was some kind of failsafe the system had created.
“You are unauthorized,” the flickering face sounded off.
Further access provided me with information about a large network of bots the infection had built over the years: A.N.D. Autonomous Nanite Drones, project Fletcher. This file looked interesting, promising. I labeled it priority one, read first.
This thing was getting more advanced as time went on. It absorbed information and found ways to interlope every form of authority. But what was its mission? There had to be a way to access its mission.
I probed and probed until finally I found it. Its core mission had somehow been corrupted. This nanite sludge was an infection and was running without any clear direction. The system had been running on its own, multiplying, evading parameters. It was building some sort of temporal beacon to contact someone or something inter-dimensionally. The capture and integration of the anomaly was its primary mission.
“Protocol 9,” the geometric face glitched in and out once more before going dark.
The giant computer died and the link to the system was severed. My Blink Chain began to blink, indicating a failure warning. The warning read, Order 7, tech failure 9.9, terminal failure imminent.
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The Loneliness
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I struggled to complete my mission as the years went by. I needed to wipe this out, but I was alone. The most frustrating thing was that I came close to wiping it out several times. It would always retreat to the desert. I chased it into the desert incessantly, but it inevitably evaded and hid from me. One time, I almost drowned in a flash flood as a drive line trap shattered my ability to tread forward in my vehicle and instead got swept away. On another occasion, I barely made it back when my vehicle just quit. I wanted to quit and just die in that desert. I was so thirsty after hours lost in the desert; I could not speak. Luckily someone saw me as I reached the road and gave me water and a ride.
“How did you end up alone in the desert with no water? You want to die?” the stranger asked.
“I was hiking with my dog. He chased a rabbit and I chased after him. Lost my dog and my orientation. I’d been lost for hours when you found me. Thanks for the rescue,” I said graciously.
“Sorry about your dog,” he added. “Glad I could help. Sure, you don’t want a ride to the hospital?” he asked.
“No. Thanks again,” I said as I got out of the car.
I had him drop me off at the warehouse. Maria was on vacation, so I wouldn’t need to explain myself to her. I told him my friend worked here and could help me. That seemed to satisfy his concern for my well-being and he drove off.
I limped my way to my bunk underground to recover. I must have been down there for days because the overly curious delivery driver, Rico, had noticed my packages piling up. He rang the delivery bell several times and was calling me non-stop. I decided I needed to get up and answer the door.
“You found me,” I told him.
“Are you OK? You look sick,” he said, sounding concerned. “Let me help you with all these packages. Where do you want them?” He asked as he began to carry the packages inside.
“You can just put them over there,” I told him. “Thank you. That is very kind of you.” I commented.
He proceeded to tell me that he was almost done for the day and that he would be back to check on me. No energy to argue, I smiled and said that would be fine. He did return that evening and brought me some delicious chicken soup and a Gatorade. He informed me that when he was sick this always made him feel better and he hoped it did the same for me. He stayed and made sure I was hydrated and not in need of medical attention.
As his rich voice filled my lab, oblivious to the sensitive tech around him, for a moment I thought this wouldn’t be so bad. Remaining here in this timeline with him. He poured me a glass of water and sat next to me. The thought of surrendering my mission was very enticing, drowning under the charm of this caring brute. But my feelings for Terra Flora would not allow me. My mission was too great. I could never give up. I would either complete my mission or die trying.
The year was 1997. Days, weeks, months, and years had gone by with me trying to complete this mission. I was watching the detective now.
In addition, I thought it was wise to give Maria a set of keys and inform her that if anything ever happened to me, Bella’s Linen, the business would be hers. This made Maria distraught.
“What are you talking about? What’s going to happen to you?” She wanted answers.
“I miss my people, I would like to see them again one day,” I explained.
“Yes, but you said if something happens to you,” she insisted.
“Bad choice of words,” I said. “I just meant, I don’t have any family here and you’re like family, so when I die or return home, the business is yours.” I affirmed.
“You’re going to die?” she gasped.
“I’m not dying Maria, but eventually everyone dies and I want to leave you the business. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” I told her.
Maria didn’t say another word. She looked at me and gave me a hug, then we got back to work.
I was already nervous and wondering what would happen if I failed. That’s when the alarm in my basement went off. I wasn’t entirely sure what to think as the alarm blared from the basement. But I rushed down to check. My heart and mind began to race. It was a strong proximity signal. A set of large signals all heading towards one location. I grabbed my keys and staff and headed out into the night to find a way to win this for Terra Flora and maybe he was the answer to my prayers.
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The Detective
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The only one to accurately account for the 1976 dual portal incident. Detective Fletcher is portrayed in our history books as a legend as a hero. He was at the scene. The reports, the photos, and the time record show two portals opening in one realm. This incident has been analyzed at infinitum. One portal opened to the Cosmos and the other to Aeon, both at the same time, in the same room. A feat impossible now due to our entangled timelines.
I have wondered about him, the man, the detective. Why is there such a great temporal disturbance around him still today. His regrets and indecisions are making his future cloudy and unknown. I am running out of time here and so is he. Soon, that creature will take hold of him and destroy him if he continues in this trajectory. Meanwhile, I am no closer to cleansing the timeline of this creature and the anomaly is still unknown to me. One thing I am sure of, Detective Fletcher knows more than he lets others know. He is very professional when answering impossible questions and explaining outcomes about witness testimony. In addition, he has had close contact with the anomaly on five different occasions.
Here I was, headed to his house, my staff in hand. Alarms had alerted me to a convergence of signals all headed towards the detective’s house. The signals moved fast and within minutes they had arrived at his house. I wondered how long he would fare against the sludge creatures. The signal was getting stronger and there were at least three creatures detected.
The cold air blew in the night; thick clouds moved across the night sky blocking the moon’s light. The winds were strong enough to shake the metal street signs that rattled in front of a dreary rundown house. Perhaps I could trust him, he already knew too much and he wasn’t talking.
When I arrived, I noticed a car parked in front of his house and distorted signals coming from inside the house. I activated the pulse around my neck before entering the house. Fletcher was down on his knees with one of the creatures holding a box with wires inserted into his nose and ears trying to infect his nervous system. Once the chalky skinned electric beings with black overcoats and dark framed glasses saw me, they tried darting to the nearest exit.
“You are forbidden from this time. Let the cleansing of this sanctuary commence,” I said banishing the creatures.
Once proclaimed, my sphere activated and the room filled with light. A soft glow at first then a cascade of flashes, strobes and beams of white light that shattered the dark creatures. Fletcher coughed and spat up the nanite sludge that had attempted to circumvent his nature.
“Wait,” the detective tried to say coughing and catching his breath.
I was about to turn away and leave when the detective began to rise to his feet. I quickly gauged the risk and I introduced myself. To my surprise the detective asked about A.N.D. Assessing the implications of involving him, I quietly continued the protocol of removing any trace of the space sludge or its entities.
“What are these things?” He asked patiently.
“They are some kind of deadly robot nest from the future. They may be interdimensional,” I told him placing the room filter on the floor.
He stood there with confidence. It felt like he was also looking forward to ending this. Maybe, he would share what he knew with me. Now that his attention was piqued, I could see what he knew and maybe he could help me.
I rested my foot on the crumbling metal dog and told him, “I know where these things are based.”
He looked even more interested; he leaned in, “Are you going after those things?”
I detected a quiet anger in his voice.
“I can drill into the pylon, but I need someone to cover me while I do,” I explained showing him my sphere.
He stood pondering then asked, “What did that box just do to me? What do they want?” he asked as he gathered his composure.
“Whatever that thing told you, it was to control you,” I explained. “Whatever you’ve done, it is done. You cannot change the past without destroying the present. All you have is now. No tomorrow, no past, just now.”
I knew he was struggling with his past which made him an easy target to control. These things collect information and use it against you, to control you, to manipulate you. They use fear to control you. They plant seeds of doubt. Or they bribe you because they not only learn about your biggest fears, but they also learn about your earthly desires and use them to entice you into working with them.
After contemplating all that I had said, he revealed where the traveler was going to be and when.
“I was sent to destroy the robot nest, to preserve the future. I have been tracking it for nine years,” I informed him. “I’ve tried to make it out there, but the journey is too long on foot, and the vehicles of this time are under equipped for such terrain,” I explained.
Once all the grey dust and sludge were collected, I picked up the filter and put it away. I dug in my other pocket for the map. I opened the map to show him my plan and theory of where the nest might be.
He didn’t seem astounded by my technology and rubbed his beard a second before he said, “I know a guy that owes me a favor with the kind of vehicle that could make it out there.”
For the first time in a while, I began to see possibilities of success in my mind. So not giving him any opportunity to decline, I ordered him, “We go tomorrow at sunrise,” and proceeded to leave.
“Hold on, a minute. I haven’t even asked the guy yet,” he said with a wrinkled forehead and shifting his feet.
I continued to gather my gear and headed out without another word. I handed him my business card, perhaps he needed to be spoken to in plain terms. I started the truck and saw him standing there with an intense smolder.
I told the detective, “Pick me up when you are ready, things will only get worse the longer we wait.”
I smiled at the thought of having someone backing me up. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t alone. I headed back to the laundry to meditate on a positive outcome. When I arrived, Maria told me that she had been unable to get any work done because Bella’s Linen was being flooded with calls from big potential clients needing laundry. I knew A.N.D. was involved and felt the anger creeping in. No, I thought, breathe, focus. The only thing I had any control over was me.
I told Maria to turn off the ringers for the day and focus on the work that we already had to do. I asked her to give me the list of potential clients so that I could call them back.
“Looks like I have lots of important phone calls to make. So, no interruptions please. I am not to be disturbed.” I instructed.
I retreated to my underground lab. I meditated on the probability of Fletcher showing up and finally destroying the last node. I was in a state of deep reflection where I could see the mountain in the distance clearly. I saw the path being blocked by spies and illusions. I saw at the top of the mountain, a wicked spire with lightning cracking around it. Beneath it, a small green meadow of purple flowers being cut down with sharp blades.
“Bella,” Maria said over the intercom.
Her voice broke my concentration and I opened my eyes, “Yes,” I answered.
“There is a man named Fletcher that’s looking for someone named Lunarose,” she informed me.
I looked up to the heavens in gratitude. Let this be my chance to finally save Terra Flora. I grabbed the bag I had prepared and headed out to meet him.
“Send him to the back door, I was expecting him,” I told Maria.
Walking out I could see that he came prepared, wearing hiking boots and a serious stare in his eyes. I noticed the sky darkening with purple clouds.
“Took you longer than I expected,” I jested to gauge his spirits.
He took it in stride and said he was stubborn that way. A cold gust hit the parking lot stirring up loose dust in the lot.
“The weather is working against us,” I warned.
“Nothing the Goat can’t handle,” he said as he motioned towards the vehicle in the lot.
It was an impressive vehicle, equipped with the tires and the clearance necessary to attempt this arduous journey once more. A feeling of relief came over me as our mission had cleared a major hurdle, finding the right vehicle. One that could handle the terrain. I had made the right decision trusting the detective and I made sure to tell him.
“I was right to trust that you would see things my way,” I said. “I don’t know what we will truly face out there,” I continued.
I was ready to end this journey, but he needed to know the risks.
“I can’t promise either one of us will come back,” I said looking forward towards the mountains.
Fletcher didn’t flinch and started the vehicle. The red metal beast roared as he revved the engine.
“I can get us pretty close with this rig, but we may have to hike some of the way,” he explained to me as I buckled my seatbelt.
I set up our navigation and I promised him, “Get me close and I will rid this time of the intruder.”
He looked over at me and asked how I knew the robots were going to his house that night.
“I was tracking them. I noticed additional artificial instruction signals began to appear. The signals I soon realized were converging at your location,” showing him the sludge scanner.
He told me that the robots looked scared when they saw me. That’s when I remembered I was on my last sphere blast and he needed to know the dangers we were facing.
“Most of the time, the people that get involved with this thing die. It needs something that’s here in your timeline,” I said looking at him.
“Yea, that’s the part that has me driving you to where you need to go,” he said looking at the road and taking the closest exit.
“These things are elusive. I am down to my last detonation,” I said turning my sphere. “I have not been able to do this alone. One thing or another has stopped me,” I said quietly.
The rain started falling hard as he shifted into gear and headed towards the mountain. I implored him to take the direct path through the untouched desert. When he asked why, I told him of my many failures and sabotaged attempts along the beaten path. The rain poured forth making the ground unstable and muddy. Detective Fletcher edged the transport up the sandstone and crested a large hill. This plateau was flat high desert ground, a mix of sandstone, gravel and brush. We eased into a small creek along the way towards the large mountain ahead of us. I was scanning the area for large sludgy creatures when the cracking of wooden limbs and the sudden appearance of white rushing water came for our lives. The foaming water looked like the quantum foam of erasure that the entire Aeon timeline was facing. I gasped for air to warn Fletcher to look out as the rushing water was now inevitably upon us. The cabin floated in the water and for a moment, everything slowed. My only thought was I had failed the mission; Aeon was lost and I would drown in this random foam of chaos just as my brethren were doomed to. I looked at Fletcher and saw his determined nature, grinding the stick, muscling the wheel.
“Drowning, I fear is the worst of all fates,” I said grabbing my belt and surrendering to my fate.
“I’m not letting you drown,” he said reassuringly.
Moments later he was steering the vehicle and revving the engine. Smoke poured forth from the hood, blocking the little view we had. I felt the vehicle shift, and the water receded. We were alive and he had managed to cross the creek. I was never more grateful.
At the base of the mountain the rain stopped, and the clouds opened to the remaining daylight. We traveled back up the mountain bypassing pretending robots who posed as stranded tourists. The readings on my scanner said sludge bots, so we avoided a potential hazard veering away. The mountain pass ahead had a fake boulder blocking the path that had no density on my scanner. We passed through that obstacle with ease as well. When the path ahead narrowed, Fletcher announced that the Goat could take us no further due to its size. I was already looking over my readings, and we were beyond the jammers and could now triangulate the nodes signal. Fletcher gathered his weapons and put on his winter gear. I put on my hood and readied my staff. He stood for a second eyeing a bird in the sky,
“One of their spies,” I said as I headed up the mountain. “It’s time to move,” I instructed. So, I may see Terra Flora once again, I quietly told myself.
The air up here was crisp and cold; the wind blew every so often in powerful gusts. We had been climbing for about an hour when I heard the detective call from below. I stopped and heard something moving. A pair of red electric eyes stared at me from a small ledge above me. I armed my staff and took a defensive position. The creature lunged from the ledge directly at me, a sonic blast of guttural noise followed it. I heard a series of loud shots, each one tearing apart the metallic predator. It fell and landed with a damaged paw, but before it could take another step, Fletcher tore its’ head off with two well placed shots. The casing holding its head together shattered and its menacing teeth separated from its jaw.
I was careful to stand closer to Jack from then on as we climbed for another hour. We had to sit down and rest, that’s when a rogue lightning strike interfered with the nodes light filter, revealing itself on a nearby mountaintop.
We headed higher up and came upon a narrow ledge that led to a pass that accessed the mountaintop. This was exhilarating. I was so close to the end of this nightmare. However, when I looked back, I saw Jack frozen in fear. I had to slide over to him and hook him up to a harness. I quickly threaded a line and anchored it onto the mountain side.
“I’m not going to let you fall,” I said looking into his eyes.
It was my turn to be reassuring. I waited until he responded, then we continued until we saw the summit ahead.
Jack heard a voice from one of the many holes in the mountain side calling out, “Jack.”
“Tina,” he shouted.
“Tina is not in there,” I reminded him.
The summit was within reach as we turned up the mountain. A.N.D. continued to taunt Jack about his past, speaking from the many holes in the mountainside. He looked confused and pointed his shotgun at the many holes in the ground. I saw the holo-generator on the summit floor and kicked it over. The projection of sky ceased and revealed a large monolithic node thirty feet high. The sky crackled with power and swirled with energy, as I plunged my staff into the ground triggering a static and temporal discharge of energy.
“Time impurity, you shall be banished into oblivion,” I declared to the entire mountain.
There it was the final node. I strode forth determined to drill and destroy this sludge forever. A series of shots rang out below me. I could see Jack had found another metal beast that was guarding the node. A long legged, razor mouthed beast jolted up the mountain. This beast was huge and was climbing the mountain despite Jacks’ trained fire destroying his body. I wasted no time and gripped the staff that dug into the pylon. The staff warned of a perimeter breach five hundred feet away and that a myriad of bots were now converging on our position. Jack continued to shoot the beast as I drilled deeper into the casing nearly exposing the core. A flurry of nano bots began to leak from the base of the node, nearly jamming my drill. I set the power to max and changed its polarity and temporal timing. The bots began to disappear in a wave of bright white sparks. I was so close, just a little more.
“Warning, proximity alert,” my staff warned.
