Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  “This era, led by Emperor Kammu, would also bring rise to the samurai class that would eventually take power and begin the feudal period of Japan. While this era had attempted coups by such men as Taira no Masakado and Fujiwara no Sumitomo, military takeovers were centuries away from being successful. While Emperor Kammu abandoned universal conscription in 792, he still waged major military offensives to subjugate the Emishi.

  “The Emishi, or Ebisu as they are also known, constituted a group of people who lived in northeast Honshu in the Tohoku region. Their date of origin is unknown, but it is known they began sometime within the B.C. era. Believed to have advanced the Jomon era, the time when the nomadic people settled down and began advancing the Japanese culture. The first mention of them is in Chinese literature in 400 A.D., mentioned as “the hairy people”. It is believed they migrated across the seas from their native regions of Japan to China. Their relation to the Ainu, or the indigenous people of Japan, is in doubt due to their language which is separate from known Japanese.

  “By 801, the Emishi had been subjugated and the imperial domains were extended to the eastern end of Honshu. Thanks largely in part to the adoption of the Emishi’s hit and run tactics and the learning of horse archery. These changes were thought of and enforced by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. The Emishi were forced to submit themselves to imperial authority as fushu and ifu, or migrate farther north. Those who chose to submit, were treated little better than slaves. Used as frontline soldiers to divide and conquer their brethren Emishi, as well as taxed heavily and given very little rights. Due to this treatment, many fushu rebelled and defected to the enemy. Those that stayed, were no longer independent. However, many powerful Emishi continued to be influential in politics, creating autonomous feudal domains in the north. Eventually becoming regional states that came into conflict with the central government and emerging shogunate.”

  As Jasmine closed her hands together, the world gave what Vletch could only describe as a long, drawn out, sigh. Unlike other rifts, the world around him melted, like someone had thrown water on a painting. His world went dark, light slowly filtering back in. When he could see once more he was back on Aerth, sitting in leaf litter with his back against a tree. He wasn’t sure how, but they had all somehow manage to survive and avert the extinction of all magic.

  As he rolled his head to look at Amy, he saw Bree working herself into a panic. He was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly realized what it was. Vletch could see the others starting to realize the same thing. It was Maria who said what was on everyone’s mind though.

  “Where is Kimi?”

  Chapter 30: Dystopian Utopia

  Jeremy tapped a few more keys, checking the book back in before leaving his station. He slid silently between the shelves, heading for the back of the building. As he rounded the edge of the young adult section, the world turned sideways. In front of him, subject 294-- codename: Kimi, was pulled into the book he had recommended, the tome dropping to the chair with a dull thud.

  He smiled, taking the few steps needed to pick up the book. Once again, he was impressed by Marrion’s abilities to manage time. Jeremy placed his hand on the picture of the swirling vortex inside the front cover, sucking his ability back inside his body. His ability to create and control localized time rifts had secured him a position within the council of sages. He knew the other members wished to control him, but he was no puppet. How could they not see Atlantis was such a stifling place that suffocated its people? How could they not realize the rifts were created because they could not let go of their power. Their desire to control both worlds was the very thing that threatened the safety of all three.

  Right now his wife should be getting Kimi settled in on Atlantis, explaining the new world she had been thrust into. Marrion had a way of talking to people, getting them to trust her. Soon, Kimi would allow Marrion to inoculate her, never realizing one of those shots would not be like the others. One of them would make her complete. Then, it would just be a matter of finding the right partner for her to become the mediator of. If the other Sages wanted to play their games and destroy the world, then Jeremy Vahn would play as well. Becoming the white king to their black in this giant game of chess. The fools didn’t even suspect he had his own team of Controllers and Seers.

  Closing the book, Jeremy slipped it into his pocket. It wouldn’t do to have normal people read it. The information inside was still dangerous to the unenlightened mind. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he ran the index finger of his left hand down through thin air, splitting the fabric of reality so he could step through time and space.

  Taking in a deep breath of slightly chilly wind, Jeremy listened to the sounds of 1990 London, England. He had one more job to do before heading home. Now that Kimberly had been acquired, he needed to gather the other potential candidate as well so the Sages didn’t get wind of his plans. A quick five minute walk brought him to the front door of the foster family he had left subject 287 with. They greeted him with smiles and welcomed him into their home, never suspecting his true nature.

  “How is Emry doing?”

  “The usual of any teenage girl. Sighing over boys and all that.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. This will be my last visit. Now that I am assured of her stability, I have no more need to come here.”

  “We do so enjoy having you, there is no need for you to stop.”

  Jeremy was about to reply when a scream broke out from upstairs. James and Mary Gallin turned towards the sound. Subject 287 stumbled down the steps, sword blades erupting from knee and elbow joints. Jeremy sighed as he created localized rifts in the palms of his hands. So it seemed this subject was ultimately a failure as well. Before the married couple could move, Jeremy placed his palms on the back of their heads. As the skulls were sucked into another time and place, he closed the rifts, decapitating them

  Subject 287 opened her mouth to scream, but Jeremy was quicker. He shot her with a tranquilizer dart, caching her body as it tumbled down the stairs. The blades shrank back into her body after he plunged a needle into her arm. She would still be useful to his cause, even if she wasn’t the powerhouse he had hoped for. Send her back to Atlantis a little before Kimi got there, wipe her memories and implant new ones then send her off as a mediator. He would have to make sure it was done in secrecy so his past self would not find out. That would create paradox he had to avoid.

