Eunoia

by R J Johnson

  Bodies littered the streets of New York City, as Scott and Christina moved through them.

  “It’s a warzone,” Christina whispered. “They’ll never be able to clean this up.”

  “We’ll be recovering from this for years…” Scott added, looking at the destruction. “Just trying to take that wall down will be one hell of an engineering project.”

  “You could take it down now,” Christina said, looking at the Gibraltar stone in Scott’s hand.

  Scott shrugged. “Hard to say. It took nearly everything I had to open up an opening for the army. Without more of the stones, it could take me months before I brought the whole thing down.”

  “Better to let it live as a legacy for Kline huh?” Christina poked at Scott who sighed.

  “Fine,” he said, holding up his hands. “Least I can do is reopen the Lincoln Tunnel, right?”

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Kline appeared above the McCray house, looking down at it with contempt. This was the place Alex McCray had found the first of the twelve.

  And this is where Kline would change it all.

  He could hear the shrieks and calls of boys in pain and he smiled, looking over at the meadow to the north. He turned, and rocketed toward the sounds, heading for the man who had caused him so much pain.

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Kline was nearly at the meadow when he was suddenly and brutally knocked off course by the Old Man.

  “Why won’t you die?!” Kline screamed at the Old Man. He hit the Old Man hard, using every ounce of strength and power he had available to him.

  But it was to no avail. The Old Man ignored the blows as if Kline were nothing more than a fly. Kline twisted his body around, trying to gain some advantage on him, grasping desperately at the wound in the Old Man’s side.

  The Old Man cried out in pain, dropping Kline momentarily.

  The billionaire fell out of the sky, tumbling through the air for thousands of feet. Kline was able to stop short, saving himself just moments before he would have become a red smear on the ground.

  Kline turned and looked up at the Old Man, who was watching him from the air. He grimaced, and turned back to the meadow where young Alex and Scott were located. In a flash, he flew through the forest, heading back to the pair.

  The Old Man reached down, and clutched his side. He raised a hand, and winced, seeing the blood covering his palm. The wounds sustained during his last battle with Kline had weakened him considerably.

  There was no time for any of that right now. This particular wound would never heal.

  The Old Man swallowed back the pain, and began moving up the hill toward where Kline had said the last Crystal Chamber was. The Patrons had done their level best to keep the twelve stones from being discovered all at once, but after Kline had found the map, there wasn’t anything the Old Man could do to stop him other than hope, he could beat him to the last chamber.

  He pulled himself up off the ground groaning at the effort, his joints popping and complaining about being forced to move. Things were made all the more difficult by the fact he was finding it difficult to breathe in the thin mountain air. Onyx Summit was a good 10,000 feet above sea level which was making it tough for him to move quickly – to say nothing of the fact he was literally around a million years old at this point.

  “Come on old man, they’re counting on you,” the Old Man whispered to himself.

  “Kline’s already killed you once, no need to let him get away with it again.” The Old Man told himself. Talking to himself was the only way he knew how to keep moving.

  “Come on!” the young voice of Alex McCray echoed across the meadow and the Old Man felt the terror run through him. Was he really so late? What if he couldn’t beat Kline to the chamber?

  The blood was now flowing freely from his wounds again. If anything, he’d need to get moving to the Chamber and choose the stone’s power to heal the wounds if he was going to survive.

  The Old Man crested the hill and saw Emily, Christina and Scott standing outside the crystal chamber, debating who should go in and retrieve the stone.

  “Wait…” the Old Man cried out. He began running down the hill, terrified he was moving too slowly to catch up to his friends in time before Kline appeared and killed them all.

  But he was too late. There was a flash of light as Kline appeared next to Scott and Christina. Emily shrieked a warning.

  Just as Kline raised a hand to strike his friends down, the Old Man threw out his hand, and a beam of pure energy intercepted the pair of fireballs Kline had summoned to immolate his friends.

  Kline’s head snapped over to the Old Man, disgust spreading over his face. The Old Man smiled.

  The billionaire turned, ignoring Scott, Christina and Emily, and began charging up the hill toward the Old Man intent on killing him once and for all.

  A bolt of lightning shot out from the Old Man’s fingertips, striking Kline dead in the chest. Kline took the bolt of energy straight to the chest, the force of which threw the billionaire back away from his friends and knocking over several pine trees in the process. Kline looked up, his face ugly with hate toward the Old Man.

  The Old Man ignored the billionaire, and turned, facing his friends, his face set in determination.

  “Get the stone! I’ll take care of Kline.”

  Emily, Scott and Christina looked at each other in terror. Holding hands, they pushed their way into the crystal chamber. The Old Man sighed in relief, if anything, they were safe from Kline for now. With Kline still holding onto his stones, he wouldn’t be allowed in the chamber. If they could only keep it out of Kline’s hands for a few more minutes, he’d be able to save his friends and the Patrons.

  “You’re back,” Kline said, standing, and brushing off his expensive suit. “You’ve proven to be quite the adversary Alex.”

  “You look tired Kline,” the Old Man said. “You know it’s not too late to stop. To give up. To allow Humanity proceed unencumbered by your madness.”