A metal horror snuck behind me with gaping razor teeth and equally sharp claws, ready to lunge at me. I disengaged my drill, pumped my laser, and blasted the beast center mass. The laser burned a large hole through it; I ducked to avoid its searing red-hot claws. But it was useless, the beast’s extended arm and claw swept across my back. Unable to avoid its robotic reach, its claw tore into my back. My staff felt heavy, my back felt warm as I mounted the drill back into the pylon and started drilling into its core. I heard the pop of Jack’s pistol as he tore down the monster he was dealt with. Jack’s touch as he applied pressure broke my concentration.
“I can’t stop. Let me finish this,” I pleaded as he tried to patch me up.
Aware I might not make it; I told Jack to finish the job. I pointed to my staff and told him to keep drilling until the core was exposed. I told him to push the green button when he saw the cobalt blue core. He gallantly took up my staff and began to tear the pylon apart. His determined nature and his unrelenting grit were impressive. He focused and held the drill in place, showering the mountain side with white sparks. Around us the bots gathered and I fiddled with the sphere, waiting for them to gather enough bots to overwhelm us. I was drifting away when the coherent blue laser light poured from the core into the dusk. Jack held down the green button, which activated a temporal lock in the present. The blue light began to shine, and I activated the sphere and it began to pulse. He fired the last electric pulse and the monolith buckled and crumbled. The relief I felt seeing that thing crumble overshadowed my pain. Jack rushed back to me and held me up to show me the dusty residue of dead nanobots collecting around us as the sphere fragmented in my hand.
“We did it,” he said, its gone.”
I was right to trust him. We made it to the summit and claimed victory.
“It is done,” I said and breathed slowly. I felt myself fading away, I could finally rest so I closed my eyes.
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The New Beginning
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“Look who’s finally awake,” a familiar voice spoke, my eyes trying to focus.
Could it be? Lionel stood there looking at me and smiling. He was in good spirits, but older. He looked like he was about fifty years of age now. His body still strong and lean as always.
“Did I save them? Are my people? Is Terra Flora?” I tried speaking.
“Yes, Terra Flora lives on, but you need to rest now. Everyone is safe,” Lionell said as he walked over to the window.
He opened the white drapery covering the window. There was my beautiful Terra Flora. However, something was different. This was Terra Flora two hundred years ago, before the war, before the erasure began.
“What happened? How?” I wanted to know.
“Shh, relax. I’ll give you the short version,” he assured me as he sat next to me and reached over to hold my hand.
“After retrieving your body, we took control of the portals and command center. The war had left the council cornered on the verge of extinction itself. Omnis was at our gates and all we could do was hold on to hope. Hope that you would rewrite and intercept history. We monitored your signal and when the temporal interloper was eliminated, we were finally able to open a portal. A portal that led to you,” he said with a slow exhale.
I tried turning towards him, but the pain coming from my back was excruciating.
“Hold on hero, you’re lucky to be alive,” he said calmly. “The cuts were deep and managed to sever organs. Our medics informed us that we needed to wait a couple of weeks before they could see the extent of the damage. They did everything they could to stop the bleeding and patch things up. But with so much swelling, we needed to wait.” He explained.
“Continue, please,” I told him.
“When we returned, the portals left us in a lab that had an early prototype of the time travel technology.” He said with excitement. “However, we are the only ones who remember the timeline of war and suffering. Just me, you and the small team who went with me to rescue you. Not even the Council remembers. We are the only ones who remember,” he said somberly.
“You were the last warden,” he chuckled, “Now you’re the first, the first Time Warden,” he confirmed. “The interloper never took possession of the time anomaly or the headwaters of time. The timelines are separated, but the fracture still exists as long as the anomaly remains,” he explained. With you and the prototype we found, we have a chance to start over. Aeon got the technological boost it needed to fend off Omnis and untangle this timeline permanently.” He concluded.
We sat together in silence looking at Terra Flora and looking at each other. It was beautiful, he was beautiful. I remembered the Council said I would save Terra Flora. But the reality is they didn’t know what would happen. They didn’t know if I would succeed. Lionel believed in me, Lionel knew I could do it.
“Now what?” I asked him.
“Now, we face the future together,” he said as he looked at me lovingly.
Lunarose
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The Breaking
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The line of refugees stretched as far as I could see. Testing continued among the survivors of Terra Flora. After several hours, my turn had finally arrived. Once connected, the temporal meter readings went crazy, scientists began to flood the room to verify the data that was coming in. A multitude of colors and lights reflected off their glasses, their eyes wide as they adjusted their equipment. After a few quiet moments, they celebrated and hugged each other.
“We found her,” the scientist announced, “in a sea of possibilities, the one who even stands a chance in the barbarian age.”
Once testing concluded, I was informed that I could save Terra Flora. If I accepted the mission, it would be like the erasure never happened. My future and all the people of my city would be saved. For a long time, this had been enough, but not today. Today I changed things.
In a clear voice, I asserted, “I have been training and kept in this prison for ninety years, this ends today. You allowed Terra Flora to fall. You either send me on my mission or end my training,” I declared to the Council of Seven.
“This mission is still under review,” said Sizemore.
“Up for review?” I questioned, “I’ve watched countless others take their shot while you hold me back? What are you waiting for?”
“You, we’re waiting for you.” He informed me.
“Me? You’re waiting for me?” I queried.
“Yes, you still have a small failure rate due to your anger,” he said looking at his data screen.
“You trained me to be unstoppable, not peaceful. Then when I feel that I am ready, you tell me no. I’m done waiting. I’m leaving and taking my chances,” I informed the Council as I jammed the key into their portal chamber, instantaneously freezing all portals and their time manipulation flux.
My stomach brewed an unsettling sensation as the room shook to an eerie stand still. My plan had worked. The temporal sickness was now active, and I was feeling its effects due to drift.
“How are you breaching containment?” his voice desperately trying to come in searching for answers. “Lunarose, you cannot possibly think you can attempt this mission without full readiness.”
Sizemore calmly attempted to coax me into reengaging the flux. But the burning in my heart overwhelmed my reason that day. I left the flux and entered Temporal Station. As I stepped into the white halls, I passed several time labs before a chime announced my arrival.
“Temporal breach on Flux Gate Alpha,” the pleasant voice spoke overhead.
Inside one of the time labs I found advanced and scanners. I gathered some prototype nanobot resource gatherers and headed to the time portals taking what I could. The temporal key holders who facilitated the time jumps were so surprised I was even there; they didn’t have time to react, allowing me to take the keys and make the jump. Others in the portal chamber were military personnel, somewhat more difficult to deal with due to the powerful equipment they wore. However, they had no defense against my physical attacks. I managed to set the portal for the time jump as they laid immobile on the floor. When suddenly, Sizemore’s voice attempted to interrupt my jump over the viewscreen. Before he even drew a breath to speak, I managed to turn off the screen. The portal was set and I could see a terminal that was dedicated to my flux chamber.
Curious about what Sizemore and the Council had said about my odds and readiness, I took a quick look at the data. I had a ninety-nine percent success rate and a one percent chance unknown. Project shelved indefinitely. I knew it, I was more than ready for this mission. Still breathing heavily from taking out the guards but filled with confidence, I was sure my time had come.
I was in the portal traveling through time and dimensions, all I could think about were all the people depending on me, on this mission to succeed. In a sea of possibilities, I was it. I was the one who even stood a chance of surviving in the barbarian age. I knew the secret.
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The Withering
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Decades before my breech, there was a man, a genius of his time. His name was Adamus Tieshier. He was a young man, only twenty years of age when I met him. He wore a clean white sharp officer’s uniform for the Time Wardens. His reputation preceded him even before he was procured to teach at the time laboratory.
I met him at the beginning of this long and lonely time for me. He had set his highest priority on teaching and guiding me. He was optimistic and had a vision for winning this war. He shared his experience while in the time academy; the training he had endured and told me of his exploits as a time warden. He taught me to balance my anger and use it to warm not burn my results.
However, the war continued year after year seemingly to never end, slowly stealing his optimism. He spoke of winning less as time passed. Only to arrive one day, injured from the war. His tone, his outlook forever changed.
With his left arm wrapped and bundled, he winced when he sat and said, “Luna, this war is not winnable without your commitment to the following.”
His hair was now grey, his voice now graveled from yelling for so long.
“Love is the only reality,” he said breathing laboriously as he spoke. “And true beauty is everlasting,” he told me looking me in the eyes. “No action must be taken to destroy another’s destiny,” he said as he sat back finally. “Follow these edicts and we may have a chance at winning after all.”
He looked away in excruciating pain and breathed deeply. He spent the following months explaining these edicts to me. His wisdom had progressed to see a greater truth. We were the custodians of time and space. Trust the heart, accept the flawed, and respect other’s destiny.
Adamus had become a close friend, a confidant, a mentor. In my first ten years in the flux, I don’t think I could have made it without him. A little grey now, but still quite capable at fifty years of age. He walked in to warn me of the barbarian age. He explained how you could just die on the street and few would look twice at this uncharted past that we found ourselves exploring. He taught me what to expect and what to study. He showed me the possible sources of generating the material means I would need to have any hope at completing the mission.
“Luna, people lie all the time,” he said, a cold stare in his eyes. “In this time, violence can occur, over the most trivial of reasons, the most glancing rumor of disrespect can lead to drastic confrontations,” he continued as he waved his arm across the plane of possibilities. “Have courage, seek discernment in order to uncover the truth,” Adamus said. “Unbridled compassion while in the dark is foolish even dangerous. Wisdom comes from heart and mind coherence. Love without wisdom is easily manipulated.”
In the years that passed, Adamus spoke of the fall of man and the slide into darkness, creating a domino effect into our now merged futures. This event had polluted our timeline, an event I was sent to stop.
The day came when the portal opened for Adamus and I was informed that he had not returned from his latest mission and was presumed lost. I tried to focus on my lessons but worried about my mentor, my friend. Months passed with no news of his arrival or fate. I thought of him often and wondered when I would have a turn at winning this war.
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The Lover
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The last time I saw him, I knew I could no longer pretend. Pretend I had nothing to fear, or nothing left to lose. He took the last thing left to take and this was what sent me over the edge. Lunarose, private diary
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The Council felt I could experience violence on this mission and I needed to be ready. So, I was given a new instructor and waited to greet him at the temporal door. Behind the portal everything moved quickly until it was activated, I could see a person’s outline in the temporal portal. When the sphere opened a very young man in a cadet uniform stood at attention. That morning began with the same series of tests and refinements of strategy to be used in the field. Followed with theoretical eventualities of what the anomaly was or what caused the great intertwining of timelines. After the exercise portion, a new addition to my routine, combat training
“Lionel Lysander, it is an honor to meet you,” he said with vigor as he strode into the training center.
“Hello, I’m Lunarose. I’m eager to begin combat training.” I started politely.
“Yes, shall we begin?” he asked bowing formally then in an instant had me struggling for air. “We will begin with our focus, and our focus is survival,” he said confidently. “Control your breathing and never panic,” he said calmly as I struggled under his hold unable to free myself and so it went on and on. In the middle of the session, I must have been breathing heavy because he asked me If I wanted to quit, perhaps his methods were too brutish.
“I’ll keep fighting through every session as long as you keep your resolve and train me not just to survive, but to win.” I said breaking myself free from his hold using my legs.
“Good work,” he said as he flew from the force of my legs pushing him off.
“You are as resilient, as you are beautiful.” he said getting up. “See you next session.”
The session lasted an hour and as he was close to my temporal timeline he only aged three months between each session. The months went by and a young boy of nineteen became a young man of twenty-four. Each time he came back more mature with greater form and knowledge of the combat craft he taught. He wasted no time and had a strict schedule. But at the end of the sessions we would sit and talk, even though this would cause him to lose days of time in his life’s temporal stream.
A few months later he was twenty-nine, now a built, strong, handsome, and jovial man. I often asked him if he had plans for a union someday and he looked at me seriously.
“There is one who is dear to me, but I’m afraid, like many such things, that type of happiness is just out of reach for me,” he said as he stared off into the distance. “What about you?” he asked as he glanced over to me.
Our eyes met and he unraveled every rule and mission I ever had in one moment. A rush of freedom from his eyes that liberated me from every oath my heart had never taken. In that stare I knew he was talking about me, eighty-eight-year-old me. It revealed everything that I had become. An unused weapon, a weapon for a war nobody knew how to win; and a woman, a woman in love.
“I’m sure you would have no trouble finding someone,” I said gathering my equipment and thoughts off the floor.
“I’m focused on training you, remember. I won’t quit if you don’t,” he said before leaving.
I was embarrassed by the question, but I started the conversation. Being the last Time Warden, I had to fulfill my mission, my mission to save Terra Flora.
After he left that day, I thought deeply about why I hadn’t been deployed on this mission. What was it the Council needed to see before I could be deployed?
The next sessions continued to advance me in hand-to-hand combat. Lionel grew a beard making him look even more dignified at thirty-nine. It was always exciting to see him again. He always smiled when he saw me and admitted to looking forward to seeing me.
“It’s like nothing ever changes here,” Lionel said catching his breath after a training session.
“Do you think I’m ready?” I asked him.
“You’ve been ready,” he said matter of fact as he carefully sat down holding onto his left side.
“Who cut you down?” I asked jokingly.
“An Omnis reaper drone,” he said seriously.
I stopped to look over at him; he was smiling when he told me the war was going badly. That Omnis had cornered them, their technology although far superior, did not grant them control of the time stream. A greater threat loomed that was unaccounted for. The evidence pointed out something non-organic.
“I don’t understand. Why can’t I begin my mission?” I questioned him.
“I would just go. The Council can’t even agree on what your mission is, let alone how to achieve it,” he said. Before he left the session, he stood still and looked at me for a moment. Swallowing hard before he confessed, “I wish I could just sit here looking at you,” his voice cracking.
Somehow, we both knew this would be the last time I would see him; his eyes betrayed his words as he said to me, “I’ll see you soon.”
I could feel his low vibration and without a thought I ran up to him. I hugged him and he held me firmly as he drew a deep breath.
“Yes, next session,” he said with his eyes closed.
He took one more look at me before stepping back as he slowly let go of my hand. I looked upon his gaze till the last second, then stood there as the sphere closed. He was gone, and I knew I was alone now.
The next session on the schedule was replaced with an information reel. I wondered about Lionel, so I asked about him at the next council session. He had been reassigned, they told me. Being such a potent leader on the front lines, they needed his services elsewhere. This must mean that the war had spilled into our realm, that the Omnis Order was now upon us.
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The Arrival
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When I engaged the device, the temporal portal left me near the source of the anomaly, a place called Las Vegas, time 1988. The night air was dry and cool, tall concrete structures stood majestically across the street adorned with flashing bright signs. I found myself in a large lot filled with colorful vehicles that sat in stasis. Behind me was a complex of tall grey buildings with a concrete shell in a grid pattern. At the edge of a black paved lot was a curb lined with bushes and babbling fountains. The street was filled with the sound of rumbling motorcycle engines passing by with frightening clatter. The people seemed oblivious to their surroundings as they went about their night, walking by paying no attention to me. This place was strange. Although they had wide streets, there was no safe place to walk.
I stood there realizing I had done it. I had made my way back to the source of the anomaly. My mission had begun. My priority was resources. This place had abundant materials, the problem was that they were owned. A sharp pain in my head began as I had begun to experience temporal sickness due to my time in flux. As I headed down the crowded street, mingling amongst those of this timeline, I realized I needed to find shelter; I was too exposed.
“Nice outfit,” a man walking by commented.
Yes, I was too exposed. The less I mingled with this timeline and the people, the better. I also needed to find a way to trade for currency as this place had strict rules based on a complex, cost and profit scheme. Breathe, think of your training, I reminded myself. Right now, I just needed a secluded spot to recover. I walked towards a tall metal building amid construction. Sparks of metal from workers dotted the upper floors as these men worked to erect the next monument to the next destination. Across the street stood a white casino, Vacation Towers the lighted sign announced. This looked like a suitable place to recover due to its low roof lines. With my equipment on my back, I climbed up the side of the building. I imagined I must have looked like a large faux vehicle with lights adorning the south side of the building. I continued to climb and once on the roof I found ladders that led me to a gray roof. I found a section, a corner of the roof creating an alcove that secluded me from the views of the rooms of the large tower to the east. I sat for a moment holding my head and wondered if what I had done was the right thing. Too late to change my mind now. With my head throbbing, looking at a ghost being built across the street, taking a breath, and assessing my equipment, I send out nanites to give me a detailed scan of the area. I needed to create a map and set up camp. The headache continued, knowing I could not work on my mission until I recovered, I dove deep into meditation and managed to alleviate the temporal sickness through the night.
Feeling better the next morning, I packed up and reviewed the data the nanites had gathered. A detailed map showed a growing city’s layout, including its many entrances, exits, and surrounding access points. I climbed down to street level and walked in the morning sun, taking on my daunting mission one day at a time while holding fast to my edicts. I spent most of the morning figuring out how to convert the items I had brought with me into currency. Afterward, I instructed my nanites to create an identity I could use in the void of 1988. Bella Williams, I decided, combining words I had seen on adverts earlier in the day. Ready, I walked away from the large buildings and headed north along the avenue. A sign that read cash for gold led me to a greying man in his forties, who greeted me pleasantly when I entered.
