Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  “I do. But how are we going to get to the Bermuda triangle?”

  “I never said the tear is in the triangle, that is just the physical manifestation centered on the spot Atlantis is anchored. The tear is in your living room. The exact spot you appeared at when you used EVE to shift over.”

  “Than why can’t I see it? And why doesn’t it suck everything in like other tears.”

  “Because you made it. In essence you are a part of the anomaly now. The same way people in the past didn’t comment on your dress, looks, or speech, they were blind to it all because they were a part of it. Your mind didn’t want to see it.”

  “I get it& I think. Before we leave, can we take some of our belongings with us?”

  “I don’t mind, just pack light. The rift won’t be able to transport a ton of mass. Limit to the essentials if you can. Oh yes, before I forget, EVE analyzed your Other powers while you were hooked up to her. I thought you might like a readout of what the Seers deciphered.”

  J handed her a folded sheet of paper which she took gingerly. Inside were answers to questions she had wanted to know for a while. Until now everything had been guesswork. But this paper would tell her exactly how her powers worked. She saw her mother shift her eyes between the two of them, unsure of what to say or do. That was fine, right now, only this paper mattered. Opening it, she read the words.

  In regards to the subjects Other abilities:

  1) Wild Ability- Unrecorded in the tomes. Given the nomer Power of Imagination. Designation shall be kept in records. Ability is as follows: B) transformation into other “persona” based on knowledge subject has on the matter at hand. E.G- more medical knowledge means a better doctor persona. B) uses a totem or artifact to store this persona inside for the duration of activation. C) Persona can be transferred to another, regardless of affiliation with subject through transference of totem. Though bonds with subject make persona more effective and stronger. D) subject can manifest multiple persona’s at will, including totems and transference's to another. Trade off is increasing energy usage for each persona after the first, persona’s affected by distance as well. The farther away subject is from totem, the more energy required to keep it manifested. E) totems draw on subjects memories in a way not understood. Speculate it is tied to next ability.

  2) Rift Generation: Ability to create and manipulate tears through the fabric of reality like an Observer. A) mutated strain: while generation through time and space is possible with the aid of amplifiers, subject does not posses the innate ability to do so unaided. Speculate this strain facilitates primary Wild Ability. B) As is common in those with this ability, does not require much energy to use and maintain. Affected by strong emotions and desires. C) subject currently using one third of the potential of this mutated strain. Controlling on instinct. Further training is advised. D) anomaly in this mutated strain that is not completely understood. Believe unlocking full potential of this ability lies within third skill.

  3)Unity: Ability to amplify other’s ability while being amplified in return. A)Rare ability found in one of every ten thousand. B) mutated strain: ability to amplify more than one person at once. Speculate this would create a circuit. Energy/magic cycle would look like this: subject ->person A ->person B -> subject, repeat. C)With previous information in hand, believe this will unlock full potential of mutated rift strain by creating sustained power and needed stability. Further observation and testing would be required.

  4) Paradoxial: innate ability to survive within Atlantis and Earth even if time line is altered to a dead line. A) Only one other with noted ability ever recorded-- Jeremy Vahn, Sage of Manipulation. B) no other information available, observation and testing needed to compare for mutations and similarities.

  Subject has an excess of Alpha and Theta brainwaves. These give subject increased intelligence, and comprehension. Unknown whether this is a byproduct of Other abilities, or an innate trait. Believed to facilitate subjects Unity ability. These wavelengths make others more accommodating to subject. E.G. friendlier, more likely to form a bond or connection of some sort, which would in turn facilitate primary Wild Ability.

  Kimi looked up at J who was waiting silently with his hands clasped behind his back. “You’ve read this I take it?”

  “Of course.”

  “And what do you think?”

  “I think there is not enough information on some of your abilities. The rest seems clear enough. Only you will be able to fully comprehend and master your powers, others will be unable too help you too much. It does appear you have only one main ability, the rest are just support skills for that primary one. I would assume it takes a lot of mental clarity and discipline to maintain and control your primary Other power, leaving little room for anything else.”

  Kimberly looked back down at the paper again, reading through it quickly in case she missed something the first time. When she looked back up she smiled. “So, your name is Jeremy huh? I know a Jeremy, he’s nothing like you though.”

  “It is not an uncommon name. I do not know if you mean that as a compliment or not, but I shall take it as such.”

  “I also find it kind of weird I have the Paradoxial ability the same as you.”

  “It had to happen eventually. I came to Atlantis twenty-two years ago, mine is not the only dead end future. Others have come from defunct lines as well. I am surprised no one has had it yet. Or if they have, they became mediators and faded away while on Aerth when their line died. All abilities are unique for only so long, eventually somebody comes along with the same one or a mutation of it.”

  “What are these Observer’s that I share the rift generation ability with?”

