by M. J Kreyzer
“No… I mean… on the outside of the trailer I know that I smelt people.”
“People?” The Monolith said, bending over so that he could get closer to the Nightwolf’s face. “That doesn’t look like ‘people’ to me. Does it to you? Cause all I see is a front-to-back, ankle-deep pile of hot, steaming Quo shit.”
“No… Sarge… I smelt-“
“Close it up.” The Monolith said. He waved a hand to the guard tower on the top of the wall above the gate. He pounded the back of the trailer to signal to Merino that he was clear to go. “You’re good man! If you see Sergeant Warr tell him his brother says hey!”
They all gave a resounding sigh of relief as Merino, with a breathlessly victorious smile on his face, kicked the truck back into gear and drove through the gate.
“See that? Knew it would work.” Merino bragged. Sable said nothing while Shank sat with his legs to his chest in a heavy sweat. They passed through the gate where even more Legionnaires were poised all around, combat ready. Incredibly pleased with the results and short-breathed from his relief at their successful passage, Merino watched joyfully as they passed by without the Legionnaire even giving them a second look. “And that story, man, it was perfect. I mean, completely perfect. How’d you know all that?”
Sable didn’t concern herself too much with the conversation, watching the city as they ventured into it. “I was one of the Darks that assaulted that extractor.”
Merino said nothing more. He could see that Sable was troubled and figured it best to leave her to herself. As for the others who were stowed away in the trailer, Merino hoped that they could hold on a little longer until they reached the place where they’d be spending the next couple of days.
Leramato was an older city, the older districts starting at the center of the city and spreading outward into the newer ones like the darkened rings on a sawed tree trunk. Leramato started out as a small fledgling colony fortified against vicious wildlife and the destructive barbarian clans that once surrounded it. Then, as did the rest of the world, Leramato changed for the better at the advent of the Republican Union of Relias. As the clans died out, Leramato was no longer an alienated civilization and, being at a major crossroads in the Pretoratan, its population began to boom.
Eventually, the population reached a point where the outer walls could no longer contain the people that populated Leramato, not to mention the rising demand Leromatan real estate. As such, the then governor decided that the town must be expanded and, due to the still thick population of dangerous wildlife, another outer wall must be constructed.
That same decision was made several times over the course of a couple decades.
What resulted was a city which had an aged and very industrialized center while its outer districts were full of glassy skyscrapers and ritzy hotels. Now Leramato had five of these rings and, while it was once no more than half a mile across with a population of a few thousand, it was now a sprawling city and a purported leader in technology and politics. And despite its location in the middle of nowhere, Leramato was a popular tourist destination frequented by many of the world’s most revered celebrities.
Leramato was argued by many to be the progressive capital of the world, defending people’s rights and promoting unequivocal social justice. They bragged about being ‘on the cutting edge’ of social and political issues while disparaging those who weren’t in step with their beliefs. It was a city that provided clear evidence of the spectacular political polarization that had occurred within the Communal citizenry as a result of the Blacklist. They were obdurate proponents of big government but, ironically enough, they had no idea how big the government actually was.
The truck bounced through the streets which were beginning to crowd with well-dressed party-goers. The evening commute had long since ended and now the streets glowed with the brilliant glitz of expensive cars, street lights, flashing cameras and blinking casino lights. And in the middle of all that high-end living drove Rush and the Ditrinity, looking more out of place than they could have possibly hoped. Everybody in the front seat watched as passersby would turn their heads in disgust, some covering their mouths and noses as the truck passed by, lurching through the heavy traffic as it made its way further into the city.
“They’re gonna hate me.” Merino muttered as they stopped at yet another red light.
“The people?” Sable asked.
“Your friends back there.” He replied. “That trailer has always been used for livestock and I’m sure that compartment has got crap leaking into it cause I didn’t go to any trouble to seal it off. I didn’t think we’d be that long.”
Sable’s eyes went wide in disgust. “So you mean-“
“Yeah, your friends are dripping with Quo crap.”
Sable was disgusted and immediately began thinking about what Hendrick’s reaction would be when he was let out. What made it even worse though was that they couldn’t let themselves due entirely to the several thousand pounds of animal they had standing on top of the compartment.
The truck passed through two more districts, the walled areas that circumvented the city center, before they reached the place where they’d be staying for the next few nights.
It was the Crichlin Suites; It was a hotel that, at some point in time, was considered top of the line. However, years of losing business to the newer establishments in the outer districts and even going some weeks without a single customer had their effect on the hotel. Now the ivory stone exterior was becoming dirtied and blackened from city grime, dirt, and pollution and the white stone angels that stood above the main entrance looked like menacing, malevolent gargoyles which created a feeling of repellent that was quite regnant across the hotel’s exterior.
The truck pulled onto the side of the street just before it would turn into the parking garage. Merino let the Quos out of the trailer and could already hear the complaints rise up from beneath the Quo skin at the back of the trailer and inside the floor compartment where everybody else was laying.