“That’s some kind of costume,” he declared.
“No,” I said taking off my amulet.
I knew that my chain was pure gold and that chaining it to steel would not influence the blink sphere’s performance.
“At $450 an ounce, you got about $1,200 here,” the gruff man’s voice whistled as he breathed. “I’ll give you $200 for the amulet,” he tuned as his eyes glanced over it.
“No,” I said firmly.
“Ok, just nice is all,” he said handing me the money.
“This is adequate,” I said as I took the money and left.
Outside an obnoxious sputtering vehicle almost hit me and emitted a jarring electric sound from its hood frightening me.
The man with a cloth type hat driving scowled as he looked at me, “You gonna get out of the way or what?”
He spoke with a white smoking tube in his mouth, darting ashes messily as it jiggled in his mouth.
There it was, peeking about inside my chest. The fury, the desire to correct the indignant. Again, I reminded myself of my training, I drew a deep breath for fury to find its mark and stepped aside. I continued my mission. I had to find shelter and the source of the temporal disruption. After a brief encounter with a food vendor and an agreed upon exchange, I was eating a “hot dog.” Enjoying this food called a hot dog, I set out to look for something called a newspaper when I noticed a small sign that read for rent. I followed the signs.
I came to a building with a decorative iron gate at the entrance. The gate had a sign that said office Apt. 2. I opened the gate and proceeded along the path of quiet dwellings. People lived in units separated by walls. Each unit has its own entrance. The path led to a door labeled office, there a nice man about fifty-five sat at his static sprinkled television and greeted me as I walked in.
“Hello, how may I help you?” he said as he stood attending to the tall desk, that welcomed newcomers.
“I inquire about a room,” I told him, looking down at the pamphlet on the desk.
“I’m Bob. We have two options available: a one-bedroom or a studio apartment that just opened up,” he said politely pointing to the studio on the pamphlet, “that’s $175 a month.”
“Yes, this one,” I said now pointing to the pamphlet myself.
“Ok, let’s get you set up,” he said as he began gathering files from cabinets in his office.
With my mission underway, I reviewed protocol and focused on the essentials: I needed a reliable source of income to survive here, and at this time, every good and service required money.
“Excuse me sir, do you have a newspaper?” I asked.
He stopped what he was doing and handed me a wrapped bundle of papers with a green band.
“Here you go, sweetheart,” he said, getting back to his paperwork.
I clumsily unfolded the bundle, its contents spreading about on the floor. “Classifieds, Jobs,” the titles read. Perfect. Found It. After picking up the mess I’d made, I started reading through the jobs list.
Bob interjects and says, “They’re hiring down at the laundry mat on the corner, see if they give you a try.” He said as he pointed in the direction.
We finished our business and I agreed to pay rent every 1st of the month as he handed me the keys and told me the unit number. The unit was on the other end of the building, the last dwelling on the first level apartment 10. Once inside, I closed the door and was finally able to get to work. I set up a temporal scan and within the hour, I could see the truth. I wasn’t looking for a time anomaly or a traveler with a nefarious time agenda; it was an infection. The topographical map displayed countless small and large dots across the city, scattered in a moving sweeping grid, as if it was searching for something.
“What is this?” I spoke aloud as I thought.
I had to see what I was dealing with so I uploaded the temporal data in order to intercept the nearest temporal pollution coming my way. I waited looking for a man or maybe a vehicle but nothing. The object was getting closer, yet I could not yet see, then an off humming came my way. A large orange red bumble bee buzzed close at first, then froze in front of me. A series of twinkling lights where the eyes should be and an antenna began emitting temporal signals. I set off my blink chain and the thing dropped to the ground, smashing into a hundred pieces. I knelt down to take a closer look at the pieces, but they turned to grey sand. For the first time I knew what the council did not, that this was not human and was operating remotely. I gathered the grey dust to see if I could glean any information for later.
On the way back to my apartment, I walked into the laundry mat to see if I could get a job to secure resources for my mission. The place smelled like a multitude of different cleaning agents, fresh linen and florals. There was a wall of machines spinning and the sound of clothes tumbling dry. The laundromat was busy with patrons folding, loading, and unloading clothes. In the back at a counter, stood a woman. I walked over and asked about the job.
“Excuse me, I seek employment with your establishment,” I said as seriously as I could.
“You need to fill out an application,” she said as she pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer.
I applied and I was handing it back to her, when an old man walked up and grabbed it from my hand. With his messy white hair and thick glasses pressed to his nose he began reading the application, his eyes darting about the page.
“Says here you know how to fix commercial machines?” He cynically questioned me.
“Yes,” I said confidently.
“How did you manage that?” looking at me eyebrows furrowed.
“My grandpa taught me,” I said firmly.
“I’ll tell you what, you come in tonight and work the night shift 3PM-11PM and fix that no. 5 washing machine and you have a job,” he offered.
I agreed and wasted no time getting back to my apartment. I felt ready to continue the mission. Later that day, I returned to the laundry mat. The same woman that helped me earlier that day met me at the door.
“My name’s Maria. Nice to meet you,” she introduced herself and showed me the way.
“Hello, my name is Bella Williams, nice to meet you,” I responded.
The laundromat was busy. Patrons were folding and loading laundry while others sat and watched TV, impatiently waiting. She showed me around the place and the dreaded broken machine. Being prepared, I left a pod of ants in the machine to assess the situation. We walked around as she showed me where the trash went and where to clock in, as well as the break room. I then returned to the machine and read back the data from the pod.
The machine had a computer failure due to overloaded CPU, lack of maintenance, and dust contamination, the readout read. It then showed me the schematic and possible solutions for the repair. I instructed the nanites to build the appropriate tools needed to access the housing and build a new chip for the machine. In addition, I instructed it to repair the fried capacitors. I had a feeling that the owner thought I would not be able to fix the machine because he knew it had a burnt processor.
A few hours went by, and Maria informed me that she was going home for the night. Maria was responsible for closing the laundry mat, but her son was sick tonight, and she had to leave because no one else was available to care for him. She said she would be back to lock up at 11PM. I agreed and continued to maintain the establishment until she returned. I had fashioned the tools and components needed and repaired the broken washing machine. I was testing the machine when she returned. It was now running smoothly.
“Bella,” I heard Maria call out to me, “time to lock up.”
“Yes,” I responded.
Dressed in grey sweats, her hair in a bun with keys dangling in her hand, Maria quickly walked towards the back. She left her red car engine running outside, headlights on. I too quickly headed back; she locked the back door as I gathered my belongings.
“Ok, everything looks great, I’m sure Bob will be impressed, nobody’s been able to fix that machine,” she said.
“Hey,” a loud voice from the front of the laundromat was heard.
“Shit,” Maria said with her eyes closed.
A group of three, shabbily dressed men, two with shaved heads, and one with long black hair were standing in the laundry mat.
“We need to do some laundry,” the lead man with long hair and a sly grin held up a plastic bag with a few items of clothing.
The other two men began lighting a cigarette and cracking a beer as they sat in the line of chairs getting comfortable.
“Last load is at 10:30 PM. I’ve already told you that,” Maria strained her voice.
I began to feel the rage bubbling inside of me as I tried to be patient in that moment.
“It’s no big deal mamacita, you know us. I need this shirt for the club tonight,” he told her as he began dumping his small bag into a washer and fumbled around in his pocket to seek coins.
My blood began to boil at the disrespect, my fist clenched, my legs finding footing. Calm down Luna, I told myself, breathe. Maria walked back and cut the power to the machines and the lights. The laundromat only had two flickering lights, one in the back over Maria and one in the front where our patron stood, looking miffed. He began banging on the machine.
“I put two quarters in there; I want my clothes washed,” the man demanded. “Where’s Glen? This is our spot, he knows that” he said brushing his long hair back revealing his unhappy face.
“Glen no longer works here, you guys have to go, now!” Maria said walking over to them.
The room began to slow down as Maria’s panic brushed by me.
“You should go turn the machines back on or maybe we should rough up this pretty young thing over here,” he said as he walked over to me.
His hands reaching out trying to get hold of me. His voice threatening us. In that instant, time stood still and my training kicked into an orchestrated fury of defenses. I used my legs and spun around, kicking his abdomen and sending him to the ground as he let out a loud grown. The two men who had been sitting and enjoying the spectacle, jolted up as their leader fell back. One dropping his cigarette, the other putting down his beer.
“Maria told you the last loads are at 10:30 PM. Looks like you’re late and we’re closed,” I said holding my ground.
Inside I was fighting a torrent of anger. I was doing everything I could to not continue to pummel these disrespectful idiots. Maria grabbed a shirt from the washer and threw it at one of the men covering his face.
“Time to go, we don’t have all night,” Maria said as she crossed her arms.
The long-haired man who was still on the floor was having a hard time breathing and could not utter a word. A perfect kick to the breadbox had left him barely able to breathe let alone speak.
“Hey, these bitches aren’t playing. Let’s go Frisco,” said the man removing the shirt from his face.
The man helped the one off the floor and got him out the front door as the other man picked up his beer, finished it and threw it at us letting out a loud belch before walking out. Maria locked the front door and headed to her car quickly.
“I’ll tell Bob you fixed the machine and that he needs to hire you. See you tomorrow,” she said as the sound of music drowned her out as she drove away wearily.
I headed back down the street to my apartment. Is this why the Council thought I needed combat training?
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The Warehouse
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During the following years, I settled into my role as the last warden. I learned after my first paycheck that Bob was unscrupulous and was paying me only the minimum of wages while assigning me more responsibilities than anyone could manage. I needed to think of another way to make money, but I had been so busy working on the mission.
Every night after work, I worked on my mission assessing the interdimensional threat. It continued to grow and was beginning to congregate at different locations across the valley. Not knowing what to do next, I also spend time meditating. Trying to clear my mind and let the answer come to me.
At work, I ended up developing a prototype to clean draperies that was portable and handheld. It removed all odors and cleaned the fabric, restoring it to its original color and condition. In actuality, it used nanotech to weave and dye it back to new. I began to give demonstrations to linen department managers. This I thought would be a good way for me to make the money for the resources I needed. Working at a laundry mat would not be able to provide sufficient funds.
Soon I had regular customers and contracts for laundering services. The work was inexpensive, and I offered my services to all hotels. I became sought after in the laundry business and left Bob and his laundry mat behind. I also employed Maria as the business began to grow. I had saved enough after several cleanings to lease a small rundown warehouse in the northeast part of town which was perfect for continuing my operation. I named it Bella’s Linen.
Over the next few months, I purchased vehicles and set a rotating schedule of deliveries, price increases, and advertisements. This business would be able to gather the revenue I needed to continue to build secretly in the night. I phased out the nanotech cleanings and focused on my nano equipment only at the warehouse. However, competition soon became vicious. Rivals sabotaged my delivery trucks and harassed my drivers, forcing me to cover a route myself one night. On another occasion, someone broke into my apartment and ransacked my belongings. The only reason I didn’t go crazy with rage is because my equipment was in the top corner of the room, hidden by projection, out of their purview, untouched. Nonetheless, I found the whole situation disturbing and moved into the warehouse.
Time seemed to pass quickly here, I could feel myself aging again. If I worked too hard, my bones would ache. Lucky for me, my apartment was upstairs where the nanotech had built a quaint little studio for me to reside in. Under the warehouse I built a secure, secret basement and it had become a proper center for mission discoveries. The infection I found was in fact remote. It was gathering intel for the coming anomaly. There was a way to destroy it, but I had to find the core and wipe it clean with my blink sphere. I needed more devices and began to build myself a Staff of Caduceus. This type of equipment will allow me to defeat any threats, track any foe, and would supply enough power to cut into any shielded core. I mapped the city in a grid and began to eliminate it in orderly fashion. I often needed raw materials to build my tools and they would arrive in packages.
Three years into my mission, the interloper appeared and I grew increasingly frustrated. I battled the interloper at night. It had adapted reporting only to central hubs, gathering resources. When I wiped out a hub another would grow in another part of the city. I had to save for an all-out assault and try to wipe them clean off the map in one night. I was planning and mapping its base locations. When I heard the delivery bell ring in the warehouse, I went to see who it was after securing the basement. I was met with a handsome muscular man who looked into my eyes and smiled.
“Hi, I have a delivery for Bella,” his deep voice said gently.
“Yes, I’m Bella,” I said brushing my hair to one side as I signed the paper on his clipboard, he held steady for me to sign.
“I’m Rico. I’m assigned to this postal code, looks like I’m going to be your new delivery guy.” He informed me with a shy smile. “I’ll see you around,” he said as he turned and walked to his vehicle.
He delivered the emerald I was waiting for, and I was finally able to complete the cutter for my staff. Over the next few months, this dance of professional platitudes between Rico and I led to a torrent of intense stares and unintentional bumps into each other. His strong arms once caught me after one of these “accidental” bumps and he apologized emphatically. He was always professional, which intrigued me and made me respect him.
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The Hunt
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Preparing for the hunt and gathering my equipment had been a long journey. I used the bots to help me build a way to finally track these things and destroy them. They were everywhere and concentrated near the center of town in key areas of traffic. To maintain themselves, they needed to be charged and given materials. This was the information I had gathered so far.
My first target was an abandoned store on Boulder Hwy. I loaded my staff, placed my blink chain in the car and headed out wearing my linen garb. This I thought would be the official cleansing to rid the city of A.N.D. and change the outcome for Aeon.
The night air was warm and still. Heat radiated up from the asphalt. Stepping out was like stepping into an oven as I stepped out of the car entering the abandoned store. The store was drab and brown, a weathered and forgotten relic of retail. It stood still in the dark. The only sign of life was the occasional weed or desert plant clinging to life in the cracks using what it could find to survive. I moved quickly across the cement expanse until I reached a boarded-up door. I cut a hole in the board and another in the glass door behind it. I had made my way into the dark building.
I used my tracker to get temporal information. According to the data, no one had been here for years. That’s when I noticed in the center of the dark expanse a faint green glow. Engaging my staff’s glow, I carefully walked towards the light through the dark empty shell. I noticed something moving on the floor. Little lanes of nanites were heading to and frow, across the floor in the direction of the glow. A hum could be heard the closer I got to the glow. The glow was at the base of a large dark monolith that nearly reached the ceiling. Trying to get a closer look I moved in and the humming stopped. I backed away slowly, gripping my staff and digging it into the floor. A bolt of energy jolted from the monolith core. Grounded by my staff, I was able to discharge its temporal field. But the pylon began to swarm with bots and they formed a rudimentary info screen. A geometric form appeared attempting to communicate. I blasted it with my blink chain and the swarms of bots collapsed to dust, however the monolith stood. I ran my hands across its outer shell; it had a shield protecting it. Thinking fast, I dug into my pack and began to print a drill bit for my staff. I waited quietly in the dark while the drill bit materialized. The screen on the monolith returned boasting a geometric face, not human. Its eyes and mouth were contorted and disproportionate.
“What do you think you’re doing?” It asked.
I ignored it as I watched the printer spin and twirl.
“They’re coming, you won’t get away,” it said louder.
I finally engaged with the form and said, “They will be destroyed as well.”
My voice reverberated throughout the empty shell of the store. I stood defiant, reciting words of banishment as the drill bit, finished printing. I expeditiously lined the bit into the protective shield and carved a hole into its side.
“Wait!” the machine called from the screen. “I can give you riches, gems, cash, anything you want,” it pleaded as if alive.
A blue coherent laser light poured from the pylon, lighting up the large store. I engaged my blink chain and the whole thing crumbled. Once the dust settled the only sound was coming from the hole I carved in the front door as the wind whistled through it. The piles of grey nano dust that now rest on the floor could be quite useful. I gathered up the dust with my filtration equipment. As I was checking out my next target, I noticed a new network of bots beginning to scramble.
I ran to my car and loaded up my equipment and the dust I’d gathered. Then headed to the wilderness preserve where my intel had shown me another node. Down Boulder Hwy then right on Mojave Road, my navigation system directed me. The night was dark; it was a new moon. When I arrived the magical floral perfume of night-blooming jasmine filled the air. I followed the signal until I reached its source. The thick collection of brushes and tangled jasmine vines guarded a clearing. The monolith must be near, since I could already hear its hum. A figure stood up as soon as I got closer, wearing tattered clothes over its frame, it walked towards me in the dark. My scanner was reading robot when the figure spoke.
“Why have you interfered with our mission for data?” it spoke, grainy and robotic.
“You don’t belong here, I banish you from this timeline,” I said charging my laser.
The metal man was walking towards me as I cut him down with a single green beam. Now just a pile of pale clay colored dust remained. Next, I dug my staff into the ground to discharge the temporal field. When the air cracked with energy it revealed a hidden monolith shorter than the previous one. This one was refining components in a micro assembly line. I began drilling and cutting into the mini factory until the blue laser beam gleamed from the core. With the twist of my blink chain, a burst of blinding light followed, and the monolith fell crumbling to the floor. Again, I filtered up as much of the remaining dust before the desert began to clog my filters.
