Return to Earth

by Brad Stucki

  Javin growled with anger. The physical feeling within his throat helped him further assimilate back into his body. After all that, the least that could have happened is to have some of his memories unblocked. No such luck.

  He took another deep breath. His eyes had still been closed. He was having to concentrate to take hold of his body functions other than those which were autonomic. Javin felt himself smile with irony at the word, ‘autonomic.’ He knew the word, and that it meant the hypothalamic control of his body’s automatic functions that kept his heart beating and his lungs inflating without having to consciously think about it. The memories weren’t accessible, but his knowledge still was.

  Still have my stupid sense of humor, too, Javin thought. He wiggled his fingers slowly, then his toes. Now to open his eyes.

  They flickered open. The light in the room was thankfully a bit dim. Just enough light to allow him to see shapes, distances, but the room was beige, colorless. The ceiling was in shadow, but he could make it out with difficulty. It was plain, no texture, flat, in shadow but the same color as he sensed in the rest of the room.

  His eyes continued to focus a bit more and it seemed as they did so, the light in the room grew a bit, as if adjusting to his ability to handle the light. Javin’s brow furrowed. He moved his neck and twisted his head a bit, trying to see more of his surroundings. Then he saw it. A slightly blurred image of a man standing above him. From the angle Javin realized he must be laying on the floor. At that thought, he felt the rigid surface beneath him, flat, cold and hard.

  He blinked his eyes, trying to clear them, but the image of the man didn’t get any better. Then Javin realized the other features of the room, the far wall and the ceiling, the near wall seemed clear in his vision. It was the man who was blurred, not his vision.

  Then something clicked in Javin’s mind. Something about the man, the appearance, the blurriness, and the features, looking human like him with dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes, dressed in a black sleeveless tunic and breaches. He couldn’t see him from the knees down because of the angle of his vision, but Javin knew he’d be wearing black calf-high boots. Recognition continued to come from within, and he realized these were memories from Nemesis.

  This was one of Nemesis’ former masters. A Dark Guardian!

  Javin stared hard at the Dark Guardian. In the back of Javin’s mind, he wondered at the term, "Dark Guardian." When he had started thinking that way? Perhaps it came from Nemesis’ memories and the way Nemesis thought of his masters, and the knowledge of the two Guardian factions at war with each other. One, wanting to leave all races to themselves to evolve naturally, to not interfere and to leave things alone; the other, Nemesis’ former masters, who wanted to take hold, to cultivate, raise and control the other races, to bring them along in their progress and development.

  Javin knew through a quick distilling of Nemesis’ assorted memories the Dark Guardians were harsh in said cultivation and assistance. They had a definite plan that looked a lot more like subjugation than assistance. Memory flashes of punishments, of strict requirements and adherence to their principles and plans without any knowledge of why.

  This particular Dark Guardian, this one, had been the primary “instructor.” Javin continued to stare, saying nothing. His mind and his body were still reeling from the recent experience, and he was still trying to get a sense of what had really happened, and how he had come to be here. Javin continued to lay on the ground staring up at his captor, for he was sure that’s what he was. He sensed no barrier, no encasing shield around him, and faintly wondered why? It seemed like he could easily escape once he garnered his strength, because he now knew he could Move even without the aid of an Archway Portal. Javin was amazed at how easily Nemesis’ memories from the Sharing were flowing to him.

  “Welcome Javin,” the Dark Guardian finally spoke, interrupting Javin’s flurry of thoughts. “I have been waiting quite some time for this meeting.”

  Javin tried to speak and found his mouth dry. He stopped and ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth until the moisture returned and swallowed a couple of times, helping his parched throat to moisten again. When he was finally able to speak, his voice was hoarse.

  “Why is that?” was all he said.

  “What? No gratitude from having brought you back from the dead?” the Dark Guardian said, a smirk on his face.

  “Was I dead?” Javin asked. He remembered the intense pain, remembered thinking he was dying, and falling into a dark, comforting embrace.

