by R J Johnson
Scott turned to the right, and then back left. “Uhh… this way.”
They began following Scott down the trail and into the valley when he stopped for a moment, “No, wait, it’s this way.
They turned back around and began moving parallel to Onyx Summit toward an enormous, dying tree where they could see a smallish boy, attempting to climb all the way to the top.
“We’re late,” Scott said, looking panicked.
The trio began running down the trail toward the dying tree as a portal opened up next to the three of them and Kline tumbled through, end over end. The Old Man stumbled out of the portal after him, breathing heavily. He glanced over at Scott, his eyes flitting over Emily, barely acknowledging her.
“Get down there,” he told Scott. “Get in position. I have to take care of Kline.”
Scott nodded and began running down the trail as fast as he could, nearly tripping over his feet. Kline moaned in pain, rolling around on the ground, unable to move after the fight in Coventry.
The Old Man, limped over to Kline and reached down for the billionaire’s right hand. He pulled the stone of strength out of the ring, as Kline screamed in pain. The stone – connected by a steel rod to the bone in his hand, broke.
The Old Man looked down in pity at Kline.
“Money wasn’t enough. Power wasn’t enough. You had to try and kill us all. Now, all that will be left for you is the desire for revenge. I pity you Kline. You needed someone to love. Someone to love you. Perhaps if you had any of that, your life may have gone a different route.”
He sighed, “But that’s not why we’re here are we?”
The Old Man placed the stone of strength in the God Stone, completing the circle. The God Stone glowed brightly, and he looked over at Emily. “I’ll be right back, watch him,” he said, nodding to the prostate billionaire.
Emily nodded in return, covering her eyes from the bright flash of light as the Old Man disappeared.
Chapter Sixty-One
The star was beginning to change colors rapidly between orange, yellow, red, and green. The Old Man positioned himself between the star and the Patron’s Dyson’s sphere, glancing back at his friends who were all safely ensconced within their “egg” dreaming a million different dreams all at once.
He wondered what they were dreaming about at the moment. What kind of life were they living? Did they understand how close they had come to destruction? Did it even matter at this point?
Floating in space, the Old Man turned the God Stone along with the other eleven stones toward the star and concentrated on the nuclear reactions that were occurring within.
The star began flashing wildly as the Old Man began directly influencing the star and its reactions. He closed his eyes and could see each individual atom making up the vast star in front of him. Reordering the star’s elements on a molecular level, he began rebuilding the star from inside out.
By the time he was finished, the star was burning as if it had been born yesterday. If he used the stone correctly, the Patron’s world should have at least another 8 billion year’s worth of energy to power the Egg.
The Old Man glanced back at the curved horizon of the Patron’s Dyson’s sphere. They were safe.
Now it was their turn to hold up their end of the bargain.
He opened a portal back to Earth and flew through it, almost glad it was time for the end.
Chapter Sixty-Two
The Old Man appeared next to Scott who had bedded down underneath a pine tree covered in moss. Scott yelped in surprise, but felt a hand clasp down on his mouth.
“Quiet you idiot,” the Old Man told him. Scott glanced over at the Old Man, almost recognizing the voice.
“Sorry,” Scott said. He was distracted by how familiar the Old Man had sounded just then. It had been bugging him for the last few days, but he almost had it that time. Who was it that the Old Man reminded him of?
“Where’s Alex?” the Old Man asked. Scott pointed down at stream where the twelve year old Alex was busy panning for gold in the mountain run off.
“Stone,” the Old Man ordered. Scott dropped the stone off in his hand, and the Old Man released it into the stream, closing his eyes as he guided it toward young Alex.
The stone floated down the stream, bouncing off several rocks in the bed, moving quickly toward young Alex’s gold pan. Landing gently in the pan with a soft clink the Old Man watched with some satisfaction, as Alex discovered the stone for the first time.
Young Alex looked at the stone in his pan and picked it up, hypnotized by it for a moment, until throwing it away into the meadow. The Old Man chuckled and snapped his fingers, directing the stone back into Alex’s gold pan. Confused, the twelve-year-old decided the stone would be less trouble in his pocket.
“Hey, you dare me to climb this tree?” a shout came from across the meadow. Scott looked up in astonishment hearing his own twelve-year-old voice echo around him.
Scott glanced over at the Old Man and noticed he was looking incredibly pale, “Hey, you all right man?”
The Old Man nodded, “Just, need to… close my eyes for a moment. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.”
The Old Man slumped against Scott, closing his eyes.
That was then they heard the scream. Scott whipped his head back toward the meadow in time to see his own twelve-year-old body fall to the ground from the top of the huge, dying pine tree. Scott wanted to look away, but he had to watch and make sure his friend was safe.
Alex screamed in terror as he watched his friend fall to the ground, rushing over to him. Scott winced as he saw how bad the accident looked from another perspective, and suddenly, Scott was very glad for the terrible memory he had of the incident.
He turned to the Old Man, hoping to commiserate with him about the injuries he was about to take, when he noticed he wasn’t moving. “Hey, Old Man. You okay?”