  He wrote a note to his wife, she could keep this a secret from him, and she was one of the few he trusted completely. Once done, Jeremy pinned the note to the girls shirt before opening another rift back to Atlantis. In no time at all, the girl was through and the window closed. He was about to open a second tear back to Atlantis for himself, when nostalgia suddenly overtook him. Altering his destination, Jeremy stepped through the scar once more.

  Winchester, Virginia, 2015. Moments after subject 294 left for Atlantis. Jeremy sat on the fire escape outside a small apartment window. Inside, Valerie Changa was making herself pretty in front of a mirror, oblivious to his presence. He smiled as he remembered that night sixteen years ago. In a time before he had met Marrion. Just a brief fling that lasted only a single night. But it had been magical for all of that. He hadn’t known it had been her child the seekers had injected the new strain of nano-machines into. Hadn’t even known Kimi was his own daughter until just recently. But if he wanted his plans to succeed, he had to use every available resource, even if that was his own daughter. Even if he had to remind himself to think of her as a test subject.

  When the doorbell rang, Valerie left the room to answer it. Through the open door, Jeremy saw a man enter the room. One wearing an expensive suit and ruggedly good looks. His chest clenched and a small bit of jealousy stabbed through him. It would have never worked out between them. They were literally from two different worlds. And his work had to come first. Kissing two fingers, he placed them against the window as he took off his glasses.

  “Goodbye. I’m sorry I can’t tell
you what happened to Kimi. She will forever become a missing person. I hope you made many good memories with her.”

  He wiped away the few tears that rolled down his face. It was times like these, he hated himself the most. Hated the resolve he needed to save the world. Jeremy sliced the wind, walking through to finally return to Atlantis.

  He exited in a large cavern of a room made of metal and wood. Giving a sterile and inviting feel all at the same time. Three of the twelve foot walls were filled with monitors and computer consuls. Fifteen Controllers were spread out along the terminals running their fingers across the invisible keyboards. As he watched, one of the Controllers grabbed an image, dragging it away from the wall and over to his station where he linked it to his computer. Jeremy was surprised to see Marrion standing in the middle directing the men and women who were working frantically.

  “What’s going on?”

  Marrion glanced over her shoulder, giving him a quick smile before pointing at a Controller and telling the woman to work faster.

  “Welcome back, dear. We just have a small problem.”

  “What problem? And why aren’t you preparing Kimi for her future role?”

  “That’s the problem. We monitored your rift opening to bring her over, but a mage over on Aerth interfered. She was pulled over there instead. We don’t think it was intentional, the mage in question had no power to speak of. That was about a week ago. We did manage to at least send her a Map, but we can’t bring her back over here without the council finding out.”

  “How has she been holding up then? Without the final injection, her powers are still unstable. There is no telling what might happen if they go out of control.”

  “Surprisingly well actually. She made a bond with a mage, which helped slow the degradation, and her own willpower has kept the rest relatively in check. Whoever her parents are, they were strong people.”

  “Is she paired with a strong mage at least? Hopefully Grand Wizard caliber.”

  “No. middle class at best.”

  “She can read her Map and control her powers though? How has she been affected by the rifts?”

  “Minor dissonance. I don’t think she even notices the changes. We really lucked out.”

  “What about the other time scars?”

  “The ones from the seventeen hundreds onwards are stabilizing on their own. A few are even closing.”

  “What do the Seers say?”

  “If we continue like this, we might be able to halt Earth and Aerth from colliding. Your idea to send specialized mediators out with the new nano-machines seems to be working love. If we can continue like this for the next few years, there will be no more need for the council to create time tears to relieve the pressure.”

  “And do away with the need for mage-mediator pairs to combat them. We could break down the barriers between Aerth and Atlantis without fear of destroying Earth, getting some much needed new blood coursing through our city. Did the Seers say there was anything we could do to increase our odds?”

  “Yes. They said if we created a Paradox Echo, we could diffuse much of the pressure, giving us more time to work.”

  “Dangerous indeed. If it fails it will alter the course of both Earth and Aerth forever. Earth would never know any different, but all of Aerth would lose its magic. Did they give you any statistics for success?”

  “Eighty-three percent.”

  “Good odds, do it.”

  “We already did. We chose two rifts relatively close to subject 294 and shifted their positions.”

  “Does Kim-- I mean subject 294 increase the odds of success?”

  “No. But I am putting my faith in her because I have faith in you, my love. She is the product of your desire to protect the worlds from annihilation.”

  Marrion stepped close and kissed him softly, whispering her next words only for him.

  “Besides, in a weird way, she feels like our very own daughter.”