  “Yes,” the Dark Guardian answered. “Your body had shut down. Your… essence, had fled, only to be captured, obviously, by your friend. It’s amazing what these Ancients have created in the Gestalt Stones. We have only recently begun to understand their full power through the creativity of our emissary.”

  The emphasis on the word emissary caught in Javin’s mind.

  “You mean Nemesis?” Javin said.

  “Yes, that’s who I mean.”

  “So, he has been acting on your wishes?”

  Javin knew that was true until only recently when Nemesis had shredded his bonds of captivity and decided to go out on his own. Inside, Javin had the memory and feel of Nemesis’ great fear of his former masters. Javin would have to be very careful. Their punishments from his Shared memory were extremely severe, not something he wished to endure.

  But it didn’t seem like these Dark Guardians quite understood anything about Sharing. Nor did they seem to understand any of the additional powers the Gestalt Stones imbued upon their bearers, such as a bond between them, the shielding, and the ease with which they could Share memories, thoughts and knowledge between each other, like an ethereal conduit connecting each one.

  Again, the Dark Guardian broke into his thoughts. “It seems you are some sort of focal point to the Ancients’ plan,” the Dark Guardian began. “It concerns you and other holders of the Gestalt Stones, and what you have come to know as three Articles of Power.”

  There was something about the way the Dark Guardian mentioned the three Articles of Power. Javin sensed intense fear of those Articles. His sense was immediately confirmed.

  “Those Articles are extremely dangerous and need to be kept safe. Under no circumstances should they be joined together!” It seemed the Dark Guardian was almost reading his mind. Could he do that?

  “Why is that?” Javin asked instead. He could sense there was an underlying reason, a personal reason to avoid joining the Articles. Javin had already sensed there was danger but wanted to know why it was so important to the Dark Guardians.

  And it seemed his sensing of the Dark Guardian’s mood / thoughts was a little more direct than normal. Then Javin understood. He’d been changed in going to the Aquarian world. His ability to sense other’s thoughts, intentions and emotions had been heightened. So he was able to do this with others too. But were the Dark Guardians able to do this as well? He didn’t have time to follow this reasoning.

  “You do not need to know why,” the Dark Guardian snapped. “Only be obedient; a virtue we will teach you.”

  Javin felt a surge of pain beginning in his mind and spreading throughout his head and shoulders down through his arms, breast, the rest of his body, like he was being shredded, torn apart, obliterated atom by atom. The pain was excruciating, and he had felt pain before. He was being punished and realized this is what Nemesis had endured for many years.

  “Okay, okay,” Javin gasped. “I get it. You ask the questions, I answer them. I’m on board with that.”

  The pain diminished. Javin took deep breaths trying to recover. Amazingly, the pain had helped to gather himself, to energize and more fully assimilate his body, and what had they called it, 'essence’ back together.

  “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. All you have to do is ask.”

  “It’s simple. We want to know everything you know,” the Dark Guardian said.

  Javin paused a minute. “Okay, I’m willing. There are some things you need t
o know anyway.” Javin paused again. This might be an opportunity, provided the Dark Guardians would go along with it. He needed to have them on board to end the civil war with their Light Guardian pals, and help with the Ancients' plan, notwithstanding the punishment potential.

  “Look, having me tell you everything is going to take a long time. My mouth is really dry. Can I have something to drink? And then I want to tell you about an easier way, if you are willing, where you can have all my knowledge, memories, and experience in a shorter amount of time.”

  Javin wasn’t sure it was really smart to reveal information about the Sharing, and he didn’t know how many of these Dark Guardians had a Gestalt Stone. Would he need another person with a Gestalt Stone to do the Sharing?

  No matter, Javin thought, best to proceed. They needed to know and best they realized that Javin was holding nothing back. They had to have that knowledge in order to convince them to cooperate — if they ever would. Javin gave an involuntary shudder at the memories bubbling up from Nemesis’ experience with his masters. The chance of them ever changing appeared bleak.

  “First, tell me of this shortcut,” the Dark Guardian said. “Then if it pleases me, you will have sustenance and we will decide.”