Hendrick, as Sable had predicted, was the first one to burst from the compartment in a downpour of insults and profanities, throwing racial epithets at Merino like handfuls of driveway gravel while making loud, uncensored commentary on the brownish-green streaks that had dried across his body. Everybody else seemed equally disgusted, especially Seraphine and Serenity, who kept a persistent inquisition as to when they might have access to a shower.
“Good god, I’m gonna have to shower twice.” Hendrick growled to himself. “You see this? Any bar of soap we get’s gonna be a one time use thing cause there’s no way I’m gonna be scrubbin' myself down with crap caked soap.”
“I’m gonna smell like sweaty rotten Quo for weeks.” Morlo commented.
“Seriously?” Hendrick replied in angered surprise. “Look at this, fatass! I’m covered in reasty rotten duke!”
“You wanna start this now!”
“Calm down.” Sable said as Merino was returning from the hotel having slipped away and checked the group in amidst their argument. Once Merino reached the edge of the group they circled up around him as he held up a single room key. Nobody spoke as he did, all eyes focused squarely on the one and only room key that Merino had in his possession.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Hendrick stated flatly.
“I just spent a good hour spooning in a sweaty leather sack and there’s no way in hell I’m gonna sleep in the same cramped room as that guy!” Morlo looked over to Muldoon who returned his gaze and cracked his knuckles. Morlo took it as a threat. “Just try it!”
“I know the guys that own this hotel.” Merino calmed them, pointing back to the men who had emerged from the hotel’s front doors and stood watch. “They’re legit. They got us a room that’s tucked away down in the basement. It’ll still be cramped but if any Legionnaire’s show up we’ll be pretty much invisible even if they decide to search the hotel.” Merino pocketed the key, going against the notion that everybody had that he’d be handing
it to their leader which, now, was Hendrick. Merino turned on his heels and walked towards the hotel’s front entrance. “Grab your things and meet me inside. They’ll take us to where we’ll be staying.”
Everybody was irritated. They were stiff, tired, they smelled like defecation, and Merino leaving them out in the street wound their frustrations just a little tighter. Hendrick threw his bag over his shoulder and waved for Morlo to come up next to him.
“You got your radio, right?”
Morlo nodded.
“When we get settled in you give a call into base, have them send Price with a care package. Keep it light cause we’ll be done with this operation in the next few days. Just ask for ammo, ropes, and a set of Blazers. I’m sick of feeling completely emasculated.”
Morlo nodded in consent. He wasn’t talking as much as he usually did, due mostly to the fact that he saw the way Luke reacted when he reached his boiling point. Morlo knew his boiling point, should he reach it, would probably get somebody killed. He kept his mouth shut to avoid any exacerbation of the current turn of events.
The inside of the hotel, surprisingly enough, was still in very good condition. The outside of the hotel had been enormously misleading and they thought they’d be met with peeling paint, grungy tile and tearing carpet all grouped up into some upper-class hovel. The walls were paneled with fine cedar, the floor was a thick, plush burgundy carpet, ornately carved wooden pillars reached towards the ceiling at several places around the room while, on one side of the massive hotel lobby, a fireplace cracked peacefully away as it ate away at the pile of logs placed there in. In the exact center of the lobby was a beautiful spiral staircase, the handrails topped with thick black marble which spiraled upwards towards the second floor. The interior of the hotel was spectacular. It was a pleasant surprise. Not to the hotel attendants, of course, who initially suggested that they spray Rush and the Ditrinity off with the hose out back before they were allowed entrance. The statement didn’t sit well and they were instead directed towards the basement, the area where their room was located, where they could shower off one by one.
They wasted no time getting to their room. One of the attendants led them to a discreetly placed door marked ‘employees only’ and led them through it. They descended several flights of stairs before ending up in a nice but not so lavishly decorated portion of the hotel which the tenant explained was the servants quarters. Since the hotel had lost a good portion of its business they had cut down largely on the amount of staff they maintained, leaving the servants’ quarters vacant.
The attendant insisted that they shower off before going into the quarters which, after a small argument (mostly due to superiority issues) they agreed to wash off first. Morlo tried to butt his way in first but Sable stopped him, allowing the younger members of Rush to go first. While they waited Seraphine was kind enough to do a small amount of healing to Hendrick’s wounds. The reminder of where the wounds had come from drove the spike further into Hendrick’s back.
But they all waited patiently for their turns, one by one returning from the shower cleaner than they had been in a while. And as Tess passed, Sable lightly grabbed her arm. With a sullen face but strong face, Tess regarded Sable.
“Hey,” Sable said gently with a small, encouraging smile. “You okay?”
Tess forced a smile, trying it clear that she was all right. But, before moving on, she returned Sable’s question.
“Are you?”
It shouldn’t have even had to have been asked as Sable was sure that Tess knew the answer. Luke was gone and he didn’t want anything to do with them. After years of waiting, wishing, everything amounted to what it now was. But Sable hid it well. “I’m fine.” She said with a reciprocated smile.
Tess’s fragile smile reflected sadness and revealed her true opinion. Slowly, after all optimism had melted away and water pooled up at the base of one eye, she shook her head. “No, you aren’t.”