The Old Man’s eyes fluttered, and he nodded slowly. Scott didn’t buy it.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
The Old Man grunted and attempted to stand on his own power, but found himself lacking the energy. Scott helped him up, and pulled him back to where Emily, Christina and Kline were still waiting.
Emily glanced over at Scott who was hauling the Old Man toward the unconscious Kline with concern.
“Is he okay?” she asked. Scott shook his head.
“I dunno what happened. He was a rock right up until a few minutes ago.”
Emily rushed over and opened up the Old Man’s robe and gasped in shock.
“What is it?” Christina asked her. Emily fell back, pointing at the Old Man’s abdomen, nearly in tears.
“It can’t be…” Emily said, the tears running down her cheeks. She moved back to the Old Man, and began caressing his forehead, pulling strands of his white hair out of his eyes, petting him lovingly.
Christina and Scott glanced at each other, somewhat confused – that is, until Scott spotted what Emily must have seen and his eyes went wide in disbelief.
Besides a series of deep wounds, there was a pockmarked birthmark right above his right nipple – the same one that Alex had carried with him all his life.
Emily caressed the Old Man’s forehead, “Why? Why didn’t you tell me?”
The Old Man looked up at Emily, his eyes filled with the pain and sadness of a man who had loved and lost.
“Because… I… couldn’t…” he said, wheezing through the obvious pain he was feeling. “Not without creating another paradox.”
Emily put a finger on his lips, “Shhh, don’t talk. Save your strength.”
“For what?” the Old Man asked, smiling. “You were the only thing that mattered.”
His breathing became labored and he groaned in pain, “But there’s still one last thing left…”
The Old Man attempted to stand on his own power, but stumbled. Emily, Scott and Christina moved forward to grab him, and help raise him up as he moved toward Kline who was stil
l lying on the ground in agony.
“You could have had it all,” the Old Man said slowly, looking down at him. “There were other options for you. You didn’t have to end this way.”
Kline glared at the Old Man with the hate and fury of a thousand suns. “I had to take my shot.”
The Old Man slowly nodded. “And now, you can again.”
He raised the God Stone and opened a portal that pulled Kline into it. Kline screamed and was gone, absorbed by the portal.
The Old Man fell to the ground. With his duty done, it was time to die.
“Alex!” Emily screamed. She kneeled down next to the Old Man who was staring up into the blue skies of Onyx, California.
“Oh my, what a life to lead…” the Old Man whispered. He handed the God Stone to Emily, smiling up at her. “Please, go and become the person I’ve always known you to be. I love you Emily. More than you’ll ever possibly know. I love you and I’d live this life a thousand times again just for the privilege of being close to you. I always used to say you were the best thing to ever happen to me. And I was right.”
The Old Mans’ breathing became labored and his eyes closed.
Alex could finally rest for the first time in a million years.
Emily burst into tears, unable to hold back the tide. She mourned Alex. She mourned the life she and Alex never got to live. She mourned the time she and Alex would never have together, the children they would never have together. The Christmases. Watching their children grow – from going to school on their first day to graduating and meeting the loves of their lives. She mourned it all as Alex – the only man she truly loved, died in the dirt next to her.
Scott was holding onto Christina tight, as they watched their friend cry over Alex’s body.
A bright flash startled the trio as a pair of alien Patrons stepped through, examining the three of them closely with their strange eyes. Two of the Patrons picked up Alex’s body, taking it with them.
Emily stood, so furious, she didn’t even care that it was the first alien species she’d ever contacted. “You bastards!” she swore. “You killed him, and you nearly killed us!”
The three spider-looking aliens clicked their mandibles together as they chirped at each other. Two of the Patrons disappeared in a flash with the Old Man’s body, leaving one behind. Emily screamed, and rushed after the two Patrons who had taken Alex’s body.
“Where are you taking him?” she shouted at the Alien. “Goddamn you answer me!”
“There is no need to shout, I am standing right in front of you,” the Patron replied calmly.
“You speak our language?” Christina was caught between being fascinated by the aliens and repulsed by the fact they’d taken her friend. “Neat.”
The Patron glanced at Christina, as if confused for a moment. “Yes. It is ‘neat’ as you say. We decoded your languages several hundred thousand years ago when we first encountered the anomaly Alex McCray.”
“He’s not an anomaly!” Emily screamed. “He’s a person who just saved the lives of nearly 9 billion people.”
“Far more than that Ms. Harper,” the Patron said, his voice surprisingly smooth. “He has also saved our planet, fulfilling a promise he’d made so long ago. We admit, we did not think your species capable of rising about the temptation of total power, but we have been impressed with the anomaly and invite you to participate with us on the galactic stage.”
Emily sat back, crying her eyes out, unable to respond to the offer. The Patron turned its head toward Christina. “I am aware of the emotional value your species puts on a pair bonding, but we have no record on how long it takes to mourn a mate’s passing.”
“He’s not just a mate,” Christina replied. She had a thousand questions for the alien species, but for the moment, they needed to help Emily. “He’s our friend.”