  “They are just as they sound. They have the ability to create time tears without upsetting the balance or the barriers between worlds. They jump from Atlantis to Earth and Observe. They learn the histories and they send that information back to EVE who figures out when the worlds are becoming unbalanced. It then creates time tears quester’s must close to relieve that stress. Observer’s do not stand out much, they strive not to impact the timelines and they do not interfere if they can at all help it. Some mutations of the Rift Generation ability allows the Observer to travel to parallel or alternate timelines. In this way EVE finds commonalities and the points where these two realities diverge, choosing the world most likely to survive and turning the other one into a dead line. In this way EVE serves Earth as well as Atlantis, figuring the best path the world should take to save the most people while maintaining the ability for the planet to support life.”

  “So in essence EVE is playing god. Deciding who lives and who dies.”

  “A crude analogy, especially seeing as there is no God, but yes. Though she does not personally care for any one individual. It is more like she tweaks the current happenings of the world. People still have their free will to act and choose how they wish. But if the world is starting to become overpopulated, she might tell an Observer to interfere in a certain way by doing a specific action. This action will set in motion a course of events that will instigate a war that will kill thousands and cut down on the overpopulation problem. Or perhaps convince an already evil dictator to withhold food or raise taxes. Whatever is the easiest and most effective route to achieve her ends.”

  “That’s barbaric! Letting a computer decide things like that!”

  Jeremy looked over at Kimberly’s mother and cocked his head to the side. “How so? Is this not similar to how you believe your God to be? Do you not have a book called the Bible that says he does these same things? Great floods to wipe out thousands, famine, pestilence, plague, drought. While in this book your god does it in anger because humans do not blindly obey his commands, EVE is impersonal. She does not care if you like her or dislike her. If you believe in her or not. The god in this book that many humans praise is a dictator, nothing more. He says if you do not do what he wants, you will die and you will suffer after you die. EVE just is. If she were to say anything, it would be
along the lines of, live your life how you wish, you will never know I am in the background.”

  J opened the door once more giving Kimi and her mother a small nod. Now, I shall be waiting by the time tear for you to finish your packing. Please be quick as time is still ticking. The longer it stays open, the more damage it shall do to balance the scales. I advise you not to make it known to any friends or family that you are leaving. I have found that goodbyes make a person have second thoughts about such things and makes it harder to leave. Even when there is nothing worth staying for. Sometimes the mystery of not knowing is easier to bear than the knowledge of knowing for those left behind.”

  With that he slipped out of the room and was gone. Her mother watched the door with a furrowed brow. “You know, he reminds me of someone I met long ago. Just something about the way he holds himself, and the way he talked.”

  “Who?”

  “I was a bit drunk that night I think. Everything is fuzzy, even his face. But he reminds me of your father. Or the man I think is your father. It’s impossible, I know. But the way he cupped my face and called my name suddenly reminded me of that night sixteen years ago. I had just lost a good paying job as the secretary of a big name CEO. I remember my boss had hired a big boobed hussy who was willing to do more than take his notes, so I was terminated without warning. I drank my troubles away, but I had one too many. Everything is blurred after that. I remember almost getting raped, but than he came to my rescue. He helped me back home and--- well-- one thing led to another and we ended up in bed together. I don’t think I even asked his name. He was gone and no trace of him was left by the time I woke up, so honestly I’m not sure if I dreamed it all or not. Nine months later you were born, so I’d like to believe it wasn’t a dream.”

  Kimberly was surprised to here her mother talking about those moments so easily. Her mother, who couldn’t look her daughter in the eye when anything related to sex came up. Her mother shook away the moment of reminiscing, and turned her attention back on Kimi. “Well that is neither here nor there, the big question is, do you trust him?”

  “I trust him enough. I think he is hiding things from us, and he has his own agenda, but I don’t think he means us harm. I think he really does want to help and I think he has the best interests of everyone at heart.”

  “That’s good enough for me sweetie. I’ve put you to the side too often. I told myself if you ever came back I wouldn’t do that again. I realized there isn’t anything worth living for in this world if you are gone. All the struggling I did to make money, just seemed so pointless when you disappeared. I spent more time than I want to admit in the bottom of a bottle reflecting on all the broken promises. Or on the life I couldn’t give you. I thought it was my fault you had left you know. I thought you had finally given up on me. So, if this is what you want, I say let’s go for it. If everything you say is true, it can be a fresh start for both of us.”

  Her mother had never spoken like this to her before. She had never said what she had thought while Kimi had been gone. Kimberly had felt suffocated under her mother’s attention since she had come back. Now that she knew, her actions seemed more reasonable. Kimi got out of her chair and wrapped her mother in an embrace as she started to cry. Her mother returned the hug, letting her own tears flow. She got herself under control after only a few minutes but Kimberly could somehow sense her mother had needed that outlet. She sniffed, rubbing her nose with a chuckle.

  “My little Kimi Changa has grown up. He’s right about that. You always seemed much older than you were, but now it is more noticeable. Do you think-- do you think when I go over, I’ll get one of these Other abilities too?

  “I’m sure you will. The way I understand it, everyone who crosses the barrier from Earth to Atlantis gains an Other ability. You won’t know what it is until you get it, but it will compliment the kind of person you are and the knowledge you possess. And since it is you, I think it will be an amazing ability, because you are an amazing mom.”

  Her mother smiled, rubbing her eyes once more with the back of her hand. She kissed Kimi on the forehead than stood up. “I best hurry and get packed then. I really don’t understand much of this, but you seem to and he seems to.”