  Javin coughed, swallowed a few times and in a croaky voice quickly explained the process of Sharing, how the Gestalt Stone had given them the ability to do this. Javin watched the Dark Guardian’s expression carefully. The only hint of surprise at this Sharing ability was a slight widening of the eyes. After all, it was Nemesis who had first discovered this ability, and apparently, he had not shared it with his masters. Quickly seeking Nemesis’ memories, it was something Nemesis had discovered on his own. He had been curious when he had run into Chahzuu on his first mission away from his masters to gather up Javin and the people from Chahzuu’s and Sauros’ planet and bring them under sway of the Dark Guardians.

  Nemesis had been curious as to what he could do with a Gestalt Stone outside of one’s body. He had taken it from Chahzuu prior to implantation and had experimentally used it to seize the memories and life essence from Chahzuu, leaving him for dead. Javin didn’t explain all this, only the basics of what they could do with a Gestalt Stone.

  “I don’t know,” Javin continued or concluded, “whether the person being Shared with needs to have a Gestalt Stone as well, but I am willing to try to Share with you, or whomever you designate, so you have everything I have. It would be better if they have a Gestalt Stone of their own, but I’m not sure it’s necessary.”

  Javin quickly thought of how Nemesis had used his Gestalt Stone with Chahzuu’s, though it hadn’t yet been imbedded within Chahzuu, to forcefully strip his memories and life essence. It had nearly killed Chahzuu. And the pain had been excruciating.

  Javin thought he could see a way where he would only use his Gestalt Stone, and perhaps a physical contact, in order to create that conduit for the Sharing. Yes, in thinking about it, he was sure he could do it.

  “You know,” Javin said, “I really do think I can do this, and believe me I want you to have all the information and knowledge I have. You really need to know it. Your people need to know it. Even your enemies need to know it.”

  This got another reaction from the Dark Guardian, a visible surprise.

  “You know of our weakling brethren?”

  “Of course, I know,” Javin said. “And I reiterate, you need to know what I know. The sooner the better.”

  “We will think on this,” the Dark Guardian stated. “You will remain here or we will find you and punish you more severely than you know.”

  Javin almost smiled knowing he could escape easily and thereafter shield himself. But these Dark Guardians somehow didn’t realize this.

  “Sustenance will be brought. You have pleased us so far. Continue to do so, and you will not be mistreated, and perhaps even rewarded.”

  “Yes sir,” Javin said, carefully disguising the irony in his voice.

  The Dark Guardian started to fade from his already blurry visage. Javin carefully kept his features neutral until he had disappeared.

  “Well, this will be interesting,” Javin said to himself.

  Chapter 21

  Sauros was beside himself. He had failed! Javin had needed his protection. He was the key to it all, and Sauros was supposed to be there to assist him, to help him, to ensure Javin was able to do what he needed to do. Now he was gone, and all was lost!

  He felt a gentle touch on his arm, felt a soothing warmth flow into this heart, and a calmness seek to touch his mind. He looked to see the Aquarian Keeper gazing into his eyes with compassion, seeking to console, to ease his burden. For the second time in his life Sauros felt like crying. The gentle touch continued and Sauros felt another whisper in his mind and continued to gaze into the calming face of the Aquarian Keeper.

  He heard a tentative voice in his mind. “Call me Rolla.” It was the first time Sauros had ever heard names being mentioned among these Aquarians. What a funny name Javin had given these people. But with Javin’s inner knowledge, even with his memories blocked, seemed to fit. People of sky and water. Water bearers, Aquarians. Sauros knew his mind was rambling. Was he in shock? Probably.

  Again the gentle touch and the voice in his mind. “Your name?” Sauros gave his version of a chuckle and smiled after the manner of his kind, hoping it wouldn’t appear menacing to Rolla. If she had his memories she would know his name. She was trying to distract him, to get him to focus. And she was right. Now was not the time to lose himself. But what could he do? He took a deep breath. “I’m called Sauros' bho,” he said aloud. And put his hand over her gentle touch on his arm in thanks. “I am so sorry”, Rolla echoed in his mind. The feeling that flooded him made Sauros know she was sincere.