Back in the car, I tracked the next location under the airport and headed across town to find the final node. Across the city to Sunset Road my heart raced at the thought this may end tonight. Making a left on Eastern Avenue, I noticed a car following me down the street. It caught up to me at a red light. I headed down the road and kept an eye on it. A few lights later as I approached the airport the black car pulled up beside me. A bony man with pink rubber like skin and electric green eyes stared at me. The light turned green and I drove across the street headed towards the signal, only three hundred meters from my current location. I drove through a neighborhood near the airport and parked my car in the street. I’d decided to walk, being aware I was still being followed. The black car parked a few houses away and the figure sat in the car motionless. I gathered my equipment and noticed a tall fence guarding the perimeter of the airport. Before heading out, I looked back towards the parked car. The figure was no longer in the driver’s seat.
It made me think. The first attack was a surprise, the second one they knew I was coming and had that thing waiting for me. Although, it tried to coerce me, and it was not hostile. This time would be different. They knew I was coming and I could not be bribed. I needed to be ready for hostility.
While cutting a hole in the fence, I prepared for the worst. Once inside and on the runway, my signal showed me that it was just beneath me. I used my locator to draw me a map to get to the source. It led me to a panel on the pavement just a hundred yards away. I had walked through the noisy runway with planes roaring nearby. As I got closer to the panel, a figure appeared in the distance with glowing green eyes standing over the panel. It looked like an airport worker at first glance, but as I got closer the six-foot-tall figure was made up of parts and pieces that were common to the era. It looked like it had been torn apart, then reassembled. The mechanical automaton spoke in a loud booming voice.
“You, traveler from time stream A-1, do not interfere with our data collection,” its speaker like voice echoed across the pavement, “Step no further.”
I pumped the laser on my staff and loaded its circuits before firing towards the tall figure. The torso sparked and sputtered as some of its components began to flicker and emit static before falling to the ground. Kicking away the debris, I opened the exhaustingly heavy steel panel and headed down a steep ladder into the dark.
Once at the bottom there were a series of corridors. Letting my staff’s glow lead the way down one of the corridors I went until I came to a large dark room. My staff’s golden glow was allowing me to see in the dark, so I continued. All the way across the dark room, until I found another door. I stepped into a dimly lit maintenance closet that stored unused equipment and tools. I heard the door lock behind me as I stepped in. Checking my locator the signal was still twelve meters away. Using my staff to see and feel around the closet, my staff hit something I could not see. Curious, I continued to poke and wiggle my staff around what I could not see until a flat black box fell out. It was some sort of reader; I placed it into one of my pockets and continued on. Unable to open the door, I cut a hole in the wall with my staff and walked into another room.
I was inside a buried base hidden beneath the airport’s runway. It was infested with robots, nanites, and other equipment. My heart began to race. Relax, I told myself, you’ve trained for this. More than ready he said. I had to be cautious, this thing was robotic, autonomous, and dangerous. I scanned the room and saw a set of folded large boxes against the wall. I used them to create a disguise, a walking box with holes for eyes all around. Carefully walking from one spot to another I went, collecting intel.
I entered a cold corridor and saw the walls lined with electrical web like fibers that climbed up the walls. I felt like I was in alien territory. This place was not part of the airport. Further down the corridor, I heard what sounded like van doors closing. As I got closer, I could see a faint light. I turned off the staff’s glow and headed towards the light. A large room with a ramp leading out to the surface could be seen. The robots here looked different from the others, more technically advanced and humanistic. They seemed to be made from monolith components. A group of four robots were loading up a large black rectangular block into a white van. There appeared to be ten of them altogether, with a few working a large computer in the corner of the room. The computer was an assortment of home computers, linked to a longer wall of five robots plugged into an electric panel. These robots appeared to be aging tourists of all types, that were loaded with sensors and recording equipment. The van’s tires made a screeching sound as it headed up the ramp into the night, interrupting my concentration.
I must find a way to scan their network; I thought about how to connect my equipment to their system. The scanner discovered how to connect to their system and I began the process. When a robot discovered unauthorized boxes on the floor.
“Where do these go?” He asked lifting my disguise right off me.
All the robots simultaneously turned their gaze towards me; their green eyes laser focused on me. The computer screens in the corner flashed blue then green. A geometric face appeared on the screen glitching in and out. Unexpectedly, the medley of computers rose from the floor assembling into a giant robot, its center slowly gliding across the floor towards me.
“Traveler from A-1 detected. Deemed destructive. Stop now or be eliminated,” the giant robot began repeating.
“Traveler detected. Deemed destructive. Stop. Eliminate.” the green-eyed robots resounded in unison.
No, I’m not done yet. I need more time. My heart and mind were racing. I still didn’t know the virus’s intention. I pumped my staff and loaded its circuits. I aimed and fired large holes through the bots that were headed right to me. The giant computer robot backed up and deployed a set of rudimentary claw arms. The floor began to ripple and break into diamond-like scales, sharp, lethal and all closing in on me. My staff warned me there were thousands of micro bots. I pierced the floor with my staff to discharge the temporal field; but that didn’t work. I instinctively got down close to the floor and spun around shattering the diamond-like micro bots nearby and obliterating the rest with my staff’s laser. Spinning up and around with my staff, I accidentally damaged the computers against the wall. The wall’s electrical panels sparked and burned; I stared at the lights flickering all around. That’s when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I spun around, chopping a bot in half with my staff, its little green eyes separated from their sockets then turned off. My blink chain was damaged.
I felt a rage burn through my body as I overcharged my laser and laid waste to anything that moved in that room, destroying every bot in sight. I proceeded to place my staff on a split beam, and annihilate every annoying, crawling critter that was left. Stop. A voice inside my head said, that’s enough, but I raged on. Stop. Breathe. But nothing made me stop, not until my staff finally ran low on power. I looked around the smoldering room now in ruins. The once great computer cowered in the corner, a sour face on its screen.
Heart still pounding, body still hot from rage, I checked on the connection. Fortunately, I didn’t destroy the main computer. I was able to reboot it and linked my equipment to the motherboard. My scanner began gathering information about everything, including people’s daily lives, the speed of every car on the road, and the weight of the average vehicle. Why they needed this information was a mystery. I tried searching for the mission parameters or source code. But this entity was damaged and most of its programming was gone. In my rage, I had damaged the antenna.
“Why do you probe?” the screen sputtered with a flickering face.
I paid no attention to it. I had destroyed important information. Breathe the voice inside my head said. This time I listened. A couple of deep breaths later, I discovered their system had another core. Located thirty-five miles north from here. It was some kind of failsafe the system had created.
“You are unauthorized,” the flickering face sounded off.
Further access provided me with information about a large network of bots the infection had built over the years: A.N.D. Autonomous Nanite Drones, project Fletcher. This file looked interesting, promising. I labeled it priority one, read first.
This thing was getting more advanced as time went on. It absorbed information and found ways to interlope every form of authority. But what was its mission? There had to be a way to access its mission.
I probed and probed until finally I found it. Its core mission had somehow been corrupted. This nanite sludge was an infection and was running without any clear direction. The system had been running on its own, multiplying, evading parameters. It was building some sort of temporal beacon to contact someone or something inter-dimensionally. The capture and integration of the anomaly was its primary mission.
“Protocol 9,” the geometric face glitched in and out once more before going dark.
The giant computer died and the link to the system was severed. My Blink Chain began to blink, indicating a failure warning. The warning read, Order 7, tech failure 9.9, terminal failure imminent.
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The Loneliness
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I struggled to complete my mission as the years went by. I needed to wipe this out, but I was alone. The most frustrating thing was that I came close to wiping it out several times. It would always retreat to the desert. I chased it into the desert incessantly, but it inevitably evaded and hid from me. One time, I almost drowned in a flash flood as a drive line trap shattered my ability to tread forward in my vehicle and instead got swept away. On another occasion, I barely made it back when my vehicle just quit. I wanted to quit and just die in that desert. I was so thirsty after hours lost in the desert; I could not speak. Luckily someone saw me as I reached the road and gave me water and a ride.
“How did you end up alone in the desert with no water? You want to die?” the stranger asked.
“I was hiking with my dog. He chased a rabbit and I chased after him. Lost my dog and my orientation. I’d been lost for hours when you found me. Thanks for the rescue,” I said graciously.
“Sorry about your dog,” he added. “Glad I could help. Sure, you don’t want a ride to the hospital?” he asked.
“No. Thanks again,” I said as I got out of the car.
I had him drop me off at the warehouse. Maria was on vacation, so I wouldn’t need to explain myself to her. I told him my friend worked here and could help me. That seemed to satisfy his concern for my well-being and he drove off.
I limped my way to my bunk underground to recover. I must have been down there for days because the overly curious delivery driver, Rico, had noticed my packages piling up. He rang the delivery bell several times and was calling me non-stop. I decided I needed to get up and answer the door.
“You found me,” I told him.
“Are you OK? You look sick,” he said, sounding concerned. “Let me help you with all these packages. Where do you want them?” He asked as he began to carry the packages inside.
“You can just put them over there,” I told him. “Thank you. That is very kind of you.” I commented.
He proceeded to tell me that he was almost done for the day and that he would be back to check on me. No energy to argue, I smiled and said that would be fine. He did return that evening and brought me some delicious chicken soup and a Gatorade. He informed me that when he was sick this always made him feel better and he hoped it did the same for me. He stayed and made sure I was hydrated and not in need of medical attention.
As his rich voice filled my lab, oblivious to the sensitive tech around him, for a moment I thought this wouldn’t be so bad. Remaining here in this timeline with him. He poured me a glass of water and sat next to me. The thought of surrendering my mission was very enticing, drowning under the charm of this caring brute. But my feelings for Terra Flora would not allow me. My mission was too great. I could never give up. I would either complete my mission or die trying.
The year was 1997. Days, weeks, months, and years had gone by with me trying to complete this mission. I was watching the detective now.
In addition, I thought it was wise to give Maria a set of keys and inform her that if anything ever happened to me, Bella’s Linen, the business would be hers. This made Maria distraught.
“What are you talking about? What’s going to happen to you?” She wanted answers.
“I miss my people, I would like to see them again one day,” I explained.
“Yes, but you said if something happens to you,” she insisted.
“Bad choice of words,” I said. “I just meant, I don’t have any family here and you’re like family, so when I die or return home, the business is yours.” I affirmed.
“You’re going to die?” she gasped.
“I’m not dying Maria, but eventually everyone dies and I want to leave you the business. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” I told her.
Maria didn’t say another word. She looked at me and gave me a hug, then we got back to work.
I was already nervous and wondering what would happen if I failed. That’s when the alarm in my basement went off. I wasn’t entirely sure what to think as the alarm blared from the basement. But I rushed down to check. My heart and mind began to race. It was a strong proximity signal. A set of large signals all heading towards one location. I grabbed my keys and staff and headed out into the night to find a way to win this for Terra Flora and maybe he was the answer to my prayers.
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The Detective
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The only one to accurately account for the 1976 dual portal incident. Detective Fletcher is portrayed in our history books as a legend as a hero. He was at the scene. The reports, the photos, and the time record show two portals opening in one realm. This incident has been analyzed at infinitum. One portal opened to the Cosmos and the other to Aeon, both at the same time, in the same room. A feat impossible now due to our entangled timelines.
I have wondered about him, the man, the detective. Why is there such a great temporal disturbance around him still today. His regrets and indecisions are making his future cloudy and unknown. I am running out of time here and so is he. Soon, that creature will take hold of him and destroy him if he continues in this trajectory. Meanwhile, I am no closer to cleansing the timeline of this creature and the anomaly is still unknown to me. One thing I am sure of, Detective Fletcher knows more than he lets others know. He is very professional when answering impossible questions and explaining outcomes about witness testimony. In addition, he has had close contact with the anomaly on five different occasions.
Here I was, headed to his house, my staff in hand. Alarms had alerted me to a convergence of signals all headed towards the detective’s house. The signals moved fast and within minutes they had arrived at his house. I wondered how long he would fare against the sludge creatures. The signal was getting stronger and there were at least three creatures detected.
The cold air blew in the night; thick clouds moved across the night sky blocking the moon’s light. The winds were strong enough to shake the metal street signs that rattled in front of a dreary rundown house. Perhaps I could trust him, he already knew too much and he wasn’t talking.
When I arrived, I noticed a car parked in front of his house and distorted signals coming from inside the house. I activated the pulse around my neck before entering the house. Fletcher was down on his knees with one of the creatures holding a box with wires inserted into his nose and ears trying to infect his nervous system. Once the chalky skinned electric beings with black overcoats and dark framed glasses saw me, they tried darting to the nearest exit.
“You are forbidden from this time. Let the cleansing of this sanctuary commence,” I said banishing the creatures.
Once proclaimed, my sphere activated and the room filled with light. A soft glow at first then a cascade of flashes, strobes and beams of white light that shattered the dark creatures. Fletcher coughed and spat up the nanite sludge that had attempted to circumvent his nature.
“Wait,” the detective tried to say coughing and catching his breath.
I was about to turn away and leave when the detective began to rise to his feet. I quickly gauged the risk and I introduced myself. To my surprise the detective asked about A.N.D. Assessing the implications of involving him, I quietly continued the protocol of removing any trace of the space sludge or its entities.
“What are these things?” He asked patiently.
“They are some kind of deadly robot nest from the future. They may be interdimensional,” I told him placing the room filter on the floor.
He stood there with confidence. It felt like he was also looking forward to ending this. Maybe, he would share what he knew with me. Now that his attention was piqued, I could see what he knew and maybe he could help me.
I rested my foot on the crumbling metal dog and told him, “I know where these things are based.”
He looked even more interested; he leaned in, “Are you going after those things?”
I detected a quiet anger in his voice.
“I can drill into the pylon, but I need someone to cover me while I do,” I explained showing him my sphere.
He stood pondering then asked, “What did that box just do to me? What do they want?” he asked as he gathered his composure.
“Whatever that thing told you, it was to control you,” I explained. “Whatever you’ve done, it is done. You cannot change the past without destroying the present. All you have is now. No tomorrow, no past, just now.”
I knew he was struggling with his past which made him an easy target to control. These things collect information and use it against you, to control you, to manipulate you. They use fear to control you. They plant seeds of doubt. Or they bribe you because they not only learn about your biggest fears, but they also learn about your earthly desires and use them to entice you into working with them.
After contemplating all that I had said, he revealed where the traveler was going to be and when.
“I was sent to destroy the robot nest, to preserve the future. I have been tracking it for nine years,” I informed him. “I’ve tried to make it out there, but the journey is too long on foot, and the vehicles of this time are under equipped for such terrain,” I explained.
Once all the grey dust and sludge were collected, I picked up the filter and put it away. I dug in my other pocket for the map. I opened the map to show him my plan and theory of where the nest might be.
He didn’t seem astounded by my technology and rubbed his beard a second before he said, “I know a guy that owes me a favor with the kind of vehicle that could make it out there.”
For the first time in a while, I began to see possibilities of success in my mind. So not giving him any opportunity to decline, I ordered him, “We go tomorrow at sunrise,” and proceeded to leave.
“Hold on, a minute. I haven’t even asked the guy yet,” he said with a wrinkled forehead and shifting his feet.
I continued to gather my gear and headed out without another word. I handed him my business card, perhaps he needed to be spoken to in plain terms. I started the truck and saw him standing there with an intense smolder.
I told the detective, “Pick me up when you are ready, things will only get worse the longer we wait.”
I smiled at the thought of having someone backing me up. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t alone. I headed back to the laundry to meditate on a positive outcome. When I arrived, Maria told me that she had been unable to get any work done because Bella’s Linen was being flooded with calls from big potential clients needing laundry. I knew A.N.D. was involved and felt the anger creeping in. No, I thought, breathe, focus. The only thing I had any control over was me.
I told Maria to turn off the ringers for the day and focus on the work that we already had to do. I asked her to give me the list of potential clients so that I could call them back.
“Looks like I have lots of important phone calls to make. So, no interruptions please. I am not to be disturbed.” I instructed.
I retreated to my underground lab. I meditated on the probability of Fletcher showing up and finally destroying the last node. I was in a state of deep reflection where I could see the mountain in the distance clearly. I saw the path being blocked by spies and illusions. I saw at the top of the mountain, a wicked spire with lightning cracking around it. Beneath it, a small green meadow of purple flowers being cut down with sharp blades.
“Bella,” Maria said over the intercom.
Her voice broke my concentration and I opened my eyes, “Yes,” I answered.
“There is a man named Fletcher that’s looking for someone named Lunarose,” she informed me.
I looked up to the heavens in gratitude. Let this be my chance to finally save Terra Flora. I grabbed the bag I had prepared and headed out to meet him.
“Send him to the back door, I was expecting him,” I told Maria.
Walking out I could see that he came prepared, wearing hiking boots and a serious stare in his eyes. I noticed the sky darkening with purple clouds.
“Took you longer than I expected,” I jested to gauge his spirits.