“Fascinating,” the Patron’s mandibles clicked audibly as he turned back to Emily. “Ms. Harper, your pair bond mate told us of your wish to contact other species in the galaxy. That is something we will arrange thanks to the agreement our species had with Alex. Is this something that interest you?”
“Go to hell,” Emily responded sounding miserable. The Patron blinked his eyes several times as he attempted to digest what the idiom meant.
Christina nudged her friend. “Tell him yes or I will.”
Emily wanted no part of the Patron’s plan now. Her entire life had been predicated on the idea she might one day contact an alien species and now that she had the chance, she couldn’t imagine anything worse. The only man she had ever loved was dead.
“Bring back Alex,” Emily said. “You can do it. I know you can. I’ve seen the kind of power you wield.”
The Patron blinked several times, “We can bring back his body, but it is no longer a viable specimen. Alex has moved on to the next. We have no way of bringing him back.”
Emily looked at the Patron, “I don’t believe you.”
Christina touched Emily’s arm, “What if he’s telling the truth? What reason would he have to lie to us about that?”
Emily faltered for a moment, but stood her ground. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’m signing up to go out and help you bunch.”
The Patron stepped back as if surprised by her resistance. “We were told you would welcome this assignment. Alex said you were the only one on the planet capable of meeting new species in the galaxy without prejudice or alarm.”
Emily felt slightly better hearing what Alex had to say about her, and for a moment, her resolve faltered.
“And I do what?” she asked. “Become the latest animal in your zoo?”
“You represent the human species in the galactic council. Alex said you were the best humanity had to offer.” The Patron said this as if the decision had already been made.
Christina moved closer to her friend, “It’s what you’ve always wanted. Hell, it’s what I’ve always wanted. Don’t be an idiot. Go explore the galaxy.”
Emily felt herself caught between her ambition and stubbornness. It was true. She’d always secretly wished she would be the one who could talk to new species. Seek out new life, new civilizations and all that.
“But Alex…” she said, trailing off. “He sacrificed everything so your planet would survive. How can you ask me to be a part of something that would ask someone to do that?”
“He knew what was going to happen,” the Patron replied. “He’s always known.”
Emily didn’t know how to respond to that.
“Go,” Scott urged her. “It’s what Alex would have wanted.”
Emily felt her resolve weaken further and she made a decision.
“Whatever I’m doing for you all, do I need to start immediately?”
The Patron’s mandibles clicked together. “There is no need to start today. You can join us when you feel you are ready.”
“If I’m to represent humanity, I have one request,” Emily said.
The Patron’s mandibles clicked, “Proceed.”
“I want to watch over Alex through the next twenty-two years of his life, keep him out of trouble and on track to confront Kline.”
The Patron’s mandibles clicked once again. “Agreed. So long as your actions do not create a paradox, there should be no issue for this.”
Emily looked over at her friends who nodded at her, smiling.
“Go,” Christina said.
“You’ll be all right?” Emily asked her best friend.
Christina glanced over at Scott with a smile, as he put his arm around her. “We’ll be fine. Go.”
Emily swallowed, glancing back at the Patron who was standing in front of an open portal, waiting for Emily to say her goodbyes. She stepped forward, grabbing Christina in a hug as tight as she could, tears running down her face.
They separated after a moment, looking at each other. Christina nodded toward the portal.
“You’re gonna miss your flight.”
Emily laughed through the sobs, her smile co
vering her entire face.
She turned, and followed the Patron through the portal, boldly going where no one had gone before, leaving Scott, Christina, and everything she had ever known behind.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Kline hit the ground, hard, rolling along the gravel road, slamming into the side of a stone wall. Dazed, he struggled to his feet, touching the gash on the side of his head, crying out when he felt an unfamiliar sensation.
It was pain. He had not felt something this intense for years.
He clutched at his head, and removed it, looking at the blood on his hand, confused. Shouts came from the next alley as three men approached looking concerned.
“Nearly got ya that one.” The first man held out a hand to Kline. “Right lucky you are.”
“Where am I?” Kline asked, looking around the destroyed city.
“Coventry.” The second man spoke up. He glanced at his companions. “Musta taken a blow to the head. Let’s get him to the doc.”
The pair nodded and reached out their arms to Kline. “Bloody Nazi bastards been bombing us right to left all month,” the first man said sympathetically to Kline. “They say Yanks are coming to help, but that’ll be the day, won’t it.”
Kline recognized the opportunity in front of him and laughed. It would be almost too easy. “Agreed.” Kline responded to the men helping him out of the crater. “Why I say it’s time we take the fight to them.”
The trio clapped their hand on Kline’s back and nudged him toward the shelter in front of him. “Army’s taking anyone who can stand up straight. Recruitment’s right this way.”
“So it is…” Kline whispered.
The recruitment process was the same as it had been for him the first time around. There were no real red flags. Despite his age, the stone had kept his body in relatively good shape.
Having been through it all before, the training was almost simplistic. When he was deployed for the first time, he made sure to get the same assignments and he had the first time around.
That was of course, when he met the younger Rupert Kline.