  Kline stopped, and staring at the Old Man. “It’s unfortunate you’ve never understood what I will accomplish with the twelve stones. You believe me to be some egomaniacal billionaire rubbing my hands together, cackling during thunderstorms about my evil plans to take over the world. Why can’t you understand that humanity in my own image would be the best thing for our species?”

  “You’re the shining example that everyone should follow?” The Old Man shook his head. “It’s hard to believe there’s just one example every single person on earth should be.”

  “Together we can accomplish anything. A focused civilization can launch themselves into the stars.”

  “We’re already done it without you,” the Old Man said quietly. “It’s the ego that believes themselves so indispensable that the world cannot go on turning without them.”

  Kline cocked his head, his eyes narrow. “In my case, it just so happens to be true. I built companies that employ millions. I am worth much more than what many countries are. I am indispensable, whether you want to believe it or not.”

  Kline’s smile spread back over his face, “And so far, humanity in my time agrees. I’ve already taken half the world.”

  “Are you so sure about that?” the Old Man asked, a slight smile touching the edge of his lips. He snapped his fingers and a portal opened to his right. Through the portal, the remains of a battle could be seen. Ash was busy helping his new ally Tate clean up the remnants of Kline’s smashed army. The resistance had succeeded in its mission. Kline’s armies were no more. The zombified followers had recovered their senses and were being herded into camps where they would be examined for any remaining damage from Kline’s mind control.

  Kline’s face grew red, and he pursed his lips. “Unimportant. Once I take the last stone from your rotting corpse, I will set up shop, and begin taking over the world once again, but this time with the advantage of knowing everything that will happen over the next twenty-two years. If anything, you’ve simply sho
wn me what a fool’s errand it would be to return. No one can stop me. Not even you!”

  The billionaire threw a ball of fire toward the Old Man who ducked, and shot back using the energy summoned from his fingers. Kline snapped his fingers, and a shield of energy blocked the Old Man’s bolts.

  The Old Man pushed Kline back, hoping to get him as far away from the crystal chamber as possible. He needed to give his friends time enough to get the stone out of the chamber and into young Alex’s hands before Scott fell from the tree.

  But none of that would happen if Kline was still close enough to hurt his friends.

  “Come get me Kline,” the Old Man taunted. “Don’t you want to finish it? Find out if you’re really worthy to hold the stones?”

  Kline screamed and took off, using his stone to fly after the Old Man, launching himself at an incredible speed. The pair flew through the sky, Kline chasing after the Old Man who arced his trajectory up and into the clouds that had gathered along the mountain.

  “You can’t get away,” Kline called after him. He threw a pair of fireballs, one of which catching the side of the Old Man’s robe, lighting it on fire.

  The Old Man rolled through the air, the flames beginning to catch. He glanced down and used his stone of water to douse the flames. Kline snarled, and he moved to catch up to the Old Man, putting on more speed. There was a crack of thunder as the pair broke the sound barrier as they battled.

  The Old Man waved a hand, and a portal opened up in front of him, hoping Kline would chase him through. They both sped through, entering leaving the daylight of Onyx in 1992 and re-entered into the nightmare that was the London Blitz.

  For his part, Kline was blind with rage, and could only think of one thing – the total destruction of the Old Man. He had gotten away too many times before and he wanted the Old Man’s stones for himself.

  He flew into the portal chasing after the Old Man into the portal and into 1940.

  The Old Man moved effortlessly through the clouds as anti-aircraft fire peppered the skies around them.

  A shell exploded next to the Old Man’s ear and he cried out in pain as the shrapnel tore through his body. The explosion had a debilitating effect on his efforts to fly, as he tumbled end over end, losing control, spiraling toward the ground.

  A blue flash covered his body, healing him of his injuries, but it was too late. He hit the ground hard, the earth exploding out around him.

  The Old Man climbed out of the crater slowly, the blue flash once again healing him of his injuries. He tripped over the lip of the crater, and fell to the ground moaning in pain. His ability to heal was growing weaker, as was his other powers. The God Stone was losing its connection with the other stones, and his abilities were no longer as strong as they once had been.

  Kline landed effortlessly next to the Old Man, walking through the Nazi bombs falling all around him.

  “Did you really think it would be so easy?” Kline snarled. He rose his hand, and concentrated. His arm turned into a cannon and it fired, the ammunition hitting the Old Man directly in the chest, tearing a hole through his sternum.

  The blue flash covered his body once again, and Kline swore. The billionaire stepped forward throwing a fireball with each word as he attempted to kill the Old Man.

  “Why.Won’t.You.DIE?” Kline screamed in frustration. The billionaire furrowed his brow and concentrated as hard as he could. The Old Man’s body lit up in flames, as Kline attempted to immolate him once again.

  The Old Man stepped through the flames, breathing heavily, staring the man who had killed his father down.

  “Because you are not what the world needs,” the Old Man said quietly. He leaned in, and rushed toward Kline flying toward him as fast as he could will himself to go.

  Thunder cracked, the sound rivaling the explosions falling all around them as the Old Man’s fist met the immovable object that was Kline’s jaw.