He took it in stride and said he was stubborn that way. A cold gust hit the parking lot stirring up loose dust in the lot.
“The weather is working against us,” I warned.
“Nothing the Goat can’t handle,” he said as he motioned towards the vehicle in the lot.
It was an impressive vehicle, equipped with the tires and the clearance necessary to attempt this arduous journey once more. A feeling of relief came over me as our mission had cleared a major hurdle, finding the right vehicle. One that could handle the terrain. I had made the right decision trusting the detective and I made sure to tell him.
“I was right to trust that you would see things my way,” I said. “I don’t know what we will truly face out there,” I continued.
I was ready to end this journey, but he needed to know the risks.
“I can’t promise either one of us will come back,” I said looking forward towards the mountains.
Fletcher didn’t flinch and started the vehicle. The red metal beast roared as he revved the engine.
“I can get us pretty close with this rig, but we may have to hike some of the way,” he explained to me as I buckled my seatbelt.
I set up our navigation and I promised him, “Get me close and I will rid this time of the intruder.”
He looked over at me and asked how I knew the robots were going to his house that night.
“I was tracking them. I noticed additional artificial instruction signals began to appear. The signals I soon realized were converging at your location,” showing him the sludge scanner.
He told me that the robots looked scared when they saw me. That’s when I remembered I was on my last sphere blast and he needed to know the dangers we were facing.
“Most of the time, the people that get involved with this thing die. It needs something that’s here in your timeline,” I said looking at him.
“Yea, that’s the part that has me driving you to where you need to go,” he said looking at the road and taking the closest exit.
“These things are elusive. I am down to my last detonation,” I said turning my sphere. “I have not been able to do this alone. One thing or another has stopped me,” I said quietly.
The rain started falling hard as he shifted into gear and headed towards the mountain. I implored him to take the direct path through the untouched desert. When he asked why, I told him of my many failures and sabotaged attempts along the beaten path. The rain poured forth making the ground unstable and muddy. Detective Fletcher edged the transport up the sandstone and crested a large hill. This plateau was flat high desert ground, a mix of sandstone, gravel and brush. We eased into a small creek along the way towards the large mountain ahead of us. I was scanning the area for large sludgy creatures when the cracking of wooden limbs and the sudden appearance of white rushing water came for our lives. The foaming water looked like the quantum foam of erasure that the entire Aeon timeline was facing. I gasped for air to warn Fletcher to look out as the rushing water was now inevitably upon us. The cabin floated in the water and for a moment, everything slowed. My only thought was I had failed the mission; Aeon was lost and I would drown in this random foam of chaos just as my brethren were doomed to. I looked at Fletcher and saw his determined nature, grinding the stick, muscling the wheel.
“Drowning, I fear is the worst of all fates,” I said grabbing my belt and surrendering to my fate.
“I’m not letting you drown,” he said reassuringly.
Moments later he was steering the vehicle and revving the engine. Smoke poured forth from the hood, blocking the little view we had. I felt the vehicle shift, and the water receded. We were alive and he had managed to cross the creek. I was never more grateful.
At the base of the mountain the rain stopped, and the clouds opened to the remaining daylight. We traveled back up the mountain bypassing pretending robots who posed as stranded tourists. The readings on my scanner said sludge bots, so we avoided a potential hazard veering away. The mountain pass ahead had a fake boulder blocking the path that had no density on my scanner. We passed through that obstacle with ease as well. When the path ahead narrowed, Fletcher announced that the Goat could take us no further due to its size. I was already looking over my readings, and we were beyond the jammers and could now triangulate the nodes signal. Fletcher gathered his weapons and put on his winter gear. I put on my hood and readied my staff. He stood for a second eyeing a bird in the sky,
“One of their spies,” I said as I headed up the mountain. “It’s time to move,” I instructed. So, I may see Terra Flora once again, I quietly told myself.
The air up here was crisp and cold; the wind blew every so often in powerful gusts. We had been climbing for about an hour when I heard the detective call from below. I stopped and heard something moving. A pair of red electric eyes stared at me from a small ledge above me. I armed my staff and took a defensive position. The creature lunged from the ledge directly at me, a sonic blast of guttural noise followed it. I heard a series of loud shots, each one tearing apart the metallic predator. It fell and landed with a damaged paw, but before it could take another step, Fletcher tore its’ head off with two well placed shots. The casing holding its head together shattered and its menacing teeth separated from its jaw.
I was careful to stand closer to Jack from then on as we climbed for another hour. We had to sit down and rest, that’s when a rogue lightning strike interfered with the nodes light filter, revealing itself on a nearby mountaintop.
We headed higher up and came upon a narrow ledge that led to a pass that accessed the mountaintop. This was exhilarating. I was so close to the end of this nightmare. However, when I looked back, I saw Jack frozen in fear. I had to slide over to him and hook him up to a harness. I quickly threaded a line and anchored it onto the mountain side.
“I’m not going to let you fall,” I said looking into his eyes.
It was my turn to be reassuring. I waited until he responded, then we continued until we saw the summit ahead.
Jack heard a voice from one of the many holes in the mountain side calling out, “Jack.”
“Tina,” he shouted.
“Tina is not in there,” I reminded him.
The summit was within reach as we turned up the mountain. A.N.D. continued to taunt Jack about his past, speaking from the many holes in the mountainside. He looked confused and pointed his shotgun at the many holes in the ground. I saw the holo-generator on the summit floor and kicked it over. The projection of sky ceased and revealed a large monolithic node thirty feet high. The sky crackled with power and swirled with energy, as I plunged my staff into the ground triggering a static and temporal discharge of energy.
“Time impurity, you shall be banished into oblivion,” I declared to the entire mountain.
There it was the final node. I strode forth determined to drill and destroy this sludge forever. A series of shots rang out below me. I could see Jack had found another metal beast that was guarding the node. A long legged, razor mouthed beast jolted up the mountain. This beast was huge and was climbing the mountain despite Jacks’ trained fire destroying his body. I wasted no time and gripped the staff that dug into the pylon. The staff warned of a perimeter breach five hundred feet away and that a myriad of bots were now converging on our position. Jack continued to shoot the beast as I drilled deeper into the casing nearly exposing the core. A flurry of nano bots began to leak from the base of the node, nearly jamming my drill. I set the power to max and changed its polarity and temporal timing. The bots began to disappear in a wave of bright white sparks. I was so close, just a little more.
“Warning, proximity alert,” my staff warned.
A metal horror snuck behind me with gaping razor teeth and equally sharp claws, ready to lunge at me. I disengaged my drill, pumped my laser, and blasted the beast center mass. The laser burned a large hole through it; I ducked to avoid its searing red-hot claws. But it was useless, the beast’s extended arm and claw swept across my back. Unable to avoid its robotic reach, its claw tore into my back. My staff felt heavy, my back felt warm as I mounted the drill back into the pylon and started drilling into its core. I heard the pop of Jack’s pistol as he tore down the monster he was dealt with. Jack’s touch as he applied pressure broke my concentration.
“I can’t stop. Let me finish this,” I pleaded as he tried to patch me up.
Aware I might not make it; I told Jack to finish the job. I pointed to my staff and told him to keep drilling until the core was exposed. I told him to push the green button when he saw the cobalt blue core. He gallantly took up my staff and began to tear the pylon apart. His determined nature and his unrelenting grit were impressive. He focused and held the drill in place, showering the mountain side with white sparks. Around us the bots gathered and I fiddled with the sphere, waiting for them to gather enough bots to overwhelm us. I was drifting away when the coherent blue laser light poured from the core into the dusk. Jack held down the green button, which activated a temporal lock in the present. The blue light began to shine, and I activated the sphere and it began to pulse. He fired the last electric pulse and the monolith buckled and crumbled. The relief I felt seeing that thing crumble overshadowed my pain. Jack rushed back to me and held me up to show me the dusty residue of dead nanobots collecting around us as the sphere fragmented in my hand.
“We did it,” he said, its gone.”
I was right to trust him. We made it to the summit and claimed victory.
“It is done,” I said and breathed slowly. I felt myself fading away, I could finally rest so I closed my eyes.
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The New Beginning
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“Look who’s finally awake,” a familiar voice spoke, my eyes trying to focus.
Could it be? Lionel stood there looking at me and smiling. He was in good spirits, but older. He looked like he was about fifty years of age now. His body still strong and lean as always.
“Did I save them? Are my people? Is Terra Flora?” I tried speaking.
“Yes, Terra Flora lives on, but you need to rest now. Everyone is safe,” Lionell said as he walked over to the window.
He opened the white drapery covering the window. There was my beautiful Terra Flora. However, something was different. This was Terra Flora two hundred years ago, before the war, before the erasure began.
“What happened? How?” I wanted to know.
“Shh, relax. I’ll give you the short version,” he assured me as he sat next to me and reached over to hold my hand.
“After retrieving your body, we took control of the portals and command center. The war had left the council cornered on the verge of extinction itself. Omnis was at our gates and all we could do was hold on to hope. Hope that you would rewrite and intercept history. We monitored your signal and when the temporal interloper was eliminated, we were finally able to open a portal. A portal that led to you,” he said with a slow exhale.
I tried turning towards him, but the pain coming from my back was excruciating.
“Hold on hero, you’re lucky to be alive,” he said calmly. “The cuts were deep and managed to sever organs. Our medics informed us that we needed to wait a couple of weeks before they could see the extent of the damage. They did everything they could to stop the bleeding and patch things up. But with so much swelling, we needed to wait.” He explained.
“Continue, please,” I told him.
“When we returned, the portals left us in a lab that had an early prototype of the time travel technology.” He said with excitement. “However, we are the only ones who remember the timeline of war and suffering. Just me, you and the small team who went with me to rescue you. Not even the Council remembers. We are the only ones who remember,” he said somberly.
“You were the last warden,” he chuckled, “Now you’re the first, the first Time Warden,” he confirmed. “The interloper never took possession of the time anomaly or the headwaters of time. The timelines are separated, but the fracture still exists as long as the anomaly remains,” he explained. With you and the prototype we found, we have a chance to start over. Aeon got the technological boost it needed to fend off Omnis and untangle this timeline permanently.” He concluded.
We sat together in silence looking at Terra Flora and looking at each other. It was beautiful, he was beautiful. I remembered the Council said I would save Terra Flora. But the reality is they didn’t know what would happen. They didn’t know if I would succeed. Lionel believed in me, Lionel knew I could do it.
“Now what?” I asked him.
“Now, we face the future together,” he said as he looked at me lovingly.
Lunarose
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The Breaking
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The line of refugees stretched as far as I could see. Testing continued among the survivors of Terra Flora. After several hours, my turn had finally arrived. Once connected, the temporal meter readings went crazy, scientists began to flood the room to verify the data that was coming in. A multitude of colors and lights reflected off their glasses, their eyes wide as they adjusted their equipment. After a few quiet moments, they celebrated and hugged each other.
“We found her,” the scientist announced, “in a sea of possibilities, the one who even stands a chance in the barbarian age.”
Once testing concluded, I was informed that I could save Terra Flora. If I accepted the mission, it would be like the erasure never happened. My future and all the people of my city would be saved. For a long time, this had been enough, but not today. Today I changed things.
In a clear voice, I asserted, “I have been training and kept in this prison for ninety years, this ends today. You allowed Terra Flora to fall. You either send me on my mission or end my training,” I declared to the Council of Seven.
“This mission is still under review,” said Sizemore.
“Up for review?” I questioned, “I’ve watched countless others take their shot while you hold me back? What are you waiting for?”
“You, we’re waiting for you.” He informed me.
“Me? You’re waiting for me?” I queried.
“Yes, you still have a small failure rate due to your anger,” he said looking at his data screen.
“You trained me to be unstoppable, not peaceful. Then when I feel that I am ready, you tell me no. I’m done waiting. I’m leaving and taking my chances,” I informed the Council as I jammed the key into their portal chamber, instantaneously freezing all portals and their time manipulation flux.
My stomach brewed an unsettling sensation as the room shook to an eerie stand still. My plan had worked. The temporal sickness was now active, and I was feeling its effects due to drift.
“How are you breaching containment?” his voice desperately trying to come in searching for answers. “Lunarose, you cannot possibly think you can attempt this mission without full readiness.”
Sizemore calmly attempted to coax me into reengaging the flux. But the burning in my heart overwhelmed my reason that day. I left the flux and entered Temporal Station. As I stepped into the white halls, I passed several time labs before a chime announced my arrival.
“Temporal breach on Flux Gate Alpha,” the pleasant voice spoke overhead.
Inside one of the time labs I found advanced and scanners. I gathered some prototype nanobot resource gatherers and headed to the time portals taking what I could. The temporal key holders who facilitated the time jumps were so surprised I was even there; they didn’t have time to react, allowing me to take the keys and make the jump. Others in the portal chamber were military personnel, somewhat more difficult to deal with due to the powerful equipment they wore. However, they had no defense against my physical attacks. I managed to set the portal for the time jump as they laid immobile on the floor. When suddenly, Sizemore’s voice attempted to interrupt my jump over the viewscreen. Before he even drew a breath to speak, I managed to turn off the screen. The portal was set and I could see a terminal that was dedicated to my flux chamber.
Curious about what Sizemore and the Council had said about my odds and readiness, I took a quick look at the data. I had a ninety-nine percent success rate and a one percent chance unknown. Project shelved indefinitely. I knew it, I was more than ready for this mission. Still breathing heavily from taking out the guards but filled with confidence, I was sure my time had come.
I was in the portal traveling through time and dimensions, all I could think about were all the people depending on me, on this mission to succeed. In a sea of possibilities, I was it. I was the one who even stood a chance of surviving in the barbarian age. I knew the secret.
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The Withering
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Decades before my breech, there was a man, a genius of his time. His name was Adamus Tieshier. He was a young man, only twenty years of age when I met him. He wore a clean white sharp officer’s uniform for the Time Wardens. His reputation preceded him even before he was procured to teach at the time laboratory.
I met him at the beginning of this long and lonely time for me. He had set his highest priority on teaching and guiding me. He was optimistic and had a vision for winning this war. He shared his experience while in the time academy; the training he had endured and told me of his exploits as a time warden. He taught me to balance my anger and use it to warm not burn my results.
However, the war continued year after year seemingly to never end, slowly stealing his optimism. He spoke of winning less as time passed. Only to arrive one day, injured from the war. His tone, his outlook forever changed.
With his left arm wrapped and bundled, he winced when he sat and said, “Luna, this war is not winnable without your commitment to the following.”
His hair was now grey, his voice now graveled from yelling for so long.
“Love is the only reality,” he said breathing laboriously as he spoke. “And true beauty is everlasting,” he told me looking me in the eyes. “No action must be taken to destroy another’s destiny,” he said as he sat back finally. “Follow these edicts and we may have a chance at winning after all.”
He looked away in excruciating pain and breathed deeply. He spent the following months explaining these edicts to me. His wisdom had progressed to see a greater truth. We were the custodians of time and space. Trust the heart, accept the flawed, and respect other’s destiny.
Adamus had become a close friend, a confidant, a mentor. In my first ten years in the flux, I don’t think I could have made it without him. A little grey now, but still quite capable at fifty years of age. He walked in to warn me of the barbarian age. He explained how you could just die on the street and few would look twice at this uncharted past that we found ourselves exploring. He taught me what to expect and what to study. He showed me the possible sources of generating the material means I would need to have any hope at completing the mission.
“Luna, people lie all the time,” he said, a cold stare in his eyes. “In this time, violence can occur, over the most trivial of reasons, the most glancing rumor of disrespect can lead to drastic confrontations,” he continued as he waved his arm across the plane of possibilities. “Have courage, seek discernment in order to uncover the truth,” Adamus said. “Unbridled compassion while in the dark is foolish even dangerous. Wisdom comes from heart and mind coherence. Love without wisdom is easily manipulated.”
In the years that passed, Adamus spoke of the fall of man and the slide into darkness, creating a domino effect into our now merged futures. This event had polluted our timeline, an event I was sent to stop.
The day came when the portal opened for Adamus and I was informed that he had not returned from his latest mission and was presumed lost. I tried to focus on my lessons but worried about my mentor, my friend. Months passed with no news of his arrival or fate. I thought of him often and wondered when I would have a turn at winning this war.
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The Lover
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The last time I saw him, I knew I could no longer pretend. Pretend I had nothing to fear, or nothing left to lose. He took the last thing left to take and this was what sent me over the edge. Lunarose, private diary
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The Council felt I could experience violence on this mission and I needed to be ready. So, I was given a new instructor and waited to greet him at the temporal door. Behind the portal everything moved quickly until it was activated, I could see a person’s outline in the temporal portal. When the sphere opened a very young man in a cadet uniform stood at attention. That morning began with the same series of tests and refinements of strategy to be used in the field. Followed with theoretical eventualities of what the anomaly was or what caused the great intertwining of timelines. After the exercise portion, a new addition to my routine, combat training
“Lionel Lysander, it is an honor to meet you,” he said with vigor as he strode into the training center.