  There was a silence between them for a time. Sauros letting his mind calm. Rolla giving him space to do so. Finally, Sauros thought to Rolla. “What do we do now?” He knew he didn’t need to elaborate because of the Sharing. She would know everything he knew and understand the question. She was silent for a moment, pondering, then a tiny spark of something ignited in Sauros’ breast. He furrowed his brow, seeking to identify it. It was coming from within the Crystal in his breast. Had his question spurred this? That spark began to glow and grow, and it had a familiar feeling to it. Hope began to rise within his breast. He looked at Rolla. Her eyes were widening as well. She must feel it too! Did she recognized it as well, being so soon to the Sharing? But it couldn’t be.

  The swelling continued to grow until Sauros could definitely pinpoint what – Who it was.

  Javin!

  Wherever he had gone he was reaching out. And he was alive!

  Chapter 22

  Sauros was beside himself again. This time with joy! He wasn’t ashamed tears formed in his eyes. Tears of joy. Rolla brightened as well, and she hugged Sauros in her exuberance.

  “Where are you?” Sauros importuned Javin through the bond. He formed the words in his mind, knowing the feelings would be conveyed back through. It was amazing this could be done, yet their bond had grown such that he couldn’t deny it was happening. Grateful for that bond he was. All was not lost.

  “I’m with the Dark Guardians. They took me, but this is good,” Javin thought back to them through the bond. “They think to hold me, but I can escape any time I want. Don’t worry. I’m using this time to try and heal the bridge between the two Guardian factions and see if we can move them to cooperate with the Ancient's plan. I've asked them to Share. They are considering it. If they will, hopefully their hearts will be changed by the knowledge they gain. From what I've gleaned from Nemesis' memories though, I have to admit there’s not much hope.

  “What would you like us to do?” Sauros thought back.

  “Since I’m with the Dark Guardians, why don’t you and…” There was a pause.

  “Rolla?”

  Sauros heard Rolla give a chirp of delight at hearing her name from Javin. Javin had already picked it up through the bond.
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  “Why don’t you and Rolla try to contact the Light Guardians and see if they will Share with you, so they have the knowledge as well?”

  “And while you’re at it,” Javin added almost as an afterthought because it had just occurred to him, “first, go and retrieve the Third Article of Power. In my sharing with Nemesis, he'll know what we've done with it and be able to track it down. He will harm people doing so.”

  Sauros knew exactly what Javin meant, although neither he nor Javin knew where the Article was hidden. They had entrusted that task to Kokos, and she surely would be a target of Nemesis. Javin hoped they weren’t too late.

  “Obtain the Article. Share again with Kokos so she has the most up-to-date information on what is happening. Then obtain the Third Article and have everyone shield themselves. That’s the only way to protect the Third Article now.”

  “We shall do it,” Sauros thought back, and Sauros felt another gentle touch on his arm. Rolla interjected with her thought, “But how do we find these Light Guardians?”

  There was silence in their communication. Finally Javin broke it. “That I don’t know. I’ll work on this angle with the Dark Guardians and leave the Light Guardians and the Third Article to you.”

  “Angle?” Rolla thought back.

  “It’s okay,” Sauros thought. “It means he will take care of what he has said he will do, and we’ll do our part.”

  “Yes, sorry,” Javin thought back to them. “One other thing,” Javin said, “Thanks for saving me. It was you who gave me the soft place to land?”

  Sauros chuckled. “Yes, it was I.”

  “I owe you one, buddy.” Javin said. “Since you were so close, I assume you also Shared with Nemesis? So you're up to date?”

  “Yes, we did,” Sauros said. Rolla chirped again in agreement.

  “Then you know Nemesis has a plan that takes the Aquarian fleet to a place called Earth? It sounds real familiar. Like it’s some place important. He plans to take it over by force this time. I guess using the Articles of Power isn’t sure enough for him, since we disrupted it the last time.”