  With that she also left the room, leaving Kimberly to her own thoughts. After a moment she dug under her bed for her large duffle bags. The zippers were broken and some of the stitching was unraveling, but they were still serviceable. The first thing she needed was clothes. As she headed for the closet, the door opened and J stepped into the room once more. She was about to ask what he wanted, then her eyes met his.

  Fear locked her body and she instinctively slipped her Knight persona into place. This got her to move, got her to take a slow step back as she held the sword out at the ready in front of her. He gave off an aura of almost pure evil. Nothing like the man she had come to know, but one with a lust for blood and violence. He still wore the same smile and the same eyes, but the sense of danger darkened the very air around him. His left hand vibrated hard enough to make his body follow suite, as if he was holding himself back.

  “Back off.”

  He snarled. His teeth clacking together while his tongue darted in and out. A trickle of blood dropped to the floor from where the fingers of his left hand broke skin. He bit his lip, staining his teeth red. He took another step forward, his hand reaching into his pocket. Kimi stepped back once more, her back now against the wall next to the window. J moved forward another step, laying an envelope on her desk without taking his eyes off her.

  “Give&. Back&. To&.. Me&. When&. On&. Aerth.”

  J pointed at the envelope with a bloody fingerprint in the corner, his eyes narrowed in her direction. “Under--stand?”

  Kimi nodded slowly. “I understand.”

  J nodded in return, than turned around to leave once more. His movements stilted and not at all natural. The sense of danger now gone, Kimberly let out a sigh, her gold and silver armor wafting away as the sword vanished. What had that been all about? Had that really been J? Still shaking slightly, Kimberly went back to packing for her new life.

  Chapter 38: Final Hours

  “Are you ladies ready?”

  “I think so. I know you said not to let anyone know we were leaving, but I felt I had to at least give Mrs. Wurther back her embroidery and the little money she gave me as an advance.”

  Jeremy inspected the two women and the luggage they had decided to bring with them. He approved, even applauded them for the small amount they had kept it to. Each had two bags stuffed to the brim, with items hanging out the sides. Most of it was clothes that he could see, though he knew there were also things like make-up as well. He had vetoed all electronic devices, a fact Valerie had a hard time accepting. Kimberly on the other hand didn’t complain, nodding in agreement after thinking it over. Aerth didn’t have radio towers, or widespread electricity. Nor did the majority of the population know or understand much about circuitry. They should be grateful they could take as much as they were with them. Phasers and even mediators didn’t have such luxury, being pulled through with whatever was in their pockets and on their backs.

  Jeremy clenched his left hand, feeling the new scab over the old scar tissue. That and the cut on the inside of his lip were a mystery. He didn’t remember how he got them, and it had been a long time since he had accidentally bitten the inside of his mouth. Thinking back over the last few days, he didn’t recognize any moments when he might have blacked out, and he hadn’t let Prince take over either. Could it have something to do with the instability of his Rift Generation power? Part of it was still tied to the main tear Kimberly had made. There was documentation of other people being consumed by their rift creation ability when their will wasn’t strong enough. He had never been without it before so he had no clue.

  “I still can’t see the tear, are you sure it is here?”

  Jeremy looked around the apartments comfortable living room. It was small, and bare of much clutter, but it had an invit
ing feel about it nevertheless. The two stood next to the couch, their bags on the cushions watching him expectantly. Determination written on their faces, resolve in every muscle. His head turned to the right just enough to see the distortion next to him, the angry red that reminded him of blood tinting the normal opaque of a healthy and stable rift. Even as he watched, tendrils of black reached through the tear, only to fall, wrap around to the back, and get sucked in again. As if seeking something.

  Or someone.

  He held out his hand to the both of them. “Place your hand in mine. You will feel a small jolt as I temporarily sync your wavelengths with mine. That will take you out of being part of the anomaly. Then, you can see what I see.”

  The two did so, Kimberly oddly more hesitant than her mother. He activated his Armory ability, refraining from actualizing any weapon, just letting the energy flow like a conduit to his fingers. The two jumped as the energy met their wavelengths and their eyes shifted to stare at the tear at the same moment.

  “Now, I’m no expert, but that doesn’t look good.”

  Kimberly nodded in agreement of her mothers assessment. “Yeah, I’ve never seen a rift like that before. The closest I’ve come is when I saw the Paradox Echo. I just get the same uneasy vibe off of it, only on a much larger scale.”

  “It reflects the state of unbalance. In a few more days it will be completely black and fully unstable. When that happens there will be no avoiding the outcome.”

  “If it is unstable, is it safe to go through?”

  Jeremy hoisted two of the bags onto his shoulders, offering his arm to each of them. As long as you step through with me. I’m anchored back on Atlantis. Like an invisible line is attached to me. Once I step through, that line will reel me back in to safety. That includes anyone and anything attached to me. Your stomach might do some flips in the process, but there will be no lasting damage. If you let go though, I cannot guarantee your safe passage. If that does happen, fill your mind with thoughts of me and you might exit out on my position.”