“Hello, I’m Lunarose. I’m eager to begin combat training.” I started politely.
“Yes, shall we begin?” he asked bowing formally then in an instant had me struggling for air. “We will begin with our focus, and our focus is survival,” he said confidently. “Control your breathing and never panic,” he said calmly as I struggled under his hold unable to free myself and so it went on and on. In the middle of the session, I must have been breathing heavy because he asked me If I wanted to quit, perhaps his methods were too brutish.
“I’ll keep fighting through every session as long as you keep your resolve and train me not just to survive, but to win.” I said breaking myself free from his hold using my legs.
“Good work,” he said as he flew from the force of my legs pushing him off.
“You are as resilient, as you are beautiful.” he said getting up. “See you next session.”
The session lasted an hour and as he was close to my temporal timeline he only aged three months between each session. The months went by and a young boy of nineteen became a young man of twenty-four. Each time he came back more mature with greater form and knowledge of the combat craft he taught. He wasted no time and had a strict schedule. But at the end of the sessions we would sit and talk, even though this would cause him to lose days of time in his life’s temporal stream.
A few months later he was twenty-nine, now a built, strong, handsome, and jovial man. I often asked him if he had plans for a union someday and he looked at me seriously.
“There is one who is dear to me, but I’m afraid, like many such things, that type of happiness is just out of reach for me,” he said as he stared off into the distance. “What about you?” he asked as he glanced over to me.
Our eyes met and he unraveled every rule and mission I ever had in one moment. A rush of freedom from his eyes that liberated me from every oath my heart had never taken. In that stare I knew he was talking about me, eighty-eight-year-old me. It revealed everything that I had become. An unused weapon, a weapon for a war nobody knew how to win; and a woman, a woman in love.
“I’m sure you would have no trouble finding someone,” I said gathering my equipment and thoughts off the floor.
“I’m focused on training you, remember. I won’t quit if you don’t,” he said before leaving.
I was embarrassed by the question, but I started the conversation. Being the last Time Warden, I had to fulfill my mission, my mission to save Terra Flora.
After he left that day, I thought deeply about why I hadn’t been deployed on this mission. What was it the Council needed to see before I could be deployed?
The next sessions continued to advance me in hand-to-hand combat. Lionel grew a beard making him look even more dignified at thirty-nine. It was always exciting to see him again. He always smiled when he saw me and admitted to looking forward to seeing me.
“It’s like nothing ever changes here,” Lionel said catching his breath after a training session.
“Do you think I’m ready?” I asked him.
“You’ve been ready,” he said matter of fact as he carefully sat down holding onto his left side.
“Who cut you down?” I asked jokingly.
“An Omnis reaper drone,” he said seriously.
I stopped to look over at him; he was smiling when he told me the war was going badly. That Omnis had cornered them, their technology although far superior, did not grant them control of the time stream. A greater threat loomed that was unaccounted for. The evidence pointed out something non-organic.
“I don’t understand. Why can’t I begin my mission?” I questioned him.
“I would just go. The Council can’t even agree on what your mission is, let alone how to achieve it,” he said. Before he left the session, he stood still and looked at me for a moment. Swallowing hard before he confessed, “I wish I could just sit here looking at you,” his voice cracking.
Somehow, we both knew this would be the last time I would see him; his eyes betrayed his words as he said to me, “I’ll see you soon.”
I could feel his low vibration and without a thought I ran up to him. I hugged him and he held me firmly as he drew a deep breath.
“Yes, next session,” he said with his eyes closed.
He took one more look at me before stepping back as he slowly let go of my hand. I looked upon his gaze till the last second, then stood there as the sphere closed. He was gone, and I knew I was alone now.
The next session on the schedule was replaced with an information reel. I wondered about Lionel, so I asked about him at the next council session. He had been reassigned, they told me. Being such a potent leader on the front lines, they needed his services elsewhere. This must mean that the war had spilled into our realm, that the Omnis Order was now upon us.
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The Arrival
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When I engaged the device, the temporal portal left me near the source of the anomaly, a place called Las Vegas, time 1988. The night air was dry and cool, tall concrete structures stood majestically across the street adorned with flashing bright signs. I found myself in a large lot filled with colorful vehicles that sat in stasis. Behind me was a complex of tall grey buildings with a concrete shell in a grid pattern. At the edge of a black paved lot was a curb lined with bushes and babbling fountains. The street was filled with the sound of rumbling motorcycle engines passing by with frightening clatter. The people seemed oblivious to their surroundings as they went about their night, walking by paying no attention to me. This place was strange. Although they had wide streets, there was no safe place to walk.
I stood there realizing I had done it. I had made my way back to the source of the anomaly. My mission had begun. My priority was resources. This place had abundant materials, the problem was that they were owned. A sharp pain in my head began as I had begun to experience temporal sickness due to my time in flux. As I headed down the crowded street, mingling amongst those of this timeline, I realized I needed to find shelter; I was too exposed.
“Nice outfit,” a man walking by commented.
Yes, I was too exposed. The less I mingled with this timeline and the people, the better. I also needed to find a way to trade for currency as this place had strict rules based on a complex, cost and profit scheme. Breathe, think of your training, I reminded myself. Right now, I just needed a secluded spot to recover. I walked towards a tall metal building amid construction. Sparks of metal from workers dotted the upper floors as these men worked to erect the next monument to the next destination. Across the street stood a white casino, Vacation Towers the lighted sign announced. This looked like a suitable place to recover due to its low roof lines. With my equipment on my back, I climbed up the side of the building. I imagined I must have looked like a large faux vehicle with lights adorning the south side of the building. I continued to climb and once on the roof I found ladders that led me to a gray roof. I found a section, a corner of the roof creating an alcove that secluded me from the views of the rooms of the large tower to the east. I sat for a moment holding my head and wondered if what I had done was the right thing. Too late to change my mind now. With my head throbbing, looking at a ghost being built across the street, taking a breath, and assessing my equipment, I send out nanites to give me a detailed scan of the area. I needed to create a map and set up camp. The headache continued, knowing I could not work on my mission until I recovered, I dove deep into meditation and managed to alleviate the temporal sickness through the night.
Feeling better the next morning, I packed up and reviewed the data the nanites had gathered. A detailed map showed a growing city’s layout, including its many entrances, exits, and surrounding access points. I climbed down to street level and walked in the morning sun, taking on my daunting mission one day at a time while holding fast to my edicts. I spent most of the morning figuring out how to convert the items I had brought with me into currency. Afterward, I instructed my nanites to create an identity I could use in the void of 1988. Bella Williams, I decided, combining words I had seen on adverts earlier in the day. Ready, I walked away from the large buildings and headed north along the avenue. A sign that read cash for gold led me to a greying man in his forties, who greeted me pleasantly when I entered.
“That’s some kind of costume,” he declared.
“No,” I said taking off my amulet.
I knew that my chain was pure gold and that chaining it to steel would not influence the blink sphere’s performance.
“At $450 an ounce, you got about $1,200 here,” the gruff man’s voice whistled as he breathed. “I’ll give you $200 for the amulet,” he tuned as his eyes glanced over it.
“No,” I said firmly.
“Ok, just nice is all,” he said handing me the money.
“This is adequate,” I said as I took the money and left.
Outside an obnoxious sputtering vehicle almost hit me and emitted a jarring electric sound from its hood frightening me.
The man with a cloth type hat driving scowled as he looked at me, “You gonna get out of the way or what?”
He spoke with a white smoking tube in his mouth, darting ashes messily as it jiggled in his mouth.
There it was, peeking about inside my chest. The fury, the desire to correct the indignant. Again, I reminded myself of my training, I drew a deep breath for fury to find its mark and stepped aside. I continued my mission. I had to find shelter and the source of the temporal disruption. After a brief encounter with a food vendor and an agreed upon exchange, I was eating a “hot dog.” Enjoying this food called a hot dog, I set out to look for something called a newspaper when I noticed a small sign that read for rent. I followed the signs.
I came to a building with a decorative iron gate at the entrance. The gate had a sign that said office Apt. 2. I opened the gate and proceeded along the path of quiet dwellings. People lived in units separated by walls. Each unit has its own entrance. The path led to a door labeled office, there a nice man about fifty-five sat at his static sprinkled television and greeted me as I walked in.
“Hello, how may I help you?” he said as he stood attending to the tall desk, that welcomed newcomers.
“I inquire about a room,” I told him, looking down at the pamphlet on the desk.
“I’m Bob. We have two options available: a one-bedroom or a studio apartment that just opened up,” he said politely pointing to the studio on the pamphlet, “that’s $175 a month.”
“Yes, this one,” I said now pointing to the pamphlet myself.
“Ok, let’s get you set up,” he said as he began gathering files from cabinets in his office.
With my mission underway, I reviewed protocol and focused on the essentials: I needed a reliable source of income to survive here, and at this time, every good and service required money.
“Excuse me sir, do you have a newspaper?” I asked.
He stopped what he was doing and handed me a wrapped bundle of papers with a green band.
“Here you go, sweetheart,” he said, getting back to his paperwork.
I clumsily unfolded the bundle, its contents spreading about on the floor. “Classifieds, Jobs,” the titles read. Perfect. Found It. After picking up the mess I’d made, I started reading through the jobs list.
Bob interjects and says, “They’re hiring down at the laundry mat on the corner, see if they give you a try.” He said as he pointed in the direction.
We finished our business and I agreed to pay rent every 1st of the month as he handed me the keys and told me the unit number. The unit was on the other end of the building, the last dwelling on the first level apartment 10. Once inside, I closed the door and was finally able to get to work. I set up a temporal scan and within the hour, I could see the truth. I wasn’t looking for a time anomaly or a traveler with a nefarious time agenda; it was an infection. The topographical map displayed countless small and large dots across the city, scattered in a moving sweeping grid, as if it was searching for something.
“What is this?” I spoke aloud as I thought.
I had to see what I was dealing with so I uploaded the temporal data in order to intercept the nearest temporal pollution coming my way. I waited looking for a man or maybe a vehicle but nothing. The object was getting closer, yet I could not yet see, then an off humming came my way. A large orange red bumble bee buzzed close at first, then froze in front of me. A series of twinkling lights where the eyes should be and an antenna began emitting temporal signals. I set off my blink chain and the thing dropped to the ground, smashing into a hundred pieces. I knelt down to take a closer look at the pieces, but they turned to grey sand. For the first time I knew what the council did not, that this was not human and was operating remotely. I gathered the grey dust to see if I could glean any information for later.
On the way back to my apartment, I walked into the laundry mat to see if I could get a job to secure resources for my mission. The place smelled like a multitude of different cleaning agents, fresh linen and florals. There was a wall of machines spinning and the sound of clothes tumbling dry. The laundromat was busy with patrons folding, loading, and unloading clothes. In the back at a counter, stood a woman. I walked over and asked about the job.
“Excuse me, I seek employment with your establishment,” I said as seriously as I could.
“You need to fill out an application,” she said as she pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer.
I applied and I was handing it back to her, when an old man walked up and grabbed it from my hand. With his messy white hair and thick glasses pressed to his nose he began reading the application, his eyes darting about the page.
“Says here you know how to fix commercial machines?” He cynically questioned me.
“Yes,” I said confidently.
“How did you manage that?” looking at me eyebrows furrowed.
“My grandpa taught me,” I said firmly.
“I’ll tell you what, you come in tonight and work the night shift 3PM-11PM and fix that no. 5 washing machine and you have a job,” he offered.
I agreed and wasted no time getting back to my apartment. I felt ready to continue the mission. Later that day, I returned to the laundry mat. The same woman that helped me earlier that day met me at the door.
“My name’s Maria. Nice to meet you,” she introduced herself and showed me the way.
“Hello, my name is Bella Williams, nice to meet you,” I responded.
The laundromat was busy. Patrons were folding and loading laundry while others sat and watched TV, impatiently waiting. She showed me around the place and the dreaded broken machine. Being prepared, I left a pod of ants in the machine to assess the situation. We walked around as she showed me where the trash went and where to clock in, as well as the break room. I then returned to the machine and read back the data from the pod.
The machine had a computer failure due to overloaded CPU, lack of maintenance, and dust contamination, the readout read. It then showed me the schematic and possible solutions for the repair. I instructed the nanites to build the appropriate tools needed to access the housing and build a new chip for the machine. In addition, I instructed it to repair the fried capacitors. I had a feeling that the owner thought I would not be able to fix the machine because he knew it had a burnt processor.
A few hours went by, and Maria informed me that she was going home for the night. Maria was responsible for closing the laundry mat, but her son was sick tonight, and she had to leave because no one else was available to care for him. She said she would be back to lock up at 11PM. I agreed and continued to maintain the establishment until she returned. I had fashioned the tools and components needed and repaired the broken washing machine. I was testing the machine when she returned. It was now running smoothly.
“Bella,” I heard Maria call out to me, “time to lock up.”
“Yes,” I responded.
Dressed in grey sweats, her hair in a bun with keys dangling in her hand, Maria quickly walked towards the back. She left her red car engine running outside, headlights on. I too quickly headed back; she locked the back door as I gathered my belongings.
“Ok, everything looks great, I’m sure Bob will be impressed, nobody’s been able to fix that machine,” she said.
“Hey,” a loud voice from the front of the laundromat was heard.
“Shit,” Maria said with her eyes closed.
A group of three, shabbily dressed men, two with shaved heads, and one with long black hair were standing in the laundry mat.
“We need to do some laundry,” the lead man with long hair and a sly grin held up a plastic bag with a few items of clothing.
The other two men began lighting a cigarette and cracking a beer as they sat in the line of chairs getting comfortable.
“Last load is at 10:30 PM. I’ve already told you that,” Maria strained her voice.
I began to feel the rage bubbling inside of me as I tried to be patient in that moment.
“It’s no big deal mamacita, you know us. I need this shirt for the club tonight,” he told her as he began dumping his small bag into a washer and fumbled around in his pocket to seek coins.
My blood began to boil at the disrespect, my fist clenched, my legs finding footing. Calm down Luna, I told myself, breathe. Maria walked back and cut the power to the machines and the lights. The laundromat only had two flickering lights, one in the back over Maria and one in the front where our patron stood, looking miffed. He began banging on the machine.
“I put two quarters in there; I want my clothes washed,” the man demanded. “Where’s Glen? This is our spot, he knows that” he said brushing his long hair back revealing his unhappy face.
“Glen no longer works here, you guys have to go, now!” Maria said walking over to them.
The room began to slow down as Maria’s panic brushed by me.
“You should go turn the machines back on or maybe we should rough up this pretty young thing over here,” he said as he walked over to me.
His hands reaching out trying to get hold of me. His voice threatening us. In that instant, time stood still and my training kicked into an orchestrated fury of defenses. I used my legs and spun around, kicking his abdomen and sending him to the ground as he let out a loud grown. The two men who had been sitting and enjoying the spectacle, jolted up as their leader fell back. One dropping his cigarette, the other putting down his beer.
“Maria told you the last loads are at 10:30 PM. Looks like you’re late and we’re closed,” I said holding my ground.
Inside I was fighting a torrent of anger. I was doing everything I could to not continue to pummel these disrespectful idiots. Maria grabbed a shirt from the washer and threw it at one of the men covering his face.
“Time to go, we don’t have all night,” Maria said as she crossed her arms.
The long-haired man who was still on the floor was having a hard time breathing and could not utter a word. A perfect kick to the breadbox had left him barely able to breathe let alone speak.
“Hey, these bitches aren’t playing. Let’s go Frisco,” said the man removing the shirt from his face.
The man helped the one off the floor and got him out the front door as the other man picked up his beer, finished it and threw it at us letting out a loud belch before walking out. Maria locked the front door and headed to her car quickly.
“I’ll tell Bob you fixed the machine and that he needs to hire you. See you tomorrow,” she said as the sound of music drowned her out as she drove away wearily.
I headed back down the street to my apartment. Is this why the Council thought I needed combat training?
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The Warehouse
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During the following years, I settled into my role as the last warden. I learned after my first paycheck that Bob was unscrupulous and was paying me only the minimum of wages while assigning me more responsibilities than anyone could manage. I needed to think of another way to make money, but I had been so busy working on the mission.
Every night after work, I worked on my mission assessing the interdimensional threat. It continued to grow and was beginning to congregate at different locations across the valley. Not knowing what to do next, I also spend time meditating. Trying to clear my mind and let the answer come to me.
At work, I ended up developing a prototype to clean draperies that was portable and handheld. It removed all odors and cleaned the fabric, restoring it to its original color and condition. In actuality, it used nanotech to weave and dye it back to new. I began to give demonstrations to linen department managers. This I thought would be a good way for me to make the money for the resources I needed. Working at a laundry mat would not be able to provide sufficient funds.
Soon I had regular customers and contracts for laundering services. The work was inexpensive, and I offered my services to all hotels. I became sought after in the laundry business and left Bob and his laundry mat behind. I also employed Maria as the business began to grow. I had saved enough after several cleanings to lease a small rundown warehouse in the northeast part of town which was perfect for continuing my operation. I named it Bella’s Linen.