  Jeremy watched as Kimi and a varied group of mages and mediators struggled in the Paradox Echo Marrion had created. He stood vigil hour after hour, feeling pride swell his chest as subject 294 figured out the secrets of the paradox. As new Controllers came to replace the old ones, Jeremy watched on silently. He barely heard them when his people came forward to ask him questions, or required his signature. With half his attention, he gave them leave to create new rifts and alter the flow of others.

  Finally he stopped listening altogether, letting Marrion take over handling the Controllers and the Seers. Jeremy sat in front of a computer terminal, every screen pertaining to the Paradox Echo spread out before him. Clasping his hands in front of him, he leaned his chin on his fingers and watched on in silence.

  His heart went out as the girl spread her ability thin, her mind becoming lost. Still she struggled and held on by the thinnest of threads to sanity. Her willpower the only thing holding her to life. He silently cheered as she managed to regain not only her memories but her powers. She really was a magnificent specimen.

  “Paradox Echo rift conditions are met, sending restructuring information to the Maps. Activating rift batteries to absorb dispersed energy. Waiting on mediators to read the activation codes.”

  Jeremy made a snap decision then. His intuition telling him to act, even against his better judgment. Kimi was strong, but she was incomplete as a weapon. This was his chance. However slim, he had to take it.

  “Activate a time tear generator.”

  “What year should we create it in sir?”

  “No year. Alter its coordinates to intersect with the activation of the codes sent to the mediators. We will hide our movements from the council and keep them ignorant of our actions. No need to power it up fully, just enough to amplify my own abilities.”

  “What are you planning sir?”

  “I’m planning to bring subject 294 here.”

  “What! That’s unheard of! No one has ever gone from Aerth to Atlantis before! It is against the law. The danger to the balance is too great.”

  “She won’t be coming from Aerth now will she? Right now she is still technically on Earth. Besides, my power doesn’t affect the barriers. I just need the little extra reach linking with the rift creation systems gives me to extend my reach into an existing pocket timeline.”

  “Understood sir, you are a Sage. You know better than I.”

  Jeremy clapped his hand on the Controller’s shoulder as he went to work. “Remember, all we do is for a peaceful future.”

  “For a peaceful future, sir.”

  Jeremy watched on the screens as the time tear wavered around the group. Listening to the man give a countdown as he read the activation codes himself on a separate screen.

  “5...4...3...2...1!”

  Jeremy sliced the world open as the Controller pressed a button. He felt the tingle of energy as the machines that normally created tears mingled with his own nano-machines. He reached in, grabbed Kimberly by the collar, and pulled her through. The moment she was, he closed the opening he had made. He handed her limp form off to one of the aides.

  “Take her to infirmary room one. See what the doctors can do about treating her infirmities. Tell them not to inject the stabilizing agents yet. We need to assess her mental state first. Plus we don’t know if her abilities have mutated. I’ll be around in about an hour after I deal with the council, make sure she is awake by then.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jeremy passed through the holographic barrier and entered the capital building. When he looked back, all he saw was a mirror. He knew anyone he had not specifically keyed to the barrier would only feel solid wall. He also knew the other council members had their own secret rooms just like his, and like him, they wouldn’t admit it if asked. Such was the corruption in the supposedly utopian civilization he lived. Not that the general population were allowed to see it. If they did, they had their minds altered to forget.

  The hustle of secretaries, aides, and paper pushers running around barely registered on his min
d. It was still just part of the same old song and dance he was used to. Many stopped only long enough to give him a small bow of respect, but otherwise he was ignored. Stepping on the blue circle in the middle of the floor he let out a small sigh.

  “Second floor, Sage’s meeting chamber.”

  A blue bubble surrounded him, lifting into the sky before it zoomed off to his final destination. He hated dealing with the other six sages, they were all pompous fools. So afraid of change they lashed out at even the smallest hint of anything new. That assistant Vletch had been on to something with his experiments. An idea that had ultimately lead to the strain that had been injected into Kimi. Having such a mind die senselessly would have been a waste. Altering the portal connection to Aerth to get him sent as a mediator instead of someone else had been a feat in itself. One that had not gone unnoticed by the council. Since then, they had watched him closely. At least, as closely as they could when he had the ability to travel through time and space. The other two members with the same ability were not as good as he was.

  Jeremy opened the door to the meeting room, seeing a single figure with hands behind his back looking out the window at the expansive city. While in shadow, the stocky frame and the gleaming silver plate melded to the back of the skull, courtesy of him closing a time tear on himself too soon, told him who it was.

  “You’re late J.”

  “Very funny. I didn’t know you had grown a sense of humor Marv. There is no such thing as late for people like us.”

  “You know what I mean Jeremy. You’ve been gone for over a week. You missed the last two council meetings. You were ordered to report in without fail.”

  “I lost track of time.”

  “Now who’s making jokes? This isn’t a game J.”

  “Jeremy chuckled, throwing his hands out wide. “That is where you are wrong my dear Marvin Grave. Everything is a game! You must learn to play it and enjoy every moment.”