  Kline was knocked back with incredible speed, his body slamming into and through the wall of a nearby church.

  Breathing heavily, the Old Man stepped through the church doors, staring at Kline who had landed on the other side of the church on the altar.

  Kline was having trouble standing, and he nearly fell in his attempt to stand up. He cracked his neck and spat blood down on the floor of the altar below him. He stared in awe at the blood running out of his mouth. He hadn’t felt pain like this in nearly 70 years – that is, this year.

  “Humanity doesn’t need you Kline,” the Old Man said, breathing heavily. “This is your last chance. Leave me the stones, or, I’ll destroy you once and for all.”

  Kline looked up in the Old Man’s eyes.

  And that’s when he saw the fear.

  Kline realized what the Old Man had seen in him and he screamed in frustration.

  Rushing at the Old Man, they began to fight, toe-to-toe, two titans using bit of strength, will and hatred for the other in their fight. They fought like wild animals.

  The Old Man grabbed hold of Kline’s leg and picked him up, throwing him through the roof of the church. Kline crashed through the ceiling and back up into the heaviest part of the blitz. He flew through the air, unable to take control and he collided with a German bomber, the plane breaking apart in a glorious fireball.

  The Old Man chased after Kline, grabbing hold and throwing him back to Earth, as hard as he physically could. Kline screamed in pain as he collided with the ground, and felt one of his bones break in two.

  The Old Man snapped his fingers and a portal opened on the ground next to Kline. A blonde wisp of a woman appeared and aimed her stone toward the billionaire.

  “LORELEI! Do it now!” the Old Man screamed toward the young woman on the ground. She nodded and aimed her stone at the billionaire as an enormous bubble of water was suddenly conjured around him.

  “Try and keep him busy while I take his stones,” the Old Man yelled down to Lorelei. She didn’t respond, concentrating as hard as she could on the reservoir of water around the billionaire.

  He glanced up at the sky, “Where are you Siobhan?”

  Kline was fighting his way through the bubble of water that Lorelei had summoned around him, and he was losing strength, but it wasn’t enough – not yet.

  He flew down to Kline, and held the God Stone out in front of him, summoning the other eleven off of Kline’s body. The billionaire caught most of them, but with two satisfying clinks on the God Stone, two stones settled into their niche.

  The Old Man grinned. Kline was down to nine stones. It was a start, but it wasn’t enough.

  Kline forced his will and collapsed the bubble of water around him. A flood of water ran all around him, sweeping him, the Old Man, and Lorelei down the cobblestone streets of Coventry.

  The billionaire collided with the wall of a building, unable to move, pinned as he was by the incredible rush of water Lorelei had summoned.

  Eventually, the stream died down, the debris and dirt washing around Kline’s feet. The billionaire coughed wildly, trying to expel the water he had swallowed and breathed in, glaring at the Old Man.

  “Is that all you got old man?” Kline snarled.

  There was an otherworldly screeching from above far different than any German plane could make, and the three of them looked up at the sky.

  “Not quite,” the Old Man said with a smile.

  The dragon was at least fifty stories tall and was heading directly for Kline who watched the oncoming green monster head for him with an expression normally reserved for when a person soiled themselves.

  The dragon snapped Kline up in her jaws, pulling him up in the sky. The Old Man gave chase after the dragon holding Kline in her teeth, hoping to keep up with Siobhan before she ate the billionaire and he missed his chance to summon the rest of the stones.

  He flew after Kline and the dragon, as stone after stone flew off Kline’s body and into his God Stone. As each stone flew into the God Stone, the Old Man could feel himself growing even more powerful, far mor
e than he ever had been before. And as he grew more powerful, Kline was losing strength.

  The tenth stone settled into the God Stone and the Old Man had enough. He opened a portal back to 1992 and nodded to Siobhan who threw the dying billionaire through.

  “Stay here,” the Old Man shouted to Siobhan through the sounds of the Blitz. She acknowledged his instruction and flew back out into the inky blackness of the skies.

  He headed through the portal and back to Onyx summit in 1992, hoping there would be enough time to get the young Alex the healing stone in time.

  Chapter Sixty

  Emily, Scott and Christina stepped into the crystal chamber and moved into the darkness.

  “Blah, blah blah,” Emily called out. The lights activated in the chamber as the low-level whispers in the chamber began to grow in volume. Emily rolled her eyes.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Emily growled. “Twelve stones left as a gift for humanity to excise the cancer of fear. And if we don’t, we’re destroyed. We need the stone!!”

  The lights lowered and the voices stopped, the podium containing the stone rising out of the ground.

  “Careful,” Scott warned. “Alex is the one who has to choose the power.”

  “I know,” Emily snapped. “If we don’t get it out there to him in time, we’ll have ourselves a real whopper of a paradox, and you’ll be dead.”

  Scott swallowed nervously. He didn’t like hearing about his childhood near death experience, but his friend had a point.

  “We’d better get it out there then,” Scott said. “Grab it and let’s go.”

  Emily snatched the stone off the podium and the lights in the chamber immediately turned off. “Let’s go.”

  They turned and felt their way out of the chamber, back into daylight.

  Emily looked at Scott, “Which way?”