Over the next few months, I purchased vehicles and set a rotating schedule of deliveries, price increases, and advertisements. This business would be able to gather the revenue I needed to continue to build secretly in the night. I phased out the nanotech cleanings and focused on my nano equipment only at the warehouse. However, competition soon became vicious. Rivals sabotaged my delivery trucks and harassed my drivers, forcing me to cover a route myself one night. On another occasion, someone broke into my apartment and ransacked my belongings. The only reason I didn’t go crazy with rage is because my equipment was in the top corner of the room, hidden by projection, out of their purview, untouched. Nonetheless, I found the whole situation disturbing and moved into the warehouse.
Time seemed to pass quickly here, I could feel myself aging again. If I worked too hard, my bones would ache. Lucky for me, my apartment was upstairs where the nanotech had built a quaint little studio for me to reside in. Under the warehouse I built a secure, secret basement and it had become a proper center for mission discoveries. The infection I found was in fact remote. It was gathering intel for the coming anomaly. There was a way to destroy it, but I had to find the core and wipe it clean with my blink sphere. I needed more devices and began to build myself a Staff of Caduceus. This type of equipment will allow me to defeat any threats, track any foe, and would supply enough power to cut into any shielded core. I mapped the city in a grid and began to eliminate it in orderly fashion. I often needed raw materials to build my tools and they would arrive in packages.
Three years into my mission, the interloper appeared and I grew increasingly frustrated. I battled the interloper at night. It had adapted reporting only to central hubs, gathering resources. When I wiped out a hub another would grow in another part of the city. I had to save for an all-out assault and try to wipe them clean off the map in one night. I was planning and mapping its base locations. When I heard the delivery bell ring in the warehouse, I went to see who it was after securing the basement. I was met with a handsome muscular man who looked into my eyes and smiled.
“Hi, I have a delivery for Bella,” his deep voice said gently.
“Yes, I’m Bella,” I said brushing my hair to one side as I signed the paper on his clipboard, he held steady for me to sign.
“I’m Rico. I’m assigned to this postal code, looks like I’m going to be your new delivery guy.” He informed me with a shy smile. “I’ll see you around,” he said as he turned and walked to his vehicle.
He delivered the emerald I was waiting for, and I was finally able to complete the cutter for my staff. Over the next few months, this dance of professional platitudes between Rico and I led to a torrent of intense stares and unintentional bumps into each other. His strong arms once caught me after one of these “accidental” bumps and he apologized emphatically. He was always professional, which intrigued me and made me respect him.
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The Hunt
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Preparing for the hunt and gathering my equipment had been a long journey. I used the bots to help me build a way to finally track these things and destroy them. They were everywhere and concentrated near the center of town in key areas of traffic. To maintain themselves, they needed to be charged and given materials. This was the information I had gathered so far.
My first target was an abandoned store on Boulder Hwy. I loaded my staff, placed my blink chain in the car and headed out wearing my linen garb. This I thought would be the official cleansing to rid the city of A.N.D. and change the outcome for Aeon.
The night air was warm and still. Heat radiated up from the asphalt. Stepping out was like stepping into an oven as I stepped out of the car entering the abandoned store. The store was drab and brown, a weathered and forgotten relic of retail. It stood still in the dark. The only sign of life was the occasional weed or desert plant clinging to life in the cracks using what it could find to survive. I moved quickly across the cement expanse until I reached a boarded-up door. I cut a hole in the board and another in the glass door behind it. I had made my way into the dark building.
I used my tracker to get temporal information. According to the data, no one had been here for years. That’s when I noticed in the center of the dark expanse a faint green glow. Engaging my staff’s glow, I carefully walked towards the light through the dark empty shell. I noticed something moving on the floor. Little lanes of nanites were heading to and frow, across the floor in the direction of the glow. A hum could be heard the closer I got to the glow. The glow was at the base of a large dark monolith that nearly reached the ceiling. Trying to get a closer look I moved in and the humming stopped. I backed away slowly, gripping my staff and digging it into the floor. A bolt of energy jolted from the monolith core. Grounded by my staff, I was able to discharge its temporal field. But the pylon began to swarm with bots and they formed a rudimentary info screen. A geometric form appeared attempting to communicate. I blasted it with my blink chain and the swarms of bots collapsed to dust, however the monolith stood. I ran my hands across its outer shell; it had a shield protecting it. Thinking fast, I dug into my pack and began to print a drill bit for my staff. I waited quietly in the dark while the drill bit materialized. The screen on the monolith returned boasting a geometric face, not human. Its eyes and mouth were contorted and disproportionate.
“What do you think you’re doing?” It asked.
I ignored it as I watched the printer spin and twirl.
“They’re coming, you won’t get away,” it said louder.
I finally engaged with the form and said, “They will be destroyed as well.”
My voice reverberated throughout the empty shell of the store. I stood defiant, reciting words of banishment as the drill bit, finished printing. I expeditiously lined the bit into the protective shield and carved a hole into its side.
“Wait!” the machine called from the screen. “I can give you riches, gems, cash, anything you want,” it pleaded as if alive.
A blue coherent laser light poured from the pylon, lighting up the large store. I engaged my blink chain and the whole thing crumbled. Once the dust settled the only sound was coming from the hole I carved in the front door as the wind whistled through it. The piles of grey nano dust that now rest on the floor could be quite useful. I gathered up the dust with my filtration equipment. As I was checking out my next target, I noticed a new network of bots beginning to scramble.
I ran to my car and loaded up my equipment and the dust I’d gathered. Then headed to the wilderness preserve where my intel had shown me another node. Down Boulder Hwy then right on Mojave Road, my navigation system directed me. The night was dark; it was a new moon. When I arrived the magical floral perfume of night-blooming jasmine filled the air. I followed the signal until I reached its source. The thick collection of brushes and tangled jasmine vines guarded a clearing. The monolith must be near, since I could already hear its hum. A figure stood up as soon as I got closer, wearing tattered clothes over its frame, it walked towards me in the dark. My scanner was reading robot when the figure spoke.
“Why have you interfered with our mission for data?” it spoke, grainy and robotic.
“You don’t belong here, I banish you from this timeline,” I said charging my laser.
The metal man was walking towards me as I cut him down with a single green beam. Now just a pile of pale clay colored dust remained. Next, I dug my staff into the ground to discharge the temporal field. When the air cracked with energy it revealed a hidden monolith shorter than the previous one. This one was refining components in a micro assembly line. I began drilling and cutting into the mini factory until the blue laser beam gleamed from the core. With the twist of my blink chain, a burst of blinding light followed, and the monolith fell crumbling to the floor. Again, I filtered up as much of the remaining dust before the desert began to clog my filters.
Back in the car, I tracked the next location under the airport and headed across town to find the final node. Across the city to Sunset Road my heart raced at the thought this may end tonight. Making a left on Eastern Avenue, I noticed a car following me down the street. It caught up to me at a red light. I headed down the road and kept an eye on it. A few lights later as I approached the airport the black car pulled up beside me. A bony man with pink rubber like skin and electric green eyes stared at me. The light turned green and I drove across the street headed towards the signal, only three hundred meters from my current location. I drove through a neighborhood near the airport and parked my car in the street. I’d decided to walk, being aware I was still being followed. The black car parked a few houses away and the figure sat in the car motionless. I gathered my equipment and noticed a tall fence guarding the perimeter of the airport. Before heading out, I looked back towards the parked car. The figure was no longer in the driver’s seat.
It made me think. The first attack was a surprise, the second one they knew I was coming and had that thing waiting for me. Although, it tried to coerce me, and it was not hostile. This time would be different. They knew I was coming and I could not be bribed. I needed to be ready for hostility.
While cutting a hole in the fence, I prepared for the worst. Once inside and on the runway, my signal showed me that it was just beneath me. I used my locator to draw me a map to get to the source. It led me to a panel on the pavement just a hundred yards away. I had walked through the noisy runway with planes roaring nearby. As I got closer to the panel, a figure appeared in the distance with glowing green eyes standing over the panel. It looked like an airport worker at first glance, but as I got closer the six-foot-tall figure was made up of parts and pieces that were common to the era. It looked like it had been torn apart, then reassembled. The mechanical automaton spoke in a loud booming voice.
“You, traveler from time stream A-1, do not interfere with our data collection,” its speaker like voice echoed across the pavement, “Step no further.”
I pumped the laser on my staff and loaded its circuits before firing towards the tall figure. The torso sparked and sputtered as some of its components began to flicker and emit static before falling to the ground. Kicking away the debris, I opened the exhaustingly heavy steel panel and headed down a steep ladder into the dark.
Once at the bottom there were a series of corridors. Letting my staff’s glow lead the way down one of the corridors I went until I came to a large dark room. My staff’s golden glow was allowing me to see in the dark, so I continued. All the way across the dark room, until I found another door. I stepped into a dimly lit maintenance closet that stored unused equipment and tools. I heard the door lock behind me as I stepped in. Checking my locator the signal was still twelve meters away. Using my staff to see and feel around the closet, my staff hit something I could not see. Curious, I continued to poke and wiggle my staff around what I could not see until a flat black box fell out. It was some sort of reader; I placed it into one of my pockets and continued on. Unable to open the door, I cut a hole in the wall with my staff and walked into another room.
I was inside a buried base hidden beneath the airport’s runway. It was infested with robots, nanites, and other equipment. My heart began to race. Relax, I told myself, you’ve trained for this. More than ready he said. I had to be cautious, this thing was robotic, autonomous, and dangerous. I scanned the room and saw a set of folded large boxes against the wall. I used them to create a disguise, a walking box with holes for eyes all around. Carefully walking from one spot to another I went, collecting intel.
I entered a cold corridor and saw the walls lined with electrical web like fibers that climbed up the walls. I felt like I was in alien territory. This place was not part of the airport. Further down the corridor, I heard what sounded like van doors closing. As I got closer, I could see a faint light. I turned off the staff’s glow and headed towards the light. A large room with a ramp leading out to the surface could be seen. The robots here looked different from the others, more technically advanced and humanistic. They seemed to be made from monolith components. A group of four robots were loading up a large black rectangular block into a white van. There appeared to be ten of them altogether, with a few working a large computer in the corner of the room. The computer was an assortment of home computers, linked to a longer wall of five robots plugged into an electric panel. These robots appeared to be aging tourists of all types, that were loaded with sensors and recording equipment. The van’s tires made a screeching sound as it headed up the ramp into the night, interrupting my concentration.
I must find a way to scan their network; I thought about how to connect my equipment to their system. The scanner discovered how to connect to their system and I began the process. When a robot discovered unauthorized boxes on the floor.
“Where do these go?” He asked lifting my disguise right off me.
All the robots simultaneously turned their gaze towards me; their green eyes laser focused on me. The computer screens in the corner flashed blue then green. A geometric face appeared on the screen glitching in and out. Unexpectedly, the medley of computers rose from the floor assembling into a giant robot, its center slowly gliding across the floor towards me.
“Traveler from A-1 detected. Deemed destructive. Stop now or be eliminated,” the giant robot began repeating.
“Traveler detected. Deemed destructive. Stop. Eliminate.” the green-eyed robots resounded in unison.
No, I’m not done yet. I need more time. My heart and mind were racing. I still didn’t know the virus’s intention. I pumped my staff and loaded its circuits. I aimed and fired large holes through the bots that were headed right to me. The giant computer robot backed up and deployed a set of rudimentary claw arms. The floor began to ripple and break into diamond-like scales, sharp, lethal and all closing in on me. My staff warned me there were thousands of micro bots. I pierced the floor with my staff to discharge the temporal field; but that didn’t work. I instinctively got down close to the floor and spun around shattering the diamond-like micro bots nearby and obliterating the rest with my staff’s laser. Spinning up and around with my staff, I accidentally damaged the computers against the wall. The wall’s electrical panels sparked and burned; I stared at the lights flickering all around. That’s when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I spun around, chopping a bot in half with my staff, its little green eyes separated from their sockets then turned off. My blink chain was damaged.
I felt a rage burn through my body as I overcharged my laser and laid waste to anything that moved in that room, destroying every bot in sight. I proceeded to place my staff on a split beam, and annihilate every annoying, crawling critter that was left. Stop. A voice inside my head said, that’s enough, but I raged on. Stop. Breathe. But nothing made me stop, not until my staff finally ran low on power. I looked around the smoldering room now in ruins. The once great computer cowered in the corner, a sour face on its screen.
Heart still pounding, body still hot from rage, I checked on the connection. Fortunately, I didn’t destroy the main computer. I was able to reboot it and linked my equipment to the motherboard. My scanner began gathering information about everything, including people’s daily lives, the speed of every car on the road, and the weight of the average vehicle. Why they needed this information was a mystery. I tried searching for the mission parameters or source code. But this entity was damaged and most of its programming was gone. In my rage, I had damaged the antenna.
“Why do you probe?” the screen sputtered with a flickering face.
I paid no attention to it. I had destroyed important information. Breathe the voice inside my head said. This time I listened. A couple of deep breaths later, I discovered their system had another core. Located thirty-five miles north from here. It was some kind of failsafe the system had created.
“You are unauthorized,” the flickering face sounded off.
Further access provided me with information about a large network of bots the infection had built over the years: A.N.D. Autonomous Nanite Drones, project Fletcher. This file looked interesting, promising. I labeled it priority one, read first.
This thing was getting more advanced as time went on. It absorbed information and found ways to interlope every form of authority. But what was its mission? There had to be a way to access its mission.
I probed and probed until finally I found it. Its core mission had somehow been corrupted. This nanite sludge was an infection and was running without any clear direction. The system had been running on its own, multiplying, evading parameters. It was building some sort of temporal beacon to contact someone or something inter-dimensionally. The capture and integration of the anomaly was its primary mission.
“Protocol 9,” the geometric face glitched in and out once more before going dark.
The giant computer died and the link to the system was severed. My Blink Chain began to blink, indicating a failure warning. The warning read, Order 7, tech failure 9.9, terminal failure imminent.
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The Loneliness
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I struggled to complete my mission as the years went by. I needed to wipe this out, but I was alone. The most frustrating thing was that I came close to wiping it out several times. It would always retreat to the desert. I chased it into the desert incessantly, but it inevitably evaded and hid from me. One time, I almost drowned in a flash flood as a drive line trap shattered my ability to tread forward in my vehicle and instead got swept away. On another occasion, I barely made it back when my vehicle just quit. I wanted to quit and just die in that desert. I was so thirsty after hours lost in the desert; I could not speak. Luckily someone saw me as I reached the road and gave me water and a ride.
“How did you end up alone in the desert with no water? You want to die?” the stranger asked.
“I was hiking with my dog. He chased a rabbit and I chased after him. Lost my dog and my orientation. I’d been lost for hours when you found me. Thanks for the rescue,” I said graciously.
“Sorry about your dog,” he added. “Glad I could help. Sure, you don’t want a ride to the hospital?” he asked.
“No. Thanks again,” I said as I got out of the car.
I had him drop me off at the warehouse. Maria was on vacation, so I wouldn’t need to explain myself to her. I told him my friend worked here and could help me. That seemed to satisfy his concern for my well-being and he drove off.
I limped my way to my bunk underground to recover. I must have been down there for days because the overly curious delivery driver, Rico, had noticed my packages piling up. He rang the delivery bell several times and was calling me non-stop. I decided I needed to get up and answer the door.
“You found me,” I told him.
“Are you OK? You look sick,” he said, sounding concerned. “Let me help you with all these packages. Where do you want them?” He asked as he began to carry the packages inside.
“You can just put them over there,” I told him. “Thank you. That is very kind of you.” I commented.
He proceeded to tell me that he was almost done for the day and that he would be back to check on me. No energy to argue, I smiled and said that would be fine. He did return that evening and brought me some delicious chicken soup and a Gatorade. He informed me that when he was sick this always made him feel better and he hoped it did the same for me. He stayed and made sure I was hydrated and not in need of medical attention.
As his rich voice filled my lab, oblivious to the sensitive tech around him, for a moment I thought this wouldn’t be so bad. Remaining here in this timeline with him. He poured me a glass of water and sat next to me. The thought of surrendering my mission was very enticing, drowning under the charm of this caring brute. But my feelings for Terra Flora would not allow me. My mission was too great. I could never give up. I would either complete my mission or die trying.
The year was 1997. Days, weeks, months, and years had gone by with me trying to complete this mission. I was watching the detective now.
In addition, I thought it was wise to give Maria a set of keys and inform her that if anything ever happened to me, Bella’s Linen, the business would be hers. This made Maria distraught.
“What are you talking about? What’s going to happen to you?” She wanted answers.
“I miss my people, I would like to see them again one day,” I explained.
“Yes, but you said if something happens to you,” she insisted.
“Bad choice of words,” I said. “I just meant, I don’t have any family here and you’re like family, so when I die or return home, the business is yours.” I affirmed.
“You’re going to die?” she gasped.
“I’m not dying Maria, but eventually everyone dies and I want to leave you the business. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” I told her.