Sable’s jaw tightened and her lips pursed. She struggled to contain herself as a knot thrust itself into her throat. Until this point she had done very well with controlling her emotions, yet seeing Tess struggling vainly against her own sadness brought out the worst in Sable. She released Tess’s arm and prompted her onward before she lost it entirely.
She stood there and watched the rest of Rush pass by, followed by the rest of the Ditrinity. She hugged herself tightly with the assumption that she was still alone. But, despite that assumption, a hand rested on her shoulder, rubbing it gently. Sable reached a hand back and clasped it tightly as her eyes began to water. She already knew whose hand it was.
“We’ve still got each other, right?” Hendrick said, his voice having a soothing tone to it that it rarely had.
Sable didn’t know what exactly he meant, whether it was the Ditrinity as a whole or her and Hendrick specifically. Whatever he meant, she interpreted it as the latter consideration and took a good deal of comfort in it. She squeezed his hand tighter and pressed her cheek against it, closing her eyes and suspiring quietly.
“Always.”
“Hey Hendrick.” Pitt said from the top bunk.
Everybody had gone to sleep for the night, wrapped up in their blankets and resting gratefully upon thick padded mattresses, a more than welcome departure from the thin, comfortless rollout pads they had been sleeping on for the past week and the itchy cotton linens they had been forced to endure, not to mention that not a one of them had an actual pillow. Now, in what might as well have been a blessing from some divine being, they slept beneath silky cotton sheets, thick down comforters and well-stuffed feather pillows. Everybody slept peacefully and soundly. Except for Pitt, obviously, as he just laid in bed with his hands clasping the bed sheets firmly beneath his chin.
“Hendrick?” He said again, looking up at the dark ceiling with wide, tireless eyes.
No reply. Without blinking Pitt said again, “Hendrick?”
This time there was a shuffling on the mattress below him, followed by an exasperated groan.
“Hey kid, you ever heard of aggravated assault?”
“Do you ever just sit in bed at night and think?” Pitt asked, disregarding Hendrick’s statement entirely.
“You know, now that I think about it, I do.” Hendrick replied, his words sounding mockingly sincere. “Right up until I fall asleep.”
“Have you ever thought about time?” Pitt asked, still looking unblinkingly at the ceiling.
“Like the amount of time I get to sleep after a week of walking?”
Pitt was still oblivious to Hendrick’s hints. “No, I mean like time itself. Future, past, present, that sort of stuff. I mean, I was just thinking about it and, mathematically speaking, there are other worlds out there in the universe, right? There’s trillions upon trillions of stars with planets and moons that probably circle every single one of them. Even if life on this moon of ours was a one in a trillion shot, that would mean that there are still billions if not trillions of others planets out there that have life on them, right? And don’t you think that at least one of those trillions of planets developed long enough before ours that it might have the technology to come and visit planets or, in our case, moons?”
“You’re talkin about aliens, kid. Not time. What’s this got to do with anything?”
“Well I was thinking about all the different stars out there and then I started thinking about how many lightyears each of them were away from here and that made me think about how much time it would take to develop the technology that it would take to be able to get to those other stars and then that made me think about the intradimensional pathways that the Dimenisors use which made me think about how they could only cross space as opposed to space-time which made me think about time travel.”
“Take a breath kid.”
“So then I got to thinking. If time travel is possible which, according to Rowling’s Arc Theory, it is, though only backwards in time… well, relativity says you can but that method’s cheating… then at som
e point in the future somebody developed that technology and if used it to travel back in time to a point before now, then they’ve already done it and our current reality has already been altered because of it.”
This time Hendrick had nothing to say. Instead, he focused his efforts on wrapping his mind about what Pitt had explained.
“Say what?”
“Say a person in the future hops into a time machine and comes back in time. Now a lot of people will make the argument that their actions will create an alternate reality at that point and separate timelines will form wherever it was that those people travelled back in time. But according to Arc Theory which is just short of a completely proven principle, any time a person goes back in time they meld with the timeline that they were already on and, instead of creating an alternate reality, they add to the one that they were already in. So, theoretically, that person could live alongside themselves if they chose to.”
There was a deep voice that came from the opposite end of the room. “My god, shut up!”
“Kinda cool to think about, don’t ya think?”
“No! It’s not!” It was Morlo. “
“Ee’s right.” Sounded an accented grumble from Kristik. “Shut up!”
“He’s gonna talk and you all are gonna fold your pillows over your heads and go to sleep!”
There was an immediate silence as everything once again went quiet. Pitt’s eyes narrowed in surprise. He leaned towards the edge of the bed as though doing so would make himself better heard. “Thank you, Hendrick.”
“Shut up. Now keep going with this Arc Theory stuff.”
Pitt’s mouth stretched out in a yawn and was accompanied by what sounded like a large animal getting the air sucked from its lungs. Pitt rolled onto his side and pulled his covers tighter around his chin. “Maybe some other time.”
“Wha… No, you woke me up and you’re going to answer every damn question I have, you little bastard.”