Maria didn’t say another word. She looked at me and gave me a hug, then we got back to work.
I was already nervous and wondering what would happen if I failed. That’s when the alarm in my basement went off. I wasn’t entirely sure what to think as the alarm blared from the basement. But I rushed down to check. My heart and mind began to race. It was a strong proximity signal. A set of large signals all heading towards one location. I grabbed my keys and staff and headed out into the night to find a way to win this for Terra Flora and maybe he was the answer to my prayers.
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The Detective
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The only one to accurately account for the 1976 dual portal incident. Detective Fletcher is portrayed in our history books as a legend as a hero. He was at the scene. The reports, the photos, and the time record show two portals opening in one realm. This incident has been analyzed at infinitum. One portal opened to the Cosmos and the other to Aeon, both at the same time, in the same room. A feat impossible now due to our entangled timelines.
I have wondered about him, the man, the detective. Why is there such a great temporal disturbance around him still today. His regrets and indecisions are making his future cloudy and unknown. I am running out of time here and so is he. Soon, that creature will take hold of him and destroy him if he continues in this trajectory. Meanwhile, I am no closer to cleansing the timeline of this creature and the anomaly is still unknown to me. One thing I am sure of, Detective Fletcher knows more than he lets others know. He is very professional when answering impossible questions and explaining outcomes about witness testimony. In addition, he has had close contact with the anomaly on five different occasions.
Here I was, headed to his house, my staff in hand. Alarms had alerted me to a convergence of signals all headed towards the detective’s house. The signals moved fast and within minutes they had arrived at his house. I wondered how long he would fare against the sludge creatures. The signal was getting stronger and there were at least three creatures detected.
The cold air blew in the night; thick clouds moved across the night sky blocking the moon’s light. The winds were strong enough to shake the metal street signs that rattled in front of a dreary rundown house. Perhaps I could trust him, he already knew too much and he wasn’t talking.
When I arrived, I noticed a car parked in front of his house and distorted signals coming from inside the house. I activated the pulse around my neck before entering the house. Fletcher was down on his knees with one of the creatures holding a box with wires inserted into his nose and ears trying to infect his nervous system. Once the chalky skinned electric beings with black overcoats and dark framed glasses saw me, they tried darting to the nearest exit.
“You are forbidden from this time. Let the cleansing of this sanctuary commence,” I said banishing the creatures.
Once proclaimed, my sphere activated and the room filled with light. A soft glow at first then a cascade of flashes, strobes and beams of white light that shattered the dark creatures. Fletcher coughed and spat up the nanite sludge that had attempted to circumvent his nature.
“Wait,” the detective tried to say coughing and catching his breath.
I was about to turn away and leave when the detective began to rise to his feet. I quickly gauged the risk and I introduced myself. To my surprise the detective asked about A.N.D. Assessing the implications of involving him, I quietly continued the protocol of removing any trace of the space sludge or its entities.
“What are these things?” He asked patiently.
“They are some kind of deadly robot nest from the future. They may be interdimensional,” I told him placing the room filter on the floor.
He stood there with confidence. It felt like he was also looking forward to ending this. Maybe, he would share what he knew with me. Now that his attention was piqued, I could see what he knew and maybe he could help me.
I rested my foot on the crumbling metal dog and told him, “I know where these things are based.”
He looked even more interested; he leaned in, “Are you going after those things?”
I detected a quiet anger in his voice.
“I can drill into the pylon, but I need someone to cover me while I do,” I explained showing him my sphere.
He stood pondering then asked, “What did that box just do to me? What do they want?” he asked as he gathered his composure.
“Whatever that thing told you, it was to control you,” I explained. “Whatever you’ve done, it is done. You cannot change the past without destroying the present. All you have is now. No tomorrow, no past, just now.”
I knew he was struggling with his past which made him an easy target to control. These things collect information and use it against you, to control you, to manipulate you. They use fear to control you. They plant seeds of doubt. Or they bribe you because they not only learn about your biggest fears, but they also learn about your earthly desires and use them to entice you into working with them.
After contemplating all that I had said, he revealed where the traveler was going to be and when.
“I was sent to destroy the robot nest, to preserve the future. I have been tracking it for nine years,” I informed him. “I’ve tried to make it out there, but the journey is too long on foot, and the vehicles of this time are under equipped for such terrain,” I explained.
Once all the grey dust and sludge were collected, I picked up the filter and put it away. I dug in my other pocket for the map. I opened the map to show him my plan and theory of where the nest might be.
He didn’t seem astounded by my technology and rubbed his beard a second before he said, “I know a guy that owes me a favor with the kind of vehicle that could make it out there.”
For the first time in a while, I began to see possibilities of success in my mind. So not giving him any opportunity to decline, I ordered him, “We go tomorrow at sunrise,” and proceeded to leave.
“Hold on, a minute. I haven’t even asked the guy yet,” he said with a wrinkled forehead and shifting his feet.
I continued to gather my gear and headed out without another word. I handed him my business card, perhaps he needed to be spoken to in plain terms. I started the truck and saw him standing there with an intense smolder.
I told the detective, “Pick me up when you are ready, things will only get worse the longer we wait.”
I smiled at the thought of having someone backing me up. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t alone. I headed back to the laundry to meditate on a positive outcome. When I arrived, Maria told me that she had been unable to get any work done because Bella’s Linen was being flooded with calls from big potential clients needing laundry. I knew A.N.D. was involved and felt the anger creeping in. No, I thought, breathe, focus. The only thing I had any control over was me.
I told Maria to turn off the ringers for the day and focus on the work that we already had to do. I asked her to give me the list of potential clients so that I could call them back.
“Looks like I have lots of important phone calls to make. So, no interruptions please. I am not to be disturbed.” I instructed.
I retreated to my underground lab. I meditated on the probability of Fletcher showing up and finally destroying the last node. I was in a state of deep reflection where I could see the mountain in the distance clearly. I saw the path being blocked by spies and illusions. I saw at the top of the mountain, a wicked spire with lightning cracking around it. Beneath it, a small green meadow of purple flowers being cut down with sharp blades.
“Bella,” Maria said over the intercom.
Her voice broke my concentration and I opened my eyes, “Yes,” I answered.
“There is a man named Fletcher that’s looking for someone named Lunarose,” she informed me.
I looked up to the heavens in gratitude. Let this be my chance to finally save Terra Flora. I grabbed the bag I had prepared and headed out to meet him.
“Send him to the back door, I was expecting him,” I told Maria.
Walking out I could see that he came prepared, wearing hiking boots and a serious stare in his eyes. I noticed the sky darkening with purple clouds.
“Took you longer than I expected,” I jested to gauge his spirits.
He took it in stride and said he was stubborn that way. A cold gust hit the parking lot stirring up loose dust in the lot.
“The weather is working against us,” I warned.
“Nothing the Goat can’t handle,” he said as he motioned towards the vehicle in the lot.
It was an impressive vehicle, equipped with the tires and the clearance necessary to attempt this arduous journey once more. A feeling of relief came over me as our mission had cleared a major hurdle, finding the right vehicle. One that could handle the terrain. I had made the right decision trusting the detective and I made sure to tell him.
“I was right to trust that you would see things my way,” I said. “I don’t know what we will truly face out there,” I continued.
I was ready to end this journey, but he needed to know the risks.
“I can’t promise either one of us will come back,” I said looking forward towards the mountains.
Fletcher didn’t flinch and started the vehicle. The red metal beast roared as he revved the engine.
“I can get us pretty close with this rig, but we may have to hike some of the way,” he explained to me as I buckled my seatbelt.
I set up our navigation and I promised him, “Get me close and I will rid this time of the intruder.”
He looked over at me and asked how I knew the robots were going to his house that night.
“I was tracking them. I noticed additional artificial instruction signals began to appear. The signals I soon realized were converging at your location,” showing him the sludge scanner.
He told me that the robots looked scared when they saw me. That’s when I remembered I was on my last sphere blast and he needed to know the dangers we were facing.
“Most of the time, the people that get involved with this thing die. It needs something that’s here in your timeline,” I said looking at him.
“Yea, that’s the part that has me driving you to where you need to go,” he said looking at the road and taking the closest exit.
“These things are elusive. I am down to my last detonation,” I said turning my sphere. “I have not been able to do this alone. One thing or another has stopped me,” I said quietly.
The rain started falling hard as he shifted into gear and headed towards the mountain. I implored him to take the direct path through the untouched desert. When he asked why, I told him of my many failures and sabotaged attempts along the beaten path. The rain poured forth making the ground unstable and muddy. Detective Fletcher edged the transport up the sandstone and crested a large hill. This plateau was flat high desert ground, a mix of sandstone, gravel and brush. We eased into a small creek along the way towards the large mountain ahead of us. I was scanning the area for large sludgy creatures when the cracking of wooden limbs and the sudden appearance of white rushing water came for our lives. The foaming water looked like the quantum foam of erasure that the entire Aeon timeline was facing. I gasped for air to warn Fletcher to look out as the rushing water was now inevitably upon us. The cabin floated in the water and for a moment, everything slowed. My only thought was I had failed the mission; Aeon was lost and I would drown in this random foam of chaos just as my brethren were doomed to. I looked at Fletcher and saw his determined nature, grinding the stick, muscling the wheel.
“Drowning, I fear is the worst of all fates,” I said grabbing my belt and surrendering to my fate.
“I’m not letting you drown,” he said reassuringly.
Moments later he was steering the vehicle and revving the engine. Smoke poured forth from the hood, blocking the little view we had. I felt the vehicle shift, and the water receded. We were alive and he had managed to cross the creek. I was never more grateful.
At the base of the mountain the rain stopped, and the clouds opened to the remaining daylight. We traveled back up the mountain bypassing pretending robots who posed as stranded tourists. The readings on my scanner said sludge bots, so we avoided a potential hazard veering away. The mountain pass ahead had a fake boulder blocking the path that had no density on my scanner. We passed through that obstacle with ease as well. When the path ahead narrowed, Fletcher announced that the Goat could take us no further due to its size. I was already looking over my readings, and we were beyond the jammers and could now triangulate the nodes signal. Fletcher gathered his weapons and put on his winter gear. I put on my hood and readied my staff. He stood for a second eyeing a bird in the sky,
“One of their spies,” I said as I headed up the mountain. “It’s time to move,” I instructed. So, I may see Terra Flora once again, I quietly told myself.
The air up here was crisp and cold; the wind blew every so often in powerful gusts. We had been climbing for about an hour when I heard the detective call from below. I stopped and heard something moving. A pair of red electric eyes stared at me from a small ledge above me. I armed my staff and took a defensive position. The creature lunged from the ledge directly at me, a sonic blast of guttural noise followed it. I heard a series of loud shots, each one tearing apart the metallic predator. It fell and landed with a damaged paw, but before it could take another step, Fletcher tore its’ head off with two well placed shots. The casing holding its head together shattered and its menacing teeth separated from its jaw.
I was careful to stand closer to Jack from then on as we climbed for another hour. We had to sit down and rest, that’s when a rogue lightning strike interfered with the nodes light filter, revealing itself on a nearby mountaintop.
We headed higher up and came upon a narrow ledge that led to a pass that accessed the mountaintop. This was exhilarating. I was so close to the end of this nightmare. However, when I looked back, I saw Jack frozen in fear. I had to slide over to him and hook him up to a harness. I quickly threaded a line and anchored it onto the mountain side.
“I’m not going to let you fall,” I said looking into his eyes.
It was my turn to be reassuring. I waited until he responded, then we continued until we saw the summit ahead.
Jack heard a voice from one of the many holes in the mountain side calling out, “Jack.”
“Tina,” he shouted.
“Tina is not in there,” I reminded him.
The summit was within reach as we turned up the mountain. A.N.D. continued to taunt Jack about his past, speaking from the many holes in the mountainside. He looked confused and pointed his shotgun at the many holes in the ground. I saw the holo-generator on the summit floor and kicked it over. The projection of sky ceased and revealed a large monolithic node thirty feet high. The sky crackled with power and swirled with energy, as I plunged my staff into the ground triggering a static and temporal discharge of energy.
“Time impurity, you shall be banished into oblivion,” I declared to the entire mountain.
There it was the final node. I strode forth determined to drill and destroy this sludge forever. A series of shots rang out below me. I could see Jack had found another metal beast that was guarding the node. A long legged, razor mouthed beast jolted up the mountain. This beast was huge and was climbing the mountain despite Jacks’ trained fire destroying his body. I wasted no time and gripped the staff that dug into the pylon. The staff warned of a perimeter breach five hundred feet away and that a myriad of bots were now converging on our position. Jack continued to shoot the beast as I drilled deeper into the casing nearly exposing the core. A flurry of nano bots began to leak from the base of the node, nearly jamming my drill. I set the power to max and changed its polarity and temporal timing. The bots began to disappear in a wave of bright white sparks. I was so close, just a little more.
“Warning, proximity alert,” my staff warned.
A metal horror snuck behind me with gaping razor teeth and equally sharp claws, ready to lunge at me. I disengaged my drill, pumped my laser, and blasted the beast center mass. The laser burned a large hole through it; I ducked to avoid its searing red-hot claws. But it was useless, the beast’s extended arm and claw swept across my back. Unable to avoid its robotic reach, its claw tore into my back. My staff felt heavy, my back felt warm as I mounted the drill back into the pylon and started drilling into its core. I heard the pop of Jack’s pistol as he tore down the monster he was dealt with. Jack’s touch as he applied pressure broke my concentration.
“I can’t stop. Let me finish this,” I pleaded as he tried to patch me up.
Aware I might not make it; I told Jack to finish the job. I pointed to my staff and told him to keep drilling until the core was exposed. I told him to push the green button when he saw the cobalt blue core. He gallantly took up my staff and began to tear the pylon apart. His determined nature and his unrelenting grit were impressive. He focused and held the drill in place, showering the mountain side with white sparks. Around us the bots gathered and I fiddled with the sphere, waiting for them to gather enough bots to overwhelm us. I was drifting away when the coherent blue laser light poured from the core into the dusk. Jack held down the green button, which activated a temporal lock in the present. The blue light began to shine, and I activated the sphere and it began to pulse. He fired the last electric pulse and the monolith buckled and crumbled. The relief I felt seeing that thing crumble overshadowed my pain. Jack rushed back to me and held me up to show me the dusty residue of dead nanobots collecting around us as the sphere fragmented in my hand.
“We did it,” he said, its gone.”
I was right to trust him. We made it to the summit and claimed victory.
“It is done,” I said and breathed slowly. I felt myself fading away, I could finally rest so I closed my eyes.
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The New Beginning
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“Look who’s finally awake,” a familiar voice spoke, my eyes trying to focus.
Could it be? Lionel stood there looking at me and smiling. He was in good spirits, but older. He looked like he was about fifty years of age now. His body still strong and lean as always.
“Did I save them? Are my people? Is Terra Flora?” I tried speaking.
“Yes, Terra Flora lives on, but you need to rest now. Everyone is safe,” Lionell said as he walked over to the window.
He opened the white drapery covering the window. There was my beautiful Terra Flora. However, something was different. This was Terra Flora two hundred years ago, before the war, before the erasure began.
“What happened? How?” I wanted to know.
“Shh, relax. I’ll give you the short version,” he assured me as he sat next to me and reached over to hold my hand.
“After retrieving your body, we took control of the portals and command center. The war had left the council cornered on the verge of extinction itself. Omnis was at our gates and all we could do was hold on to hope. Hope that you would rewrite and intercept history. We monitored your signal and when the temporal interloper was eliminated, we were finally able to open a portal. A portal that led to you,” he said with a slow exhale.
I tried turning towards him, but the pain coming from my back was excruciating.
“Hold on hero, you’re lucky to be alive,” he said calmly. “The cuts were deep and managed to sever organs. Our medics informed us that we needed to wait a couple of weeks before they could see the extent of the damage. They did everything they could to stop the bleeding and patch things up. But with so much swelling, we needed to wait.” He explained.
“Continue, please,” I told him.
“When we returned, the portals left us in a lab that had an early prototype of the time travel technology.” He said with excitement. “However, we are the only ones who remember the timeline of war and suffering. Just me, you and the small team who went with me to rescue you. Not even the Council remembers. We are the only ones who remember,” he said somberly.134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJz9Nak6OyL
“You were the last warden,” he chuckled, “Now you’re the first, the first Time Warden,” he confirmed. “The interloper never took possession of the time anomaly or the headwaters of time. The timelines are separated, but the fracture still exists as long as the anomaly remains,” he explained. With you and the prototype we found, we have a chance to start over. Aeon got the technological boost it needed to fend off Omnis and untangle this timeline permanently.” He concluded. 134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr05dxOa6r9
We sat together in silence looking at Terra Flora and looking at each other. It was beautiful, he was beautiful. I remembered the Council said I would save Terra Flora. But the reality is they didn’t know what would happen. They didn’t know if I would succeed. Lionel believed in me, Lionel knew I could do it.
“Now what?” I asked him.
“Now, we face the future together,” he said as he looked at me lovingly.134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG606KNd7QB
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